hey guys i decided i need to write some of my ideas down and maybe just write my own screenplays. So i downloaded CELTX and started to put my ideas down... And here i realized this is not as easy as it seemed. I have a good idea for the story(start to finish), many details of scenes and ideas for dialogues in my head but I`m just stuck when it comes to writing it down in specific (SCREENPLAY structure). I cant even start !! Problems formulating sentences in a proper way and stuff like that. Describing ACTIONS causes me a lot of trouble. Are there any books or good articles that can help me out with this? Thanks guys!
How to Write Screenplays?(help)
- Thread starter gskowal
- Start date
kashak
New member
Hi people!
I was just wondering if there is a difference in writing screenplays for animations and writing it for films?
I myself study making animations, now I want to try with two friends make one project but it starts very glitchy from the very beginning - no one knows how to start, it's a so big mess and improvisation we are dealing with
Any good books written by experienced people so any noobs/beginners in all this stuff like script, screen playing writing can get away in beginning?
I was just wondering if there is a difference in writing screenplays for animations and writing it for films?
I myself study making animations, now I want to try with two friends make one project but it starts very glitchy from the very beginning - no one knows how to start, it's a so big mess and improvisation we are dealing with
Any good books written by experienced people so any noobs/beginners in all this stuff like script, screen playing writing can get away in beginning?
ok so i guess i need to improve my writing skills overall. Can one of you guys here advise me on a good book that can help me out with describing actions? I think my problem is the inability to describe things in writing. When i write i usually go straight to the point. Good writers can describe one particular object or action in many sentences. Somehow I can't(maybe its the small amount of words i know? ). So i wonder are there any books that can teach me about that? Thanks guys!
Offhand I can't recommend any books, but in case you didn't know,
the long descriptive writing belongs to the novelist, in screenwriting you’ll want to be as economical and direct with your action lines as possible.
When you nail this it allows the reader’s eyes to fly down the page (A fast read) to a button type line of dialogue, or to a situation that makes the reader rather die than not find out what happens on the next page. (A page turner)
Ideally your whole script should read fast and interesting, and in time maybe it will, but for now, a quick and compelling 1st ten pages is a great goal. However, (And not always, but in many cases) if your 1st 3 pages aren’t flying by, perhaps reevaluate what is happening in the story or have someone able to spot where things might be a bit more effective take a look at a few of your scenes.
the long descriptive writing belongs to the novelist, in screenwriting you’ll want to be as economical and direct with your action lines as possible.
When you nail this it allows the reader’s eyes to fly down the page (A fast read) to a button type line of dialogue, or to a situation that makes the reader rather die than not find out what happens on the next page. (A page turner)
Ideally your whole script should read fast and interesting, and in time maybe it will, but for now, a quick and compelling 1st ten pages is a great goal. However, (And not always, but in many cases) if your 1st 3 pages aren’t flying by, perhaps reevaluate what is happening in the story or have someone able to spot where things might be a bit more effective take a look at a few of your scenes.
director15
New member
gskowal said:
Go to this website: http://sfy.ru/ and read some screenplays then you'll get the idea.
Great book
Great book
You want to go through the following 2 books, both by Syd Field:
1.) Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
2.) The Screenwriter's Workbook
Syd Field is the guru of screenplay writing, he's taught the greatest screenwriters of today and past times. His books have been around for decades and he revises them as time goes on with things that relate to the current times. The first book will show you how to formulate your ideas in screenplay form, to write the bigger picture and the 2nd book will have you practice this stuff in a classroom style format by doing exercises.
Great books to start with because you really have to keep the bigger picture in mind when putting together a screenplay and things like unrelated parts of a story like 2 guys eating ice cream that tie together bigger plots are hard to assemble if you have never done it before. Stupid example but think about the movies you've seen, analyze them and look at parts in the movie that have nothing to do with the whole plot but are so important in tying two parts together.
Hope that helps =)
Great book
You want to go through the following 2 books, both by Syd Field:
1.) Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
2.) The Screenwriter's Workbook
Syd Field is the guru of screenplay writing, he's taught the greatest screenwriters of today and past times. His books have been around for decades and he revises them as time goes on with things that relate to the current times. The first book will show you how to formulate your ideas in screenplay form, to write the bigger picture and the 2nd book will have you practice this stuff in a classroom style format by doing exercises.
Great books to start with because you really have to keep the bigger picture in mind when putting together a screenplay and things like unrelated parts of a story like 2 guys eating ice cream that tie together bigger plots are hard to assemble if you have never done it before. Stupid example but think about the movies you've seen, analyze them and look at parts in the movie that have nothing to do with the whole plot but are so important in tying two parts together.
Hope that helps =)
kennycouch
New member
your best bet is to read actual scripts. I haven't found any screenwriting books to be particularly helpful
S
spoiledali
Guest
hey guys,
I'm having the same problems over here. But it also doesn't help that I'm trying to balance school as well. It's tough in my situation here. Just whatever you do, don't stop.
I want to try with two friends make one project but it starts very glitchy from the very beginning - no one knows how to start, it's a so big mess and improvisation we are dealing with.
tnkx
I'm having the same problems over here. But it also doesn't help that I'm trying to balance school as well. It's tough in my situation here. Just whatever you do, don't stop.
I want to try with two friends make one project but it starts very glitchy from the very beginning - no one knows how to start, it's a so big mess and improvisation we are dealing with.
tnkx
Hey there ~ I was working online but happened to come by your thread...
I think all of these things help ~ reading books, reading actual scripts, and writing-writing-writing (don't-stop-keep-writing). It helps to look for and find inspiration in more than one place. Not just one book, not just one script sample, and it helps to work on multiple projects.
It also helps not to get too wrapped up about proper format, or too wrapped up about finding that one right word that you're looking for, or that one write phrase. Of course you don't want to start any bad writing habits; but there are already countless of ways to get "out of focus" while in the writing chair. Try not to let the issue of format or perfectionism bring your project to a halt.
I think all of these things help ~ reading books, reading actual scripts, and writing-writing-writing (don't-stop-keep-writing). It helps to look for and find inspiration in more than one place. Not just one book, not just one script sample, and it helps to work on multiple projects.
It also helps not to get too wrapped up about proper format, or too wrapped up about finding that one right word that you're looking for, or that one write phrase. Of course you don't want to start any bad writing habits; but there are already countless of ways to get "out of focus" while in the writing chair. Try not to let the issue of format or perfectionism bring your project to a halt.
hey
ive started writing one of my own i got stuck like 1/3 of the way thru not sure where to take it next writers block i guess haha
butwhat ive done is i just basically wrote down the dialogue and basics like in the apartment like where the characters are going etc then im going to go back and fill the rest in after just i feel it may complicate me as id probs forget what i was going to write
hope it helps
ive started writing one of my own i got stuck like 1/3 of the way thru not sure where to take it next writers block i guess haha
butwhat ive done is i just basically wrote down the dialogue and basics like in the apartment like where the characters are going etc then im going to go back and fill the rest in after just i feel it may complicate me as id probs forget what i was going to write
hope it helps
Paul Holloway
New member
My first one I am making comes from experience. There are dreams in the screenplay as well as events that I actually went through. I was able to tie everything I went through and create a script I am slowly working on the last part of it.
An Idea I have when I want to make more. I would watch a lot of TV like Unsolved Mysteries and use that as maybe a story I could create with new characters and environments.
Victor Ramirez
New member
Those are great ways to get concepts and ideas to put into stories but that isn't a way to complete a story itself. Stories themselves are based usually in a narrative structure. Let's look at an idea.
A child sees dead people and is tormented by them. Ok. That's an ok idea. What if the child had a psychologist who helped him solve his problem? Ok. Another idea... I think you can sort the rest out yourself.
Broken down simply -
Beginning (problem): a child psychiatrist has a patient with a serious problem - he sees dead people!
Middle (solution): they work together to find that the child needs to help the dead for them to leave him alone
End (fortunately or unfortunately): the psychiatrist himself is dead.
The ideas themselves fall flat but set up in an interesting narrative structure they create... *Drum roll please* STORY (or in this case The Sixth Sense).
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