Screenwriters style manuals

I am using several screenwriting books to help develop and format my screenplay.

The book, The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style (Hollywood Standard: The Complete & Authoritative Guide) provides the script standard from the Warner Brothers studio.  It has a helpful index and examples of proper formatting.

The book, Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need is an inspirational book offering encouragement to screenwriters.  It lists the rough plot and character rules for a commercial Hollywood script.  Save the cat refers to an early action of compassion by a character done to endear them to the audience.  It allows the audience to see the soft side of character and allow them to care about what happens to this person.

The book, The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script  provides additional information on script development and offers ideas on selling your script.

Of the three books, Blake Snyder's was the most entertaining.  For day to day referral, the Hollywood Standard has been very useful for sorting out issues related proper format.

Let me know if you have found others to be helpful.

Movie the Movie By Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel produced a very funny fake movie trailer, Movie the Movie starring academy award winning actors and directors.  It is a good primer on what makes a blockbuster.

Movie the Movie by Jimmy Kimmel parodies the summer block buster.  Note: The movie contains foul language that has been deleted.  The button scene at the end of the movie is similar to one of the last scenes in my movie screenplay: A Very Convenient Truthiness.

Top Ten Writing Rules from Famous Writers

Reverse light image Silverwood Park- photo N. Carlson

Top Ten Writing Rules: Lyra Communications -  Kim McLaughlin

1.   Writing doesn't love you.  It doesn't care. Nevertheless it can behave with remarkable generosity.  Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on. - Al Kennedy
2.   Look at every word in a sentence and decide if they are really needed.  If not, kill them, be ruthless. - Bob Cooper
3.   Good copy equals draft minus 10% - Stephen King
4.   Honor the miraculousness of the ordinary. - Andrew Morton
5.   Recycle and read the good stuff before you write. -Pierre Berton
6.   Know your audience. - Pierre Berton
7.   Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice. - George Orwell
8.   Never use a long word when a short one will do.  - George Orwell
9.   Read  a lot. - Stephen King
10. Write a draft. Then let it rest. - Stephen King

My additional rules:

Write everyday if possible.
Write what you love. - Skip Press
Success always starts with failure - Tim Hartford from his book Adapt.
Spend time in nature and looking at art to stimulate creativity.
Look at the world through a different lens using an IR camera or negative image camera.

What are your rules?

Big Bang theory interview Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco from Big Bang Theory being interviewed by 10 year old Piper Reese

 

 

A Very Convenient Truthiness available online

I finally posted my screenplay A Very Convenient Truthiness on the Trigger Street Labs website.  The process took a while.  After signing up, I needed to review four assigned screenplays before I was able to post mine.  After posting a review of the screenplay, I needed to pass a test to assure that I had read the whole screenplay. I was also able to review other people's reviews and I appreciated reading their perspective on the script.  My favorite script was Lessons from Grandpa   by Jeff Weber.  A Grandpa teaches his grandson to live life the right way. 

I have now received several reviews of the script and it will need a rewrite.  The comments focused on the need to use active voice when describing an action scene.   In addition, they made suggestions on punching up the dialogue, showing more then telling and suggestions about deleting scenes or adding additional characters. 

Getting critical reviews on a project wasn't easy and I needed to wait a day after reading them to allow the natural defensiveness to subside.  I realize that honest criticism is a gift that someone else is giving me and I need to use it to make the script better. I have gained wisdom from their experience and the diversity of their opinions.  I am 1/4 of the way through the rewrite.

Special thanks to K. Gore and M. Krinke for their proofreading and helpful comments on the original version.

 

Kevin Spacey's Triggerstreet Labs for writers Shutting down

After the announcement of our site shutting down, many of you have wondered where you can take your material, or what other community is similar to the one you have found here. After a few weeks of discussion, we would like to promote a unique and wonderful new forum from our friends at ScreenCraft.

ScreenCraft and WriterDuet are launching a brand new community (similar to ours), and you will have early access. ScreenCraft has established a strong track record very quickly as one of the best discovery platforms for emerging screenwriters. All of last year's ScreenCraft Fellows have signed with established literary managers and agents.

If you would like early access to the new forum when it launches, click here to sign up now!

Iron Sky to DVD and the web October 2, 2012

The Iron sky movie is coming to DVD and the web October 2, 2012 in the US.  It is a black comedy from Finland about Nazi's on the Moon. 

I will post a review of the movie after I see it.   It is available online from Amazon.

The trailer is below.