A couple questions about screenplays...

[RoninJedi84]

Apologies if this is in the wrong place. If so, then mods please move it to the appropriate forum.

Anyhoo... I have been kicking around an idea for a screenplay for about 7 years now, and am seriously considering giving it a go. But I have a couple of bumps I'd like to iron out first.

1.) I know next to nothing about writing a screenplay, i.e. format, abbreviations (other than ext. for exterior and int. for interior), and things of that sort. I also don't have much money to spend on learning. I've done some searching and there is a plethora of sites and free software and whatnot designed to help with screenplay format and giving you the rundown, but the entire process just seems extremely complicated.

Has anyone actually used any of these? Are any of them worth my time? Is there another route I should go?

2.) Assuming I get it written, I don't have a clue what to do then. Do I send it straight to the company? Get an agent? How different is this process from that of publishing a novel?

Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[HoopyFrood]

I have dreams of more screenplay questions appearing around here

Scripts do have a rigid format so it is best to get a program that sets it all out for you. I always suggest Celtx (https://www.celtx.com/index.html) -- it's free, for a start, and it's very easy to use. It will set out all the dialogue, scene headings, description etc exactly where it needs to go. It's even got nifty extras for things like character bios and scene cards, that you can switch around and play with the structure of the entire piece.

I'm not too informed on the whole process of what to do with the completed thing (I'm still trying to actually complete things ) but I think that agents are often a good way to go, as with novels.

I love screenplays so I'll be more than happy to chat about anything else regarding them!

 

[RoninJedi84]

Thank you so much for the link! I'll be playing with this over the weekend and seeing what's what.

To be honest, what I currently have in my head is more like a handful of great (I think) scenes than a fleshed out story, but I have a couple ideas of how I can flesh it out. That being said, I did have one more question.

If I actually know what I'm talking about, a treatment is basically the movie in short-story form, like 40 pages or less from what I understand.

If that's true, is this something I should do before working on the actual screenplay, or should I just use an outline like I have for my WIP novel?

 

[HoopyFrood]

Ah, treatments! Treatments can come in various sizes, really. It's like synopses and all the rest that come with novels, sometimes you might need one that's just a page long, others might need to give almost a blow-by-blow account of your whole screenplay -- depends on the situation!

As to when to work on it -- whatever feels right for you at the moment. It might be an idea, being new to scripts, to write it out first in a treatment style, which is closer to prose. It might also just generally help to plan out the piece! I'm not much of a planner so I usually drive straight in with the screenplay

One thing that's quite important for a screenplay is what we learned as the 'single desire'. It gives the film a structure -- character wants something, character battles to get said thing, film ends when desire is acquired -- and it also provides the hook that pulls the audience along. It might help to flesh out your ideas if you consider what this might be in your film and how it will drive the events!

 

[RoninJedi84]

I will definitely sit down over the next little while and flesh that out. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Not a problem! I'm always so happy when screenplay conversation crops up around here

 

[Gumboot]

Hi,

I too am glad for more film/TV related questions, as it means I can be more useful.

There's basically two ways to write screenplays, on spec or connected to a producer. On spec (speculation) basically means you write a screenplay as a free agent and then shop it around at film markets hoping someone will take an interest. This is the hardest way to actually get a film made, but it's an easier way to actually make money.

The way of getting your screenplay made into a film is to find yourself a producer, and form a team with them. You write, and the producer tries to sell the project to investors. You probably won't earn much money initially this way, but if your film is successful you might be looking at a career as a screenwriter.

In either scenario, the process is very different to novels. You don't just write a screenplay and then mail it off to studios to read. You have to actually go to film markets and "pitch" your film project in person to companies (if you don't like the idea of that you definitely want to go down the producer route, as they will do that for you).

When it comes to a screenplay, aside from the screenplay itself there's various other documents that people will expect you to have. The order in which you actually produce them is irrelevant, but you will need them all.

LOGLINE
This is your entire film reduced to a single sentence. This is a tool used to secure interest from potential investors, not to be confused with a tagline which is a marketing tool.

SYNOPSIS
Much like a novel, this is a brief summary of the plot of your film. This can vary a lot in length and detail. It's best, like with a novel, to have a number of variations, from a single paragraph right up to several pages.

TREATMENT
This is the one that really confuses a lot of people. It's often mistakenly conflated with a synopsis. A treatment is a very specific technical tool, and you have to get it right. In simple terms it's essentially your screenplay minus dialogue. It should include all of the scene sluglines, all important action, and all conversations should be briefly summarised (a three page conversation might be reduced to "John and Sally argue about their holiday plans").

Writers commonly write their treatment first, filling in the dialogue only once they've locked in the structure of the story, but you don't have to necessarily do it that way. You can write the screenplay first, then go back and strip out the dialogue and less important action detail.

As HoopyFrood alludes to, structure is far, far more important in a screenplay than in a novel, so it's worth reading up a bit of film structure and watching a lot of films to take note of structures that are effective.

My last bit of advice is that a screenplay is not a finished piece of work. It's just a blueprint that the filmmakers use to create the film. You're not the director, or the cinematographer, or the production designer. The only things you should have in your screenplay is dialogue and the actions and descriptions that are essential to tell the story.

The most common mistake new screenwriters make is to put WAY too much information into the text. That's one of the reasons for a treatment. It strips the action back to the important storytelling points. If your screenplay contains significantly more detail than your treatment it means you're putting too much in there.

To illustrate; the screenplay of a 90 minute film I just Firsted was only about 66 pages and 13,000 words. Another 2hr film I am Firsting is 118 pages and 24,000 words.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I'd really like a Screenplay subforum but I've said it before so I'll just say it really quietly now...

The most common mistake new screenwriters make is to put WAY too much information into the text. That's one of the reasons for a treatment. It strips the action back to the important storytelling points. If your screenplay contains significantly more detail than your treatment it means you're putting too much in there.

Har, yes, this was definitely me, especially as I'd been right into my novels and short stories beforehand. But now I love writing dialogue. Mmm, glorious subtext...

 

[RoninJedi84]

My last bit of advice is that a screenplay is not a finished piece of work. It's just a blueprint that the filmmakers use to create the film. You're not the director, or the cinematographer, or the production designer. The only things you should have in your screenplay is dialogue and the actions and descriptions that are essential to tell the story.

The most common mistake new screenwriters make is to put WAY too much information into the text. That's one of the reasons for a treatment. It strips the action back to the important storytelling points. If your screenplay contains significantly more detail than your treatment it means you're putting too much in there.

In all honesty, that will probably be one of my biggest obstacles. In my head I see the characters - specific looks and features, the clothes they're wearing, the sound of their voices - not to mention every nook, cranny, crack, and speck of dust in each location for the scenes I have. All I've ever written is prose, and I know myself - it's going to be difficult to leave out those details, and let someone else do it.

I guess it's kind of like if you sell a car that you love and have had for years, and then later on you see your car on the road and the buyer has done some weird modification to it. You just feel like, "Why did you do that to my car?"

I guess that's the feeling I'm going to have to grapple with, if that makes any sense.

 

[Boneman]

If you're serious about screenwriting, then the proper software will make your job so much easier. It will format for you, insert the prompts and directions in the correct place, and make your work look industry-ready. I use Final Draft - worth visiting their website and then looking on ebay for a copy, which do come up quite regularly. It has fabulous tutorials and a very comprehensive manual. I'm still using Final Draft 7, which is more than adequate, even though they keep upgrading.

 

[Gumboot]

Yes, on behalf of whoever ends up as 1st Assistant Director for your film, please, please use Final Draft. Breaking down a script manually is not pleasant. (On behalf of your producer too, actually, because a manual script breakdown means paying for an extra couple of weeks pre-production for the 1st AD).

 

[HoopyFrood]

Have either of you guys used Celtx? Just wondering if there were any major differences as I don't particularly have any extra money for Final Draft. I find Celtx has everything I need in terms of just writing the screenplay (and other fun extra dohickeys) but I don't want to miss out if Final Draft does have something that other script writing programs lack.