Can You Write a Feature Film?
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- čas přidán 9. 02. 2023
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I wrote a feature script this last year, after about 7 years of being too in my head to finish one. I've discovered the key for my brain is to OUTLINE THE CRAP OUT OF IT. I used cards with a free version of Milanote and really liked doing it that way. I basically would write as much detail as I possibly could think for each scene like bits of dialogue and detailed action. In the end it was more like a scriptment of notecards. The thing I loved about the process was that it always felt pretty relaxed to me. I was simply just filling out cards with all my ideas for the scene, but wasn't paying attention to page count or formatting or anything like that. It didn't feel like the daunting "official" task of screenwriting. I found doing cards digitally worked way better than doing it physically, as I could easily see them all laid out, and make changes, rearrange them, or delete them.
Then when it was time to write the first draft I was able to find an hour most mornings before work. I was able to do that over 2-3 weeks and it felt relatively painless.I was able to copy and paste a lot of stuff from my cards and then expand on them or smooth them out where necessary.
I used to go in with a skeleton that was missing a lot of bones. Now I go in with a fleshy corpse that I mostly just have to put the skin on.
you're overcomplicating it. See my other post on this video and its replies. All you need to worry about when forming a story is the following: what is the problem your protagonists need to overcome, how do you introduce that problem, and how do your protagonists overcome that problem and resolve it? Are you Ben Stiller in "Meet the Parents" or are you Luke Skywalker? The subsequent scenes detail these questions and problems as they are dealt with.
Absolutely. Outlinling helped me write 5-7 pages per day, at least. It's very freeing. Last time, I wrote a messy outline which had everything in it, including dialogue. I write the slug line on top of every scene and then my ideas. I usually come up with dialogue fast. Then I created a new file and only used the slug lines with a short summary of the content of each scene. So I had one messy outline and a cleaner outline I worked with side-by-side.
I have very bad ADHD, so the act of opening Final Draft and typing it up is so serious and official, and I end up writing 3 words or nothing at all for weeks at a time. I'm going to take your advice, this will probably help me.
@@FilmLayzProductions Ugh, yes. That's exactly how I felt too. Hope it helps.
@@FilmLayzProductions work up your story first. Then commit to writing one page a day. In three months you’ll have a first draft. That’s when the fun begins. I wrote a true WWII story about how the Brits saved the world in 1942 for Amazon studios. I did volumes and volumes of research, compiled all of the facts and wrote the first draft just as the event happened. First draft was 182 pages. Eventually consolidated and condensed everything to 119 pages, but that was where the real work was. Writing a screenplay is NOT easy. It is REAL work. But all of the requisite skills can be learned.
That is actually such an inspiring quote. "You are already in the top 10%". love that.
I remember writing a screenplay back in high school. It was like 110 pages. I did it for extra credit in...English class...yes, English. I remember writing it with tons of excitement. I could not wait to get home and continue writing it. It took a little over a week, and a few revisions, but it was great. I was huge fan of "Scream" and my script was called "What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?" It was basically how I would've wrote "Scream." I gave the script to quite a few people and they all enjoyed it. I'd do it again too. The accomplishment of finishing the script was amazing.
This video is perfectly timed; I've been psyching myself up to get started on writing again and needed something like this.
Yesterday, my brother and I decided that we wanted to develop a short film series into a full feature film, to eventually produce when the time is right. ONE HOUR LATER, Ryan Connolly descends from heaven and releases this video. Thank you Film Riot!
Currently writing a 90-page dissertation screenplay for university and having trouble motivating myself to do so. Of course, in flies Ryan Connolly like a guardian angel to say “you can do it, my son” at just the right time.
You got this man. I’m on my 41st page of my first ever. If I can crappily write, you can greatly write!
Use chatgpt to help out. It works great
Trick is to write anything, a shoppinglist even. Even if you only write 10 lines a day for a few months you've gort a script. Don't get it right, get it written is the adage. You can sharpen it up with rewrites.
The other thing that is accomplished in the first draft the way Stallone mentioned is that you also get the garbage out of your head and on paper to eliminate later. This helps relieve the pressure of starting. Great stuff. Thanks Ryan.
That's a really good point.
I've been writing for film for thirty years or so--mostly non-fiction, but still storytelling--and my favorite moment is when the story begins to talk to me. Before that, it's a slog just getting the words down on the page, but then something happens. It's like a runner hitting their stride. The writing becomes . . . well, maybe not effortless but directed and focused. That's when the fog begins to lift and I can see my goal, the ending, and roughly how I'm going to get there. I used to write for a living. Now I just write for fun, and I don't intend to stop. And the real secret is to just sit down (or stand up or run around in circles if that works for you) and start writing! Enjoy!
So glad I caught this! Thanks for the upload!!
I started a movie script when my youngest son was born, he is now 18 years old. Can you feel my pain?
I have a stack of "how to" screenwriting books and DVDs on the subject. I now have a trilogy of movie ideas rolling around in my head. I have started the process 40 times and have a million notes.
I even went back to college to take writing courses.
I really liked this video, because it gives me hope. I can almost taste what the first draft feels like. I will relax and do what you have described in this video. Thank you so much...
Thanks for providing great info for years now! You're provided enough information to turn a newbie into a seasoned filmmaker by now.
You're very much appreciated!
great to hear about the creative process, the combo of angst and joy
Love it!! Thank you for sharing, Ryan!
Aloha and Thank You So Much For Always Sharing These Amazing Lessons Film Riot 🙌🏽💯 I Really Needed To Watch This One! 🎬🎥🏆🏆🏆
I've been working on a short film for months now. The title changed two or three times and the story itself changed a few times. Now, I'm at a really good point where I feel that a majority of the script is very close to being ready to produce. I've made a change to the beginning that I feel really brought it back to life. I'm about to reread it again to see if I can tweak it some more. But, like you said, just keep writing. And by doing so, I am the closest to completing a script as I've ever been. And it feels good.
I write stories but only recently wanted to turn those into something more. Thanks for this. I have no idea how to make a screenplay but every journey begins with a single step. Thanks Ryan.
Re-watching two months later is so worth it- Thank you!! Needed this today!
thank you so much or all the tutorials and great info recourses and vfx you guys are raising the next generation of film no matter what age
Massively helpful stuff. Thank you. And thanks for the links to Stallone, Abrams, et al.
This was fantastic! Thanks so much. I struggle with all of these same issues on the regular and I think this is really going to help me. I've saved it for future reference also.
Truly inspiring message for screenwriters and filmmakers. Thank you 🙏 for DOING it.
Glad i watched this! I’ve been working on a series for the past two years constantly rewriting. Gonna be getting Final Draft soon to help me w my formatting but your channel has been helping me so much! I liked what you said about insecurity bc that’s been my number 1 hurdle.. Hopefully i can find a crew to start production to get the pilot out this year!! Would love to get a chance to show you my script! I have a winner and this will be the series to start a new age of Magic Lovers! Magic Around Us coming sooon!
Thank you for this Ryan, clutch as always 😌🤘🏽
Ryan, you and videos are a gift, thank you.
Perfect. Just what I needed right now. Milanote looks like the perfect tool to match this process, and I as work in a similar way it looks like the missing piece in my puzzle.
thank you so much for recommending milanote! I'll use it for writing
Wat a perfect timing,I was still writing short notes abt my feature film which released next year, film riot realised this helpful video,thanks
This channel deserves more. thanks ryan
A lot of these things is what I use to teach my 7th graders when I was teaching a screenplay writing unit. Good info. I'm currently working on my first 100 page screenplay, and I noticed that your process and mine are pretty similar. I basically outline everything out first on the screenplay and then start filling things in as I go. I even have literally been there too where I have started to go back through it and rewrite it before it is even done. I do not recommend that as well as it makes things messy because I'll change something and then need to change something somewhere else because it no longer makes sense with my change. Like you said it just slows the process down.
Thnx for always sharing your experiences and your knowledge. This one motivates me to just go and do....
Pretty cool, dude. I know a thing or 2 about writing a feature film. And ten months later, I have finally got it right and finished it last month, and I'm planning to do production for a feature film I'm working on, and it's gonna be a fan film. I'm going to make an announcement video about my fan film next month, and it's gonna blow you away. Hopefully wish you get it. I like the advice on writing. Keep it up.
I absolutely love this. Thanks guys ✌
Great video, as usual! As a writer I struggle every time with the initial self-doubt and so on. What has been helpful to me is to adapt my "method" for each story. The process stays fluid through the planning phase which ends with an outline (the detail of the outline depends on the story, some stories require a lot more detail than others). For the actual script writing, the pomodoro technique has proven a great tool for those tough days when the flow isn't there.
I heard it in the context of programming but the concept is basically what was said in the video
"First optimization is to make working code"
Meaning first write whole thing that works, then when you review it again you can make it better. I find it interesting that very different fields have similar idea
Omg this is soooo helpful thank you!!
As someone I look up to and respect, your vulnerability is precious and adds absolute value to my life. A quote recently that has been helpful to me:
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried." ― Stephen McCranie And that all falls in line with what you're talking about. Thanks for putting this out there. I hope it's as helpful to Future You as it is to Current Me! All the Love to you!
I’ve written 2 features so far and am getting close to finishing a third. I’ve already started a fourth one as well. I find my nearly 1-hour train commutes to work the best time for me to think of ideas. I usually use my phone and write in notes. Then sit at home and type it all up. For me the writing part isn’t too hard, it’s the getting financing part. I’ve only just shot my first low-budget short film (half funds from Kickstarter and half from my own) so getting enough money to make a short is not easy…but I’m really going to push to get one into pre production this year.
Thanks, that was inspirational, indeed. Structuring ideas is the key for me as well, but if I can, I try to allow myself to free roam when writing a bit, allowing the story to get a bit of self discovery. Currently I'm doing audio only (audio dramas), but would love to do film as well (Guess it's just jumping in cold water...) :) keep up with it, your channel is awesome.
A book suggestion, that helped me immensly in developing my stories is the book "Creativity" by John Cleese, helping identifying the circumstances, my creativity works best and help me focus at times.
Loved this video, Thank you very much for the tips and inspiration. I will try to implement some of this myself :-)
This isn’t a script lesson. It’s a PSYCHOLOGY lesson. Love it. Great advice, Ryan. Thank you.
So inspiring! 🙏🏻
Perfect Timing.
This was super helpful and practical thank you
Yes - the "Mike Madrid Private Investigator" - I start with "It was a dark and stormy night when the phone rang."....
Outlining and method writing have made all the difference for me; Stella Adler's technique I learned as an actress has helped a lot to imagine the life of my characters and act the scenes out at home. It resulted in some surprising dialogues I would have never thought of had I just been sitting on my computer and approached everything logically. I basically just transcribe my experience to the page. I have just finished a script that way within less than three weeks, and because I lived the characters, my friend had all the right emotions when she read it -- as they say: no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. It was the fifth one I wrote after years of writer's block. I used to be a pantser, focused on all the guidelines, beats, and hitting certain pages which really got me blocked and produce nothing. I think storytelling is inherently in us.
I've had this idea of writing a short film. I usually don't write anything down because I was gifted with Hyperphantasia and being a visual thinker. I've played the film at least 100 times in my head from beginning to end, but articulating the idea with words is much harder than I thought. It doesn't help that I still need to learn the format of a screenplay. But your breakdown of Act 1 A/B, Act 2 A/B so on... is very interesting way to start.
this is my first comment form 12 years that i watched youtube . i just want to thank you :)
I wrote a 127 page feature in 3 1/2 days .. I woke up from a dream that played the movie all the way through, then I woke up bought FinalDraft (I used to write in something else) and started writing. I slept for a couple of hours here and there but basically wrote the whole thing with few breaks. I've gone back to do some revisions based on the feedback/write-up I got from entering the story in a contest. I've whittled it down to 112 pages over 2 revisions .... I'll get it done soon.
I spent months in between researching multi-verse theory, physics, quantum theory before getting to the first rewrite. Then spent a bunch of time redeveloping the characters, their stories, their character arcs before going at the second revision. It's been a really good process.
beautifully useful video, thank you
I currently have two feature scripts under my belt and what I found to be my problem is that I tend to feel if I hold off on writing my ideas then they can remain perfect in my head. At the end of the day I prefer my flawed scripts that managed to escape than the perfect ideas stuck in my head.
While I’m more interested in writing Novels than Screenplays (though that would be something cool in the future), this is an amazing video I’m definitely going to save for future reference when struggling with writing.
Thank you! *Deep breath* Thank you!!!
Amazing
Brilliant
Haven’t watched but it must be great!
Love this!
@@filmriot5 No.
THANK. YOU.
Perseverance!!!
I am stuck with scene 14 of my film thesis for my uni. The reason why I'm here
I believe I am a Great Story Teller but I havent wrote any story yet. But I have a lot of ideas about different kinds of Stories.
Thank you 😊
I don't have insecurities for writing a script or struggle for ideas.
I just don't have the time.
With the mountain of tasks I have to get through for my work and in my personal life, I never get enough time to do a lot of things I want to do.
Over the past 10 years I've written 5 feature film scripts. All ranging in different genres. Now just waiting for the right opportunity for a studio to check them out and see what happens. Never stop dreaming
It's a time management and expectations issue. It'll suck at first. During 2020 I wrote a script a month, (5 pages a day 5 days a week, taking weekends off) not all turned out great but my ideas are now on the page and they can be rewritten as needed. I follow Stallone's method understanding it'll turn out as Hemingway said "The fist draft of anything is shit"... In the end, I optioned 3, sold 2.
I’ve been writing screenplays and plays since I was younger . Poetry , stories , songs etc . I haven’t wrote seriously in years tho
I just recently tried asking chat gpt for a basic foundation for an idea I’ve had in my head for a while (a rebels side to the SW short film series bucketheads which if you haven’t seen definitely give it a watch) but at this point I’ve changed almost everything it gave my but the start it gave me was a massive boost and helped me overcome the insecurity of starting from scratch
I finished my first entire script last year and I was so amped when it got edited and everyone who read it was blown away. But I was terrified to re-read it to the point where I would feel like throwing up. Then I finally got the guts to look at it on Google docs and it was gone... the back ups all got corrupted and any email I sent with it was deleted with Google docs. Even the back ups on my hard drive.... I'm trying again but it's so bad between that my house flooding my car being totaled by a young driver , my ferret dying I think this was one of the hardest things. I couldn't even cry or get mad it hurt so bad. I contemplated ending it... still thinking about it 😅.
It's very easy. I'm currently writing four features.
I have my own proses but I needed this
Don't we all!!! I usually start with the ending and then figure out how my characters got there!
Wow that Tshirt took me way back, Ry.
Ok, ok, universe ill start writing.
Since 2011, I've written fourteen screenplays and four tv pilot scripts, and on to the next one.
You had me at shower time.
I asked Kevin Smith told me on Twitter about writing a movie , Whether i structure it like a formatted script or just write it down as a story and he told me this " Just write , any absence gives you pause in creative flow , so just write and WRITE NOW "
Omg this! I love screenwriting format and personally its less intemidating compared to Novel format (due to it being more straightforward with less fluff). Problem is I love film and making short films (even though I haven't been able to make one in years, 31yr life gets in the way) I feel like getting a script turned into an actual film is near impossible, and I dont want my story to rot on a shelf. While publishing a novel on the other hand feels more accessible.
Ugh I'm conflicted. Im planning to do this years NaNoWriMo to get out a story that iv been itching to tell but I cant decide on a format.
@@isukwithnames1811 maybe write the novel and sell the film rights... I dream of writing and selling a script but i think the closest id get is selling a story or movie idea not an actual script..
You fucking got this 🤘🏻
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however implausible, must be the plot.
I've written five and filmed two of them so far.
That's actually helpful, I am in the process of writing but what if after first draft I don't know how to rewrite it. What if I like 90% of that mess?
Dope content bro, working on it now! See you later💯
First! Big fan of you guys 🙌🏿
I has just discovered this channel man and I like what you do❤
Do you collaborate with screenwriters? I'd like to talk to you
Treatments saved me!
Bahahah Thought todays vid sounded familiar, I follow OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAYS too
I’ve written several
I hate revising anything, so my block is not wanting to have to come back later and do it again 😂So I don't do it at all.
The Stephen King quote mentioned in the video is amazing for people who have problems with starting out. It's hard to do the first revisingz but after a while you do it and actually get proud of your work from the day before
@No Budget Short Films see, you gotta be proud of your work, haha.
I want to like this 1,000 times
Huge thanks for your insights.
Man but why this color correction? teeth is white, but eyes (sclera) - blue, looks like an alien from Dune
Thank you…
You're right writing is what matters. How many got made?
writing the scripts... for me.. has NOT been that much of a challenge.. I understand the template of the story arch and the ideology of the character and his or her antagonist.. the REAL hurtle I'VE faced thru the years is VIEWERSHIP... I've won awards from LUCAS FILM and YET... have had a serious hurtle in getting my films to the masses.. once viewed... I've been genuinely received in a positive manner.. but GETTING that viewership is the KEY I've been looking for, for years....
Hey thanks for this cool video. My biggest challenge is not coming up with cool ideas to write about, but what keeps me from writing a film is that I don't understand how script formatting works, and I worry that if I wrote a script but it doesn't line up with a standard script format no one will actually read it. Any advice?
Use screenplay softwares. There are some free out there . For ex, trelby.
Can you please make a movie with cinematic mode iPhone 14 pro?
Jup🤗
Irony, I'm sat here watching this instead of editing the film I'm working on 🤣🤣
Or scripting my next project 😂😂
Yes I can
I always write a script. Well I am trying to. I start each of my script with page 1 and never goes forward with them. This voice is telling me that it won't be good or I am wasting my time. But I know deep down this something I wanted. Any advice?
I empathize with anyone who struggles to write, i am fortunate because if i want to write something i simply have to sit down and force myself to write and within a month i come out with an incredible film, two of them are being considered for production....but i find that being very critical of your work can be helpful as long as you don't let it prevent you from actually writing, the more critical you are of your work, the less holes the audience will see in your script.
tutorial for lockwood and co ghost effect
J,J Abrams is actually kind of right I mean all it takes is committing to writing and it’ll just work itself out
What if I write the whole film as in write the story and plot than develop it into a script like does that make sense ?? It’s harder for me to come up with direct dialogue without building everything first
How do i put my story into acts? Is there some rule to follow or a guideline?