We haven't had one of these in a good while, let's go for it.
Have you finished anything lately? What are you working on? Are you making any progress?
I'm considering writing some stupid meta horror short after reading Seth Grahame-Smith's How To Survive A Horror Movie. Cheap, easy to film, has the potential to be funny.
I wrote two pages of my book yesterday, makes like three weeks I don't actually write a lot, at least is close to ending.
I liked your idea OP, cheap short things that are good always gets attention
>>66773100
Well, that's good to hear.
And yeah. The trick here, I'm thinking, is to write the main character as acutely aware he's in a horror movie, and trying to devise ways to make the screenwriter confused as hell so as to write him out of the movie. For example, as the killer has a machete above him, he starts singing Hello My Baby.
>>66773222
>and trying to devise ways to make the screenwriter confused as hell so as to write him out of the movie
kek, that sounds nice, start working on that
I'll be back soon, after this storm passes. I'll be back and I'll be able to work
I finally got my first script appraised by a screenwriter in the industry around two weeks ago.
He told me it was well-written, and that my grasp of big-text and dialogue was of a professional standard. He said that I was ready to send off the script to agents and attempt to get some work happening. However, he said the idea was "hackneyed" and tired, and that there are two types of successful screenwriters in the world - the ones with great ideas and the ones who had a way with words, and that I was the latter.
This was upsetting. I haven't touched any writing since and am still trying to suck it up and get on with my work.
>>66773994
I'm sorry about that, senpai. Best thing to do is just pass it off and keep it moving.
>>66773994
>the idea was "hackneyed" and tired
So pretty much perfect for Hollywood then?
>>66773994
Don't be discouraged mate, while this is tough to hear it's necessary for your progression as a writer. You know now that you have incredible skill and a wonderful foundation to build upon, now just utilize those skills through creative concepts. You've got this, I believe in you
>>66773298
I'm starting out, and I think my idea for having him realize he's in a horror movie is a little too complex (the gas station attendant proves he's in one, and hands him a guide to surviving.)
>>66773994
> However, he said the idea was "hackneyed" and tired, and that there are two types of successful screenwriters in the world - the ones with great ideas and the ones who had a way with words, and that I was the latter.
Way with words is better, bro. That way you can make any project be good, there is no bad ideas only poor executions, you won.
skype: xophib
need readers to rip my 6 page script in half
>>66773013
writing my personal take of the Wendigo creature set in the Dakotas as a feature length script.
main subtext will be people are inherently animals and my version of the Wendigo is simply an accelerated manifestation of that idea but only appears when needed for scares. it's has a slow burn kinda tone to it.
going for the man vs. man route and there happens to be a monster in the background as these crazy characters try to deal with each other and the mystery creature in a blizzard setting.
sounds silly and dumb, I get it, but I think my treatment flows together well enough to make me want to finish it out for a Moviebytes contest.
>>66773013
Writing a movie thats a little bit like gunslinger girl crossed with luc besson films.
Did 8 pages 5 days ago.
I finally have a few days off from work so I can continue tomorrow. But I feel the end of my feature doesn't work. So I want to change it. and now I have writers block because I can't figure out an ending.
>>66773013
Just finished a 72 page satirical dark comedy.
is 72 pages too short? its mostly dialogue.
about 6 pages into the new script. i have a lot of spare time.
how long does it take you guys to complete a script?
for me its about 3 to 5 months.
>>66774852
same, it's always 4 months. idk why.
>>66774872
yeah ill write like 8 pages in a single night then just let it sit for a few days and come back to it.
4 months seems to be pretty standard.
OP here, I'm actually really liking my script so far but I feel like I'm ripping off Cabin In The Woods. Also, this is the most dialogue I've written in a while.
>>66774982
People rip off other people all the time, as long as it is fun and well done no one will care
Had an idea for a screenplay a few years ago, woke up from a fairly deep sleep and it was just "there" in my consciousness so I banged out the salient details as best I could while it was still there in the noggin, now I'm thinking about actively pursuing it but I've never done such a thing before. Written stories, sure, had some great reviews from friends and relatives and total strangers too so maybe it's worth putting some effort into.
Not sure which software to bother with at this point, there's the ubiquitous Final Draft of course (I can use Windows or OSX as I run both simultaneously on my laptop anyway). Trelby looks interesting for a free tool, gets some great reviews, apparently is very responsive but it seems they haven't updated it in many years and probably never will but I mean really, what the fuck can you add to a simple screenwriting tool that's a glorified Notepad replacement anyway.
Celtx was another option but they've fucked over people and made it a pay for play product (yes the free version is still out there for download but it doesn't handle Final Draft files well from what I've read, Trelby handles them just fine for loading and saving).
Guess some actual screenwriting tutorials would help as well, can't hurt. Been watching a lot of stuff with Richard Walter from the UCLA program and Peter Russell as well on the Film Courage YouTube channel, always open to recommendations.
It'll be interesting to see what happens.
Holy shit since we are here tell me what you guys think of this name: Thiago. He is the main dude of my story, is it a badass name? A bro name? What comes on your mind when you read this name?
>>66775017
I mean, it's supposed to be taking off of that one scene in the gas station (you know the one, where the attendant gives an eerily specific backstory to the horrors that are about to unfold, but no one listens) so I guess it's inevitable that it feels like a cheap rip-off: It's supposed to.
>>66775108
The bad dude in Hamlet.
>>66775098
I really didnt want to bother with all that stuff so i space out my own script in word.
only after learning how to properly format a screenplay of course.
its pretty time consuming so i should probably use trelby or something.
>>66775108
>Thiago
I'm guessing you want it pronounced Tee-AH-go so that's how I hear it mentally.
What comes to mind: some half Latino-half Asian bad ass that takes no shit off anybody.
Make it happen.
>>66774941
oh god, are we the same person? I do the same thing. I write my first act/30 pages in like a month and then it takes 3 months to finish it, even before revisions and edits.
I don't think it's a confidence thing, it really is all mental I swear. yet, I still do the same fucking thing every time.
I feel like I should have written 20 screenplays by now but I have 3. either way, I keep at it.
I compare myself to Max Landis since I am close to his age and he claims he wrote 70 scripts and gets work and here I am with nothing under my belt.
it becomes this quality over quantity ideal at times, which is truly sad.
>>66775197
>word
The research I've done so far from basically every source I can find almost immediately tells people "Don't use Microsoft Word, ever, just get into something designed for screenwriting from the gitgo, you'll thank me/us for it later..."
I have Word like so many others do but I'll be damned if I bother firing it up for a screenplay even if I am just starting out. Fuck, I'd used Notepad++ with Courier Prime before I'd dare touch Word.
Just... Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww
>>66775180
>>66775208
Awesome, bad dude is good, the pronounciation is exactly like that but he's full latino, I hope that's okay. Thanks for the feedback
>>66775108
Thiago or: When You've Gone too Far With Names
Thiago or: When Humans Ran Out of Names
>>66775293
Actually the character is Brazillian and Thiago is a pretty common name here, but I fear how people from other country will react to his name because they may think like you.
>>66775219
we might very well be the same person.
i dont know why but after ive written a good amount i just feel like ive earned a break or something even though i could and SHOULD sit down and write more.
im working on my 3rd script right now. i have ideas for like 3 other movies though.
my goal is to at least write 3 scripts by the end of the year.
>>66775369
im just giving you a hard time its totally fine.
>>66775482
Don't fucking play with me on this bro, I have a really hard time choosing names for these fuckers
>>66775263
its definitely not efficient. i basically click the center button "name" then return left button. tab 4 times and so on. its a nightmare and i should stop using it. im just really lazy and dont want to download a script writing tool.
Now that I read this over, I feel like I should just give up and start from scratch. I'm not getting to the central joke (dude knows he's in a horror movie) fast enough. This is a typical horror movie, albeit self-aware as all hell.
I have an idea for essentially a Body Snatchers remake where a small town, shitty punk band witnesses strange events in the woods one night and assumes it is a Satanic ritual. They also notice their loser friends are starting to get jobs, etc. People are dressing and acting the same. Their parents are really pushing them to be normal, that kinda thing. Well they decide to investigate the ritual and accidentally uncover an alien conspiracy to take over the town.
They fight a bunch of aliens hopelessly until only 2 band members are left. The lead singer/writer, a dedicated nihilist who swears he will die before he gets a job or lives a normal life, be it from aliens or anything else, and the drummer who is starting to cave to the aliens' pressure. The singer decides to mount a final, futile assault against the police station in town so he can go down doing the one thing he always wanted, killing cops. The drummer reluctantly comes along but does not go in. After a heartfelt moment where the drummer finally understands the singer's view of life and realizes this is his only option, the singer marches in and, though seriously injured, actually manages to kill all the cops. At this point the rest of the town surrounds him and sends in the now alien-ified drummer. This prompts the singer to say the only thing he hates more than cops is posers and he shoots the drummer before embracing his death.
After I came up with this idea I realized it may be too similar to Deathgasm, The World's End, and potentially the upcoming movie Green Room.
Any thoughts? It's going to be incredibly violent and showcase the frenetic energy of punk music. Preferably all practical effects in massive Hotline Miami-esque sequences. It would have some comedic elements but would really be a dissection of true nihilism and what it means to actually BE punk, instead of simply liking the idea. That's why the other band members succumb to the aliens but the singer stays true to his ideals.
>>66775631
I immediately thought of World's End with the Body Snatchers theme, but I think it could be really fun if you did it right.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/302800359/draft-1
Alright, fuck it, I'm gonna upload what I have of my script and see if I can't get some feedback on where to go next.
Be right back.
>>66775599
Here OP, I wrote this piece of shit a few years ago, same basic premise
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxdOPvt4UK3JM21xR0lFc1FBZ0E/view?usp=sharing
Maybe you could get some ideas or something
I might revisit this short at some point, Idk
pls no steal
>>66775715
Thanks, I think it could have a great balance of exploitation gore, slacker comedy, and genuine existential themes if I do it right. Yeah, I realized it would be pretty similar, especially with the kind of darker dramatic elements of a similarly uncompromising main character. I've only seen World's End once, the weekend it came out, and I completely hated it. I will certainly have to watch it again to try to make the ideas different.
>>66773013
Fuck off with this circle jerking shit. If your own friends don't care or you can't attract friends why the fuck would we care?
Are there any major ways that the format between a screenplay for film and for television differ?
I have an idea that I want to write as a television series purely as a way to practice writing
>>66773222
That sounds pretty autistic. I mean why choose that song? So fags who heard that song first in a cartoon would laugh? Or someone else who's is even older?
>>66775887
I just wanted to choose something that was really bizarre and out there, something that no sane person could actually write into their script. That was the first thing that came to mind.
>>66775815
Actually not too bad. Probably better than what I whipped up, just a shitty first scene. This one almost doesn't even play as a comedy.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uwaxNQt5HRX2JIZmFHeklDUU0/view?usp=sharing
>>66775882
They are the same format
>>66776041
I thought so, thanks
>>66775991
Thanks for reading my shit. It needs work but I think it has decent potential, pretty sure I was watching a lot of Curb at the time and that's why there are so many childish arguments
Anyway, dude don't shit on your scene. I actually think it's pretty good, needs some polishing but that'll come in time. It's funny, if a bit cliche but right now just finish your first draft of the whole thing and then work on fixing shit. I like it, don't trash it
>>66776120
Thanks, man. I just don't really know where I should go from here. I wanted to do a scene where Joe is trying to hide what he knows, and he realizes that no one in his party seems to know the cliches of a horror movie (speaking Latin in an ancient book, going to a fucking cabin in the woods, cliche characters, etc.)
>>66775815
"witty one liner"
10/10 would produce
>>66775991
But the frog singing that song is inherently bizarre and is meant to be that way. That's the joke.
No lines of dialogue written yet, everything else is done.
>priorities
>>66774547
Nice! I'm LOVING this one!
>>66775098
What was the specific idea? Post your notes.
>>66775631
Hm... not bad. Don't think I'll use it but good luck developing this.
Any other ideas?
>>66776240
oh, I forgot I never wrote the end joke...
>>66776233
You could have him like Fat Kid in monster squad suggesting "bird watching club" and shit, but instead suggest alternative vacations for them to go on. I can't really think of anything else off the top of my head, but I really do think you have potential if you just break it up from Cabin in the Woods 2.0 type stuff. Sorry I can't give better advice, just trust your own sense of humor for now, and study horror movies like fuck. Even already meta shit like Scream.
p.s. watch Sleepaway Camp, don't read about it before hand just do it, it's on youtube, don't read the comments
>>66774547
Sounds vaguely similar to Ravenous, but not in a bad way. Check it out if you haven't
>>66776311
Thank you for the compliment Mr. Shekelstien
>>66775784
>starts with a quote
Hoo boy
>voice over
HOO BOY
The script is...well, I'll be frank, it isn't great. Narration seems lazy and unnecessary, your characters aren't particularly interesting, and I had some difficulty following why I should care. A bitch hates her kids, whoop-de-doo.
No disrespect, mind. Your formatting's solid, I guess. I didn't mind the ending.
>>66776361
Wendigofag here, I will. never heard of it, I don't want to directly rip off of anything so I will take a look into it. but yeah, I'm about halfway done at his point and hope for the best. thanks for the insight as well as the other anon that loved the idea. means a lot. seriously.
Prison film mirroring the rise and fall of Julius Caesar
Kind of the recent Macbeth crossed with Snowtown but in prison
I have some questions for you guys. How do you find a name for a character? Also, where is the line between tragic and edgey?
>>66776524
some 40 pages in, not my first script but certainly different from what I've done in the past
>>66776546
the line is often how they react and how it's written as events themselves aren't really 'edgy'
if it's smugly written or unnecessarily gory/sarcastic/"gritty" or whatever it will come off forced
if you ever think you've written something edgy, try writing it again in the plainest language possible like a news report
>>66776546
For character names:
If the character is similar to someone I know, or especially if the story is semi-autobiographical, I use either middle names of people I know or similar names/names that remind me of that person
I also keep a borderline autistic list of potential first and last names that I come across or happen to think of. Like hundreds and hundreds of names
And sometimes, depending on whether or not I want to be accused of pretension, I will name a character something that is classically related to their personality.
Also there is no such thing as edgy if you have the writing to back it up. Edgy is what happens when a bad writer/filmmaker works himself into a corner.
who here /NoOutline/ or /StreamOfConsciousnessThenFixLater/
>mfw living on the edge in 3D
>>66776720
depends on when/how i get the idea
sometimes i just have to slam out a whole draft of something immediately, especially shorts or like a scene if i'm writing a stage play
but mostly i slam out a whole synopsis before writing, only ever really done one actual outline. surprisingly it was very effective, but i have yet to do it again or take advantage of the results of the first time
>>66776720
Ayyyy
>>66776627
>>66776691
Thank you
I can't figure out what I wanna write. I wanna do romantic drama but I feel that'll be shit or its overdone to hell
>>66777458
write the kind of story you would want to read.
