themovieguru

I have my first movie script draft completed, now what should I do with it? write another, edit it, tell myself good job and just table it and check it off as one of th things I wanted to accomplish in my life. Personally I don't think its all that great but hey I did it, I guess thats what counts. It took me almost a year and half to write this thing to. Just thought I share.

benedict

Congrads!

[PS: are you keeping the plot quiet in case Boatdrinks is reading? []]

Groucho

There's a guy here named themovieguru. You should email him since, as a guru, he'll know what to do.

themovieguru

who is boatdrinks?

Matthew Zolton

First thing, I would go to Borders and buy the newest "Writers Market" book. I think that there is one specifically for screenplays and the like. That should begin to lead you in the right direction. In the meantime, take a look at this website:

http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/index.shtml

There are a couple of writing lessons... most of which mean nothing to you, but a couple have to deal with getting into the business, even these sections are more catered to novels (my interest), but might be helpful.

Also, do a few google searchs, I personally found a lot of stuff about novels/short stories, so there is probably just as much about screenplays, just make sure your looking at a reputable site (the one mentioned above is Orson Scott Cards website).

Hope that helps, good luck!
Matthew Zolton

benedict

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...4&page=1&pp=25

bishop2knight

Hand it off to a professional editor. It's key that you have it read by an unbiased individual to get constructive criticism. I know there are several editors on the board (myself included).

starseed1981

Congrats!

Follow what Mr.Zolton said.

TimeandTide

At the VERY least, consider entering it some of the many, many screenwriting contests out there. I've entered a few and won some cool loot in the process.

And some advice I got from a screenwriting friend: Invite some friends over and do a reading. HEARING the dialogue and getting constructive criticism from people you trust is very helpful, I've found.

Good luck!

djmont

If you don't think it's very good, you're probably better off just throwing it away.

Let's face it: if an author isn't enthusiastic about his own work, nobody else will be.

But still, it's cool that you finished something. It's more than more would-be writers do.

Cameron

some people say your first two screenplays should just be put away and not thought of again....but nuts to that.

as for ^djmont^ wasn't it steven king who tossed Carrie because it sucked, and his wife took it out of the trash and sent it in...then he got his deal....sometimes when you live with a story so long, it has little to no meaning for you...let someone unbiased read it.

calhoun07

As somebody creative myself, I have to disagree with this. It has been my personal experience that just about everything I create that I think is great, people hardly notice, but the stuff that I make that I think is the worst of the lot, that's the stuff I get the most positive feedback on. Sometimes, we can be our worst critics and not even recognize when we have something others may genuinely enjoy.

If a movie like Lucky can get made (and I know somebody locally who personally knows the screenwriter on that, so I know the backstory to an extent on how that got from script to screen) then I think you have a very good chance. (Not comparing your work to Lucky, of couse! I am sure your work has to be better than that!)

Carcaridon

Having written a few myself, I'd toss it in a safe place for a couple of weeks and then come back to it when it's out of your mind and read it fresh. Then start draft #2. "Nothing great is written, it's re-written." Words to live by.

Also, grab one of the many books out there on the subject, if you don't have them already.

Screenwriter's Bible
How NOT to write a screenplay

Just a couple there. There's a ton of them on the market.

themovieguru

Thanks for the feedback guys. I am not quite sure what to do with this now. When I first started out, I did it just to see if I could do it and finish, it was odd how freely it flowed when I did set and write it at times. Who knows maybe I will go back do some editing and then submit it or just write a new one. I have tried writing novels but just can't seem to write them as easily as a screenplay, screenplays to me seem easier. I see each frame in my head and the people, action, and dialogue. The title of my screenplay is "The First War" Without much detail, it takes place in such areas as Area 51, Atlantis, Space, Easter Island, America, and Europe.

TimeandTide

You might be better off just shelving it then...but not because it's not a fantastic idea. Studios are typically loathe to buy scripts--especially from unknowns--that would cost outrageous amounts to produce. Consider potential budget limitations when revising or drafting your next script.

themovieguru

This one would probably need a Terminator 3 or Star Wars 3 type budget to produce. I never thought about writeing screenplays with budgets in mind, I will have to take that into consideration next time.

TimeTide I see your in California, are you involved in the movies at all? Just asking.

The Bus

guru: There's not as much of a limitation as there was before. Look at many of the Star Wars fan movies or the Matrix fan-made movies.

Also, imagine the movie done with zero special effects. Does it still work? If it doesn't, it's time to go back to the drawing board.

lordwow

Enter it in competitions or anything that it can be seen.

Meanwhile, start writing again.

TimeandTide

No, but I've a few friends who are either in the industry in some capacity or are trying to break in as either actors or writers. (Plenty of those types in Southern CA.)

If you're near a Borders or B&N, you might try looking at some of the screenwriting mags. I think it's Screenwriting magazine that includes a list of scripts sold, to whom (studio) and for how much. Pretty useful if you want to gauge trends (for example, if Westerns become hot again, you'll see studios gobbling up Western-themed stories).

The new "hot" trend seems to be self-financing projects, like Saw II and The Hostel. Find someone with some spare cash (okay, a lot of spare cash) and make your movie yourself (enabling full creative control and a lion's share of the profits).

mdc3000

Ah, so it's an arty 2 hander... good job! I myself have complete a few screenplays and am not quite sure about the "what next"...although, the main problem I have is that I intended to DIRECT these, not try to just sell it off to someone else...and the student loan from film school is still looming over my head so most budgets at the moment seem insurmountable...

MATT

themovieguru

Whats an arty 2 hander mean? I decided to table this one for now and move on to writing a second screenplay. This one I am going to go with advice of keeping a low budget in mind. I live next to a university and when I am done I may try to find an art student who is willing to do some storyboards for me, pack it all up and send it in to some one. I wonder what Bruckheimer is doing these days.

TimeandTide

FWIW, the studios do the storyboarding. If the script ever sold, you'll probably be well out of the loop before the storyboarding stage. You might consider instead channeling your energies into the formatting, editing and submitting of the script.

lordwow

This is a sad fact of the industry. If you're looking to SELL your script, you're going to lose almost all control over the project. This is why many people, such as myself, look to get into the production side of things so that we are Producing our own scripts, rather than selling them, and thus retaining some creative control.

themovieguru

Goerge Lucas had a bunch of storyboards made up when he initially pitched Star Wars to people. That was what I was getting at.

djmont

George Lucas was an established director, not an uknown writer, when he pitched Star Wars. (And, of course, he still got turned down all over town.)

There are a few screenwriter blogs around written by pros in the industry that have a lot of great advice on how to work in the industry. I recommend finding them, reading and learning.