Article by Sara L. Gordon

I have read many screenplays and while its not my favorite thing to do (personally I would rather watch a film than read a screenplay any day) I have put together some tips and ideas for screenwriters based on what I have seen over the years.

I remember back when I was in college and took creative writing courses, my professors (like many throughout the world) were of the

Article by Valeria Kennedy

Do you need to know how to write a script and what all do you need to keep in mind when you write a script? Well, script writing is no science! So there are no hard and fast rules. But, then again, you need to be able to connect with your audience with it. In this article, we have discussed a few points that might help you with your script writing.-When you decide to begin with movie scriptwriting, the first thing that you need to keep in mind is the story line of your script.-You need to decide on the characters and the placement of these characters. It may be not necessary for you to draft all the characters in one go, but a lot of people prefer doing it, so choose the path that suits your movie scriptwriting.-The next step in script writing would be deciding an outline; if you do not draft your outline properly, your whole movie scriptwriting activity could be ruined.-Maintain a steady tone. Well, you need to remember that script writing is not just about mixing romance, drama action; it

Article by Scott Morgan

WRITING FOR ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS

As the Academy Awards approach, many people are curious how screenwriters make it, what goes on a page, and who makes a script better. There are so many questions I can only describe some real life situations, and also add some facts in film history. Working for years as a Screenwriter for Hire, and also as a Spec Script writer, my stories are sometimes wild, sometimes sad, but always entertaining and informative.

I’ve mentioned in other blogs how rare it is to find Producers that know how to improve a script nowadays. This was mandatory a few decades ago. I think that the digital age and expansion of film schools allowed more Producers to rush ahead to production. In my mind, hey, it’s great that they get to produce a film. But steps along the way – steps learning the elements of better storytelling – are often skipped. That is why you hear so many bizarre comments in studio meetings about rewrites on your scripts. Here you are a writer that toiled away at writing s solid story, and suddenly a Producer asks if you can make the death of the midget drowning in the toilet more glorious for midgets (this is an actual note from Warner Brothers on a comedy assassin movie.)

I have been lucky enough to work with several Academy Award winners. I would be either a Screenwriter for Hire or I would have written a script they wanted to set up.

Here is a list of the infamous Producers or Directors I worked with, learned from, or set up projects with:

Freddie Fields: GloryJerome Hellman: Midnight CowboyJohn Badham: Saturday Night FeverBarry London: Head of Paramount/Titanic, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, Top GunCort/Madden: Mr. Holland’s OpusAlbert Magnoli: Purple Rain (early guidance in film making/writing)Sydney Pollack: Tootsie, Out of Africa, countless others (seminar mentoring)Tony Scott: Top Gun, Man on Fire, Unstoppable, A-Team, countless others.

Joel Silver (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, etc.) didn’t really do script improvement or mentor/advise me in any way. Though he is a big name.

My experiences with the big days of New Line were interesting, and I learned a lot.

But the three most influential are Freddie Fields/Jerome Hellman, and Barry London. John Marsh at Tri-Star was fantastic at showing me how to improve a script. As was Justin Dardess. I’ll concentrate on Fields, Hellman, and London, since I credit them with advancing my talents far beyond most writers, especially when it comes to Marketing, Funding, and Distribution savvy.

Freddie Fields. Wow, what a legend. I met him through Cary Selig, a fantastic female producer. She was a D-Girl for him before moving to create Bel-Air Pictures (Collateral Damage, Message in a Bottle, The Replacements, Pay It Forward, and more.)

Freddie Fields was the Producer or Executive Producer on: American Gigolo, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Poltergeist, American Anthem, Glory, Milennium, Fever Pitch, Crimes of the Heart, andVictory. But before that – get this – he was one of the heads of ICM (then called CMA) and was credited as instrumental in the careers of Judy Garland, Woody Allen, Henry Fonda, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Redford, Peter Sellers, Steve McQueen, and married a Miss Universe. He set up Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KKid, American Graffiti, and Star Wars.

And I was mentored by him for a year. Unbelievable. I learned more than I could ever put into a blog – about the energy and the deal making behind closed doors. (Only Barry London taught me more.) Here is how it all happened.

Keri is a stunning brunette with a perfect body, the type you would imagine came to L.A. to be a star. But she was only interested in production. I met her out at a bar, through friends, and she gave me her number for business. We met a few times for drinks, then sort of vanished from each-other’s lives.

I started writing an action script called Hard Knox. It is the story of the stealing of the gold out of Fort Knox during a tornado. The tornado ends up being the bad guy. It had some unique plot twists in it. I knew it was a hot idea. I was on page 80 when I ran into her and she told me she moved to Fields/Hellman. I went in for a talk, and she had me pitch her three ideas. Since Hard Knox was not finished, I pitched that one last, but she knew this was the one. She asked me for a sneak copy. I went home and touched up what I had written and, unfinished, delivered it to her.

In the meantime, I had met a small time Producer that had a film deal at I think Millenium Pictures, plus an open door at some studios. He needed a screenwriter for hire. I don’t even remember his name for sure but think it was Jacque. I only remember his attitude toward the film he was directing in a month. It was a million film, shooting in Vancouver. He called it shit, a waste of time, etc., and something that he wanted to do and flush in the toilet but he needed the money. I felt so sorry for the actors. The story and writing was very watered-down and anemic. He had read Blood, Sweat, and Gold after a lawyer told him I was the best undiscovered (cheap and willing to do ghost writing is how he saw it) writer in Hollywood. He wanted me to do a ghost writing fix on his dream project for a few thousand dollars, so I took it. I was working on that at the same time as Hard Knox, but had not told him about it.

She wasn’t even finished with it when she called me and said, ‘My boss wants to meet you.” At that time, I did not know who the legendary Freddie Fields was, or what would happen to me if he did a film for/with me.

I walked into his office and there was this 70 year young man, Freddie. We had a fairly formal meeting. He talked about his accomplishments, and was generally seeing me as who I was – a na

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 Sam Tinky

Learning how to write a screenplay is not the same as writing an article for your local newspaper or even like writing a normal fiction book. While many of the same skills are required, things must be done in a particular way or your screenplay will never see the light of day. Here are some tips and tricks, as well as a recommendation on how to get started, so you can begin writing your screenplay today.

A screenplay is built as much as it is written. The parts are written and then put together to form a completed project. The first thing to decide is what genre your movie will fall into. Then you develop your concept and build conflict into it. Movies are driven by conflicts in one way or another. A movie without a conflict will not be able to hold an audiences attention for very long. Once you have your concept and conflict you will build your characters to fit within the story. Next you build scenes from intro to conclusion and create dialogue within the scenes for your characters.

There are particular formats that you have to follow. Often you will only have one shot with a producer so you need to make sure your production is not thrown out just because you didn’t format it correctly. The margins, dialogue and page numbering has to fit certain criteria. That is why most people follow the advice in the next paragraph. It takes care of everything in the formatting department for you, so all you have to do is concentrate on writing the best story that you can.

Probably the best thing you can do, especially if this is your first attempt, is find a good software package that can guide you through the entire process. There are many software packages available, from free to very expensive so make sure you read exactly what each one offers. If you don’t need the one with the most bells and whistles then there is no need to pay the extra money for the top of the line. You can use the money you save to market your finished script.

The final piece of advice I can offer is don’t wait to get started. If you want to write a movie then get started today. There is no profit in procrastination. It doesn’t even matter if your first one isn’t very good. You will get better as you write more, and you can always go back and fix things that you don’t like when you edit your finished product.

Screenwriting Tips