There are no more original ideas. Those original ideas, however, have endless facets from which to tell the tale. I look at the recent trend of rehashing, rebooting, recycling one movie after another and I realize there is plenty of room for new ideas even if they aren't completely original. Success lies in how creative and determined you are to tell your story as YOU see it and get people to see something new in something old. The hardest person to convince your good is yourself.
A Sharknado trilogy, The Room, Samurai Cop, and now Cocaine Bear we’re all written and produced. Not to mention studios are constantly rebooting old movies because they’re out of ideas. Don’t give up on your dream. Keep writing.
I'm almost 15 and I've been writing almost my entire life. When I was 6 I wrote my own little Star Wars movie, it was eight pages long, but that was a lot for a six year old. I'm trying to write movies and videogames, I find it easier to write video games than movies, only because you don't need to plan all the movements and angles. I can write one or two pages without much problem. All I really need is a chance. Who knows, I may not need to finish high school to get a job (yes it's possible)!
It's a real fact that screenwriting is a hard business to break into...but shitty, shoddily written films get made on a constant basis -- which is the mysterious part, to be honest.
Funny story. I was once at an agency party in Beverly Hills. Agents and other people in the biz were asking me about my current script. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I found out the next day the agency only represented models not writers. LOL.
Rejections are very polite. They always say great script or great whatever (it doesn't matter what genre, print even painting, or stage)They go on and say there are many worthy writers who deserve attention but it's not what we do or whatever lame excuse is offered. I have never had rejection that did not like my work, however, they have all been rejected. How do I feel about that? It makes me less inclined to produce new works. I do anyway and it's true that I have been sabotaged on multiple occasions. That's been my experience over the last 25 years.
I remember a script, from a UCLA student, that said, "Extreme close-up, Vagina." Swear on my kids. And then it was the birth of a baby, from that angle. And when I went to talk to the students, I said, "Who wrote this?" And a lady, a girl, raised her hand. I said, "Ma'am, do you know how big the screen at the Village Theater in Westwood is? I know, because it was actually built for 2010. It's 75 feet." "Do you want to rethink that shot?" Lol. Sorry writers. I just had to transcribe that.
The problem is they are fucking bombarded by people who think that just because they have wrote something they suddenly deserve to get their script sold. These are people who aren't willing to learn or get better. So long as your give your best effort and actually give a shit about learning the craft and have the talent then you might actually get somewhere.
excellent video....I wish I had more heart and motivation to keep writing...instead of starting for a few hours, not finishing, and then stopping for a few years.
these people come off sounding negative,but I think they're trying to say that if u don't enjoy developing a story,properly written,dont waste your time.the get rich quick mentality not gonna work.1st draft stories r what the schemer's r handing in.I think if you take pride in your work,develop your charicters and plot you can b successful.
"If you have a leap of faith that is underpowered where you're questioning it as you leap, you don't get to the other side. You can't leap without complete and absolute willingness to die for you want." ~ Bruce Joel Rubin
Hollywood doesn't want original ideas, original ideas only sell from BIG names, and you have to work on THEIR projects and reboots before you become a big enough name to have your OWN original idea.
I like this movie. In addition to writing a great, classically structured 3-act script, there remain two problems for the first-time screenwriter: - connections - These are hard to forge if you are not in LA (if you're looking for Hwood to produce it) and know somebody in the biz. Not impossible, but very hard. I don't believe that all great scripts even get a hearing, that they find eyeballs. Having someone forward it to someone how matters with a good word is a huge leg up. If you live in Iowa and all your friends are corn farmers, you've got your work cut out for you even if you've got the best corn farmer tearjerker ever written. Who do you know? Anybody? Maybe start with the Iowa film office or whatever. I really don't know. - fit - even if you get it read or have a chance to pitch in front of a real decision-maker, it might not 'fit' what they're looking to produce. The big studios all seem to want proven stuff now...comic books, bestsellers, spec scripts have never had it tougher. They are so risk averse now. So that all said, I think every writer should consider some guerilla tactics instead of relying on the Hollywood 'lottery': - write something that you or a moderately talented director friend can shoot for little or know money. You'll get a lot more notice as a first-timer if you've got a movie to show them that's good, versus just another script like the pile on their desk. This is how Ed Burns broke in with Brothers McMullen. No special effects, no car chases, just people talking in rooms. Forget permits, break all the laws. Shoot in the street. Use public locations whatever. Anybody gives you shit, have a bouncer on the set to intimidate them. Think indie. Think Kevin Smith with Clerks. Think Woody Allen, Alison Anders, Hal Hartley, John Sayles, Casavettes. Get the best actors you can and just go for it. With digital, it's never been cheaper to shoot and post. Those before us had to scrounge film stock and go bankrupt. Not now. But make sure your script is absolutely killer first. - write and shoot a fantastic short to support your great feature script and show you can write - shoot a great trailer for your feature script. If it intrigues, they will invest the time to read your 120 page masterwork. They might buy it. They might buy it then fire your ass and get somebody better to re-write it because they love the concept, just not your script - but you'll still get paid. Or they might do nothing. But at least you got them to read it, and got on their radar. - write it as a novel. Getting published is very hard, but if your talents are such that you can write it as a novel you could line yourself up for a double payday...one for the book, and then one for the screenplay maybe. These are just my ideas. I'm on my second screenplay and haven't sold anything so what do I know. But keep writing and keep scheming to get it read by people with power...by hook or by crook!
You've got to decide...are you writing so that you (or a close friend) can definitely make it, or are you writing so Hollywood can maybe buy it then maybe produce it then maybe support it in distribution. You've got to decide if you're more like Kevin Smith, Woody, Tarantino, John Sayles, John Watters, or Russ Meyer. Or are you're going to try to be Steve Zailian, Joe Esterhas, or Bob Towne? Both great places to be, but different. The first are writers first, but who went almost immediately into directing so they could get their writing on the screen. The second are writers who were able to entice others to take the ball into the end zone.
Greeting buddy! How's 'Cool World-ReBooted' coming along? I've been busy with what seems like an endless stream of ideas and tangents and trying to get them on paper/computer: I have had no time to look for 'Facets', but... The concept is getting recycled as 'Diary of Amanda'... 'Dark Awakening' is being fleshed out as a 90-page first draft... 'Blackwing' is becoming 'The Birds' meets 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'.......meets 'Die Hard'!!!
its not just a matter of writing well. its about content and marketability, the concept. Indie films with crappy, lets say boring or confusing scripts, or scripts with no character Arcs, get made all the time. and there are even Hollywood scripts that get made that wind up crappy on the screen. if these gurus had all the answers, they would be selling scripts all over the place, but they do not.
Rejection. For me it's not a matter of rejection. Hell, I EXPECT to be rejected. I have always wanted to write a screenplay and at this point, I don't care if someone wants it or not, I WANT IT. I want to start it and finish it. If anything else comes from it, so be it. If not, at least I know I wrote it.
Just because somebody can run it don't make him a Bolt. Most people sing but can they sing like Frank Sinatra or Marvin Gaye? Just because a person can write 120 pages of screenplay and Final Draft formats it to look professional it does not mean that it is a quality dramatic tour de force. Good video. Not everyone can be a screenwriter.
Important words. I think we need a similar book & film to offer a reality check to the millions of videographers who think they are the next great cinematographer /director of photography. Video is not film.
If its great idea/story it will sell. Remember not all managers or producers reading your script thinks like you. You have to find that person that sees what you see. That understands this type of film. That produced your type of script before or know someone who has. If you are good at it or your script is sellable then it will sell. The problem is that these producers are seeing the same story all over again on there desk. Be unique, find something that has not been written about, that special genre. Those are more likely to be sold.
I have been working on my story, "Stringy and Mopy: The Adventure Begins" for over 8 years, and just now I'm writing the story in the format of a screenplay. I'm not sure how this logline will sell, listen: After a young man comes across a supernatural badge, he goes on a rescue mission to save his stepmother from an ancient that murdered his parents with the help of a any-paced, super-powered teenaged girl. Can anyone help me with this logline?
Question: When you sell your script, do you automatically retain the right to novelize your story (if you wanted to)? Or do you give up all rights to the story no matter what?
I don't know the level of your experience or your frustration, but I would have to disagree with you. The guy's who wrote 'The Matrix' would disagree with you as well. Look, There are only so many kinds of stories to tell but endless ways to tell them. Perhaps if you try to focus on how you're story is being told; from what angle, who's perspective, maybe that will be your way of finding something original in your story to tell. IDK, better to try than cry, right?
I can! Go to donedealpro. com "Forum", join for free and post your logline. Pros and newbies will give you a critique and help you get it together. Trust me.
I think this massive amount of negativity can be better understood in the Oscar's context.Those guys were talking about the Oscar winning scripts.Take a look around you, America makes a big number of the shittiest movies in the whole world and those movies were written by screenwriters.So,no thank you.
