Writing Tips Guides

Do you have some great ideas for movies but no idea how to get them out to the producers who can actually make them into a film? Do you often go to the movies and think that you can do better and have better ideas when it comes to movie making? If so, you should know that the internet has given you options that were never before possible when it came to breaking into movie writing.

There are a few ways that you can break into movie writing - you can know a producer who will listen to your ideas, you can write a screenplay that is something unique that the producers will love or you can pitch your ideas on the internet. Two of these ideas can be costly and time consuming, but pitching your ideas online is easy. In some cases, you only need an idea concept of about 300 words in order to get the attention of a producer.

Here is the lowdown on how to break into movie writing:

Pitching your idea to a producer

This works great if you happen to know a producer. Most of us do not know any producers. Even those who do know producers have a difficult time with this as the producers are often busy and will often make empty promises to their friends. Pitching your idea to a producer may seem like a great way to break into movie writing, but it is a long shot at best.

Writing an original screenplay

You can break into the movies if you write an original screenplay aka Good Will Hunting or Rocky, both written by two unknowns. However, their success is overshadowed by the millions of people who are out there with screenplays that never made it to the screen because they could not even get an assistant to look at it. A screenplay takes time and money to write. It takes a lot of blood sweat and tears. And few people have the ability to write purely for speculation. Writing an original screenplay is better than the pitch, but can be difficult to get it even read, at best.

Use a movie ideas website

When you post your movie ideas on a movie ideas website, you are getting your idea across to the general public who will be going to the movies. Because it is under common copyright, you do not have to worry about anyone stealing your idea, but you can get the idea out to the public who will be going to the movies and getting their reaction. The internet has changed the way that Hollywood determines what will be a hit when it comes to the movies. One of the ways that they are using to gage hit movies is to use the internet and the reaction of the pubic to the movie ideas that are posted online. If you use a movie ideas website, you can gage the reaction of the public to your movie idea as well as perhaps get the attention of a movie producer. This can be your best option when trying to break into movie writing.

Ron Subs works with Make’N Movies as a public relations consultant, more information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.makenmovies.com

Have you ever thought to yourself after seeing the latest Hollywood blockbuster that you could write something better than that? Do you have an idea that you are sure will make a great movie? Writing a movie script isn’t that hard once you have an idea that is sure to be a winner.

There are a few basic steps to follow to get your idea onto paper and, lucky for us, there is now a lot of help available online to help you get your script critiqued and seen by Hollywood professionals.

Developing an idea for a movie is the hard part, that’s why most people aren’t screen writers. Coming up with a fresh new story idea that people will want to pay to see is hard, that’s why most of the films out of Hollywood today are remakes of past hits. Once you have the idea, all you need to do is build a plot up around it.

All plots consist of three simple things, a beginning, middle and end. The beginning is the expository part of the plot, it serves to introduce the major characters, to set the time and place of the film and define the problem which is the heart of any drama or love story.

In a movie script there is usually one main hero, the man or woman who the story will revolve around. The hero serves to be the focal point of the film and the audience should find this character interesting and be able to sympathize with his problem, be it finding love or saving the world from ruthless invaders.

The time and place where a movie takes place sets the mood and tempo of the film. A modern urban setting means that if it’s an action film, the pace will be fast and the technology will be modern. In a love story, the time and place of a film can be a long-ago romantic drama or an upbeat urban comedy.

For scriptwriters, description can be left to a minimum because once the film goes into production; the descriptive elements will be fleshed out by the director and art director.

The middle of the script is where the drama happens, this is where the problem faced by the hero climaxes and becomes seemingly insurmountable. A scriptwriter wants to take the characters he has created and be cruel to them, make their dreams and goals seem impossible. The audience will have connected with the characters by them and this will serve to draw them into the story and pull for the hero to win.

The end of the story is where the hero either wins or loses; usually wins because audiences like happy endings. This is where the hero proves himself to the world and saves the day and wins the love of the girl of his dreams. In this portion of the script, the writer must tie up all the loose ends to create a satisfactory ending which answers all the questions and solves all the problems that have been brought up in the plot.

Once you have a rough draft plotted out that contains the three main story plot sections, it’s now a good time to have your work looked over by fresh eyes, this is where the internet can come in handy.

There are websites that let you post your rough draft online, with all rights protected, to allow other writers, producers and agents look over your work and give you feedback based on their firsthand experience in film production.

Once you have the feedback, it’s time to go back and fine tune your script. Remember that writing works in stages, nobody sits down and writes a full length film from start to finish. Get your original idea on paper, set up the basic plot, submit your work for critique, and go back and finish it. It takes a whole crew to film a picture and it takes more than one person to write the script.

Ray Subs works with Make N Movies as a public relations consultant, more information can be found at Make N Movies

You’ve finally gotten up the nerve to attend a “pitch-fest.” Now, you’re there, standing in line, waiting your turn to pitch your screenplay and in about 30 seconds, you’ll be face-to-face with a representative from a major production company.

Your turn. You’ve got 5 minutes to pitch someone who can make the miracle happen.

You introduce yourself and find out that you’re sitting across from the Director of Development. Excellent! Now, before you start pitching her, there’s one thing you really need to know…

What questions are on her mind as she listens to your pitch?

What! But you’re there to pitch. Why are her questions so important?

Here’s why. Much of a production company’s success depends upon their selection of projects. From day-one, a new employee is trained on the criteria for project selection. Every day, they pitch projects to their bosses and are constantly coached on whether or not they made the right choice.

That means your pitch will be viewed through that criteria. So, the more you understand about what matters to a production company exec, the better your chances of getting in the door.

So here’s a few of the unspoken questions that will be running through their mind as you talk.

A. Is the concept marketable?

Any Hollywood production company is constantly concerned with how well their movies do at the box office. A big portion of whether a movie succeeds comes from the concept. Great concept = easier marketing.

Of course, other factors fit in. Some of those are addressed in the questions below. But if the concept isn’t marketable, it is very hard to justify any further action. So this is usually the first question on their mind.

B. Does the story fit our market?

The majority of production companies have very specific markets they work in: feature, TV movie or mini-series, animated kids TV, straight-to-DVD, etc.

In their specific market, they may specialize in one or two sub- markets. In children’s animated TV, one company may work exclusively with pre-school and another may work with the 5 - 10 year-old market. Inside that, one company may focus only on boys shows and another on girls.

Also, they may have budget restrictions. Anyway, the point is this, they’re all listening to your story to see if it fits their market.

C. Does this story inspire me to spend two years making the movie?

This is a personal thing. Do they fall in love with the story? This has become more important as it has become so hard to make a movie. I’ve heard many producers say “If I’m going to die for a movie, it had better be one I love.”

D. Can I justify why I believe this project will make money?

Yes, that’s right. Money plays a big part in the decision to make a movie. When $5 million to $100 million go into making a movie, you can bet that there’s going to be a lot of people justifying the decision. Here’s a small list of who may have to justify your project…

- An assistant has to justify it to the producer.
- The producer justifies it to the Studio executive.
- The Studio executive justifies it to the Senior VP.
- The Senior VP justifies it to the CEO.
- The CEO may need to justify it to their Board.

That means anyone listening to your pitch is constantly trying to figure out how they’ll justify this decision to the next level up. And if they can’t, they pass.

E. Can I use the project to lure talent and financing?

This is another key question. Does this story have a part that will get Tom Cruise or Cameron Diaz or some other A-list actor to sign on? Many times, a bankable actor is the primary requirement to secure financing for a movie. So those lead parts need to be amazing.

F. Am I going to get fired over this project?

I’m not joking. The fear of being fired for making a bad decision is a big thing in this business. Especially at the Studios. Turnover is huge in this business. So a project may be more than a financial risk for your Director of Development, it may be a career risk.

Every producer knows that “You’re only as good as your last project,” which means that if you make a bad movie, you may not get back in that studio door for many years. So even producers worry about how a “bad project” will affect their future.

Now you know the most common questions they have. So the next time you pitch someone, you’ll probably see the wheels turning in their head and suddenly realize exactly what they’re thinking. And if that happens, you can provide an answer to their question.

Who knows, knowing their unspoken question may be the key to making the deal. At minimum, you’ll feel more comfortable as you pitch and you’ll come across as professional. So next time you’re preparing to pitch someone, keep these questions in mind and you’ll have a better chance at success.

Hal Croasmun is a writer/producer and the author of “33 Ways to Break into Hollywood.” He publishes the ScriptForSale newsletter with articles about screenwriting and interviews with A-List screenwriters at http://www.ScriptForSale.com

Whether you are trying to win contests or sell your script, it is important that you take advantage of every opportunity you can to increase your chances of success.

Some people have estimated the odds of a good screenwriter selling a script to be in the neighborhood of 1 in 5,000.

What if you could cut that in half just by one action? Now, you’re at 1 in 2,500.

Then, what if you could cut that by 1/5th by taking a series of actions. Now, you’re at 1 in 500. And if you continue on that path, sooner or later, you’ll get to 1 in 10 or even 1 in 2.

If you don’t believe that, let me ask you this: What are the chances of Charlie Kaufman selling another screenplay?

He wrote BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION, and other screenplays. Would you say that his chances of selling another screenplay are pretty high? Would you be shocked to hear that he sold another script in the next six months? I doubt it.

But if you’d met Charlie Kaufman when he first began writing, wouldn’t you say he was right in there with the 1 in 5,000 odds against him?

My point is this: Everyone starts at 1 in 5,000 odds and it is up to us to shift the odds until they are in our favor. Shifting those odds is just a matter of constantly improving and taking advantage of the opportunities that come to us.

Below is 22 ways to improve your screenwriting. I’ve started with the most obvious and built to some ideas that are out of the ordinary.

I present this list so you will always have a way to improve your screenwriting, even if you are trapped in your room by yourself with no money and no contacts.

1. Write every day.

2. Read produced screenplays and search for what they did well. Read for a contest and see the difference between the winners and the ones that didn’t make it.

3. Take a screenwriting class. I can easily recommend a few.

4. Get feedback on your writing.

5. Critique another writer’s scripts.

6. Join a screenwriting group.

7. Take your favorite screenplay and transcribe it, noticing the choices the writer made.

8. Select a technique to improve and use it in one or more scenes.

9. Write the same scene a completely different way.
- Reverse a scene or character
- Increase the stakes
- Change who prevails in the scene
- Use a twist to change the end of the scene
- Put the characters in a worse position

10. Have another writer write one of your scenes in a completely different way.

11. Take a character to an extreme to see what other possibilities are available.

12. Take a line of dialogue or description and rewrite it 10 different ways or more.

13. Stretch yourself: Give your character an unsolvable problem and then solve it.

14. Pick a scene in a movie you like and write it. Once you have completed it, read the writer’s script for that scene and see how he or she wrote it differently.

15. Watch a movie, stopping it at the end of each scene. Write down what happened in the scene, how the characters changed, what was the in and out points, and what was the most interesting part of the scene.

16. Take your best idea and top it in some way! Sometimes, it is not about the writing. It is about the thinking and the breakthroughs and getting used to coming up with fresh ideas. Force yourself to top your best ideas on a regular basis and soon, you’ll have the best ideas in Hollywood.

17. Find out what a producer or reader wants in a script. This can shift your chances dramatically. It may save you from writing something that has no chance of success.

18. Take an acting class.

19. Do a read-through with actors.

20. Shoot a short on DV. For anyone who has done this, you’ve had the experience of seeing actors bring your script to life. Until you do, you can’t imagine the amount of pride and embarrassment you’ll experience. But directing even one scene will change how you write.

21. Give yourself permission to write from your heart with no holding back.

22. Decide that you will constantly improve your writing until you are one of the best screenwriters there is.

There you are. 22 ways to shift the odds of your success. Many of which do not even require that you leave your computer. If you’re serious about writing, I wouldn’t let a day go by without doing at least one of the above.

A 1% improvement every day is a 365% improvement over the next year. Keep doing that and sooner or later, you’ll be in Charlie Kaufman’s league — making those 7-figure deals.

Hal Croasmun is a writer/producer and the author of “33 Ways to Break into Hollywood.” He publishes the ScriptForSale newsletter with articles about screenwriting and interviews with A-List screenwriters at http://www.ScriptForSale.com