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How to write a screenplay
It made me
Joyful, capable.
 "I proved to myself that I can do this. "
How I did it: I definitely didn't do it alone. I attended the New York Film Academy. Having set deadlines and peers to critique my work were immensely helpful and motivated me to write and finish two screenplays, one TV spec script, and one revision of a screenplay. Spend some time learning about screenplay format and structure before you jump in. Find what writing methods work for you. Everyone has different times of day when they're at their creative peak, different factors they prefer in their environment (silence, music, solitude, a public place), etc. Figure out what yours are. If writing between 8pm and 2am works for you, then it would probably be harder for you to try to get up at 5am and force yourself to write.
Lessons & tips: I studied screenwriting through the one-year
program at New York Film Academy. However, you don’t have to go to school in order to write a screenplay. You DO need the following: —A story idea that can be sustained for 90 minutes. —A basic understanding of how to format a screenplay. (You don’t need Final Draft, but you do need to know where to set the tabs for Word for character names, dialogue, action lines, etc.) —A basic understanding of plot and story structure. (For instance, by the end of Act I, around page 20, we should know who the protagonist is and what his goal is. Halfway through Act II, exactly in the middle of the script, there should be an event that flips the script or changes things dramatically. The end of Act II should propel us into Act III. Act III is usually only about 15 pages or so. It’s the main showdown between the protagonist and antagonist. After the climax, try to wrap things up quickly by showing what has changed.)Study a few of your favorite films. Analyze how they’re put together. Read as many screenplays as you can get your hand on. (It’s always smart to read whatever genre/format you’re writing in. Whether it’s poetry, short stories, novels, sci-fi, fantasy, noir, etc.) There are lots of free screenplay sites on the internet, so you have no excuse. Gaining knowledge and exposure before you start will make the writing process easier and the revision process as well.Remember to keep it visual! Never reveal information through dialogue if you can do it with action instead. Don’t have a character ask what time it is. Just cut to the clock on the wall. We all love writing dialogue, but action and story are just as important.Be persistent and don’t give up. In the end, persistence trumps talent.
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How I did it: Whenever I didn't have any work to do at my job I'd just sit at my desk and write, and write, and write some more. Because the story had been in my head for years it wasn't very difficult to get it all down. The hardest part was formatting the final document. I believe I finished writing the whole thing in about 3 months time. Read how I did it…
LittleButton Loves her husband
How I did it: I co-wrote a script with my husband (the real writer in the family) for fun and to relax. We wrote a comedic/satiric horror film, which we actually went and filmed as well.We started with brainstorming a plot and coming up with characters. Then we took that outline and started going with it, bouncing ideas off each other. It was the first time either of us has co-written something, and it was fun. Read how I did it…
sweetluxe01 is making a interview question list..
How I did it: It started with a conversation...I was talking with an actor friend of mine about the mechanics of movie making and I thought to myself..."I can write a screenplay." I had always been an exceptional writer in school,(so my teachers told me) and I had won some awards.I thought it would be like telling a story. Once I got started I fell into it. My first time out I chose a genre that I wasn't exactly familiar with however..it was a cri… Read how I did it…
How I did it: For a school project, I teamed up with two classmates to write a screenplay for a short film. We combined drama and comedy with experimental film styles to create a fifteen page script. Our weekends were spent in coffeehouses, poring over a laptop screen. We hit plenty of obstacles, struggling through writers' block and boredom. But when the deadline hit, we were able to turn in a complete screenplay that we were all happy with. Read how I did it…
How I did it: I worked a few hours every day on it. When things were slow at work I would work on it there as well. Once I had finished I had other look at it, they were able to find mistakes and give feedback on what worked or not. Read how I did it…
Jaenne Abby is tired
Omg…this is what i always wanna do.I have story that i wrote when im in sr high but its never finish.and its been 10 YEARS! i gess.I knowwww…sometimes im just losing faith or in that time busy with college and now with my work…
Writing is need more time and you`ve got to be focus.I can`t do that at the moment.But,like i said its my secret passion and i wanna finish what i started :)
I will be finished with a couple college course projects within the next couple of weeks. I might start writing out some ideas and outlining soon.
DaringDaphne has been a non-smoker for 84 days and counting! :)
I would love to write a screenplay on my own, but it would be even more fun to co-author one with my boyfriend. He and I are always having lengthy conversations about the characters and storylines we want to incorporate into a movie “someday.” Why not stop daydreaming and just write something now? The worst thing that could happen is that we don’t ever do anything with our writing and still have a fun time being creative. Seems like there’s nothing to lose. :)
I have several ideas in my head right now and I have written some stuff out but I can pick one idea for a screenplay. I’m hoping I can start this goal when I have time off from college during winter break.
I have an idea about a few bookish historians that go on a crazy cool adventure. Seriously just based around a single scene idea: the historians are freaking out when a super-important fight occurs in a museum, and while trying to win they are also running around trying to protect the artifacts.
Should be interesting.
kre8tions is going to work tonight ...
So many things came up, and I’m put this one on the backburner for awhile … hopefully not too long, it’s still a goal. I lost a bet with my wife and I had to buy her an expensive purse because I didn’t finish my screenplay by May 1, 2009 :-( ... Oh well, put it down to pick it up again soon … not giving up on this goal.
honeyblack needs to take it one day (and sometimes one hour) at a time
I just met with my “writing circle” which is just me and my friend, and it was amazing. She’s very positive but not so much so where she can’t give constructive criticism. It feels so amazing to finally be getting these ideas out of my head and onto the paper. Plus we set concrete short term and long term goals. I have 3 weeks to get the first 10 pages done. Totally doable!
honeyblack needs to take it one day (and sometimes one hour) at a time
It feels so awesome to be able to say that I finally finished my mini-treatment. I know I still have a looooong way to go (haven’t even written 1 page of a rough draft of the screenplay itself), BUT now the damn thing at least has a beginning, middle and an end. I’m proud of myself for getting this far and hope I can keep the momentum going!
is to write a screenplay. I have always been interested in writing but never dove in the pool to wet my appetite now upon finding this site I believe I will finally take the plunge and try my hand at it. More to come…
honeyblack needs to take it one day (and sometimes one hour) at a time
So what has seemed like a lifetime of procrastinating and talking myself out of this project, I’m moving full steam ahead. My goal is to have a rough draft completed sometime between now and New Year’s. I started a rough draft of my mini-treatment last night, and I got Act I finished, so that’s a third of the way there! I’m meeting with my writing circle on Thursday, so I’ll need to complete the mini-treatment by then. This is totally doable. I don’t care if the finished product is the correct format or even any good as long as I finally finish something for once!
 Los Angeles
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camachoborracho asks,
“Let's help each other. To start: What is your Logline/1 sentence description & accompanying Title (and if you have it, also what's the tagline aka the movie poster blurb)?”
— 5 months ago |
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kandiman asks,
“I'm trying to convert a book to a screenplay, but I've got severe writer's block and don't know where to start. To make things even worse... I WROTE THE BOOK that I'm trying to convert. Any advice? I'm tearing my hair out here.”
— 3 years ago |
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 Arizona
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Loi13 asks,
“What can I do to make my screenplay longer?”
— 3 years ago |
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 San Francisco
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playingbyheart83 asks,
“How does one come up with a unique story idea, plot & characters? I mean one that makes sense from beginning to end, is complicated enough to make for a full-length feature, but simple enough to be marketable and enjoyable.”
— 3 years ago |
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 London
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Purplenails asks,
“How do you actually write a screenplay, I mean the fundamentals of it, is it only dialogue? can you be descriptive and say what the character is doing, what direction the shot could be taken at, whats in the room etc?”
— 4 years ago |
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 Chicago
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Jack Stitt asks,
“Just curious what everyone's favourite screenplay writing software is (for Windows)? Sophocles looks good, anyone tried it?”
— 4 years ago |
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 Noord-Holland
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Paola asks,
“Any recommended manual/school/source of information to learn the formal rules for writing a screenplay?”
— 4 years ago |
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morethannow wants to run more
Learn to speak chinese
create my own website
learn Biblical Greek
loose 20 pounds
Learn to draw/paint.
Take more pictures
be a good father
play sims online free
teach
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Meet someone who has always wanted to meet me.
Visit Las Vegas
travel to Africa
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lonelillie wants to Make new friends
watch the full episodes of roswell, buffy, dawson's creek, smallville, heroes, prison break, veronica mars, lost
experience weightlessness
Learn Spanish
get into photography
get into nursing school
Learn kick-boxing
live every day as if it were my last
live in the moment
finish my degree
