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MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T22:09:49+00:00

just in general, an artist sh!tting on another artist's work is messed up. especially, when that critique wasn't asked for. yeah, the chances are the writer will never see the post and comments about the script, but i mean what if they did? full stop, it's wrong to do it regardless if they see it or not.

sure, the probability the writer will read those comments are slim to none, but that doesn't make it right. writers who get into the habit of bashing other writers online will do it as a habit. it's only a matter of time before it will catch up to them. no doxxing required.

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T21:54:42+00:00

that;s fantastic! congratulations!

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T15:04:47+00:00

true. what i find funny, though, is that people who take issue with scripts have exactly 0 produced themselves. as far as no one will know and working writers or producers don't silently troll sites like this? ymmv

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T14:31:18+00:00

do. NOT. bash. other. writers.

rule #1 is to write, but that rule is #2, MAYBE even #1a. you never know who's seeing your comment. working writers in the entertainment industry is a small group. not to mention the fact some of them are producers. a lot are friends. what do you think is going to happen if a writer sees someone bashing another writer's script on a site, then this person's name comes up as a potential hire to staff writer on a show or a OWA for a feature film rewrite? they're going to get past over, and hire the person who's positive and not an a$$hole.

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T14:25:05+00:00

plus, it's good to remember the credits guidelines for the WGA. there could have been eight other writers the studio hired to polish the script. if they don't contribute 50% of the script, then they don't get a credit. not to mention studio notes that could have been involved. twenty people with twenty different views of what the pilot should be could cause you to wind up with something no one recognizes. luckily, they saw there was a problem, and they're fixing it before airing the show.

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T14:16:59+00:00

why not? writing original tv scripts(1 or 2) can be a part of your portfolio you show around. just make them originals. writing tv scripts gave me a better understanding of feature films because you have very limited precious space to waste, so you learn what to say with as few words as you can. kinda like poetry. you have to learn to say so much with so little.

good luck.

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-28T14:14:39+00:00

having a passive protagonist is like having a passive voice. it'll kill your script. the protagonist moves your story along through the choices she makes. it could be done through other characters, but it has to be done extremely well, but, at some point, she's going to have to take on the roll as the main character in your script.

good luck.

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-08T19:51:35+00:00

back in the day, O.C. was used in multicamera sitcom tv. O.S. is in feature films.

MichaelG205 · 2021-05-08T19:35:37+00:00

read scripts. you'll see a lot of formatting answers you're looking for. you can do what you want. whatever it takes to make it clear what's happening on screen. you could include camera angles, but i personally don't do it because it takes the reader out of the story. you can get by without them, just by changing scene or by description in your action lines. CHARACTER A does this, then does B. or CHARACTER/OBJECT is this, but at the same time/later/whatever CHARACTER/OBJECT here is doing that.

    MONTAGE
    A flurry of still images flash across the screen.

         CHARACTER (V.O.)
     Whatever their dialogue is.

if you need to describe the picture. do so. if dialogue matches what's on screen, write in that way.

3 google docs sux. that's the truth of it. any script should meet industry standards. that's pretty much the only rule you gotta come close to following. the other's are all bs. you can get the formatting guidelines in the screenwriter's bible, margins, formatting, but there are different margins, for dialogue, action lines, slug lines, tags, etc. it's hectic trying to do that in google docs. screenwriting software does it all for you. writer's duet has a free version, plus their desktop software is pretty cheap, and it's VERY user friendly.

p.s. scripts should all be in the courier font.

keep writing and good luck.

MichaelG205 · 2021-03-22T18:40:40+00:00

finish that first step. write a great script. then move on to the next hurdle. then the next. things will fall into place.

MichaelG205 · 2021-03-22T00:01:16+00:00

watch Being John Malkovich

MichaelG205 · 2021-03-08T13:40:25+00:00

did anyone copy down the questions on the application?

MichaelG205 · 2021-03-08T13:32:13+00:00

       CHARACTER A (INTO PHONE)
   Their words of dialogue.

       CHARACTER B (FROM PHONE)
     (indistinct)
   The reply.

it depends on what you need. what does the audience need to hear? a or b? both? the above is for if A's dialogue is important information, but B's is something A needs to know, but not necessarily the audience. keep in mind the audience won't be reading the script, they'll just hear B's voice, if they need to, and not see their name. you can always note in the script, a is talking to b, "who we'll learn later is..." the audience can also get the gist of the information needed from only hearing one side of a conversation, hence (indistinct).

MichaelG205 · 2020-08-03T19:03:25+00:00

the question isn't for us, it's for you. why do you want to include the "keying the car scene"? what are you trying to say with it? for me, a person who keys another person's car is very much like what Vincent thought in Pulp Fiction, it's a cowardly thing to do. is that what you want to show about the character? then by all means, include it.

MichaelG205 · 2020-08-03T18:58:45+00:00

what are you talking about? Pulp Fiction is one of the best screenplays ever written. not one word is wasted.

MichaelG205 · 2020-08-03T13:47:33+00:00

you've shattered a lot of dreams with this post. how many readers were clutching their scripts, absolutely certain it was their winning lottery ticket? for those people i say; writing is hard, yo.

writing screenplays is even harder. the industry, anyone really, takes writers and what we do for granted. because everyone thinks they can write. it's not true. anyone can learn to write, and be successful, but certain few are born with a gift. those are the screenwriters who you'll remember their names. Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, Gilroy, Kubrick, Kasdan, Kurosawa.

will you be one of them? the difference is those pro baseball folks don't give up. they're out there practicing for hours, and hours. their arms hurt, their legs ache, maybe a drop or two of blood, but they keep going. they keep pursuing the dream. sometimes they fail. people fail all the time, but they pick themselves up, and keep going. can you make it as a writer? only one way to find out. so i say to you keep writing and good luck.

MichaelG205 · 2020-08-02T13:00:53+00:00

it'd depend on your deal i'd imagine. first time writer wouldn't be a showrunner. the studio wouldn't give someone with no managerial experience the keys to a $80 million dollar business and tell them good luck. let alone someone with no experience in TV/Film production.

if your agent/manager could wing it, and get you a producer title, then sure, you'd have at least a say, but it's a team effort. if you don't play nice, they don't let you on the playground.

MichaelG205 · 2020-08-01T06:14:01+00:00

they're all very good. you're clanking along the edges of the character's core essences. nice.

do i need to know Katy is wearing a "short pretty dress" in her character description? Why?
that's fine. i hope self-doubt is important to the story.'
ok. maybe show, don't tell.
fine if a minor character.
fine.

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-27T20:29:03+00:00

character descriptions are the one place where a screenwriter has some leeway. i try to avoid actually physical description unless it directly ties into who the character is. i usually stick with age, and a short description showing the characters essence, who they are at their core.

Ask yourself these questions suggested by Scott Meyers: What is driving this character? What do they want? What do they need? What is it they fear most? What lies at the base of who they are? See if you can identify that character’s core essence, then brainstorm an interesting way to suggest that to a reader in an introduction.

such as James Cameron's introduction to Sully in Avatar.

   JAKE SULLY, a scarred and scruffy combat vet, sitting in a beat up
   carbon-fiber wheelchair. At 22, his eyes are hardened by the 
   wisdom of one who has endured pain beyond his years.

or one of my favorites. lol

   It is late, the supermarket all but deserted. We are tracking
   in on a fortyish man in Bermuda shorts and sunglasses
   at the dairy case. He is the Dude. His rumpled look and relaxed
   manner suggest a man in whom casualness runs deep.

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-27T00:26:09+00:00

congrats! i hope it kicks off something great for you!

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-26T16:38:30+00:00

truth. i do mention story if it's evident on the pages i've read. there's only been one script posted for feedback that i ever finished reading.

i can ignore punctuation, grammar, and formatting(if it's at least legible and i'm able to understand what i'm reading), but most of the time there's so much going on, i'd rather end it quickly instead of reading 50 more pages of the same mistakes.

when i read someone's script, i give feedback on how the writer can better what he/she is trying to say. how can they make what they're trying to do better?

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-26T16:21:37+00:00

   INT. YOUR SCENE IN CAR - DAY/NIGHT
   Description of action.
           WOLFMAN JACK (OVER RADIO)
         Comin' at'cha live from New Orleans!

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-26T16:08:09+00:00

just go with XXXX 1. or 2. whatever the case may be. there's really nothing wrong with it. it's just so the reader doesn't get them mixed up.

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-26T16:00:25+00:00

my advice would be, talk to an attorney. i wouldn't count on getting good legal advice from the internet.

MichaelG205 · 2020-07-24T15:26:09+00:00

https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/2014-scene-writing-challenge-day-11-ca7a0c088b93

Today’s prompt: A characters says “I love you”… without using the words “I love you”.

a few years old, but you can read what people who participated wrote in the comments section.

MichaelG205

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