Putting Together A Script...

[Surtr]

And filming your own short film.

I kinda' wanna' do this sometime this spring, when the snow has gone and its rainy-ish, so I'm going to have a few months to piece together a fairly nice script and get all the ideas together. So, I'm looking for some advice from you guys. Anything that you think would help at all. Particularly Tillius, as I know you're doing this yourself, and I'm interested in some of the ways you went about it.

[Tillius]

And filming your own short film.

I kinda' wanna' do this sometime this spring, when the snow has gone and its rainy-ish, so I'm going to have a few months to piece together a fairly nice script and get all the ideas together. So, I'm looking for some advice from you guys. Anything that you think would help at all. Particularly Tillius, as I know you're doing this yourself, and I'm interested in some of the ways you went about it.

:)

You don't want advice from me man. I've rushed into things. Everything started out nice but I had to reschedule my shooting date because of the holidays and my film crew couldn't work with the new schedule so I'm now without a crew and going through the hell of trying to replace them.

[Jonny]

Oi! I want to do this too. It's the reason for my other thread.

[Surtr]

:)

You don't want advice from me man. I've rushed into things. Everything started out nice but I had to reschedule my shooting date because of the holidays and my film crew couldn't work with the new schedule so I'm now without a crew and going through the hell of trying to replace them.

Hey man, you're further than I am. I've got a rough idea, and intend to start working out a script soon, but I need more info. I'm not intending for this to be anything unreal amazing, but to have a much more minimalist film that has a theme/meaning to be drawn out of it, but nothing significant happening. I can see it being as long as 20 minutes, if that.

Any advice would be awesome, regardless, and hey, you know what you're doing wrong here, so you can at least just tell me some things to avoid lol.

[Tillius]

Hey man, you're further than I am. I've got a rough idea, and intend to start working out a script soon, but I need more info. I'm not intending for this to be anything unreal amazing, but to have a much more minimalist film that has a theme/meaning to be drawn out of it, but nothing significant happening. I can see it being as long as 20 minutes, if that.

Any advice would be awesome, regardless, and hey, you know what you're doing wrong here, so you can at least just tell me some things to avoid lol.

Well I guess I haven't done too badly because if it wasn't for the problem with the crew I'd probably be rolling smoothly right about now. And also you're wanting to do a short film while I'm putting together a feature which obviously requires more.

You seem like you've got the right idea. You know when you'd like to start filming and the look you'd like. What you should do is have your locations established before you write them. I didn't do that and have just recently gotten all my locations taken care of.

Also, make sure you've got more than just an idea, but a structure to it. If you don't, you'll wind up like me(how I was for years) where you're writing something but realize you have an idea but nothing to go with it and then instead of being a fun process, writing becomes a pain in the *** as you start to either force it or just give up on it.

[JohnXDoe3]

good screenwriting software like Final Draft can't hurt. kind of pricey but worth it. also available on torrents

just take this time to put a treatment together. four or five pages is fine. use that to develop characters and flesh out the plot(s), get ideas for scenes, and put an outline together next. thats like half a script. could be as rough as you want. get a good idea of a first, second, and third act, have a few ideas for your ending, and start to write your script :)

discipline. half a page a day (minimum) and you're on your way. take notes of your ideas as you write

don't sweat camera angles, shots, etc. thats for the director

also, practice if you like by writing a tv show. like one you watch. just for fun. make up a sitcom of your own. thats like 20 pages. and remember....one page of script equals roughly 1 minute of screen time. so watch out for length!

[Tillius]

Link me to said Final Draft torrents?

EDIT: Never mind. I put forth the effort and did a google search.

[JohnXDoe3]

i have it (the program) and can upload it for you if you have a problem

its clean and apparently half of hollywood is using it lol. has had some activation issues but it gets done eventually. just a certain way it needs to be done. so just let me know. its working fine for me for over two years and i have reinstalled / activated it a few times =]

[Tillius]

Yeah that would be cool.
I just downloaded it but it turned out to be a demo.

[JohnXDoe3]

yeah ok just gimme a moment or two

[Tillius]

Okay cool.

[JohnXDoe3]

here you go :)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EN92P583


INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS

Run Final Draft v7.1.1.19.EXE and follow instructions.

Copy Patch.EXE to your installed directory and run it from there.

Follow these steps to register/activate

OPEN BROWSER TO FINAL DRAFT WEBSITE

Enter this Customer Number: 7FD-246-594-826-987

When asked to Activate go to Activate Now -> Manual Activation.

Enter this Response Code: clu072005

When asked if you would like to register, click Register Later

NEVER REGISTER THE PRODUCT


if it doesn't work keep trying or simply try again in a few days or a week or w/e. this seems to be the experience of some. good luck...

[Tillius]

Thanks man.:)

EDIT: Do I have to sign up for megaupload to do it?

[JohnXDoe3]

nah. just enter the code at the top of the page and wait 45 seconds for the "unregistered" download to be ready

[Tillius]

Alright awesome it worked.
Ilu JXD.

EDIT: Actually it said that the response code was invalid. It's working it just won't let me activate.

[Meatplow]

don't bother with pirating final draft just use celtx it's every bit as good and free

http://celtx.com/

And filming your own short film.

I kinda' wanna' do this sometime this spring, when the snow has gone and its rainy-ish, so I'm going to have a few months to piece together a fairly nice script and get all the ideas together. So, I'm looking for some advice from you guys. Anything that you think would help at all. Particularly Tillius, as I know you're doing this yourself, and I'm interested in some of the ways you went about it.

I find the more I teach myself technical aspects of shooting and editing the more inspired I get, and the more I realise just how valid a lot of the ideas I had were in putting to practice. Shoot anything and everything to get a feel for the camera, and use experience whilst writing the script to determine realistically what you can achieve and what you can't at your level.

[Rams]

I like to write out what is going to happen in story-form first so I can read through it to see if I have any major logic flaws. Then sit down and write it out.

[JohnXDoe3]

Alright awesome it worked.
Ilu JXD.

EDIT: Actually it said that the response code was invalid. It's working it just won't let me activate.
yeah thats the experience of some. happened to me a few times, too. some people try a lot and then it works on the 50th time or w/e. i would try every couple of days on one of my reinstalls and then one day not long after....success :)

you can also try that program Meatplow suggested, i suppose. in the meantime or who knows? might be good i have never worked with it



EDIT: also after copying the patch into the Final Draft folder....it has to be RUN by double clicking it, etc

[Meatplow]

i've never used final draft but where it is awfully expensive if you want to go legit celtx is extremely intuitive for a free program

[thedeadwalk!]

Celtx is very easy to use; mostly just Enter then Tab/Shift+Tab as needed.

[RunAmokRampant]

I concur with the consensus of Celtx. Very easy to use.

I'm writing a script as well. only about 30 pages or so atm and its all over the place but considering its a screwball comedy, any funny idea or line of dialogue goes straight in. First drafts are always the most fun for me.

[badtaste]

Out of boredom and inspiration from this thread, I'ma attempt to revive my non-existent screenwriting career.

celtx here I come.

[Surtr]

Alright, I'll grab Celtcx here in a few.

Also, I've got a friend who's into filming who I'm going have for my camera guy. But I'm intending to write the script, direct the whole operation and maybe act either as the role or at least someone in it.

I'm aiming at 3-4 characters total, I've got a few locations for the scenes I have thought up and stuff. I mean its all very much tentative right now, but I'm piecing it together.

[Jim]

um yeah i'm a bit late, but i suggest celtx also. a great free program, that's as intuitive as final draft. it also has a storyboard program and other stuff.

i'm writing a feature with two other guys at the moment. we've got the basic idea, and i've written a basic treatment. we're scouting a location next month.

good luck man, a short would be a logical start. it will will give you so much experience, you won't regret it :) and it's good fun

[JohnXDoe3]

now i'm gonna have to get this celtx crap

i feel like a screenwriter pirate :(

i didn't know i could get one for free

honestly >_>

[Meatplow]

i'm still gonna give final draft a try while i got the oppurtunity regardless thanks for the link man

[Surtr]

I'd give it a try, but its too much effort to crack by the sounds of it, and after using Celtx and seeing that it does what I need it to do quite well, I'm happy for now.

See, now the main issues seem to creep in... I've been having "writers block" for ages. I mean like since mid-summer really. And so writing is going to be really hard.

[thedeadwalk!]

Here's some random logline generators. You could use these to exercise your creative muscles until inspiration hits you.

http://www.lifeformz.com/cgi-bin/idea/idea.fcgi

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Logline

A lot of the stuff is just plain weird but the point is to get you writing...about anything.

[Surtr]

Awesome websites man, thanks. :)

[Tillius]

i've never used final draft but where it is awfully expensive if you want to go legit celtx is extremely intuitive for a free program

I downloaded Celtx a long time ago but for some reason no matter what I did, if I saved my project and then clicked out of it, it would never bring it back up again.

[xtal]

A small-town girl with big-time dreams grow(s) 50 times in size and go(es) on a destructive rampage in this documentary narrated by James Earl Jones.