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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Questions or Comments  /  Assitance needed in developing story lines
Posted by: Midas, January 10th, 2011, 8:37pm
First of all, I know nothing about writing stories or scripts. I am a songwriter/producer/manager. BUT... I have 3 movie ideas that I would like to start developing. The first is a Jim Carey style dark comedy called "The Transplant". The second is an "Angels and Demons" type titled "The Beginning... Rise of Satan". The third and Biggest is "Another Heaven". This idea will probably be banned in some countries and will cause more controversy than "The Passion of the Christ"! So if you are interested in helping me develop these story lines all the way to script, please give me a shout. Thank You!

Midas
Posted by: mcornetto (Guest), January 10th, 2011, 8:40pm; Reply: 1
How could anyone resist all those l's e's a's and s'?  Really though, if you want to write a script you should give it a try yourself.  Everyone has to start somewhere.
Posted by: cloroxmartini, January 10th, 2011, 8:50pm; Reply: 2
Posted by: Midas, January 10th, 2011, 8:55pm; Reply: 3
LOL. Yeah, I've actually tried writing stories in the past and I suck at it... lol. Music comes easy for me but putting words in the form of a story is a challenge. :-/ So I'm hoping someone can help guide me as well as throw in great ideas to help complete the plots.
Posted by: Eoin, January 11th, 2011, 1:57pm; Reply: 4
Help throw in great ideas? Do you want someone to come up with the ideas AND write the script? I thought you had ideas, or is it just titles you have?
If this was a forum for mathematicans, would you post something like, "Hey everyone, I have an idea about a TOE, Theory Of Everything, which explains the origin of the universe and from which every other formula can be derived. I just need someone to write it out for me." Think about that.
Posted by: ajr, January 12th, 2011, 12:34pm; Reply: 5
Everyone has ideas. I invented the TV show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" I swear I did. Driving home from college one night I marveled at how stupid my classmates were, and I thought "wouldn't it be fun to see if they knew more math and history than a 10 year old?" So mine would have been with college students.

Unfortunately I'm not a TV producer so FOX beat me to it.

I also have ideas about how certain kitchen utensils can work better. Again, unfortunately, I don't own a manufacturing company, nor am I an expert on patents. I can barely fix breakfast.

The moral of this story?

Your ideas are musings - like the rest of us muse over non-writing ideas. Unless you flesh them out into a treatment, which is a saleable format, that is all they will remain...
Posted by: dogglebe (Guest), January 12th, 2011, 12:42pm; Reply: 6
I strongly recommend that you read some scripts to get a grasp on formatting, storytelling, characterization and what-not.  Then try writing shorts; they're quicker to do and you'll get more reads from them.
Posted by: ericdickson, January 13th, 2011, 9:17pm; Reply: 7
Ironically, most produced scripts found on the internet typically break every format rule in the book.  They are known writers who can get away with crazy formatting because they've written huge blockbusters.  Also, most are shooting scripts with camera angles and director's notes.  A spec script won't have excessive camera angles and direction.  

Before you pick up the first script, I'd suggest getting David Trottier's Screenwriting Bible and study it front to back.  Once you get a feel for formatting, create a five page dialogue with an original story and use the techniques found in that manuel.  Like Phil said, you can practice by writing short scripts.  Unfortunately, I learned some messy formatting by researching and copying "produced scripts" instead of learning updated, more modern styles of formatting.        

Posted by: 05c4r, February 14th, 2011, 12:23am; Reply: 8

Quoted Text
Really though, if you want to write a script you should give it a try yourself.  Everyone has to start somewhere.


True.

Being a guy who started with ideas and thought I would be the next Hollywood idea box if I just can get someone to write for me, while I'm sitting in my therapeutic couch spitin ideas out like a maniac. I went around and waited for that someone pro to help me out, I waited a looong time let me tell you!

The downfall with that was I suddenly started to see "my ideas" up on the big screen, and I thought, daaamn, I gotta get my finger out of my ass and do something. 2 years later I'm still working on my idea...

It's though to be a screenwriter, and I really admire those people who do it. Now  I'm one of them and got a loooooong way to go.

You just gotta start somewhere, do a lot of research. Eventually your laptop will be your best friend, your lover, your everything.

There's thousand site about screenwriting and I'm just adding one of a million that was good for me when I started:

http://www.writing-world.com/screen/premise.shtml

Write on...
Posted by: rdhay, February 14th, 2011, 9:44pm; Reply: 9
Hey guys:)

I just wanted to mention that, based on what I know about screenwriting (which, admittedly, isn't much compared to most of you), there's really no shortage of ideas. I mean, I've got 2 WIPs at the moment plus another 3 projects waiting in the background for when I've got time to spend on them. Considering that I'm only just starting out, I'm guessing most other screenwriters are in a similar situation and so wouldn't really have the time to bring on yet another project.

Just my thoughts, of course...

Still, welcome! :)
Posted by: dogglebe (Guest), February 14th, 2011, 9:58pm; Reply: 10
Ideas are a dime a dozen.  I thought of a funny one (which I just don't have time to do) inspired by some spam mail I received yesterday.  Before I can get to it, I have to finish five partially-written scripts and rewrite three others.


Phil
Posted by: Baltis. (Guest), February 15th, 2011, 12:20am; Reply: 11

Quoted from Midas
First of all, I know nothing about writing stories or scripts. I am a songwriter/producer/manager. BUT... I have 3 movie ideas that I would like to start developing. The first is a Jim Carey style dark comedy called "The Transplant". The second is an "Angels and Demons" type titled "The Beginning... Rise of Satan". The third and Biggest is "Another Heaven". This idea will probably be banned in some countries and will cause more controversy than "The Passion of the Christ"! So if you are interested in helping me develop these story lines all the way to script, please give me a shout. Thank You!

Midas


1st. You need to learn to spell Jim Carrey's name properly before you move ahead -- Oh, wait, you're not  wanting to write the scripts yourself.  You want someone else to do that part while you puppeteer behind the cardboard cutout castle and cotton ball clouds.

2nd. You're basing your "ideas" off of other proven ideas/work.  Where's the originality?  Where's the "WE HAFTA DO THIS" idea?

3rd. Religious movies, in this day and age, just won't work... Too many people are grounded in their own faith (or lack of) and releasing a movie geared towards any one set religion will turn off and alienate the others.  Very little money involved here.

Here's an idea -- Your movie is about a guy who can't write or come up with a clever enough idea for his movie on his own so he enlist the help of a mentally retarded watermelon and a seeing eye dog who's blind but can fly by wagging his tail.

Tell me how it turns out.
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