Top 10 Screenwriting Tips Introduction to Screenwriting How to become a screenwriter. Over the last quarter century I’ve stumbled and lurched my way to some understanding of the screenwriter’s craft. As our AFTRS Graduate Certificate of Screenwriting students begin their journey, I thought I’d share the 10 things I wish I’d know when I started out. 1.
Why people go to the movies If you’re making films to be viewed by the cinema-going public, it would seem pretty obvious that you should seek to understand why people go the movies, wouldn’t it? Not to me. I scratched around for about 6 years and had already written several very poor drafts of my first screenplay without ever contemplating this fundamental question. “What people are seeking is the feeling of being alive. They want to be moved, guys.
Learn more about why people go to the movies 2. However, once you understand that people want to be moved, you should realise that the main game in story is not plot. 3. Blake Snyder bills his book, Save The Cat, as “the last book on screenwriting you’ll ever need”. 4. 5. 6. 7. Film Script Writing - What Works, What Doesn’t | Writing Film Script : Screenplay Books : Indie Movie Making : MWP.com. Film script writing is not easy. In fact, this is one of the most complicated and challenging types of creative writing productions that you can take on. You should learn how to develop ideas, brainstorm, and look at the bigger picture while also being able to zoom in on the little details in your mind. You should know your genres, and know which ones you want to work in. When it comes to film script writing, you can easily make your end product much better if you already know what you’re dealing with.
By choosing film script writing projects in genres that you are familiar with, you will save yourself a lot of research and avoid many common errors that vary from one genre to the next. You should also think about what actors might want to be in your movie, or which people would fit the parts that you have created best. Film script writing can go very wrong if you try to do something that you’re not familiar with.
Successful film script writing takes a lot of effort. About Us: 6 Filmmaking Tips From Sylvester Stallone. Sylvester Stallone is the man. An incredible intelligent writer/director and a savvy actor with chops far beyond the action genre that kept him caged for more than a few years, he’s crafted several profound characters that have stuck in our collective conscious for decades. It’s also awesome to watch him leap from an exploding mountain while splaying bullets everywhere. Nominated for two Academy Awards, he’s that rare mix of storytelling brains and aggressive brawn that defies stereotyping.
So here’s a bit of free film school (for fans and filmmakers alike) from the erudite artist known as Sly. Let Regret Be Your Gasoline “Regrets? If you’re really inclined, just the imagined regret you might feel if you turn an opportunity down might be enough to charge your batteries. “There are always goals. Accept That the Money Game Exists But Understand What It Can and Should Mean Hope Your Mother Proclaims That You’ll Fail For Seven Years Underdogs Can Become Champions What Have We Learned. 6 Filmmaking Tips From Ridley Scott. Of the directors we’ve covered in this feature, Ridley Scott might be the most forward.
He’s brash an unorthodox, and when speaks, you get the sense that he threw his filter in the trash years ago. At this point, brass buttons are well-deserved. Alien, Blade Runner, Black Rain, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down, and a popcorn bucket-full more prove the man’s vision as a storyteller. A movie fan from a young age, Scott first found success as a commercial director. His first flick, The Duelists, was hailed at Cannes but made it to few screens beyond. It was a science fiction journey featuring a seven-member crew woken from stasis to explore a strange signal that made him a major name, and this weekend he dives back into that world with Prometheus. So here’s a bit of free film school (for fans and filmmakers alike) from a bloke from South Shields. Be Prescient Being able to see the future can definitely help. Rehearsals?
Don’t Conform Avoid Indulging Yourself. 6 Filmmaking Tips From Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock was born in the 19th century but gave birth in the 20th century to the age of modern filmmaking . Famous for his wit, inventive appreciation of the macabre, and a firm belief that suspense involves bringing a victim out from the shadows into the light he crafted the kinds of movies that made you care about characters even while reaching for your cholesterol medication. He also has a lot to teach. To fellow filmmakers and fans alike. Which is why we’ve chosen him as the first teacher in a new series of weekly articles where master movie-makers share their insights . Throughout his life, Hitchcock was candid about his methods and philosophies (amongst other things he flung around freely).
Make Your Audience Suffer… Perhaps one of his most famous quotations, Hitchcock also seemed to delight in that suffering. …But Give Them Pleasure “The same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.” That sugar comes after the heart attack of the rest of the movie. 6 Filmmaking Tips From Steven Spielberg. With a giant pile of movies to his name, Steven Spielberg has the considerable honor of being the only filmmaker who makes entertainment that’s massively popular, critically acclaimed and decade-enduring. It’s an illusive triumvirate. His fundamental success is owed to a lot of things, but principle among them is his childhood sense of wonder and magic – a sense he’s never let go of. His childhood was also spent with a camera in hand. From Jaws to Close Encounters of the Third Kind to Indiana Jones to The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun and Jurassic Park and Amistad and Schindler’s List and Munich and, and, and…he’s been a prolific, skilled presence in the filmmaking world for going on 5 decades, and he’s done so by spanning genres, tones, and subjects.
So here’s a bit of free film school (for fans and filmmakers alike) from a little kid who hid under his bed after watching Bambi. Your Assumptions About Your Own Film Will Be Wrong An excellent place to start. Movies are a team sport.