Hi Everyone...
Just found this site and forum. I think it's great. Anyway... I'm just starting out trying to write scripts (nothing complete yet) and I think I can learn quite a bit from this forum. I've got my copy of Final Draft, took a few classes, and now I'm ready to get down to the nuts and bolts of actually writing. A little about me... I'm from Chicago, one of my favorite movies is 'North By Northwest' (Hitchcock is a big influence) and my favorite contemporary filmmaker and writer is M. Night Shyamalan... Thanks in advance for everything I'm going to learn from you guys!!!

~Cris

Welcome to the board.

I too like Shyamalan's work. There are lots of places to ask questions and I suggest reading lots of scripts (produced and unproduced).

Good luck.

Welcome. I'll I can do is echo what Macduff said.

"I suggest reading lots of scripts (produced and unproduced)."

-Zavier

Buy some screenwriting books and maybe take a workshop, if available to you. Read scripts and lots of them. You don't and won't become a great or even good screenwriter in a night. It takes a lot of work.

I'm not saying I'm fantastic by no means either...

Here are some books to help you along.

Screenwriting for dummies > The best book I've come across yet.

Screenwriters bible > Good but a little dated.

Syd Feilds: screenplay > Also very good but dated. Some of the terms aren't used no more.

How not to write a screenplay > The second best book I've read so far. It's taught me a great deal.

Standard Script Formats vol 1 > Not the best material but good none the less. It really shows you formats for none computer users or people without proper software to write with.

---

Other books I find helpful are: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HOLLYWOOD, CINEMATOGRAPHY, ENDANGERED SPECIES,

All of them shed light on the source material and let you know the ins and outs in making it or breaking it in this business. CINEMATOGRAPHY is just a good book to read and learn about angles, shots, camera's and lighting... check this one out and see how it affects your writing, while working on your screeplay... It's amazing.

-----

In the end... find a handful of writers you like here... Study their work and hone your skills as a writer off of their work. Find the genre you like and the writer you most aspire to be like and get to it.

G'luck~

Baltis~