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I guess right here is as good a place to ask this as anywhere. I don’t even know where to start asking questions, really. But I really, really, really want to get into film writing and all that wonderful stuff. That’s your fault, Daniel Thompson. Thanks a lot.
My only experience in anything remotely deserving of the title ‘drama’ is the putting on of uncounted (and better forgotten) skits and plays when I was eight or younger. I was the director, the producer, the costume designer, the stage manager, the set constructor, and usually played all four leading roles and quite a few of the minor ones, including (but not limited to) Romeo, Johan Gutenberg, Caesar Augustus, Moses, King Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, the Father in ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas’, Prince Esculas, (Romeo and Juliet) Katharina (Kate!) from ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (though that one never made it to the stage) and sundry others.
So… anything goes. Tips, tips, tips, and more tips is what I need. Please.
Far from what you are looking for, I am going to burst in here and say something probably not very fluffy.
You see, this makes me recall my much cherished fencing days. You may not know this, but there are actually three different types of fencing each using a different sword and different style. They are foil (what I did), epee, and saber. My coach would always start beginners off with foil and then let them try the other two to see if one of those fit them better. Now, I had a friend who was very good at foil, but he just liked the saber so much that he switched to it. He did very well, but my fencing coach could see that he had limits. He was doing well, but he could never really advance to be a great saber fighter because that was not what he was natural at. My coach and I both knew he was a natural foil. I also had another friend who was probably even more of a natural at foil who kept trying out epee and saber way to much. It really hurt his foil fight.
I think it is similar in writing (and a great many other things). You can be good at many things, or you can be great at one. I thankfully had enough good advise and good sense to stay with foil because I knew that was what I was good at. Because of my dedication to it, I excelled. Now, I would try the other two on very rare occasions just because they were really fun every now and again. Saber however, I especially stayed away from because it was very different from foil. My very minor indulgences didn’t hurt my foil.
And so with writing, try out many things, have fun, see what you’re a natural at, but once you’ve found your niche, stay there. You can always make that rare but cherished excursion, but make sure it is truly rare and cherished.
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Thank you, Daeus. Thank you so much. I appreciate you being concerned enough to say something ‘not very fluffy’ because it’s true. I agree with you— everyone has his or her niche, what he or she is best at, or even truly great at.
I do not know that I have found my niche.
Writing has far surpassed any of my other million hobbies, but who is to say that there are not greater heights to be attained beyond my greatest now? I will never know until I try.
I will set all modesty aside and say that my novels are my greatest work to date, and that I personally do not think anything I will ever do will be at once so enjoyable and masterful, but I could be wrong. Don’t worry— I have no grand illusions about epic film scripts or blockbuster masterpieces. A short story here and there, turned into a video so those who have no time to read may watch it, a visual medium in which to practice the art of storytelling, is as far as this ambition has gone. It may go further, it may not.
But don’t worry. I’m going into this with my eyes open. 🙂
Thank you.
Sound like a good plan. I now yield the floor to those who actually know what they are talking about.
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Here’s my two cents worth @kate-flournoy.
I love dialogue. Scripts are basically all dialogue. So get good in dialogue? I’m not an expert, but that’s what I’ve heard. Um . . . read Save the Cat. Or if you don’t want to spend money then check out the beat sheets on the website.
Read script-writing books. Read scripts. A lot of them. It takes a while to get used to (if you love books), but if you love dialogue then you’ll get used to it faster. I read movie scripts just because I like movies (maybe more than books but don’t tell anyone).
That’s all I know. Oh yeah and get really really good in outlining stories. Use “The Board.” Learn how to write log lines. Um . . . reading scripts helps a lot with learning how to write action in scripts. I’ve run out of advice. Tell me if my advice is stupid or if it helps.
I blog on story and spiritual things at mkami.weebly.com
Good tips, @mark-kamibaya. Thank you. Where can I find movie scripts?
And… what is a log line? Is it basically a quick summary of the plot/characters/obstacles in your story? Like a one sentence thing?
You can get movie scripts at IMSDB (Internet Movie Script Database). @kate-flournoy
I blog on story and spiritual things at mkami.weebly.com
A logline is basically getting to the base of your story by writing your whole concept in two sentences. It’s like an elevator pitch. In those two sentences you have to describe the initial situation, the character, objective, opponent, and the stakes.
I blog on story and spiritual things at mkami.weebly.com
Okay. Gotcha. Thanks for the tips.
Has anyone here ever directed a play or a movie or something? Cause I’m looking for tips about directing, and working with actors, particularly actors who may not want to be actors (aka siblings) or actors who are too shy to make a fool of themselves in front of everybody else, which is basically all acting is. 😛
Anything goes.
I’ve directed (and written/acted in/edited/about anything else you can think of) several short movies. Well…I don’t know if I’d call them movies because quite frankly they are pretty bad. Our longest was 20 minutes, but most were 3-5 minutes. Anyway, normally I (being the oldest) was the director and had siblings aged 17-8 acting.
Getting them to talk loudly and clearly was the hardest part, especially because I was just using a digital camera.
As for tips, well…I paid them with candy at the end of each scene, and they had prizes when the filming was complete, so that helped some (‘If you don’t act right, you won’t get as much candy’). Having set goals and rewards is good. Also, having rehearsals with just saying the lines and working those out (what I wrote in the script was hardly ever what we actually said) helped the actual filming go quicker. The hard part was getting my actors to consent to the rehearsals in the first place. 🙂 So, basically, to get my siblings to act, I enticed them with candy and prizes, then cajoled, reasoned, bribed, yelled (not often, but don’t judge until you’ve tried to direct a sword fight with five boys, all carrying wooden stick swords, in an enclosed area…when none of them really want to be there) and eventually got something done. 🙂
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
So you mean it wasn’t just me who tried to coerce little siblings into acting in my “movies”? ;P
But I suppose I should probably add something helpful.
Be patient. Don’t get frustrated when you have to redo a scene for the tenth time. Or at least, don’t take it out on them. Make it fun. Joke around a bit, laugh at yourself, and just in general try to keep the peace. 🙂
As for those too shy to make a fool out of themselves…well, almost all of my siblings had that one time or another. I don’t have much helpful advice here. After the begging failed, what I usually would do is give that person another job related to the “movie” to do. Maybe they’re the camera guy for this one. (A little scary when the fate of your movie rests on a seven-year-old’s filming skills, but hey. We were a budget production. Meaning the budget was $0.) Maybe they can run and grab the props you didn’t know you needed until the last minute. Maybe they can tell the passersby to stay out of the shot. (Now that’s a problem unique to filming in a neighborhood…)
Hope something there was helpful!
Thanks Hope and Amanda! Oh boy Hope, I completely know what you mean about being practically everything in a production! I’ve never actually done a movie (we don’t have a video camera) but I’ve done plays, and I know what that’s like, believe me.
So you answered a lot of questions I had.
But… I’m never out of questions. That is both a good thing and a bad thing.Have you ever had someone who wanted very badly to be an actor, and act well, and you wanted to teach them so much, but they were just so shy they couldn’t do it? Like how do you teach someone (anyone, actually) to act? Because I can act, and I can do it pretty well, though I say it myself, but I don’t know how to go about teaching it to someone else. It’s something I was born with, I guess, and I never needed someone to teach me, so I have no clue how to teach someone else. Any pointers?
For doing “movies” I suggest not being an actor yourself. You should be the one holding the camera because you know exactly how you want to movie to look like. Also, try to get friends who are actually interested in acting or movies. They usually are easier to work with.
I blog on story and spiritual things at mkami.weebly.com
Hmm, I’ve never done much along the way of teaching acting. It was more ‘try to speak up so I can hear you’. I am a pretty bad actor myself and have need my sister’s help at times, even when I am the director. Normally though, I’d say teach by example. Meaning, if there’s a way you want the person to act in the scene, go though the actions and tones of voice yourself so they know what you want and also so you can feel out how the part is flowing. And maybe they’ll be more inclined to do something silly themselves if someone else has done it before them. 🙂 That’s my handful of cents…for whatever it is worth.
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
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