Getting Started With Screenwriting - Part One

[MrClayblasdel]

kill the music

[juicyking97]

i plan on buying the two syd field books. should i read screenplay before screewriters handbook?

[MyOtherCareer]

@juicyking97 It certainly can't hurt. Just be aware Syd covers a lot of the same stuff in the first half of "Workbook" that he does in "Screenplay," albeit in a shortened form. So if you find yourself skipping past stuff you already know while ready "Wordbook", don't be surprised. The important part of "Workbook" are the exercises.

[fallonhadley]

One of the books you listed was written by my professor, William Missouri Downs!!! :)

[MyOtherCareer]

@fallonhadley Lucky you! He definitely knows his stuff and has been a great help to me.

[45below1]

My friend, I was wondering...

If you were scripting a traveling scene or series of shot, (for instance, Mary travels to Georgia from Texas) how would you go about this process?

[MyOtherCareer]

@45below1 That depends on the context of the scene(s). If it's important to show a "fish out of water" type sequence, I'd likely have a series of short scenes, maybe two or three lines of action, that show the character out of their element. If it was just a matter of something to show the character moving from one area to the next, with no real significance to the narrative, a montage of the character passing some landmarks would suffice. Or, I'd just skip it altogether.

[45below1]

@MyOtherCareer Thanks a lot, my friend.

[CocotonaVideos]

What do you think of the Save the Cat screen writing book series?

[MyOtherCareer]

@CocotonaVideos I haven't read that book myself, but a few of my friends have suggested it to me, and said it's a great book for amateurs to check out. And since you can pick it up on paper back for like 15 bucks, I don't see why anyone should second guess picking it up.

[oda570]

Hey I have a question.  I have been interested in working on a few screenplays. I am familiar with the format and all and have many ideas I am currently working on. My question is how do I really know i doing it all correctly?

[MyOtherCareer]

See, that's the rub, you don't. I mean, all you can do is compare what you've written to what other writers have written. As long as you have the formatting down, it's pretty much impossible to write it incorrectly. You can certainly write a bad screenplay, but I don't know anyone who writes a "good" screenplay the first time out. Download a few scripts to try them out, or head to my blog and check out some of the screenwriting sites I link to. Lots of tips there.

[MyOtherCareer]

Seriously?

[CabbageRollem]

are you sitting on a toilet?