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11-08-05:I just joined a film making goal setting group on yahoo and I added a new link to a website in the OTHER RESOURCES section of the site.

 

 

Screenwriting Tips:

 

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Hey Script Writers: I have been part of the group for about 6 months now, but I have not responded to or sent any messages yet. I am a relatively new
 
Riviera Reel Writers
Hello there! Just joined your online club and started one myself out here on the French Riviera. Anyone around the CANNES area interested in a monthly group
 
Houston Film Expo
Is anyone going to the Houston Film EXPO? Here's the link FIY http://www.filmexpotexas.com/
 
Action writing Book
All , Anyone gone thro the book "secrets of Action Writing " by W.C. Martell. Need reviews. Thanks, Laki
 
BREVES / 2
BREVES / 2 Aquí sigo, a tope con los guiones. Prometo relatar pronto alguna anécdota sobre mis primeras experiencias como coordinador. Ha habido de
 

 

If you are going to learn how to write a screenplay, you must first know what screenwriting is. Simply put, it is the art of writing scripts for a visual medium. Unlike a play where the action is "talked out," the action within a screenplay is "acted out" visually. The old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" was never more appropriate in relation to screenwriting. Having had the benefit of reading many screenplays as a reader, one of the most annoying, teeth grinding, nails against a chalkboard, signal of bad screenwriting is when the reader is told something instead of shown something. For example, I can't put a number on the amount of screenplays I've read with descriptions like this:

 

"JOHN enters the room. He is Frank's best friend and the life of the party."

 

OK. We, the readers, are suppose to know this because the writer said it? What makes matters worse is when, right after making this statement, the character of John engages in an activity or line of dialogue not even remotely associated with his "life of the party" description. In a movie script, the writer should introduce every action and/or character the same way the movie goer will be introduced to them on the screen. Now compare the above introduction of John to this one:

 

"As Frank makes his way through the crowd of people at the house party, his attention turns to where the loudest commotion is coming from. As he enters into the living room we see his friend JOHN surrounded by hoops and hollers, dancing on a table while a beautiful topless blond sits on a chair receiving a lap dance from him."

 

Get it? Now doesn't this get the point across visually that John is not an introvert? In screenwriting you must always check to see if what you are trying to get across is being transmitted visually at all times. Not to downplay or trivialize dialogue, but no matter if the movie you are watching is good or bad, you can watch a movie on cable, turn down the volume, watch the movie from beginning to end with no sound, and know exactly what the movie is about. Why? Because a screenplay has to be VISUAL or else the movie will not be made. To show you just how important visual writing is, some writers do not write a line of dialogue until the structure and flow of the action is completed from beginning to end. They write the dialogue last because when they go to each scene, know what the scene is for, and what will happen in the next scene, they will be able to write in context.

 

How NOT to write a screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make , by Denny Martin Flinn, is probably the first book you need to read if you want to know not only how a good screenplay is NOT written, but also the mindset of the Hollywood script reader. This is important because if you don't impress the script reader, the person the people with the money use to filter out the good from the bad screenplays, no one else will see it. You may not write a great script after reading and applying the wisdom within its pages, but you will not write a bad one.

 

On the flip side if you want to know HOW to write a screenplay, look no further than Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, by Syd Feld. I personally recommend this book because not only is Mr. Feld known as "the father of structure," but he deals specifically with the art of screenwriting and less with the business of the movie industry. No need to rush..that part will come later. The Screenwriter's Workbook is another book by Syd Feld and the companion book to Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting.

 

500 Ways To Beat The Hollywood Script Reader: Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend by Jennifer M. Lerch concentrates on how to make your screenplay enjoyable to the Hollywood reader and literally gives you 500 ways to avoid having your script scrapped by the reader and passed on to the people who can bring your idea to life.

 

The Screenwriter Within: How to Turn the Movie in Your Head Into a Salable Screenplay by D. B. Gilles and How To Write A Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method by Viki King are two other books I personally recommend. Both of these books deal strictly with the screenplay itself and less with the movie industry. Trust me, you will have plenty of time to deal with that hurdle once your final draft is completed.

 

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Warner hits the slopes
Film News: Studio buys rights to gold medalist ski racer's story -- Warner Bros. Pictures and scribe Jamie Linden have pacted to tell the saga of downhill ski racer Bill Johnson, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist who lost his memory in a devastating crash during a comeback bid.
 
Casting sleight of hand
Film News: Malkovich brings magic to 'Buck' -- In a casting sleight of hand, John Malkovich has materialized in the role of a magician in "The Great Buck Howard," the Sean McGinly-directed drama that co-stars Colin Hanks and Tom Hanks.
 
Legendary kicks in on 'Kung Fu'
Film News: '70s TV skein comes to the bigscreen -- Welcome back, grasshopper. Warners-based Legendary Pictures is bringing "Kung Fu" to the bigscreen after acquiring film rights to the 1970s TV skein from series creator Ed Spielman.
 
Spike's sold on Fox thriller
Film News: 'Man' helmer to do rewrite with an eye toward directing it -- Spike Lee has made a deal to rewrite "Selling Time," a supernatural thriller for 20th Century Fox. John Davis and Jennifer Klein will produce.
 
'Closing' in on pic
Film News: Mossad lends hand to Kaplan story -- Israeli secret service org Mossad is putting its muscle behind the Israeli film "Closing the Circle," inspired by the group's real-life rescue of kidnapped American U.N. volunteer David Kaplan in Iraq.
 

 

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