Looking for a little advice..

[Cody]

I'm new to the forums and thought I'd get started by posting here.

I'm 20 years old, trying to figure out weather I need film school or not and am stuck in a predicament.

My goal for the past 5-6 years has been to produce. I have written one horror feature film screenplay and have an idea for a TV show that I do not think has been done before but I'm not sure on where to go from there. My questions are:

Are pilot TV shows written differently then regular TV episodes?

My horror script is 86 pages, is that to short?

Should I try and get an agent to give the script to?

The TV show I'm not sure I could write an entire episode as the genre it would be in is difficult for me to write but I could write a treatment and basic outline of where I want it to go.

I'm not claiming to be the best screenwriter, nor do I necessarily want to make it my full time job, as like I said, I'm much more interested in producing. I'm not looking to hit it big on my first project either, I'd be happy to just get the film made, weather it be direct to DVD or put on a website. I would like to make some form of compensation but the experience in itself would be worth it.

Also, I'm not completely desperate, I will not just send my screenplay to anyone, I'm fully aware of snakes that troll forums and such that pull scams and steal other peoples hard work. I'm just hear to get advice, and give it where I can and network as much as possible.

If I'm coming off as rude I apologize beforehand this is just something I'm really passionate and determined about.

 

[MarkG]

My horror script is 86 pages, is that to short?

It's at the low end for a horror movie, but not unprecedented; you may have some room to expand the story a bit, but I don't think you have to. Of course if you shoot it and it ends up 70 minutes long you might have a problem .

I'm much more interested in producing.

In that case you may do best to put together a cast, crew and some money and make the movie yourself; ultimately if you want to be a producer you're going to have to demonstrate to people that you can take their money, make a movie and give them a profit.

 

[Mr Taylor]

I dont know a lot about the topic, but thought I would throw a few cents in for support.
As far as I can tell, producers are more about getting things done than artistic expression.
So the focus would be on money and people skills.
This seems like a totally different sort of drive than "wanting to see a particular film made".
I have done a few non film related "project management" type jobs and can tell you that the skills I use are not artistic for the most part.
It's more about weaving your way through all the suppilers and staying on budget and deadline.
Not that much fun, and not that creative.
Once you fall into the Production type mind set, the creatives get to be a bit of a pain, because money and time are not their main focus.
You on the other hand have that as your main focus.

 

[jodymichelle]

make a movie

make a movie

just my 2 cents, (and forgive me, i'm not taking a lot of time to think about this because i'm working online and just wanted to jump in for 2 secs!), i think that MarkG makes a good point here. when you look at how some successful filmmakers got their start and how they got their foot thru the door, (we 've featured A LOT of filmmakers for the magazine, including Ken Kwapis, Michael Goi, ASC, Rob Cohen, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, just to name a few), sometimes when you find out about what it was that got them noticed, or what it was that helped to get them hired for their first project during the beginnings of their careers, or what it was that helped to take their careers to the next level - it's a combination of things, but - sometimes it is related to one of the first films they made, or their thesis film that got selected by a major film festival, or their first few short films, combined with one or more independent feature films, etc etc...

In that case you may do best to put together a cast, crew and some money and make the movie yourself; ultimately if you want to be a producer you're going to have to demonstrate to people that you can take their money, make a movie and give them a profit.

 

[jodymichelle]

it depends...

it depends...

just another two cents...

not all producers / producer positions do the same thing, so it depends. not all producers are necessarily involved in fundraising. on the other hand, there are producers where their main focus is fundraising. on the other hand, there are producers who have nothing to do with getting the money, but they're sitting on the floor pulling an allnighter and stapling papers together, doing "whatever it takes" to help get the film made. sometimes a person is asked to be a producer on a project to help get certain decisions made. and depending on the situation and depending on the producer's position/role, etc., sometimes they do have to be able to recognize the differences between good scripts and bad scripts. And depending on the situation, sometimes it is about wanting to see a particular film made. And sometimes there are people in the production crew who's responsibilities are more towards creative or more towards technical, whatever the case, their jobs and responsibilities still include budget and time, as well as relationships with vendors, etc etc...

 

[Mr Taylor]

Just reading this reminded me of more production type stuff.
The Money is the main thing.
You really need to start with the idea of "How can I make a film that will make some money".
It's like you have the idea of being creative nested within the main idea of making some money.
So all the way along you need to cut out the things that use up money and don't add anything worthwhile to the project.
You have to be carefull not to cut out the good stuff for the sake of saving a few dollars.
The target market is another thing you should always keep in mind.
Are you just doing something to indulge your own strange quirks, or are making the best choice for your viewers.
(For example, just because you think a particular actress is cute does not make a good reason to cast her in a part she is not suited for).
Can you see what I mean when I say that Production is sort of a step outside creativity?