Screenplay Basics - Scripped A Scripped Compendium by Johnathan Carr Traditional storytelling recounts past events, whereas screenwriting is locked in the present - thus you may not deviate from PRESENT TENSE. You may also be tempted to describe every inch of the world you're creating - don't! Take comfort in the idea that a screenplay is not meant to have any literary value. At the beginning of a feature film script, often but not always, the first line will be: FADE IN. While you can write a longer ACTION paragraph, think about keeping it under five lines at a time. In the ACTION line, be sure to capitalize SOUND EFFECTS, CAMERA DIRECTION and the first appearance of a speaking CHARACTER. Use a PARENTHETICAL to note an action the speaker is performing while speaking or if you want to indicate whom the speaker is addressing such as addressing a new character in mid-DIALOGUE. Off camera (O.C.) and off screen (O.S.) are identical, which one you use is really a personal preference. Think subtext.
Story Structure | Script Writing and Screenwriting Help Story Structure | Script Formatting | Character Development | The Idea Factory | Selling Your Script | Sample Scripts Home | Useful Resources | Sitemap | Main Pages Story Structure Friday, April 11, 2014 There's no doubt about it, breaking into Hollywood as a scriptwriter is tough. If you want your script to become a viable commodity it has to have the following. A main character who is driven towards achieving a goal An opposition to your main character who will hold your main character back from achieving their goal A fight (literal or metaphorical) between your main character and their opposition An ending which answers the questions "Can the main character achieve his goal?" If your script can present such a story, along with a well thought out main character who the audience can relate to then you will all ready have the jump on most scriptwriters. Remember that once you have sold your script how it is presented and portrayed is all in the hands of the director and the actors.
9 Of The World's Most Inspiring Infographics We spend lots of time here at Co.Design hunting down the smartest and most creative infographics to feature daily, but we’re limited by what’s available on the web, what we have permission to publish, and what languages we (and you) can understand. Here to pick up where Infographic of the Day leaves off is Information Graphics (Taschen, April 2012), a 480-page doorstopper of a book that offers up a mind-boggling selection of infographics, many plucked from the furthest reaches of the media firmament. It has more than 400 examples, ranging from an illustration of stalled building projects in a Dutch design rag to a Nicholas Felton-designed chart of CNN.com traffic to a map of sonar and whale songs courtesy of a Danish geological institute. Preorder Information Graphics here.
666 DIY Horror Filmmaking Tutorials It’s that time of year again, so we thought it was time to update last years killer feature “Horror Filmmaking: From Script to Scream.” That’s right a sequel! This time we are narrowing the focus a bit and concentrating on the DIY (Do It Yourself) elements. Hopefully this will help you slash the budget without murdering your production values. DIY: Blood, Bullets & Stunts DIY: Stage Effects/Green Screen DIY: Digital Effects After Effects Sony Vegas DIY: Make-Up/Costumes DIY: Static Props DIY: Motion Props DIY: Horror Sets DIY: Packaging Prop Shops & FX Supplies The Frugal Filmmaker Professional Formatting Tips for Screenplays & Television Scripts Your average overworked and underpaid script reader slaving away in some Hollywood hotshot’s Century City office is just looking for an excuse - any excuse - to tear your submission apart. And nothing will make that screenplay contest judge's temper enflame more than a poorly formatted or shoddily presented script. So, to save you the embarrassment of such a shredding, the recommended Hollywood standards for formatting a feature length motion picture screenplay are explained below. You can also by specialized software tailored specifically for formatting such as Movie Outline which does most of the work for you, auto-completing as you type and formatting your text and margins automatically. Click here for more detailed information on the specific elements that make up a professional screenplay. Paper – Must be U.S. Binding -- Two solid brass paper fasteners (1 1/4") a.k.a ‘brads’ should be used to bind the script. 3-Hole-punched -- Covers and Pages should be three hole punched. Its - It's
How to get your script read and made into a movie - by Ramona Taylor Ramona Taylor's image for: "How to get your Script Read and Made into a Movie" Caption: Location: Image by: Every screenwriter might have Oscar and Emmy dreams. Understand the ground rules The name of the game for any writer is inspiration and then protection. Also, master the craft. Get the word out People won't know how or where to buy your script or screenplay unless they know it exists. There is no shame in self-promotion. Agents, literary managers and attorneys In the perfect world, a writer gets an agent, attorney or literary manager to market his or her wares. Think small There are almost as many independent film producers as there are writers. While getting a feature produced may have the same odds as winning the Mega Millions, it’s not impossible. Star power Don’t hold your breath waiting for an A-lister to find you; however, if you know people in the film industry - actors, directors or writers - try to get your work to them. Have a camera and an idea?
Library Booklists: Adult Fiction: Crime Novels and Mystery Fiction To learn more about crime fiction, and readers advisory as it applies to crime fiction, check out Springfield (MA) City Library's excellent Murder in the Stacks: Reader's Advisory for Mystery and Detective Fiction for an outline of the history of the mystery. Mysteries featuring Amateur Detectives See also Cozies. Mostly Fiction: Detectives and Amateur Sleuths: Excellent resource for the authors listed. Not comprehensive, but provides depth of information on sleuths, bibliography, biography, web links, and reviews for 200+ authors. If You Like Amateur Sleuths - Female (Hennepin County Library, MN): Author, title, publication year, summary, webcat link for about 23 books featuring female amateur sleuths. If You Like Amateur Sleuths - Male (Hennepin County Library, MN): Author, title, publication year, summary, webcat link for about 15 books featuring male amateur sleuths. Amateur Sleuths (Reader's Advice): 'Mysteries featuring detectives who are not professionals.' If You Like ...
mental_floss Blog » 15 Film Production Credits Explained Ever wonder what all those strange credits are when they roll by at the end of a film? I used to, until I moved to LA, where I started meeting Best Boys and Dolly Grips with their kids when I took my son to the playground—yes, Hollywood, where you meet Gaffers and Armourers at your average Saturday night house party. So I started asking questions, and here's what I've learned: 1. Boom Operator No, this job has nothing to do with explosives or pyrotechnics. 2. Now this job does deal with explosives, of a sort. 3. Though the gaffer manages the entire electrical department, all the guys who run cables and hang lights, his main responsibility is mounting and positioning lights and lighting rigs. 4. Grips are sort of like worker bees. 5. This guy runs the Grips dept and assists the Gaffer. 6. This guy has nothing at all to do with a wedding, unless we're talking something like Wedding Crashers . 7. A dolly grip operates the movie camera dolly. 8. 9. 10. This guy oversees the painting dept. 11.