Anyone ever write a script for a movie or tv?, i've had this synopsis for a superhero type film in the head for years...looking for some advice how to get the idea onto paper.

liberation said:

You need a pen.... or pencil...or blood... or anything that leaves a mark

Steadwood said:

Well put Skeletor

Now, can anyone help?

But serious, it's called "Centurion"...is loosely bases around an old cartoon:

http://www.internationalh...turion.htm

It's nothing but an idea until you actually write it. Joe Eszterhas (he wrote "Basic Instinct") actually got a million dollars for an idea scribbled on a napkin, but for us mere mortals, it's not that easy. Thus, I recommend The Screenwriter's Workbook by Syd Field. You can find it for a good price at Amazon.com.

JesseDezz said:

Exactly.

Lots of people "have good ideas for a screenplay" but that is like having a good idea for a sculpture; the difficult part is to actually sculpt it!

A good screenplay has fleshed out characters, believable dialogue (if the story contains any), an interesting plot, a good pace, makes good use of the medium (i.e. tells the story with visuals and sound, not just character action) and a satisying conclusion. And those are just the most rudimentary basics. It's also important to think about concepts like enticing event, three act structure, action out of necessity, high stakes, rising action etc etc and then I haven't even mentioned the often tricky formatting or painstaking revision process yet.

The best thing you can do is to first figure out if screenwriting is for you, and the best way to do that - if you have time and money - is to take an introductory filmmaking/screenwriting course. The other option is to buy a book like the one mentioned in the above post. Then try to make your own short films and see how it goes. Short films are definitely hard enough. I've made maybe ten or so of them, sometimes with a big crew and a decent budget, other times with almost just me and the actors, but I'd say the screenwriting challenge remains a big one no matter how you do it and no matter how talented you might be.

If you have stamina and dedication as well as talent though then you can still make it, so good luck!

Thanks Retina...wanna ghost write for me?, i'll give you 15%.

get final draft scriptwriting software. that's a good first step. it formats the script for you so that all you have to do is plug in the dialog and action, plus it formats your script to conform to industry standards so you look a little less like an amateur when you're shopping it around.

also, as far as writing something action-y/superhero-ey, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check out joseph campbell's comments on "the hero's voyage", which is laid out in detail in the book "the power of myth" (which i think EVERYONE should own), but can also be found summarized on the web. it pretty much gives a good outline of all the essential elements of a good hero story/myth - "star wars" followed these guidelines to a T.

hmmm... I have Final Draft, I write movies, had my films shown and win in festivals so far, I get paid for writing professionally, one of my friends is a grad student producer at UCLA looking for this type of movie to pitch... but... you have to pitch the idea to me first!

liberation said:

First and foremost, don't go around telling people your idea until you've gotten AT LEAST a WGA registration (You can go to WGA.org and register your synopsis online for 20 bucks) or get it copyrighted for about 45 bucks.

You should also take at least 1 screenwriting class so you'll know how to put everything down and make it look professional. But you still have a long ways to go - you have to get a show-runner and then the politics of the industry itself is a bitch. It's a hard sell in this cheap, reality TV era.

MuthaFunka said:

it's not that hard to do a little pro social networking and get it read, but it is hard to generate any real business interest unless someone really falls under its spell (or falls for your charisma).

ufoclub said:

i think the first step is to actually COMPLETE a draft of a script, because if you can't even get that far, what's the point of pitching anything?

Anxiety said:

I was talking about me writing it for him! Under CONtract for future payment per chance of sale...

ufoclub said:

oh, i gotcha! yeah, good point.

Anxiety said:

If he gets the idea down (orally and/or written) he can pitch the idea and sell it.

Watch Adaption ( 2002, starring Nicholas Cage) .It´s very insightful

I wrote a semi-autobiography. I didn't go through all of the rough drafting. But, I did sort of proofread and edit. My semi-autobiography is now still sitting somewhere around my house; not copywritten or anything like that. Just written, then typed, then assembled. All 214 pages of it.....