Filmmaker's Map
I am starting a series of posts to discuss the processes involved for making a film. There isn’t a formula for successfully making a film but there is a sort of map which is like many streets all leading to the same location. Some of the streets lead to dead ends, some are dirt roads, and others may even lead you back to where you started. You can also think of the length of the film being the distance you must travel. So for a short film the distance is shorter and a feature length film is on the other end of the map. As long as you know the general direction and keep driving, or thumb rides, you will get there.
1. SCREENWRITING & DEVELOPMENT
2. PRE-PRODUCTION
3. PRODUCTION
4. POST-PRODUCTION
5. PROMOTION & EXHIBITION
SCREENWRITING isn’t easy especially with a blank page in front of you. The hardest part about screenwriting is that dreaded blank first page. The way I see it is if you just tell yourself you are going to write just five pages today and forget about the rest it is easier to start. When you consistently think about the screenplay as a whole in front of you it discourages and distracts you from the one page you are on. Your biggest enemy when writing is yourself so you have to trick your mind.
It is also a good idea to throw all format and editing out of the window until the script is finished. It doesn’t matter if you have a million typos going through the screenplay the first time because when you are done you are going to go back and repair everything. All you have to care about is jotting down the story as it flows from your heart. You will use your brain to do the re-write later.
There are so many different ways for people to write a screenplay that it can be a distraction trying to learn them all. If there is one rule I would say is the best thing to follow is to have a map of where you are going in front of you. An outline or even just a couple of sentences that describe what the story is about will always help. You have to know the story you are going to tell because nobody else can tell you. So I write down my story in one or two sentences that describe who, what, and why. Most important thing for me is to know where it is all going so I have to know my ending before I begin. It doesn’t mean the ending will be the same in the end but I have to start somewhere.
There are several little tricks I discovered along the way that make screenwriting easier for me. One little trick I found is to make a poster with the title and log line. This helps to visualize the film and what audience it might appeal to. It may even spark a new idea. I also learned to appreciate movie posters this way and just how clever they can be.
Another important tool for me is index cards. Index cards are now a part of my process in development, pre-production, and production. I’m one of the people that write out scenes on index cards. I then pin them to the wall and can move them all around. I also draw storyboards on them and pin them up with the others. When shooting I like to have descriptions of the shots on index cards in my pocket. So index cards have proven to be more effective than digital solutions for me.
After I have completed my first draft it is good to set it aside for a couple of days and forget about it. This helps me to get a fresh look at the script and not burn out after that first triumph. The ability to look at the script from outside of yourself isn’t possible but you can see things more clearly by forgetting about it for a while then coming back to it later.
I could probably go on for days about all I have learned about screenwriting but it is probably best to leave those for other posts so now I will just list some of the helpful tools I have found along the way.
Books
1. THE SCREENWRITER’S BIBLE – by David Trotter – This has to be one of the best books ever made on the subject that I have found. Everything you need is probably in this book and there are some excellent references in the book.
2. HOW TO WRITE A MOVIE IN 21 DAYS – by Viki King – This is an excellent little book to keep you on track and focused.
3. THE SCREENWRITER’S WORKBOOK – by Syd Field – What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this book? Not much but that it was the first book I got in film school and I still use it to this day. If you want to know structure you get this one.
Software
1. Final Draft – I haven’t used anything else but this has always been easy and great to use. There is a popular FREE program called Celtix that I hear good things about too. They are just tools to keep your format correct which makes it much easier to concentrate on the writing instead of the format.
2. Stickies – Mac – Okay I know not everybody has a Mac but for those that do this is such an awesome little app to have for screenwriting. When I am writing I have these things all around my screenplay. Anytime I come up with a great idea I make a new sticky and jot it down quickly. You can color them, make them float, and you never have to worry about saving because it is always saved as soon as you jot it down. Priceless if you ask me, and free with the Mac OS. Gotta love it.
3. NovaMind – Novamind is a mind mapping software that I have found is an excellent tool when brainstorming your ideas. You can throw up pictures, drawings, all kinds of media next to your branches. It helps links ideas together to a central source and, well there is a lot of info out there to understand it. It’s not something easy to explain. I didn’t understand it until I actually started to use it. There is other mind mapping software too that I am sure is just as good.
I have these 3 pieces of software open when I am writing which turns my system into some almost spongy organic kind of work station. Also a good app I use along with this is a widget on my macbook pro called Dictionary. Whenever I need to look up a word I just move my cursor to the top right corner of my screen and it opens it up. It is linked to dictionary.com and thesaurus.com – very nifty and time saving.
Other
One of the most valuable tools I have ever found online is podcasts. If you are not aware of Pilar Alessandra and her podcast “On The Page” you need to stop what you are doing right now and go here – www.onthepage.tv and take a listen. It’s amazing and one of the many filmmaking related podcasts I listen to every week.
Youtube has many useful videos on screenwriting. I don’t have any links to share right now but there are a lot out there so happy hunting.
And last but not least… somafm.com / pandora.com – I NEED to listen to ambient music when I write because it is just one of my rituals. Everybody is different but I am surprised at how many people are not aware of these sites so I thought I would share.
So that is my writing process in simple form. I use it for writing anything I do from shorts, to feature length, down to this first blog post I have ever written. There is a LOT of things I have not covered but it is more of a starting point. Hope this helps somebody. I have spent countless hours searching and researching for this information throughout the yeas so I hope it saves somebody time and gives them ideas. Good luck on your future films and next post will be about PRE-PRODUCTION.
