Article by Maxim Smirnov

Film schools are in the business of creating people who will become a part of the film industry in some way. Whether the students at the film school become screenwriters, actors, directions, or crew members, watching movies is key to their success. With movie management software, film schools will be able to stay organized, even in the midst of thousands of movies and other programs which will be a part of the curriculum. When you’re trying to train the next Coppola or Scorsese, you need to make sure you’re on top of your DVDs and film reels – and this takes additional behind the scenes help with movie management software.

Keeping the Movies for Classes in Stock is Simpler

Since classes in film school will require that students watch films and discuss them together, movie management software can come in handy to make sure these films are always on hand. By checking with the film library ahead of time by browsing an online catalog, teachers can ensure that the film they need will be available when they need it. With this sort of system, classes can continue as planned, helping to ensure that schedules are followed and students are taught without interruption. In larger film schools with more classes, this sort of system is indispensable.

Lending Movies to Students Becomes Easier

Of course, a film school that is able to loan films to its students is also going to benefit the students and their studies. With the movie management software, the students can easily check to see what movies are available or when new movies will be available. It will also help teachers to see whether students are being proactive in their learning as this system will also be accessible to them as well. Seeing that a student has been borrowing a certain director’s films will also help a teacher perhaps suggest other films for them to look at as well in their independent study.

Updating the Collection Regularly is Necessary

In order for a film school to be up to par in terms of how it informs its students about film trends, the school needs to constantly add new films. By having movie management software, the school will instantly see what gaps are in the movie collection and can then create orders based on these missing DVDs or film reels. Updating the movie library on a regular basis also ensure that students are able to see the latest in film techniques after movies are done showing at the theaters. Not only should the latest films be added, but also the older films which are only recently being put onto DVDs to be viewed by those not alive when the films themselves were made.

With the right movie management software, a film school can keep itself on the cutting edge of movie techniques, genres, and trends. In doing so, they can provide the students with as many tools as possible with which to craft their own style and their own path to success.

Screenwriting Tips

Article by Dale Blackburn

So you want to be a screenwriter, but where do you start? What tools and resources are necessary to learn to be a screenwriter? Do I have to spend a lot of money to get started? These are all common questions, which I will answer in this article.

Easy tips on how to write a movie script:

1) Read as many screenplays as you can. Learn the format and language of how screenplays are constructed. For instance, screenplays are always written in the present tense and often use minimal description to set scenes and create atmosphere. The rule of thumb is: never write more detail than you need. There is a standard shorthand that is common to most scripts, as well as certain terminology that is used to set up scenes and indicate transitions. Reading lots of screenplays will allow you to learn how professional screenwriters use this jargon. You can pick up some free screenplays to study at ScreenwritingTips.com.

2) Use computer software to format your scripts. As mentioned above, to succeed in Hollywood, you have to use proper screenplay formatting and jargon. People who work in the industry are used to screenplays following an accepted format and layout. If yours does not, you are out of the ball game before it has even started. If you’ve got the money to spend (0-200), I suggest Movie Magic Screenwriter as the software of choice. In my opinion, it FAR SURPASSES the competition, even the prevalent and ever-popular Final Draft. If your budget is tight, there are also many low-cost software options available (under 0), as well as free templates that plug into MS Word.

3) Learn to outline your stories. You can do this on a computer, or you can use the “traditional” method of breaking down your screen story through the use of index (3×5) cards. Either method will allow you to move your scenes about and find the proper flow of your story. During this process, you may discover “miracles” that will take your story to the next level… or you may find out that that “precious” scene you’ve been thinking about is not even needed! Beginners often have too much material for their story, or too little. They must find the happy medium. Outlining helps get clarity and allows you to see what can be chopped or what must be enhanced. Storytelling is an art.

4) Purchase some screenwriting books to help you learn the process of storytelling and how to structure your story. William Goldman, screenwriter extraordinaire, is famous for saying that screenplays are, “Structure, structure, structure.” Movies don’t have time to meander like novels. They need to be tightly constructed, with no flab. There are some great books on the market. Hit your local bookstore to familiarize yourself with a few. One of my favorites on how to write a commercial screenplay is Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT! Snyder really focuses on the importance of your STORY IDEA and how crucial it is to creating a screenplay that will sell in today’s Hollywood. I also like HOW TO WRITE SCREENPLAYS THAT SELL by Michael Hauge because it starts with the basics and lays out proper story construction. It’s an easier book to get a grasp on and is great for beginners.

Screenwriting Tips

Article by Danek S. Kaus

One of my screenwriting Twitter followers asked me the question: Which is harder-turning a book into a screenplay or turning a screenplay into a book? Without any hesitation, I responded that it’ s much more difficult to turn a book into a movie.

For one thing, you have much less space to tell your story when screenwriting. A novel can run 80,000 – 100,000 words and more, taking up hundreds of pages. A screenplay must, with very few exceptions, run 90 – 120 pages, with lots of white space on the pages. Average word count is somewhere around 20,000 – 25,000 words.

The reason for the strict page count when screenwriting is that the rule of thumb when making a movie is that one screenplay page equals one minute of screen time. It doesn’t always work out that way but you still need to watch your page count.

So you can see the problem from the outset. Books have much more room to develop their themes, stories and characters. They can spend a lot of time describing a scene or a character, and delve deeply into their backstory. Although it is important to be aware of page count because of production costs and marketing, novels have less exacting word counts.

Novels are much more flexible. They allow the writer to spend time on what interests them most. Novels also allow authors to have fun with the language, to show off their poetic flair, if so inclined. For many people, including me, part of the joy of reading a novel is the writing style of some of my favorite authors.

A novel can reveal to us what a character is thinking. In screenwriting, you can only write what can be seen and heard on the screen. Sure, there are voice overs, but most directors and producers prefer not to have them unless absolutely necessary.

Screenwriting must be minimalist. Character descriptions tend to be very general, in order to allow for more casting options. Also, movie dialogue must be much shorter. Every sentence and every word must move the story forward in some way.

Novels can have multiple subplots. Most films only have one or two, if any. There’s simply not enough time for them to develop in about 90 minutes.

Another reason that screenwriting is so much more difficult is that the audience only has a brief moment to absorb all they can form each scene. When people read a book, they can go back a few pages if something is not clear. You can’t do that in a movie theater.

In books, words tell the story. In movies, images, along with dialogue, tell the story, but images are preeminent.

On the other hand, for the reasons listed above, and others, turning a screenplay into a novel is a much easier process. The writer can use all those ideas, characters and subplots they had to discard because of space and time limitations. They can have fun with the language and more easily reveal the thoughts, emotions and motivations of their characters. If your novel is a few thousand words above what your editor asked for, you can probably get away with it. But if a screenplay is too short or too long, it gets tossed without even being considered.

One difficulty that a screenwriter may have when turning a screenplay into a book is that they now have to be more specific with details of locations and the visual appearance of their characters. So, although writing a novel is not easy, it is easier that writing a screenplay.

Watch an introduction to writing a movie script in this free screen play instruction video from our motion picture expert and experienced executive producer. Expert: Ron Becks Bio: Ron Becks has been acting since he was a child. His feature film “1st Testament–CIA Vengance” (2001) and his documentary “Haitian Slave Children– Forgotten Angels (2002)” have won film awards. Filmmaker: Nili Nathan

A parody movie teaser gone horribly awry! Featuring Omar Robinson and Olivia Rizzo as characters swept up in a movie writer’s brainstorm! A promo for Zhura.com, a collaborative screenwriting website. Go to www.zhura.com and see what it’s all about!