The Bones

WARNING! The next few blogs will most likely contain information specific to screenwriting.

Bear in mind, if you don't have a screenwriter (be it you or someone else), YOU HAVE NOTHING. You saw what the strike did to Hollywood ...hmm. So let's talk about screenplays, screenwriters, being a screenwriter and things of the like.

First and foremost, I am a screenwriter. I have to be. I can't take a camera and run across the street and film a bunch of skateboarders and call it a movie, can I? No, and I've done it. It was anything but a movie.

So, as a flicmaker having decided to actually film something, I had to start by writing a script. And I wrote one. I wrote two. I wrote two short scripts back to back which, in my opinion is a great way to start.

I didn't have what it takes to write a feature length screenplay my first time out. Especially if I wanted to film now. So I picked a story, a story in it's most basic form. In my case it was a story about a small boy who wanted to be bigger, wanted to be like the bigger kids. Everyone's heard that, anyone can think of it, but when YOU write it, it's yours.

Go ahead and take this very idea I've given you and go write it. Do you think it will be remotely like the one I wrote? No, way. Every story out there has been told (NOTE: I am trying to prove this wrong.) but the number of ways to tell it are infinite!

Here's an example: was my story a comedy (like "Big")? was it a drama, was it modern day or old west, was it and English speaking boy in American culture, or a Japanese boy in the 1940's?? It could be any of these. The point is pick something and write YOUR story.

Remember these points:
--to keep it short
--I didn't even worry about the 3-act structure (how could I in only 7 pages?)
--I used what I had available, locations, actors, etc.
--come up with the few points you want to make, your "outline"
--start writing, let it come out, let the characters talk to you and tell you what they want to say

Once I understood what I wanted to say and how to say it, the writing took me about an hour and I had my first screenplay! --ready to shoot.

When you're ready to start writing, meaning to start thinking about writing and what you want to write, you should be in the proper mindset. I suppose you could call it story-mode. Here are a few things that put me in story mode:

--an easy one, watch a movie. Watch a good one that you've seen a hundred times, only this time study it. Listen to the dialogue-- someone wrote it! These people aren't real, remember? They're actors reading from a piece of paper someone else wrote on. Amazing, huh!

--listen to music. I wrote my first feature because of a particular artist whose music painted landscapes in my mind. When I listened I saw images of two people from different worlds learning about one another and falling in love. The images were scenes in my movie. I wrote them on the paper. (Johannes Linstead--all instrumental acoustic guitar, no words! just images.)

--this third one builds my confidence. Helps me to believe I can really write by helping me see the screenwriters I most admire as real, down-to-earth people, Creative Screenwriting's Podcast from Itunes. I've just finished listening to Paul Haggis for the third time. Simon Kinberg told me all about writing Jumper with Jim Uhls, who also told me his tales from the pages of Fight Club. John Logan gave me some great advice about how to be a good writer (read Shakespeare) and his experience writing Sweeney Todd. Any screenwriter who inspires you is on the podcast...and you know me, I'm cheap...IT'S FREE to d/l and listen!

Find your own methods to get you writing. I'm off for the next couple of weeks with plans to finish writing my second feature. Wish me luck. I'll be on here telling you what to do and don't do based on my own adventures in flicmaking.

Keep Writing.

"Never give up, never surrender!"

...is a quote from the movie "Galaxy Quest." It is a favorite of mine. In fact, no, literally fact, I had been working on a short story that when "Galaxy Quest" came out, it could have been from the story I was writing. Mainly, the plot - guy gets abducted by aliens to help save their world. It's been a long time since, but another I can think of is I had written Sigourney Weaver's name into a line of the story...she wind's up in "Galaxy Quest!"

The point is, I haven't written in quite awhile. Nothing serious anyway. Does it matter? Not really. Though you always want to be honing your craft by writing - there's no better way. But, remember the outline I gave you on the last post? I dove back into that one and I'm off and running. During the past week, I've written 19 pages of script! Things just seem to be falling into place.

By a random chain of events, I visited a friends MySpace page, whom I rarely visit. At the bottom was a link looking for screenwriters. I'm as skeptical as the next guy, but I felt it odd that it was there (I know, cookies, blah, blah, blah; work with me here!) Long story short, I clicked it. It took me to a site that WASN'T full of hype, ad copy-type marketing or anything. It looked very professional. So I queried them to see what kind of response I'd get.

Like they said, 3 days later, I get an email saying they're interested in seeing (the particular screenplay I queried). As with any reputable agent/agency, they are not asking for money. Any real agent will only get paid if you get paid! Based on the information and professionalism from their email, I emailed them a copy of my script today. It's registered with the WGA, so I don't have to worry about them stealing it. I presume to hear from them within another few days and I'll keep you updated about it.

One thing that caught my eye was them not asking for payment. Another was that it didn't have to be a perfect script. If they see potential, they'll work with a writer on that. (Which could be where they start asking for money; we'll see) But if they think there's potential in my script, offer some suggestions, and are willing to try to sell it after that - I'll be on that program!

Their website is www.screenplaywritersagency.com if you'd like to check them out. Feel free to comment about them and/or point out things I missed - good or bad. If this agency is legit, we'll let people know, if not, we'll let people know!

Keep writing!