Movie Writing

Over the past year, I have been reading books to learn how to write a screenplay. I finally decided to put my writing skills and what I have learned so far, to use. I know that I have to start small, so I found a script writing contest. 

​Using a tag line that was created by a Hollywood director, I created a story. With the writing courses I have taken and the books I have read so far, on Movie Writing, I came across things that I have not found mentioned.

The Creative Concept and Story Development- 
As any writer knows, the creative concept can be either a blessing or a curse. A story can catch your mind at any given moment and haunt you, until you release it on to paper. It can keep you awake at night and consume you, until you write it. If the story turns out good, then the blessing is worth the curse of course.

I knew I had to write 15 pages, meaning I had to make it good. Story concept challenged me, I had a tag line to keep the story concept to. Creating the first part of the story concept is always fun, frustrating and challenging. I begin by creating my characters, what the personality will be like, what they wear, what the conflict will be, how will the character play out to the end. 

The second part of the story concept, is how all the characters will come together. Where the story will take place and how many locations, there will be in the story. I found that keeping it simple to one location, meaning city, is much easier. From what I learned, most movie companies, do not want to spend extra money filming in several locations, it gets expensive.

The final step is the ending and how the story ends and what happens to the characters. You want an ending that will make the viewer want more. How will you make the happy ending, end happy. The final steps are challenging, everyone wants a perfect ending. Throughout the writing process, I tried to imagine myself in a movie theater and visualize what it would look like on the big screen.

After I created my 15 page script, I asked myself these five questions and I have not found these questions in any of the books I have read, so far. I think everyone making a movie should ask themselves these questions.

  1. Did I capture my readers attention on the first page?
  2. Did I bring the viewer to the edge of their seat, in the first five minutes and keep them there?
  3. Did I have enough suspense, to keep the viewer wanting to know what happens next?
  4. Did I have the action just right?
  5. Did I leave the viewer leaving, wanting more?
​
​From what I have learned, writers are taught to write to sell the script. Directors are taught to shoot to edit. How about thinking like the person that will be watching the movie, in the theater. In my case, I have to capture the directors with the script. I need to capture his attention on the first page, bring him to the edge of his seat, keep him in suspense and leave him wanting more all in 15 pages. 

I think of some of the movies I watched and wonder if the writer just wanted to get to the end. Some movies have the lag in the middle, that makes you loose interest or fall asleep. Those are the parts that someone, some where along the line, should have did a re-write. 

Though I am not expert, I am still learning, I just find it interesting how the Creative Process, Story Concept and Movie Making are approached. How will my script do in this contest, well that of course is..... 
To Be Continued....

Everyone Have A Great Week!
Bobbie
​XoXoXo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Women and Girls of Kenya: Part 5

Image
As I conclude sharing with you, what I have learned about the women and girls of Kenya, I am going to share more detail, about the Malkia Foundation. I already introduced you to Phionah Musumba, the Founder and Executive Director. Though the Malkia Foundation has excepted many donations of different kinds, Phionah is looking for a partner or a financial investor, to help the foundation succeed. The ideal candidate, is someone that wants their presence to be felt in Africa, someone with heart and financial resources, to make a difference. The core value of the Malkia Foundation, is to help empower the young girls and women of Kenya, through education and job skills, for economic and enterprise development. Here are just five ways, that a difference is already being made. The Malkia Foundation is working with the YWCA and the Girls Scouts of America, in Austin Texas. The YWCA has donated Computers and supplies for the Vocational College and the Girl Scouts, are starting a center ...
Read more

The Little Things

Life takes us down many roads as we chase after our dreams, we often take for granted the beauty of what we are surrounded with. When we consume ourselves chasing after our dreams, we often forget to stop and smell the flowers. The one thing that I have learned is to appreciate the priceless little things in life What I am talking about are the things that are priceless, that money can't buy. Such as a beautiful sunset over the ocean. The feel of the sand between our toes. The way the sun feels on your skin, when it is shining on you, on a perfect day. The smell of flowers in the air, when they blossom in the Spring. As a parent, you learn that when you don't have money to provide for your children the way you had hoped, you learn to appreciate the little things of being a parent. The feeling you get the first time you look into your babies eyes. The sound of the first time they laugh. The smile on a child's face, when they see a toy and they get a gleam in their eyes....
Read more

The Women and Girls of Kenya: Part 3

Image
As a woman, I believe that every woman should be able to embrace, being a woman. We should be able to be comfortable in our own skin and we should not have to compromise our femininity. We should be able to 'own' being a woman. For many woman and young girls of Kenya, embracing being a woman, isn't always the option. In some villages, woman have to feel that having a menstrual cycle each month, is a shame. Many young girls in Kenya, are missing out on going to school, because of having a period each month. We live in a society that is built off of modern technology and never have to think of feminine products and sanitary napkins as a luxury in life. We are fortunate enough, that our government had no desire, to control how woman survive their period each month. Life for the young girls and women in Kenya, is not as simplified. Sanitary napkins are available, at a high price and not all have the money to buy them. In the village's where poverty has no ending, you...
Read more