did anyone ever try to write a screenplay ? - Writers Forum

huxley · 08-01-2006, 10:00 AM

i was wondering what was the format for screenplay ?

is it just all dialoque & action ,no description ,and little emotion ,like the small phrase just after dialoque in books.

Mike C · 08-01-2006, 10:13 AM

Look here: http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/format.html

there is a sample screenplay for you to look at also.

mammamaia · 08-01-2006, 08:35 PM

you can email me for info... i mentor many aspiring screenwriters and have written several scripts myself...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com

Kamisama · 08-01-2006, 11:23 PM

I fear the drama world, but only because I'm good at it.
Every action, word, and motive must change the psychology of the viewer. Everything has to influence a reaction. Yet the best would instill an action.

bob rulz · 08-02-2006, 06:44 PM

I've always wanted to try a screenplay. I act and I write, so it makes sense, right?

huxley · 08-02-2006, 10:36 PM

thanks for the offer, mammamaia but my email is not working right , i can't send emails at the moment .

but i had some questions on screenwriting format & the do and don't of screenwriting.

i know it's very different from book writing , i quess you write it like a story board (i 've seen those movie story boards before ) so you divide your story in scenes / locations ( compared to chapters in books)

i quess what i'm asking is for some tips and advise on the way you write your story down on the page , what are you allowed the to write and not write (i quess those lines after speach are out ex: 'sure' she said rolling her eyes or ' ' she said storming off and slaming the door behind her , i quess stuff like that is not allowed.)

i did read the script format link but i think i need to read a full length script , so i can visually see and be aware ,just like i do when i read books , is there any full length scripts on the internet ?.

other questions: when i introduce a new location should i describe it ,paint a picture of it or is describtion frowned apon ?

i know that scripts are heavy on the action & dialoque , but is the emotion frowned apon (ex: joe felt torn apart his mind told him he couldn't while his heart urged him on )

i quess there is four things that i would like to know more about the restrictions.( what goes and what doesn't go ) (what is frowned on and what is not )

the four groups are : -dialoque (i quess anything goes for that one)
-action ( i'm still in the dark about what is allowed and not allowed)
-describtion of rooms places ,landscape ,things , objects , voices ,people , painting the picture for the reader . ( what is allowed )
-emotion (what is allowed)

last question scene headers can some one explaine them to me .
like : int.outside street day what the : int. & ext is it leaving a place & intering a place . i would just like to know more .

thanks for all the help , sorry for the long post.

mwd · 08-02-2006, 10:47 PM

Hey huxley, I ain't no screenwriter but I looked into it seriously for a time. Best thing I ever did to learn the basics was Googled some of my favourite movies and looked on the web for the scripts. Some scripts have been released, so you can actually read things that have been turned to films, and you can watch the movie while you do it. One site I know off the top of my head is a list of Charlie Kaufman's scripts: http://www.beingcharliekaufman.com/scripts.htm but if you don't actually like the movies he's written then you probably won't want to read those.

There's also http://www.script-o-rama.com/ which has a bunch of scripts for various films. Read the ones for your favourite movies, and it should give you a good idea of what you can and can't get away with as far as emotions go (although keep in mind that actors are going to be reading the script and are paid to get into the heads of your characters. you don't want to do their job for them by excessive emotional telling.)

I won't go into the rest of your questions because I'm not too familiar with screenwriting myself as I said, but one thing I DO know is that INT stands for Internal and EXT stands for External. If the setting is outside, use EXT. If it's inside, use INT. That's all that it is.

huxley · 08-02-2006, 11:10 PM

i did notice that the action is writen in present tense.

thank for the tip on int . and ext.

Firewriter23 · 08-02-2006, 11:11 PM

I can't write screenplay well but I can act it. lol

pagemaster42391 · 08-03-2006, 01:39 AM

Action: Make sure you let the reader/viewer know what is going on, without giving ten-page-long descriptions of what is happening. Brief is good.

Dialogue: Often you can add how the person is saying something, such as writing the character name and then, in italics, whatever description you want to use, but again, brief is good, as in, one word. It would look like this:

SOPHIA, delicately: I believe that I hardly wound your honor, Mr. Peters.

Description: When opening a new scene, or a new act, it's good to take a paragraph or two and set the stage. Don't simply charge on with the dialogue; make sure to name the place if it belongs to a formerly mentioned character, and to describe it (briefly outlining the major points of the room) if it does or does not. Otherwise, brief sentences between several lines of dialogue are a good idea, to discuss how the characters have moved around the scene, if they are walking, riding a horse, have arrived at a destination, or are still sitting still.

Emotion: Refer to the brief sentences between several lines of dialogue. A screenplay should not be emotionless; it needs description of enough emotion so that the reader knows what is going on if reading it, and that the actors know how to act when performing it, but long pages of description of inner turmoil are definitely advised against.

Hope I was of some help to you, and good luck in your pursuits.

Light shield you,
pagemaster

P.S. Check out "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller from your local library for a good (and short!) example of a well-written screenplay. It's also an interesting read.

fretfulporpentine · 08-03-2006, 12:40 PM

Oddly, screenwriting is a very formulaic medium. If you don't follow basic rules, your script will probably not work very well. This is not to say that you cannot be creative, merely that you must know the rules.

A wonderful book that will get you started is The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay, by Cynthia Whitcomb.

As for formating, it is difficult and annoying. Final Draft is a great program that will format the entire script for you. It is not incredible, but it sure beats trying to do the formating yourself.

huxley · 08-03-2006, 03:09 PM

thanks mwd the links you gave are very helpful . i started reading the evil dead script.

huxley · 08-05-2006, 08:21 AM

can some one give me some advise on how to write the action parts of the sreenplay. i quess what i'm saying is i need a different approach to writing the descriptive action passages . i'm looking at it like book writing and find myself writing all the details .what are the fundamentals?

thanks.

bob rulz · 08-05-2006, 10:37 AM

Well, one thing you have to remember when writing a screenplay is that the "show, don't tell" rule gets thrown right out the window, because there's no need to "show," you just need to tell so that the actors know what to do. You need to get across what is going on in as few words as possible. Action should be described briefly, in as few words as possible.

aliceedelweiss · 08-05-2006, 11:49 AM

I just recently hit the idea that I should try screen plays.

Knowing nothing, I found this helpful. Good luck!

Alice