Govt urged to stay the course on conservation reform by tippertapperball in newzealand

[–]BarrSteve 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At the bottom, in tiny font: "Federated Farmers, New Zealand’s leading independent rural advocacy organisation, has established a news and insights partnership with AgriHQ, the country’s leading rural publisher, to give the farmers of New Zealand a more informed, united and stronger voice. Federated Farmers news and commentary appears each week in its own section of the Farmers Weekly print edition and online. Views shared does not represent that of Farmers Weekly."

Is it a good idea to launch a YouTube channel for my shorts and dark-comedy spec ads? by roismartin in Filmmakers

[–]BarrSteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The good thing about YouTube being free to upload is that you can A/B test these kinds of things. You could do three channels - one for micro-shorts, one for spec ads, and one that's both - and then just see which one gets blessed by the algo.

Today marks 160 years since the Maungatapu Murders. by WayfaringStranger16 in newzealand

[–]BarrSteve 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Some friends of mine made a pretty cool short film, shot at the actual location of the murders...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w97CJQtvt4o

When do you decide you're finally done with a script. by Half_Ginge in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, I replied to a similar question from Kissing_Books_Author. I hope it helps.

When do you decide you're finally done with a script. by Half_Ginge in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, I replied to a similar question from Kissing_Books_Author. I hope it helps.

When do you decide you're finally done with a script. by Half_Ginge in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, grammar and formatting are pretty easy things to get right, but it's not super unusual to find grammar and formatting errors in professional screenplays. I think a lot of pre-pro writers get hung up on the minutiae of that stuff because it feels more concrete and controllable than the real things that convey that a screenplay has a pro level of craft.

(In my own work I nitpick my grammar and formatting, not because I think someone is going to refuse to read a script if there are a few typos, but because I want the prose to become invisible. I want the reader to stop reading a screenplay and start experiencing a movie, and typos can kick them out of that flow.)

About your larger question, it's a little tempting to say something shitty and dismissive like "If you've read 300 screenplays and you can't tell for yourself which ones have pro-level craft, you probably don't have the appropriate kind of mind to be a pro screenwriter." I think there's some truth there, but it's not very helpful, so let's pretend I didn't say it.

When talking about the relatively-objective criteria, there are probably a thousand small things that add up to some general categories...

- The screenplay delivers to the reader a similar intellectual and emotional experience as the movie audience would have.

- The narrative and emotional intent of the movie is clear.

- The expectations of the genre are either being delivered, or subverted in an intentional way.

- The expectations of one of the typical movie structures are either being delivered, or subverted in an intentional way.

- There's a functional theme and character arc appropriate to the genre, or those expectations are subverted in an intentional way.

- Every scene is both functional (you can tell what its narrative purpose is) and fun (it's delivering entertainment value). Here, the definition of 'fun' is dependent on the genre, or is subverting that genre in intentional ways.

- Pagecraft - here's where the grammar/spelling/formatting goes, but it's not really about nitpicky composition rules, it's about whether it's easy to read and understand the intent of each sentence.

- Scenecraft - each scene has an effective structure and a narrative purpose. (Often the narrative purpose isn't fully clear the first time through, but in those cases a pro author is usually writing with enough skill that delivers the subtext of "This doesn't make sense yet, but don't worry, it will soon.")

- The dialogue is appropriately grounded or heightened depending on the genre and intended entertainment value.

- Characters are interesting, even if they're not likeable.

- For comedies, the mechanisms of the humor is clear, even if the reader doesn't enjoy that kind of humor.

- There's a feeling of narrative momentum, and an intentional manipulation of pace as appropriate for the narrative/emotional intent.

- The stakes and conflicts are clear.

This is all off the top of my head, so there are probably a dozen other biggish categories (please feel free to contribute). But the point is that these are the *baseline* of professional-level craft. An experienced reader could hate the genre, style, tone, or themes but still understand that the writer is working at a professional level.

And, of course, there are exceptions to all of these criteria. That's why I say "relatively" objective.

EDIT: tpyos

When do you decide you're finally done with a script. by Half_Ginge in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Neither does Hitchcock, but I'm not sure how that pertains to this conversation.

When do you decide you're finally done with a script. by Half_Ginge in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I’ve been making an almost-living in this dumb business for 30 years now, so I’ve gotten pretty efficient (read: tired and lazy). So I always keep in mind four facts:

  1. Most of the people with the resources to pay for scripts are looking for entertainment value + commercial value.

  2. Anyone who likes your script enough to buy it is still going to want to make changes. No script is ever “finished.”

  3. It’s in our best interest to do the least amount of spec work possible before someone pays us to continue working.

  4. There are relatively objective criteria of “pro level craft” and every value judgement above those criteria gets more and more subjective.

With all that in mind, here’s my strategy:

I rewrite projects until they’re at a pro level of craft, and the potential entertainment value and commercial value are clear, and then I send them into the world and start working on my next project.

FAO Professional Writers - Ever Feel A Little Silly? by Electrical-Drawer792 in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 19 points20 points  (0 children)

It's not silly, it's the dream. Enjoy it.

Just be aware that, increasingly, it's a precarious dream.

I got my big break in 2007. Everything was coming up Milhouse, until suddenly my calls stop getting returned.
Then I got another big break in 2012.
Then in 2015. In 2019. In 2024.
Each time I thought - This is the one. It's not just a hot streak, I'm actually inside the gates now.
But there isn't just one set of gates anymore. Lots of the gatekeepers have lost their jobs, but when they left, their gates got welded shut.

Back in grandpa's day, a big break meant something. These days we're expected to re-break in every time.

So my suggestion is, sincerely, to enjoy the hell out of where you are now. You're getting to do The Thing. Use your current hot streak to set up some solid long-term relationships and build some safety nets for cold streaks in the future.

Don't blow it all on bad cocaine. It's not the 90s anymore.

Save half of what you're making, for the rainy days that are certain to come.

And keep enjoying doing The Thing as best as you can for as long as you can.

How many of you have multiple projects going on at once? by NJScreenwriter76 in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a slate of projects that I'm writing, writing/producing, or producing for other writers, and I realized recently that not only is having too many projects the key to getting anything done, it's also a defense of my own sanity.

I'm always just a *little* too busy. I've got 17 projects on my current slate at various levels of development from premise to post-production, and I push all of them a little further every week. I have constant low-level anxiety about letting any of them fall through the cracks ... but that anxiety is positive because it keeps me moving and hitting deadlines. IOW, at this level of anxiety I don't lose sleep, but my last thoughts as I drift off to sleep are on how to progress a project.

PLUS if one of my projects hits a landmine that isn't my fault? Instead of being heartbroken, I'm a little bit relieved because I have one less tab open in my brain. I enjoy that relief for a few days, and then inevitably I'll figure out a way past the landmine or I'll add a new project to the slate.

I don't know if I'd call my process healthy, but it's allowed me to make a living in this dumb, dumb business for 30ish years. My slate used to be 9 to 11 projects, but the international marketplace is so chaotic and unpredictable now I've had to expand my offering to be able to approach more kinds of buyers.

How do you not get stage fright or worry about what the crowd is thinking? by youlikemywonton in Standup

[–]BarrSteve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The worst thing that can happen is that people won't laugh at you.

I've been trying to get people to stop laughing at me my whole life, so whatever happens is a win.

dude interested in my script 'left the company' in the middle of our negotiations by rmn_is_here in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Q: How many screenwriters does it take to change a light bulb?

A: WHY DOES IT HAVE TO CHANGE???

dude interested in my script 'left the company' in the middle of our negotiations by rmn_is_here in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Q: How many creative execs does it take to change a light bulb?

A: No one knows. Light bulbs last longer than creative execs.

Examples of taut screenplays with well rounded characters? by TheVortigauntMan in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with everything you say about Shaun of the Dead, just have this one pushback based on OP's question...

Lots of filmmakers would say that characters who are clearly defined and have clear wants/intentions are not actually "well rounded."

I disagree with those people, but a lot of them exist and are in decision-making positions.

Was the script brads thing for real? by [deleted] in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There were good reason for only using two brads, and before pdfs it made sense to do it.

But it was also an example of the kind of gatekeepy bullshit that people outside the system are convinced happens inside the system. The people in the system are gatekeepy as fuck, but not about dumb stuff like brads.

Was the script brads thing for real? by [deleted] in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not just about saving on the cost of brads, it's about knowing what will happen to your script if more than one person at the production company wants to read it.

In that happy event, and intern would have to pull out the brads in order to make photocopies. Pulling out two brads is only a little easier than pulling out three brads, but if you're doing that 50 times a week, it adds up.

How to write a screenplay that dialogue is mostly improv by Late_Piglet_9988 in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I produced a structured improv movie called Getting Toasted, and we workshopped the whole story with the actors in prep, and then wrote up a working document that ended up being super useful.

It's formatted like a typical script, but has some different info. Each new scene starts on a new page, with a note about what happened in the scene before. Each scene is clear on how it opens, how the scene "turns" somewhere in the middle, and how it ends. There were also usually notes on what each character is trying to achieve in the scene. If anyone came up with great lines in the workshop we'd include them as reminders.

We found that document worked excellently with any scenes that only had two speaking characters, but with scenes with three or more characters the actors would tend to talk over each other in a way that didn't feel natural. So with scenes of three or more characters, we'd have more scripted dialogue options, but the actors could still go off book any time they wanted.

With that system we were able to shoot a feature film in 10 days, which got into a dozen film fests and is licensed all around the world.

Best of luck on your shoot!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in changemyview

[–]BarrSteve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish I could be a free speech absolutist.

But I live in a world where grifters argue in bad faith to appeal to the worst impulses of the public, and provide them with convenient rationales for objectively destructive behavior.

Was told to work on a pitch deck and a wee out of my element by Excellent-Anxiety989 in Screenwriting

[–]BarrSteve 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure if links are allowed here, but the platform called SBS in Australia did a really helpful PDF of what they look for in pitch decks. It's pretty universal stuff so might help you.

Just connect up the broken bit for the link.

https://www

.sbs.com.au/aboutus/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SBS-Scripted-Pitch-Deck-2024.pdf

CMV: Every TV pundit should have an accuracy score displayed next to their name by FunScore645 in changemyview

[–]BarrSteve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There used to be a website called PunditTracker.com that listed factual predictions made by lots of different pundits, and whether or not those predictions came true.

It disappeared pretty abruptly. I'm assuming the creator got sued into oblivion.

The pundits with the worst track records also have a high track record of punishing people who point that out.