The Colonel speaks: How do you write a screenplay?

The way I am so good at dissing people when I feel like it is because I AM a good writer. Some of the stuff I have posted (the good disses) yiou couold put in your stories---and I bank that it woud make it 5x better.

Now, I want to wtite a screenplay. I already have the title but if I told you then you wouold write it too, I already have the beggining:

Smoke drifts, the butt bends slow and low in his two fingers. Like some girl, cancerstick mist dances gray against the white walls.
"My wife would kill me if she knew the full story."

That's how I write. I want to write this story. It goes as far as my home to as close as Hong Kong---because its my life. It happened. Ask Drunk if I'm lying. We both know the same places. I just want tot write a piece. Aftyer KillBill, I need to know how to do a screenplay.


[Edited on 18-4-2004 by Colonel]

Hahahahaha!!! I love that you followed up "I AM a good writer" with "woud", "wtite", "wouold" and "tot", you could choke on the irony here.

Just messing with you Colonel, but seriously it sounds like a good idea and I can't wait to read it.

However, screenplay format is a completely different thing to writing a story, I would suggest you just write it as a book.

[Edited on 18-4-2004 by John Nada]

just a few tips with writing a screenplay...i have tried before: here's a link that might help:
www.screenwriting.info...

With a screenplay you basically are breaking up the story for others to follow their part, here's a basic ex.

Scene 1: Day 1, the Jungles of South America.
Setting: here you give a full description of what the scene is, what the viewer is going to see while watching the movie)
Dialogue: here you basically going to break the script down to each characters part:
Colonel: Come on guys
John: I'm right behind you
Colonel: Alright

hope that helps

Colonel> i think i know where in Hong Kong you're talking about

Hmm. Me and screenplays aren't exactly on good terms since the last...incident. I do have some advice, thought. Get good software. It'll make the difference between sitting there and writing, and worrying about the format. Oh yeah, and tearing handfuls of your hair out and bludgeoning your head on whatever's available (that's why screenwritign and me don't get along).

Here are some stuff I hotboted up:

Sophocles


Final Draft


Scriptware



Best of luck, Colonel.

DE

A screenplay is just a format. I grew up with a screenwriter (failed) for a step-dad, and I've written a few short stage plays myself.

You basically just have to set up every scene individually. You have to set up the scene (describe camera angles, zoom, pan, fade to/from black etc.), Describe the scene (Objects and characters, highlighted by ALL CAPS, so crew can look at the script and know what props need to be in the scene...). Follow dialogue format (Every dialogue is separated by a double space, with character speaking in bold and all caps followed with a colon, simple stuff).

Here's a small one that I wrote about Drunk warning a number of us about short posting

And then just be creative. I want to write a screenplay soon, too.

No need to worry about the formatting now, though. Just sketch out your dialogues, and describe in concise terms the scenes. Piece it together and polish it later!

Good luck, man!
DeltaChaos

like others have said, screenwriting is mostly a format. mostly. you also have to think for the screen; everything the audience needs to know must be communicated to them through either visuals or dialogue. sounds easy, but if you're used to writing for the page, you'll catch yourself doing it all the time. (for example, a very early screenplay of mine included a dry cleaners, which I described as "a front for a money laundering operation". it's all well and good to say that in the description, but the audience doesn't get to see the way people/places are described in the script.)
if you're really serious about writing a script, get yourself a screenwriting program like Final Draft. it's fairly pricy and kind of a pain in the butt to learn, but it'll save you tons of time and frustration in the end. don't bother with those stupid "how to write screenplays" books. definitely ignore the ones that push the "three act structure". garbage like that is a reason there are so many cookie-cutter movies around today.
if you need advice or a beta reader, drop me a line.

Screw buying software. Just get a couple of screen plays, look at them, see how they're written and write the damn screenplay.

You might learn to create macros for your WP software. Word sucks, and wasn't meant for professional writing. Try wordperfect.

DC

[Edited on 18-4-2004 by DeltaChaos]

You wanna know how to write a screenplay?

Here goes:

1. Gather materials (pen paper and brain)

2. Pick up pen

3. place pen to paper

4. Write.

Simply put, heres how youw rite a screenplay, you just write a screenplay. Thats all it is. you don't sit around wondering how to write one, you just DO IT.

But if youw ant specifics, I say, do all dialouges first, then add stage directions in between. Just write a bunch of completely random conversations and link them together.

Thanks a bunch guys. I really appreciate it. Sorry for all the typos, tho.

Colonol RIP

In case he still checks here, i've got some more advice on writing screenplays. the key elements are: setting, dialouge, blocking(actions or movements), and camera shots.

My advice is, write out the descriptions of the different settings all at the same time. then write all the dialouge (without camera angles or stage directons(blocking)). then insert the blocking, then finally the camera shots. If you try to write in the blocking and camera shots while writing the dialouge, it gets discourageing, as you do alot of writing and dont get far in the plot.

Also, dont use pen and paper, except for maybe brainstorming. It's too hard to insert things you forgot to add(or are saving to add in later, like the camera and blocking directions).

Hopefully it goes well for you

---pineapple

I dont know how to write a screenplay...but I am!!!!!!!!!

You guys have got to be on the lookout for either a book/movie by Scat Sanders

Its IFC stuff, so dont count on it being too big hahahha

If the colonel still reads this...

Make sure you seperate each line spoken by saying who says it...thats a given. Then in brackets have the emotion...what the character is doing...and so forth. Inbetween spoken lines have the setting and back story in itlaics to sepearte it from the rest.