Screenwriting : The Screenwriter 2020 by George Wilder Jr.

Scented pdfs

Combine together elements from various cultures and media - a bit of anime here, a bit of video game there, mixed with some character types and plot devices from classic BBC dramas and sitcoms and you get a unique amalgamation of drama, humour, action and plot. :) That, and having a multinational cast of characters and putting a uniquely European twist on typically "American" genres.

Stop saying I’ll make it and make it.

For me, a lot changed when I read Craig D. Griffiths' book on loglines. A good logline can make the script stand out, but it has to carry the water from there. Getting past that "no" is a big deal though.

I had to think about this one a bit... this is a tough question to answer without giving out the wrong impression.

At the end of the day, the scripts have to be solid. That's pretty much it. Yes, the scripts have to be smart, fitting within genre expectations and budgets, but ultimately, for the writer, the scripts just have to be solid. What's solid is another conversation, but we can probably just leave it at the concept is engaging, the characters are engaging, and we buy into the story.

Make your protagonist an android with both genitalia wielding a giant sword , spouting Shakespeare, spitting sunflower seeds, with a Bob Marley accent using tequila to lube his moving parts and can only eat ramen. Boom!

Make your protagonist and antagonist as human as possible. No person is without flaws, so your characters shouldn't be either. I make them as memorable as possible.

I think you should have a combination of talent and luck. There are very good scripts here, the problem is that the right producer finds out.

just by networking and giving of yourself - without the thought of taking something from someone else.

If you're trying to break into the "system," then it starts with great writing (that cuts the "millions" down to "tens of thousands"); then it's about timing - the right person at the right time, and that means networking in all the forms that takes ("tens of thousands" down to just "thousands" - hopefully). Then having multiple scripts cuts that even further (you become one of a few hundred great writers who have the right connections).

Or you can take Stephen Floyd's advice and just make it yourself - that goes directly from "millions" to "hundreds."

Seeing a trend here? Screenwriting/filmmaking is NOT for the faint of heart or the weak of mind or the insecure.

T.L. Davis Thank you for that kind endorsement.

I believe you must serve the story. You must do whatever it takes to make a huge impact with your story. This may mean changing the “rules” to suit your story, not the other way around.

This is an important thread. If only the top 1% of scripts sell. How can you be different when you are just like everybody else?

The answer only do things in service to the story. If you need to describe an ultra close up of an eyeball, do it. It is not the director’s job it is your job. It is your job to tell the best story possible and ignore everything else that leads you away.

Be warned. You are walking on a thin path. You slip up and you fall straight past all the unsold safe scripts and smash into the badly written scripts.

Peter Roach Wow. That sounds... unique. What are you on? :)

1) Start with the idea that everyone else wishes that they had thought of. The first thing anyone asks you is What's it about? 2) Best execution of that idea. When they read the script, great writing. Vivid. 3) Great pacing - a page turner. 4) Emotionally involving. Always write to make the viewer feel something. Note what Frank Capra said. It's not about having the character cry, it's about making the audience cry... and often if the character cries the audience feels that they don't have to. It would be like a character laughing at their own joke. 5) The story is a dream that the audience reader has always wanted to experience (even if they have never thought of it). 6) No scenes that we have seen before. All original parts. 7) Amazing quotable dialogue... also completely original. 8) In a popular genre... but "transcends the genre" (ie: good). 9) Something that will make much more money than it will cost. 10) Juicy leading actor roles that stars will want to play. I'm sure there is much more, but that's a start.

I forgot to mention this: don't be afraid of pushing boundaries and being controversial or exploring taboo subjects (take my Brexit-dystopia script, for example: it showcases a possible future for the UK post-EU while at the same time deconstructing and subverting popular British stereotypes with the usage of foreign and/or dual-national characters).

Stefano....Well like unique stories and George wanted to stand out. You know I might just make that a short sci-fi script.

I would love to be a guinea-pig for people. I have experience in pitching theatre productions and ideas and concepts within the realm of marketing. If anyone wants a reaction to their script from someone with that background, feel free to ping me.

Tommi Brem that is generous. I having nothing at the moment. I thought you should be praise for offering help.

@Tommi.

I have a playscript "Lunatic!" I would appreciate a reaction. It's second draft was randomly picked for publication inside a British academic journal. I have reworked the story to its 7th draft.

Be so good, they can't ignore you.

See Stage 32 resources. There are also checklist for them. See Checklist.com.

Persistence.

Confidence in your script is a big held. Make it strong.

Eric Christopherson :D For one of the Divine movies back in the dark ages, viewers were given a scratch card with different smells to be scratched at specific points in the movie.

Million of scripts, but there also tens of millions of eyes...just get it out there...

George, as long as my scripts are formatted correctly and have stories that people want to follow (in addition to being stories that have a unique point of view and are told in a unique way), they've got a chance to stand out and get noticed.

recommendations from folks who do this for a living (entertainment). You can skip piles of scripts, blind queries, paying people - cut long lines with a recommendation.

A writer-friend gave her pilot spec to a showrunner with Emmys and the showrunner loved her writing voice and passed the spec to a Manager who signed the Writer after one phonecall. That’s it. Now, she’s taking meetings for staff gigs and she doesn’t live in LA. She lives in a small town. Writer didn’t need any fancy posters, logline, synopsis, notes, paid advice. It was just the words & imagination on the page that got her noticed.

A tip I learned in a Stage 32 webinar submit script without your name. Then you obtain feedback where you are anonymous. I used the same approach when I published an online global newsletter for my travel writers and cooking columnist.

Write the best damn screenplay ever.

Here's advice from a working writer of 30++ years. "When writing your script, please remember to include a story."

https://twitter.com/glenmazzara/status/1327772650697998337?s=20

Barry, if it's the best one out there - it WILL get noticed.

Felt I did a great pitch a month ago. Unfortunately never got a response. As an author I advertise my work everyday. Word of mouth is still the best way to get discovered.

Doug Nelson If you only knew how cool you sounded right there lol. I read it in J. K. Simmons character from Whiplash since I rewatched it last night after reading the script.