Author Topic: Writing a script filmguy15
posted 01-15-2001 12:27 PM
How can I make a good long script. I have never really written a script before, except a little 5 min. horror short. I don't have enough $$$ in my budget to buy one, so i decided to make one myself. Please give some tips!

-Chase

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SAFilms
posted 01-15-2001 04:42 PM
sub plots, sub plots, sub plots. get yourself a nice plot, then sub plot the hell out of it. if it's a bank robbery, have one banker be related to the robber or something. a zombie movie? have the hero's friend be the villian who summonded the creatures. stuff like that.

dogcow
posted 01-15-2001 08:30 PM
be careful though, the worst thing is a movie with alot of subplots that are picked up and dropped seemingly at random. For an example see The Road To Wellville, the plot jumps around from subplot to subplot lacking direction and focus.

Remember your central conflict is the most important, don't get so overly mired down in subplots you lose focus.

-nick

[This message has been edited by dogcow (edited 01-15-2001).]

filmguy15
posted 01-15-2001 09:20 PM
Thanks for the input, i will keep all of this in mind!

SAFilms
posted 01-16-2001 07:06 PM
yeah, that's true, but you need some sub plots. without a sub plot, a movie seems to go no where and gets boring. think stuff like Adrenaline, the Borrowers, U-571 (that was okay), etc.

dogcow
posted 01-16-2001 10:01 PM
well U-571 had other problems mainly the fact it jumped into the action so fast the characters weren't developed much past stereotypes and we were made to care about them.

-nick

Gamecat
posted 01-17-2001 12:57 AM
Another tip is rewrite rewrite rewrite... And when you're done with all those rewrites... rewrite that aside from that...

Write what you know... No this doesn't mean you can't write science fiction or fantasy but make sure you understand the genre you are writing about... If you don't know anything about genetics, don't write a story about genetically cloned dinosaurs...

Sometimes it's helpfull to make a list of all the main characters and list their attributes, and goals, what makes them tick, everything that important... This gives you a better idea of how they will react in certain situations... Also it can give you ideas for plots and sub plots...

Base your characters on real people that you know... Don't make them clones of those people but take attributes from various people and use that... It gives your characters more depth and realism...

Sometimes it's also handy to write a treatment out... Basically tell your script in a present tense narrative... Short, but include the important elements, and feel of the script... Makes it easier to plan things out...

Yeah thats all I can think of right now... Hope it helps

Jeff F
posted 01-20-2001 03:03 PM
The initial concept has to fit the length of the project.

There are ideas which can be explored sufficiently n a short film, and those that will support a feature length film.

Trying to jam a feature concept into a short film won't do it justice, and trying to pad a short concept into a feature film is a disaster we've all seen done more than once.

Make sure that the story will truly fill those 90 pages.

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