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SCREENWRITING
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Everything You Need To Know About Screenwriting (Whether You Wanted To Know Or Not) |
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writing the screenplay for Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, I've developed
an affinity for the format. (Note that I don't refer to writing as an
"art" or a "craft." That particular expression has
always bothered me, and I refuse to jump on that particular bandwagon.)
But I digress...
Over the past two years or so, I've learned a lot about screenwriting and I hope to pass that information along to other aspiring screenwriters. This will be an ongoing project. Hopefully it will develop into something that someone finds useful someday. If you've found this page useful or if you want to submit a link, feel free to drop me a line. |
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Online Guides To Formatting Your Screenplay: One of the most daunting tasks to the beginning screenwriter (and the one that seems to cause the most anxiety) is learning how to properly format your screenplay. Screenwriting software can take away a lot of this headache for you, but you should understand the fundamentals yourself before letting a program do all the work.
Last, but not least, the Ultimate Script Formatting Links Page. Wow! Note: One thing I've learned is that there is no 100% standard format for screenplays. Every guide you see and every book you read (and every screenwriter you talk to) will offer some variations on the format. Don't let this discourage you or stress you out. The most important thing (besides having a great story to tell), in my opinion, is to keep your formatting consistent throughout. Even consistently incorrect is better than waffling all over the place. It just makes it easier to read. |
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Screenwriting Books: Since trying my hand at screenwriting, I've purchased and read about 30 books on the subject. While I got something from each of them, these are the books I found the most useful, helpful and informative of the bunch.
Not surprisingly, there are Hundreds More Screenwriting Books to choose from. Buyer beware. |
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Screenwriting Software: Every screenwriter has his or her own preference when it comes to which screenwriting software is the best. Based on my experience, these seem to be the most popular choices. I use Final Draft, myself. One of my good friends uses Scriptware. In reading up on Sophocles, I have to say that looks solid, too. Any one of them will serve you well... Feel free to read These WGA Screenwriting Software Reviews before making your choice. |
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Screenplays To Download and Read/Study: A good way to get a feel for screenwriting is, not surprisingly, to read screenplays. Once you've read a few, you'll see what I mean about no consistency in formatting. A lot of these are "shooting scripts," as opposed to "spec scripts." What you want to write is a spec script. I'll see if I can find an article online that explains the difference. |
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Screenwriting Tips For Beginners: The following links and sites contain useful info about screenplay writing, formatting, dos and don'ts, etc.
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Editing, Refining and Rewriting Your Work: I'm not aware of a single screenplay that was ever ready to be sent out after the first draft. Once you finish your opus, walk away from it for a few weeks and then go back and re-read it with a fresh eye. If you want outside opinions, there are several options available to you. You can have your friends read it and tell you what they think. You can join a writer's group and have your screenwriting peers read it. Or you can pay for a "coverage" of your work by professional readers. Professional coverage is expensive, I've found (between $100 & $300 per script!), so I recommend sticking with free peer evalutations. =) Useful Links:
If you have money to burn and want to go the coverage route, I hear ScriptShark is one of the better coverage services around. They charge $155.00 to cover a screenplay. |
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Finding An Agent or Manager: This is the most comprehensive list of agencies and managers that I've seen on the Web. If I find any other lists, I'll add them. Also, check out These Resources For Marketing Your Script. It's quite a list... |
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Protecting Your Work: Once you complete your screenplay, you're going to want to protect it from being stolen by companies and people you send it out to. The best way to do this is to register it with the Writer's Guild of America (or Canada). For a modest $20.00 fee, you can protect your work for five years and upload it directly via the Internet. You can also Copyright Your Script through the United States Copyright Office. |
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Screenwriting Contests - Sometimes having a contest "Win, Place or Show" attached to your screenplay can (and will) make the difference in whether or not your script submission gets accepted and/or read. Here's a list of screenwriting contests you can enter...
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Scripts Sell...But Who's Buying?: Once you're ready to "go to market" with your screenplay, here's where you can go to get your screenplay "out there" to the buying public:
Where To Go For Script "Want Ads:" Here's where producers post to tell you what they're looking for in terms of screenplays.
The Direct Approach: Querying Production Companies Directly - It's the same general idea of putting your resume out there when no jobs are known to be available. You'll need two things:
Again, don't forget to check out These Resources For Marketing Your Screenplay. |
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Screenwriting Resources And Links:
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General Movie Resources And Links:
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Kenn's
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