Getting Started [Getting Started]
Getting started on The Clapperboard is incredibly simple. All you have to do is click here to create an account. Once you are a member of our community, click the Edit Profile link from the menu at the top and tell what films and film makers inspire you. And to really get you going, why not click 'Submit an assignment' below and tell us a bit about yourself and your film making aspirations?
Please make sure you are familar with Getting Started before attempting this assignment.
TWIST OF FATE
Everything were just thoughts to me,bold,failing to sleep at night.Then i realized i had a lot of stories in my head,fiction and true stories.with my great love for watching movies,i realized i would love to share my stories in that manner.I have joined because i want to know all there to know is about movie making and share everything i know.
MY FILM MAKING ASPORATI
the fact that i liked film to the extent that i could skip meal, gave an exposure to the world of movie.
I started thinking about writing and making a movie when i entered the higher institution to study Mass Communication and i was taught script writing. Presently, with the ideas that i have i really want to develop the technical know how required to be a good script writer. I want to write a movie that will win a world award and that is why i have chosen to be part of this.
I started thinking about writing and making a movie when i entered the higher institution to study Mass Communication and i was taught script writing. Presently, with the ideas that i have i really want to develop the technical know how required to be a good script writer. I want to write a movie that will win a world award and that is why i have chosen to be part of this.
Here Iam.....
Not much of a typist that is why there are at least 5 full lengths in my brain not on paper. Looking forward to learning a thing or two on here.
Cheers.
Cheers.
"So do you like films then?" "No, not really."
This was one of the first conversations I had with my aunt June. She was the only of my aunts that had to introduce herself to angsty teens, and not to the adorable children that were my cousins and I.
I can't believe how much has changed since that conversation. Last time I spoke to her, I was in the middle of working at a film festival, as a filmmaker. So what changed? I realised that I didn't watch films when I was younger because the films I was exposed to were terrible, Hollywood drivel. Now, I know it can be an artform. Filmmaking is special - it's for the obsessive, megalomaniacs with over active imaginations out there in the world. It's for people that realise you can't distill life into one thing or another. Films are the marriage of everything amazing about the senses, which we need to celebrate. Oh dear, what a pile of pretentious drivel...
I guess right now I want to get over my fear of screenwriting, or trust someone else to do it.
I can't believe how much has changed since that conversation. Last time I spoke to her, I was in the middle of working at a film festival, as a filmmaker. So what changed? I realised that I didn't watch films when I was younger because the films I was exposed to were terrible, Hollywood drivel. Now, I know it can be an artform. Filmmaking is special - it's for the obsessive, megalomaniacs with over active imaginations out there in the world. It's for people that realise you can't distill life into one thing or another. Films are the marriage of everything amazing about the senses, which we need to celebrate. Oh dear, what a pile of pretentious drivel...
I guess right now I want to get over my fear of screenwriting, or trust someone else to do it.
Mr. Edward
Movies had been a big part of my life since I was a little kid. But it wasn't until about my freshman year in college that I knew for sure that film making was what I wanted to do.
I've been a laid back person through most of my life. Not many things bother me except idiocy, ignorance, and incompetence. I've always been a nice and fair guy. I love puzzles as a mental stimulation.
I would love the films I make to have a puzzle aspect to them and show something on screen that's never been seen before. I hope to make all of my dreams come true.
I've been a laid back person through most of my life. Not many things bother me except idiocy, ignorance, and incompetence. I've always been a nice and fair guy. I love puzzles as a mental stimulation.
I would love the films I make to have a puzzle aspect to them and show something on screen that's never been seen before. I hope to make all of my dreams come true.
Keeping it REEL.
I'm a student of film whose studied under Robert McKee "Story" and many others in my quest to perfect the ingredients of my films through STRUCTURE.
I'm constantly self improving through education which is what brings me to The Clapperboard. REPITITION is the Mother of all SKILL - so anytime I can congregate with like minds with "reel assignment designs", I'm all in.
The film genres I concentrate on most would be DRAMA, ACTION, SUSPENSE, SCI-FI, and DOCUMENTARIES.
Due to the recession, I've not been hired to do any BIG FILM PROJECTS but have been successful in being contracted to do a number of small productions to keep my skills and exposure afloat in the meantime. These filming projects would include filming short films and composing demo reels for others. I also own my own digital fillming equipment and production studio. I consider the investment to be one of my finest. Brilliant!
I hope to gain KNOWLEDGE from networking on The Clapperboard. Feel free to hit me up anytime. Let's get reel literal.
--Qui
www.QuiEntertainment.com/quifilms
I'm constantly self improving through education which is what brings me to The Clapperboard. REPITITION is the Mother of all SKILL - so anytime I can congregate with like minds with "reel assignment designs", I'm all in.
The film genres I concentrate on most would be DRAMA, ACTION, SUSPENSE, SCI-FI, and DOCUMENTARIES.
Due to the recession, I've not been hired to do any BIG FILM PROJECTS but have been successful in being contracted to do a number of small productions to keep my skills and exposure afloat in the meantime. These filming projects would include filming short films and composing demo reels for others. I also own my own digital fillming equipment and production studio. I consider the investment to be one of my finest. Brilliant!
I hope to gain KNOWLEDGE from networking on The Clapperboard. Feel free to hit me up anytime. Let's get reel literal.
--Qui
www.QuiEntertainment.com/quifilms
Time to get Cracking
My love of films started before I can remember. My parents were very relaxed in letting me watch whatever I wanted as a child. I guess they just hoped I would turn out alright and not be influenced too much by the violence, bad language and sex that makes up some of the best bits of entertainment. As a child I was always drawn to the action flicks, big explosions and cheesy one-liners.
Now I find myself more interested in the mood of a film, the use of colors, sounds and lighting to create atmosphere and emotion. The art of saying something without saying it really appeals to me. I like films that leave a little to the audience to work out and decipher. If I see something in a film that is just perfect, I get tingles running down my spine. This might sound weird but I have heard someone else say this before so I know I’m not alone on that.
So early on I knew a career in film was for me but I knew how hard the industry is to crack. I don’t want to work my way up from being an assistant or something small. I want to learn how to create good screenplays with real characters. Then I’ll sell a few scripts and try enter the industry armed with my best screenplay. Eventually I want to do it all by starting a production company here in New Zealand. (After all it is the new Hollywood thanks to old uncle Peter.J). Anyway I have a good day job for now as an industrial electrician which pays the bills and will definitely come in handy for my first low budget.
I have so many cool ideas but I lack the rules and formats of good screenwriting. These are the things I hope to gain from this site, which seems pretty cool so far.
Thanks for reading,
Sheldon
Now I find myself more interested in the mood of a film, the use of colors, sounds and lighting to create atmosphere and emotion. The art of saying something without saying it really appeals to me. I like films that leave a little to the audience to work out and decipher. If I see something in a film that is just perfect, I get tingles running down my spine. This might sound weird but I have heard someone else say this before so I know I’m not alone on that.
So early on I knew a career in film was for me but I knew how hard the industry is to crack. I don’t want to work my way up from being an assistant or something small. I want to learn how to create good screenplays with real characters. Then I’ll sell a few scripts and try enter the industry armed with my best screenplay. Eventually I want to do it all by starting a production company here in New Zealand. (After all it is the new Hollywood thanks to old uncle Peter.J). Anyway I have a good day job for now as an industrial electrician which pays the bills and will definitely come in handy for my first low budget.
I have so many cool ideas but I lack the rules and formats of good screenwriting. These are the things I hope to gain from this site, which seems pretty cool so far.
Thanks for reading,
Sheldon
Action Flick with Multiple Heroes
I want to be able to create a film that has a "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" mood to it. Different characters from different well-known stories will come together with a common goal. Could be a comedy with action or an action with comedy.
Truth Vs Reality
When I started working with television and cinema, I had a strong sense that we were going the wrong direction. The argument that reality was the only truth really bothered me, specially because it is a forced reality, even in a documetary, that reality is being corrupted by the presence of a camera, therefore it is no longer a "real" situation.
That was the biggest motivation I had to start thinking about the essence of filmaking and what should be filmed, witch, in my opinion, is the truth told by one point of view. The true truth.
That was the biggest motivation I had to start thinking about the essence of filmaking and what should be filmed, witch, in my opinion, is the truth told by one point of view. The true truth.
In search of the signature....
As a professional working in Mumbai Film Industry, trying to find my own space.
My notion about cinema is “The best discovered communication tool which can be truly expressed only in its own symbols and structure”.
My notion about cinema is “The best discovered communication tool which can be truly expressed only in its own symbols and structure”.
Me Myself and My Favourites
Me Myself and My Favourites
My name is Markus Zussner but you can call me Mjr Menace as my profile suggests. I fell in love with movies at an early age. My love for science fiction sparked at about age 5 when I watched for the first time an episode of Star Trek. My parents explained to me that it was not real and what a TV show was all about. I knew from then on that I wanted to write. A few years later I added Westerns and War to my taste list and about age 14, Horror films became the addictive forbidden taste and still is, to this day on. So there you have it; Science Fiction, Horror, Western and War. It would be fair to add that I enjoy any type of documentary in particular Ancient History, Contemporary Science and Military History. I guess you can call me a typical male. Why not Drama or Comedy you ask? There’s so much drama in the world around me everyday. I live on Planet Earth, the biggest theatrical stage ever. I see people lie, cheat and steal their way to a job, not caring who they step on along the way; betray their friends; steal their girlfriends or boyfriends; make political and social decisions; engage in long battled family feuds; talk about sex; drink and drive; be there for support, for hope, for love; succumb to peer group pressure or be pressured by powerfully ingrained social institutions. So I find writing a drama say, for example a love story extremely tedious. If I live in this type of world every day then it would make sense that I try to escape from it for some time. 90 to 120 minutes a day is all I need and that’s what a movie and TV show can do for me. Take me to outer space and get me off the planet for a while and show me things that I have never seen or dreamed about before; throw me in the middle of a war and make me question my ethics and put me in touch with more primitive emotions and to look out for your brother; drive me to a cabin and have me chased by an axe wielding maniac or a supernatural force, can I survive and rise above it? What are my strengths and weakness’; will I be the same person that I was before?
I love serious science fiction like 2001 a Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, Silent Running, Alien, Aliens, Supernova and Sunshine. There aren’t many of them. They are a scarce commodity. I am at present writing one now and hope it will be as good as any of the ones that I have mentioned.
I am working on a horror script as well and between the two it will keep me happily busy.
Things that happen in the real world are merely a resource for me to tap. Just because my character is ‘Star Captain Jones’ doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have real feelings like love, hate, pain, fear, anguish or contentment. He still can have emotional issues with family or have a spiritual belief or have a strong political opinion.
Comedy is difficult for me to discuss. I have a narrow taste in comedy. Look at any of the Coen Brothers or Quentin Tarrantinos films; Mike Smiths Clerks and Clerks 2 and you have an idea of my taste in comical situations. I like my comedy situational, sarcastic and dry. I don’t have a taste for spoof, parody or send-up.
If you’ve seen my profile, you will know my favourite directors and films, but it would be fair to mention my favourite TV shows as well. Sopranos (ok its pure drama with great comedy, but what attracts me is a fascination for mob family life), all three CSI shows, Criminal Minds (very difficult to write an episode for this show, kudos to the writers), Battlestar Galactica the remake (where the original was in a space opera format, the remake is very realistic and adult in subject matter, dealing in subjects like suicide bombers, sacrifice, child prostitution, drug addiction, all sorts of social, moral and political issues and a struggle to find ones identity. None of the characters are black or white; they are various shades of grey just like people I know and deal with on an everyday basis). Oh did I mention Supernatural and Dexter (good old horrific fun and guilty pleasures)?
Well that’s about it from me. I will start at the very bottom knowing nothing and work my way up to knowing something about script writing. This is a wonderful site and I am happy to be a part of it. Hello to everyone.
This is Mjr Menace signing out with a quote from good old Tony Montana ‘Who do I trust? I trust me!’
My name is Markus Zussner but you can call me Mjr Menace as my profile suggests. I fell in love with movies at an early age. My love for science fiction sparked at about age 5 when I watched for the first time an episode of Star Trek. My parents explained to me that it was not real and what a TV show was all about. I knew from then on that I wanted to write. A few years later I added Westerns and War to my taste list and about age 14, Horror films became the addictive forbidden taste and still is, to this day on. So there you have it; Science Fiction, Horror, Western and War. It would be fair to add that I enjoy any type of documentary in particular Ancient History, Contemporary Science and Military History. I guess you can call me a typical male. Why not Drama or Comedy you ask? There’s so much drama in the world around me everyday. I live on Planet Earth, the biggest theatrical stage ever. I see people lie, cheat and steal their way to a job, not caring who they step on along the way; betray their friends; steal their girlfriends or boyfriends; make political and social decisions; engage in long battled family feuds; talk about sex; drink and drive; be there for support, for hope, for love; succumb to peer group pressure or be pressured by powerfully ingrained social institutions. So I find writing a drama say, for example a love story extremely tedious. If I live in this type of world every day then it would make sense that I try to escape from it for some time. 90 to 120 minutes a day is all I need and that’s what a movie and TV show can do for me. Take me to outer space and get me off the planet for a while and show me things that I have never seen or dreamed about before; throw me in the middle of a war and make me question my ethics and put me in touch with more primitive emotions and to look out for your brother; drive me to a cabin and have me chased by an axe wielding maniac or a supernatural force, can I survive and rise above it? What are my strengths and weakness’; will I be the same person that I was before?
I love serious science fiction like 2001 a Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, Silent Running, Alien, Aliens, Supernova and Sunshine. There aren’t many of them. They are a scarce commodity. I am at present writing one now and hope it will be as good as any of the ones that I have mentioned.
I am working on a horror script as well and between the two it will keep me happily busy.
Things that happen in the real world are merely a resource for me to tap. Just because my character is ‘Star Captain Jones’ doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have real feelings like love, hate, pain, fear, anguish or contentment. He still can have emotional issues with family or have a spiritual belief or have a strong political opinion.
Comedy is difficult for me to discuss. I have a narrow taste in comedy. Look at any of the Coen Brothers or Quentin Tarrantinos films; Mike Smiths Clerks and Clerks 2 and you have an idea of my taste in comical situations. I like my comedy situational, sarcastic and dry. I don’t have a taste for spoof, parody or send-up.
If you’ve seen my profile, you will know my favourite directors and films, but it would be fair to mention my favourite TV shows as well. Sopranos (ok its pure drama with great comedy, but what attracts me is a fascination for mob family life), all three CSI shows, Criminal Minds (very difficult to write an episode for this show, kudos to the writers), Battlestar Galactica the remake (where the original was in a space opera format, the remake is very realistic and adult in subject matter, dealing in subjects like suicide bombers, sacrifice, child prostitution, drug addiction, all sorts of social, moral and political issues and a struggle to find ones identity. None of the characters are black or white; they are various shades of grey just like people I know and deal with on an everyday basis). Oh did I mention Supernatural and Dexter (good old horrific fun and guilty pleasures)?
Well that’s about it from me. I will start at the very bottom knowing nothing and work my way up to knowing something about script writing. This is a wonderful site and I am happy to be a part of it. Hello to everyone.
This is Mjr Menace signing out with a quote from good old Tony Montana ‘Who do I trust? I trust me!’
Pictures in my head.
I am a truck driving, Anthropolgist composer, with a wild imagination. I have always thought about what was going on in a film other than what you see. Like, who decided to use the wall of a house as a transition to another scene? Or how a camera shot flies through the iron fence gate of a zoo in the opening of Batman. I have no real filmmaking experience other than a super 8 cowboy movie I made when I was ten years old. I've been coming up with ideas for movies forever and decided it's time to do something about it. I dated a girl that studied film in college and can't understand why I didn't follow the dream then. It's what I've always wanted to do. So here I am, win or lose, there's no turning back.
The Whichness of the Why
It becomes readily apparent that any reason beyond "I just feel I gotta" is superfluous when it comes to filmmaking.
You can be visually illiterate, possessing the directorial finesse of a sixteen-pound sledgehammer, and have the social skills of a rabid mongoose, but if you deliver the goods, people will like your film, and, therefore, like you.
My mantra, if you want to call it that, is simple: "Movies that mostly don't suck." After all is said and done, isn't that the object of the exercise?
You can be visually illiterate, possessing the directorial finesse of a sixteen-pound sledgehammer, and have the social skills of a rabid mongoose, but if you deliver the goods, people will like your film, and, therefore, like you.
My mantra, if you want to call it that, is simple: "Movies that mostly don't suck." After all is said and done, isn't that the object of the exercise?
Short films
I want to make short films at this stage because of resources and time at hand. The films I would like to make should be meaningful and should have something to hold the attention of the viewer. I have already made two short films that I wrote and directed. I am looking forward to do more short films in foreseeable future.
THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS
All of us at different points in our childhood, decided our ambitions and goals and set our hearts to them. I remember, my first very ambition was to be an actress, then i wanted to be a doctor, then an engineer, then a banker, then a lawyer, a potter, a dancer, an event manager,a tornado chaser, a pilot, an army officer, a costume designer, a musician, a writer, I've had so many dreams, so many ambitions that i'm attached to, so many things that i want to be, but i found no real way of making them come true. Till i discovered the joy of films.
Filmmaking, the most complete proffession in the world. It is a place where, literature, music, dance, acting, psychology, accounts, management, photography, psychology, marketing,law,physics, meta-physics, design, architechture, are all rolled in to one. Its a place i can be everything and still be one thing. Its a place where i can tell all the stories that have been told, and retold, my way. A place, where i feel i can truly discover, what life really means, and better still, have a platform to say something, be heard, and attempt to bring about a change that we all want to see in the world, the people, our lives. And also make Millions and billions of dollars in the process,which makes me wonder why anyone would want to do anything else..!
At this point im desperate for brighter ideas, to learn, to understand every little nuance of film making. and therefore i joined this website, which i'm sure is going to contribute to my growth, and im thoroughly looking forward to it!
Filmmaking, the most complete proffession in the world. It is a place where, literature, music, dance, acting, psychology, accounts, management, photography, psychology, marketing,law,physics, meta-physics, design, architechture, are all rolled in to one. Its a place i can be everything and still be one thing. Its a place where i can tell all the stories that have been told, and retold, my way. A place, where i feel i can truly discover, what life really means, and better still, have a platform to say something, be heard, and attempt to bring about a change that we all want to see in the world, the people, our lives. And also make Millions and billions of dollars in the process,which makes me wonder why anyone would want to do anything else..!
At this point im desperate for brighter ideas, to learn, to understand every little nuance of film making. and therefore i joined this website, which i'm sure is going to contribute to my growth, and im thoroughly looking forward to it!
Hey Chump!
Well howdy howdy! My name is Joel and I want to make movie pictures and write my own music for them. It sounds like a difficult task I know but looks like I joined a great site to get me started off! My screenplays are usually dark but somewhat humorous at times.
Did you ever asked yourselves what is the meaning of all of this? You know, the usual questions "Who
Are We?", "Where Are We Going?", and all of this existentialistic crap. If the answer is yes, then you know what I'm talking about. If, on the other hand, you're thinking I'm crazy and you have know idea of what I'm on about, I shall welcome into my world.
I don't think I've ever knew what my purpose was and, if I was going to think about it, I was throwing
myself into a pit of major depression. So I didn't. And for so many years, when something was going not exactly the way I planned, my brain just shut down and in the darkness I was reaching the only light I could see: my imagination. Ever since I was a child, this is what I've done, reaching a point in my teenage years where, to be perfectly honest, I preferred living in my dream world than in the real one. And this is when it hit me. What if, somehow, I could re-create the world as I was seeing it so that everybody else could too? What if I could pass on my emotions to others, so that they could feel them too? What if I could make people laugh, cry, love and despair? What if I could teach them how to look inside them? This is how. This is the answer I've been looking for. This is where I'm going. This is who I am.
Are We?", "Where Are We Going?", and all of this existentialistic crap. If the answer is yes, then you know what I'm talking about. If, on the other hand, you're thinking I'm crazy and you have know idea of what I'm on about, I shall welcome into my world.
I don't think I've ever knew what my purpose was and, if I was going to think about it, I was throwing
myself into a pit of major depression. So I didn't. And for so many years, when something was going not exactly the way I planned, my brain just shut down and in the darkness I was reaching the only light I could see: my imagination. Ever since I was a child, this is what I've done, reaching a point in my teenage years where, to be perfectly honest, I preferred living in my dream world than in the real one. And this is when it hit me. What if, somehow, I could re-create the world as I was seeing it so that everybody else could too? What if I could pass on my emotions to others, so that they could feel them too? What if I could make people laugh, cry, love and despair? What if I could teach them how to look inside them? This is how. This is the answer I've been looking for. This is where I'm going. This is who I am.
About me
Henry Joe Sakala is my name. I'm an upcoming film maker based in Lusaka, Zambia in Africa.
The film industry in my country is poor and not as developed as in hollywood. however I have film credits like Guns and rings, silent voice and when the curtain falls. I still want to improve my skills in film making because in my country there is no film school. A website like clapperboard is my only way of learning.
The film industry in my country is poor and not as developed as in hollywood. however I have film credits like Guns and rings, silent voice and when the curtain falls. I still want to improve my skills in film making because in my country there is no film school. A website like clapperboard is my only way of learning.
It came to me from a rubber mask
I've been painting for almost 30 years now and always liked films (movies etc.). Until one day I was in a Carnival Supply store and my friend put on this rubber mask.
She called out to me, when I turned around, I stopped in my tracks! I saw this man who was hiding, and he wanted to come out to experience people. His experience began on Carnival Sunday, Jouvert!
After I described the character to my friend she slowly took off the mask and asked me where I got that story from. Ever since then I wrote a synopsis, and through my art, began a visual description.
I have the impulse to put it to film for two years now and through these short courses I hope to gain a bit of knowledge.
She called out to me, when I turned around, I stopped in my tracks! I saw this man who was hiding, and he wanted to come out to experience people. His experience began on Carnival Sunday, Jouvert!
After I described the character to my friend she slowly took off the mask and asked me where I got that story from. Ever since then I wrote a synopsis, and through my art, began a visual description.
I have the impulse to put it to film for two years now and through these short courses I hope to gain a bit of knowledge.
My real first Step
I have a very big list of People who inspired me a lot.I'm a great fan of Manirathnam(Indian director) who has a very well and clearly defined script.He is a legend in Indian film industry.
And Steven spielberg the great.. He has the best knowledge about movie. as we are talking about Screenplay, we should not forget Torrentino,Some may like him , some may hate him, but in my point he is still a great screenwriter.
I like to take movies in many genre, but when i think about doing a movie myself, always suspense movies comeinto my mind, so at first i would like to do a suspense , thriller script.
And Steven spielberg the great.. He has the best knowledge about movie. as we are talking about Screenplay, we should not forget Torrentino,Some may like him , some may hate him, but in my point he is still a great screenwriter.
I like to take movies in many genre, but when i think about doing a movie myself, always suspense movies comeinto my mind, so at first i would like to do a suspense , thriller script.
Vidyasagar
My greatest inspiration to enter into film making is Ram gopalvarma an Indian film director. Usually Indian movies are filled with dance numbers and comedy tracks that are mostly often absolutely unnecessary and stereotyped stories; and some types no story at all. But the first time I saw a movie "Kshna Kshanam" I was amazed by the style with which it was made.
Later it was Steven Spielberg the only Hollywood director that even a six year old can know in India;many other directors are not familiar here to you until you grow above 16 and know what really a film is.And Because of that hype on Steven I watched Munich but I felt bored and then I watched ET and enjoyed.And then later on some good movies which were very different...provoked me into films and to a goal of narrating the story most creatively...hope this website works for me..
Later it was Steven Spielberg the only Hollywood director that even a six year old can know in India;many other directors are not familiar here to you until you grow above 16 and know what really a film is.And Because of that hype on Steven I watched Munich but I felt bored and then I watched ET and enjoyed.And then later on some good movies which were very different...provoked me into films and to a goal of narrating the story most creatively...hope this website works for me..
Women in Film
Hello all,
My name is Karyn May, and I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My writing style is a mix of dark humor, action, and suspense. My goal in screen writing is to bring into the big picture a couple of films created by a woman.
I'm a big fan of the academy awards, and I've noticed that in the history of the awards, only 4 women have won for best original screenplay.
I don't want anyone to think I'm some sort of hyper-feminist that thinks I deserve to be an icon because I'm a woman.
I'm not setting out to prove anything, except that, male or female, I can write a great movie.
My name is Karyn May, and I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My writing style is a mix of dark humor, action, and suspense. My goal in screen writing is to bring into the big picture a couple of films created by a woman.
I'm a big fan of the academy awards, and I've noticed that in the history of the awards, only 4 women have won for best original screenplay.
I don't want anyone to think I'm some sort of hyper-feminist that thinks I deserve to be an icon because I'm a woman.
I'm not setting out to prove anything, except that, male or female, I can write a great movie.
in search of ........
a friend of mine is member who is now writing a tele film he actually suggested me join in and see the difference i am equally excitd to be a part of this website i hope my expectations are fulfilled here . and i find peace within while writing
A Shout out to the Host of this excellent site!!!
I stumbled upon your website a couple of days ago and I must say a big thumbs up for you Ian. I just enrolled myself to your selfcourse in film-making.
I want to learn how to make films and this site may be of great help.
Looking forward to reading a lot of interesting content-rich posts on films I like (too), and 'who knows' how many other interesting things one may pick from here and add to one's own knowledge, on my way to becoming a filmmaker. And eventually posting some (hopefully interesting) articles or comment's on assignments done myself to share with all other like minded people.
I want to learn how to make films and this site may be of great help.
Looking forward to reading a lot of interesting content-rich posts on films I like (too), and 'who knows' how many other interesting things one may pick from here and add to one's own knowledge, on my way to becoming a filmmaker. And eventually posting some (hopefully interesting) articles or comment's on assignments done myself to share with all other like minded people.
Frankly my dear, the formula doesn't give a damn!
Hello everyone!
I'm afraid this is going to be painfully long and ungrammtical.
Having spent nearly two years with my nose buried in writing short stories, discovering something new each day, I feel I must return to the verve of understanding screenwriting. Why I put aside all those screenwriting books, as well as my decidedly terrible screenplay, was that I found the readers much too focussed on expecting a formulaic screenplay - everything was about structure, about reaching the-point-of-no-return on time, about having the right amount of dialogue and the right amount of white space, about not using too many adverbs, about not being abstract at all, etc. etc. Some of these suggestions I found useful, while others simply led to disillusionment - weren't most of the films I loved utterly unformulaic? Utterly non-conformist? Why then all this chatter about structure, about a formula?
I have come to realise that there are two kinds of writers (and this is true for anything - short stories, novels, poems, flash fiction, screenplays, etc.): there are those who are able to write only when bound conventions, formulas and rules, and there are others who write through the rejection of these. It is necessary, I think, for a writer to find where he lies, for I believe most have their fingers in both pies. And it is not that either kind of process is bad, but both processes do exist.
The point is: When a writer wishes to be non-conformist, wishes to reject conventional structure and divine something of his own - Ought we to send him back to the study room and tell him to learn the three-act and then pick up a pen? No. Instead, we as readers should attempt to understand his strucutural ambition, and help him attain it.
I shall offer you an example: A screenwriter once reviewed a short story of mine, and in his review lamented that I did not include enough dialogue, did not have a decided resolution, and was guilty of exposition. I was, of course, entirely amused - "Are screenwriters capable at all of looking beyond structure?" I thought. Is it possible for us to love A Hunger Artist (Franz Kafka) and hate Kew Gardens (Virginia Woolf), simply because the former is structurally sound, and the latter an experiment? No. They are both profoundly beautiful, perfect gems of short stories - and this is because of a quality that transcends structure, the very quality called a "story".
The blind love of formulas and structures is, well, blindness. We must think of it as necessary education, and not a way of life - it is the only way films shall ever retain a grain of life, and not plummet into an abyss of formulaic predictability. There shall always be beautiful stories with perfect structure, and there shall always be beautiful stories with imperfect structure.
I am aware that all this may sound like rambling, but I feel compelled to say it nonetheless.
"Is all this really relevant to film-making?" one might ask. Indeed it is, because the foundation of any film (indeed any work of art) is an idea, that grows into a story. To put this quite bluntly, I'm asking screenwriters to do two things in particular:
One, know what kind of writer you are (conformist or the non-conformist?). If you're the non-conformist, stick to what you believe - whoever says you quite simply MUST follow the conventional three-act is duping you - follow your own scheme. If you're conformist, by all means play with the three-act or the linear! Do what you want with it, but stay true to the story, because that's the only truth.
Second, be an unbiased viewer/reader. Leave your ego and prejudice at home. If you're non-conformist and reading a conformist screenplay, for the love of God don't blast it apart simply because it is formulaic - put your ear to the A4, and listen to the pulse of the story. Does the structure (or the lack of it) do the story any justice? That is your only job - to see that justice is done to the story. It is not one's job to question a writer's faith.
I would love to hear what you have to say about this - Do I or do I not have a point?
I'm afraid this is going to be painfully long and ungrammtical.
Having spent nearly two years with my nose buried in writing short stories, discovering something new each day, I feel I must return to the verve of understanding screenwriting. Why I put aside all those screenwriting books, as well as my decidedly terrible screenplay, was that I found the readers much too focussed on expecting a formulaic screenplay - everything was about structure, about reaching the-point-of-no-return on time, about having the right amount of dialogue and the right amount of white space, about not using too many adverbs, about not being abstract at all, etc. etc. Some of these suggestions I found useful, while others simply led to disillusionment - weren't most of the films I loved utterly unformulaic? Utterly non-conformist? Why then all this chatter about structure, about a formula?
I have come to realise that there are two kinds of writers (and this is true for anything - short stories, novels, poems, flash fiction, screenplays, etc.): there are those who are able to write only when bound conventions, formulas and rules, and there are others who write through the rejection of these. It is necessary, I think, for a writer to find where he lies, for I believe most have their fingers in both pies. And it is not that either kind of process is bad, but both processes do exist.
The point is: When a writer wishes to be non-conformist, wishes to reject conventional structure and divine something of his own - Ought we to send him back to the study room and tell him to learn the three-act and then pick up a pen? No. Instead, we as readers should attempt to understand his strucutural ambition, and help him attain it.
I shall offer you an example: A screenwriter once reviewed a short story of mine, and in his review lamented that I did not include enough dialogue, did not have a decided resolution, and was guilty of exposition. I was, of course, entirely amused - "Are screenwriters capable at all of looking beyond structure?" I thought. Is it possible for us to love A Hunger Artist (Franz Kafka) and hate Kew Gardens (Virginia Woolf), simply because the former is structurally sound, and the latter an experiment? No. They are both profoundly beautiful, perfect gems of short stories - and this is because of a quality that transcends structure, the very quality called a "story".
The blind love of formulas and structures is, well, blindness. We must think of it as necessary education, and not a way of life - it is the only way films shall ever retain a grain of life, and not plummet into an abyss of formulaic predictability. There shall always be beautiful stories with perfect structure, and there shall always be beautiful stories with imperfect structure.
I am aware that all this may sound like rambling, but I feel compelled to say it nonetheless.
"Is all this really relevant to film-making?" one might ask. Indeed it is, because the foundation of any film (indeed any work of art) is an idea, that grows into a story. To put this quite bluntly, I'm asking screenwriters to do two things in particular:
One, know what kind of writer you are (conformist or the non-conformist?). If you're the non-conformist, stick to what you believe - whoever says you quite simply MUST follow the conventional three-act is duping you - follow your own scheme. If you're conformist, by all means play with the three-act or the linear! Do what you want with it, but stay true to the story, because that's the only truth.
Second, be an unbiased viewer/reader. Leave your ego and prejudice at home. If you're non-conformist and reading a conformist screenplay, for the love of God don't blast it apart simply because it is formulaic - put your ear to the A4, and listen to the pulse of the story. Does the structure (or the lack of it) do the story any justice? That is your only job - to see that justice is done to the story. It is not one's job to question a writer's faith.
I would love to hear what you have to say about this - Do I or do I not have a point?
Another shorty
I too am another person who wrote something big and long and was returned a posting error. How infuriating. My bottom-line in film-making is to have fun, make people enjoy and THINK for a change. I want to make films that poke fun at how square everybody seems, when really, underneath we're all crazy animals.
Rock On
I look like a dude from a heavy metal band. My dream career is to be well known celebrity in my small country, and I would like to do this by being a politically satirical clown lord. The more I am ridiculed in Mainstream media, the more happy I'll be, because the more the mainstream media makes an enemy out of me, the more my fans will love me. For my costume I want to wear a Fire Fighters hat, with long thick rainbow coloured dreadlocks underneath. Oh, and I want to drive a firetruck. For the rest of the costume will just fall in theme for the place I'm at. Attention seeking really. Anyway, I have this plan to make totally off the wall documentaries, looking into exposing stories about random and special events, rather than the mainstream stuff that everybody is interested in.
I never knew what I wanted to be. I considered the usual list of occupations (doctor,businessman,etc...), but that was mostly because parents love hearing that shit. I've had the grades and background to do all of those things, but in the end I could not ignore the "calling" if you will. So, I dropped out of the Naval Academy this past year and am on the track towards becoming a filmmaker/writer. Im 20 years old and maybe my decision to give up everything was a poor one. Fuck it. I'm happy. I got an idea for a project this summer before school in California in the fall.
Do you belive in magic?
Well, I can say that I do. I believe in the magic of films, and the power that they have to convey messages of themes that one can relate to everyday life. My film making aspirations are not to be a famous, and tremendously rich (yeah right) movie maker like Steven Spielberg, I would simply just like to make movies that can capture audiences minds and hearts.
search
in search of self-identity
i typed something really long here but there was an error in subission so i'll keeo it short
i typed something really long here but there was an error in subission so i'll keeo it short
something real
ive never enjoyed anything better than making videos for the people around me.
during the past few years of my life, ive never really settled on a hobby because once i get started, i sort of quit in the process.
however, my interest in film has lingered longer than my other hobbies an dit would be a total waste to let it go.
therefore, i hope by joining this community, i am able to enhance whatever skills i have as a film-maker.
you could say that i'm in search of an identity, something to set me apart from everyone else.
during the past few years of my life, ive never really settled on a hobby because once i get started, i sort of quit in the process.
however, my interest in film has lingered longer than my other hobbies an dit would be a total waste to let it go.
therefore, i hope by joining this community, i am able to enhance whatever skills i have as a film-maker.
you could say that i'm in search of an identity, something to set me apart from everyone else.
cinema paradiso
After many years of struggling, I relized that I could not Hide my hidden wish to be a film director anymore. I am only 20 and many feel that a film director should be older and wiser and know more about the world. However I feel that I have had alot of life experience and a great attention to detail. I would really like to use the amazing thoughts and Ideas from things I have read, from people i know and love and to mix them up into and amazing scripts and then eventually into beautiful films. I would like to take real life things that have happened and turn them into something magical that could have happened. I Love film becuase it is the most beautiful escape from reality and the best way to release your emotions(as a film director). I feel by reaching my goal I will feel a deep fulfilment in life and I am prepared to take the risk now.
Somewhere Down The Line
I've never really seen myself as a writer, but I enjoy film making and my real passion lies in acting and performing. I love being in the spotlight and entertaining people.
I'm also a person who's often deep in thought about life. I love films that indulge that part of my brain. Sometimes I feel as though film is the best way to express emotions and feelings. i hope to make a film that can do that some day.
I'm also a huge fan of actors who can portray such complicated characters and easily convey their character's emotions to an audience. You can see and hear a film, but you can also feel it.
I'm also a person who's often deep in thought about life. I love films that indulge that part of my brain. Sometimes I feel as though film is the best way to express emotions and feelings. i hope to make a film that can do that some day.
I'm also a huge fan of actors who can portray such complicated characters and easily convey their character's emotions to an audience. You can see and hear a film, but you can also feel it.
aspire
i hope to some day make a film which is critically acclaimed. with fantastic reviews, maybe even an award or two. it is a long way off in the distance, but i believe i can someday get there. i love watching films, and quality television. i believe i have good taste in film. i aspire to make a living in the film industry. hopefully one day this dream will become my reality.
Coffee Rush And Daisy Chains
Films take us out of reality just like books... but when a director/ screen writer decides to make a 2 hour film of an amazing piece of literature and instead creates something that makes your teeth grind throughout the film... well it just pisses you off! Im sick of the mainstream bullcrap that society (america?) with everything else has become too lazy to even notice the difference between aesthetic filmmaking and shit. To many people as long as its got the sterotypical storyline and lots of CGI who needs to think bout the meaning behind camera angles/shots/editting and the interesting display of mise en scene? Well i say unless a new - fresh - generation of filmmakers comes along and inspire these people in some philosophical way to bring back life and love into their mundane, morbid world then well they will go on living in such a common depressing world and wont get the full enjoyment of analysing and understanding a beautiful film that certain directors in this world are already making.
One thing i pissed off bout is my favourite film, pretty much changed my whole perception on New American Directors and Bob Dylan was the Im Not There, but you see it appeared FAR too complicated with the likes alot of people so im unable to get it on DVD ... Another example GrindHouse Planet Terror and Death Proof didnt appear on at the cinema at same time because it wasnt successful in America so instead i had to wait even longer to get it on DVD because the viewings for the films were only on at 10 :|
One day hopefully i will have an important place in film industry and i will put film back on the map of a worth while past time. People need to see the amazing affect a good film can have on their life!
One thing i pissed off bout is my favourite film, pretty much changed my whole perception on New American Directors and Bob Dylan was the Im Not There, but you see it appeared FAR too complicated with the likes alot of people so im unable to get it on DVD ... Another example GrindHouse Planet Terror and Death Proof didnt appear on at the cinema at same time because it wasnt successful in America so instead i had to wait even longer to get it on DVD because the viewings for the films were only on at 10 :|
One day hopefully i will have an important place in film industry and i will put film back on the map of a worth while past time. People need to see the amazing affect a good film can have on their life!
The longest journey begins with a single step.
Well, I''ve always envisioned myself as a writer, but I never thought it would be in films. The first observation I made as a screenwriter was that when I read my story back, I was actually seeing my original idea, instead of what the words on the paper said. It''s been a learning experience to me to ignore my original story and get the screenplay to be expressive of my inner story.
Stories, messages and me
Hello,
My nema is Hlder Santana. I am from Brazil (so please be kind to me and my poor English).
I jus love writting and reading stories. But to me the maximum on storytelling is when the ficcional environment migrates from paper to screen.
My nema is Hlder Santana. I am from Brazil (so please be kind to me and my poor English).
I jus love writting and reading stories. But to me the maximum on storytelling is when the ficcional environment migrates from paper to screen.
Learning never stops
I've always been an avid film viewer, and I've always enjoyed writing, but it wasn't until about 5 years ago that I put the two together. At that time, a friend started creating animations for teaching science, and I really enjoyed what he was doing, so I started creating my own animations. I decided that it would be a good way to create a movie, so I started learning how to write a screenplay. I had had many years experience in writing -- I've got a PhD in English -- but a screenplay turned out to be more elusive than I expected.
Mind to Film
What I love about film making is how it's all about taking an idea and finding a way to gift wrap it for everyone to enjoy. To me I imagine it starts with something that's you know is more than a regular thought. It feels visceral but fleeting. You have to get it out of your head. Aside from my imagination I have no clue about film making: script writing, editing directing, producing. Nothing. I took one art class in college. The closest I am to film making is that I watch films, but i do get inspired. I have so many things bouncing around my skull, and I want to share with everyone.
My Aspirations.
When I heard Michael Douglas speak about Diane Thomas and her collaboration with the movie 'Romancing the Stone', I knew then that I had to put pen to paper and learn more about screenwriting.
I enjoy developing characters from scratch and give them a life all their own. I have also heard about the reams of bad screen plays that clutter the hallways of Hollywoodland, and I now think it is time to add my own to that pile. And I know that the best way to get started is by doing and learning from people who know much more than me.
I don't even want to pretend that I will make dollar one from any screenwriting, but if I can have fun doing and learning then it would be well worth the effort.
I enjoy developing characters from scratch and give them a life all their own. I have also heard about the reams of bad screen plays that clutter the hallways of Hollywoodland, and I now think it is time to add my own to that pile. And I know that the best way to get started is by doing and learning from people who know much more than me.
I don't even want to pretend that I will make dollar one from any screenwriting, but if I can have fun doing and learning then it would be well worth the effort.
Getting older and Havin' Fun
Life as I now know it is GREAT! I am an extremely blessed man. I have no driving desire or unfulfilled ambition to be a great film maker.I do however have a degree in radio television and film. That was many moons ago and now I am married with four children and a whole new set of priorities. I still enjoy writing and being creative and have recently been asked to help with a small movie making venture. I thought this course might help me brush up on my rather rusty skills.
Me, Myself and Films
I have wanted to be a screenwriter for as long as i can remember. I gained a HND in Television Operations and Production at Aberdeen College 2 years ago. The next step towards my dream seems so far away at the moment. Since i left college i have become a Husband and a Father which has changed my priorities for the meantime, although recently i have slowly started writing again. I have hundreds of ideas, but i struggle to develop them. I have full beleif in my ability to write and i know that if i work hard and continue to beleive in myself then anything is possible. I'm hoping joining this website will put me in touch with others with the same drive and determination to succeed in the film and televison industry.
Konrad
I am a high school student in Tennessee and have made a few school related movies and am working on a news show for my school at the moment but do not have very much filmmaking experience. I do write quite a bit though, poems, short stories and the like. But I would like to have some more incite on the workings of filmmaking and screenwriting.
above and beyond
if i could get half the stories(both true and fiction) from my mind into screenplays id bee an extremely happy man,thats why im here,hoping i can learn how to go about it and maybe even get some guidance,talking to like minded people can only help too..
writing
i'm very shy when it comes to talking or discussing my ideas. It's like I need someone there to guide me. I hope I can write my own project, i ususally help others with theirs...
Motivation
I've had this great idea for revolutionizing the Werewolf Genre for some time now and I have yet to make headway, I'm determined to write a completed script, even if it's only so that I can say I finally finished something I set out to do. I'm an ESL teacher overseas with plenty of free time to write, I guess I'm just lazy. Or maybe I'm afraid of really letting my creativity go wild. In any case, I'm going to devote my time to getting to know the ins and outs of this website, hopefully I'll be able to stay on track from now on.
Have to take the plunge
Im new to writing, just got denied a chance at film school in Australia, thinkin bout doing some short courses. Im at the stage where i know i want to be a filmmaker, but dont know which avenue to pursue in order to get the ball rolling....
College Dropout
I have absolutely no knowledge of screenwriting. I know I have a strong desire and passion to see my films on the big screen, not because of profits or money, but because I have a message and my mouth is too small to reach the audience Im catering to. I have some nerve thinking that maybe a college dropout could possibly have the next blockbuster mulling around in her head.Some nerve indeed....
Michael Beck
I am new to writing, but not film making. I have all ways been the one that shoots, edits and produces projects, but now I want to write them as well. I am going to start a new series for the internet using machinima, I have an idea for the series, but I need to learn how to write it.
Me and my film making aspirations.
I have a BS in Elementary Ed. I have lived all over the US. I currently reside on a farm with horses, cows, goats, dogs and cats. I have been writing stories for about 30 years. I have written a 94page script for a children's animated film with two other co-writers. I am working with a new company called Rose Media and we have over 75 films/ideas in various degrees of development. We are very excited at Rose Media as we offer superb quality scripts for family oriented movie-goers. I am looking forward to strengthening my craft. Thanks for the opportunity!
Positive Meme Dissemination
I'm a curious person, in both senses of the word. I can get lost in a book, film, or watching an ant colony do its business. Moral values and conduct on an individual and social level are fascinating to me, and their promotion drive many aspects of my life, including my relatively new interest in film production.
I think spreading positive memes is one of the best things a person can do to feel fulfilled, and I think finding an audience for an entertaining/informing/inspiring/guiding source of memes, in this case film, will be supremely fulfilling. Funding, collaborating in a community setting, reputation building, and personal development will be fun things that I hope will develop along the way with my films.
I think spreading positive memes is one of the best things a person can do to feel fulfilled, and I think finding an audience for an entertaining/informing/inspiring/guiding source of memes, in this case film, will be supremely fulfilling. Funding, collaborating in a community setting, reputation building, and personal development will be fun things that I hope will develop along the way with my films.
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