Where are you at and where are you going? Post your game plan edition.
>Useful Resources
learnaboutfilm.com
nofilmschool.com
youtube.com
>Free Screenwriting Software
fountain.io
writerduet.com
celtx.com
trelby.org
>Active Contests
screencraft.org
tblaunchpad.com
Other urls found in this thread:
wordplayer.com
entertainmentcareers.net
youtube.com
imdb.com
dailydot.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
youtube.com
sensesofcinema.com
twitter.com
And Terry Rossio's essays on screenwriting:
wordplayer.com
Right now I'm working on a few different scripts, until I get my writing up to par. I'm also saving about 800-1000 a month towards a budget to self-produce.
I can't decide between the Sony a7s ii or a Canon C100, any opinions?
Who took my film essays blog out of the OP? Not helpful enough?
And when did we get a new name?
>INT. OP'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
OP i find these threads work better during non-american Sup Forums hours. Not sure why. Try posting between 2 AM - 10 AM PST.
Internship on a major indie film ending this week so I can go back to school. Last year of not film school--what can I do to further my career?
This is an old format, from sometime last year. I just have the image saved on it. Sorry if you've posted to your tumblr, I just took the link out because last time I checked it there wasn't much on it.
Make something of your own to show you've got some kind of talent. Once you're trying to make it you've got to get past the proving ground.
But I've already worked on two indie films. I'm not looking to be J.J., just get a job as a PA.
I'm writing a script about a disease that causes people to seek isolation, essentially making loneliness more and more enticing. It becomes a nationwide pandemic and nobody really understands what's happening.
The story focuses on a couple who become infected with the disease. Trying to think of clever ways to show the wide scale effects of this.
>Beginning of the story shows crowded restaurants, bars, city streets as the couple is out to dinner
>Drive home on an empty highway and through a toll booth (the only lit booth in the toll plaza), this is where the man gets infected
>Later on in the script will have those same places of social connection becoming barren and empty (quiet bars, restaurants, sidewalks, etc)
>Meanwhile the highways become filled with lonely drivers trying to find isolation in the comfort of their own car, massive traffic jams, etc
Trying to think of other creative ways to showcase this.
Oh, okay. Then this might help:
entertainmentcareers.net
There's sections for assistants. Other anons have said they've found jobs though it. Good luck.
Anyone here make a zero budget feature film? I wanna make something on my own terms before I go seeking money, how was it for you guys?
Yeah, I made this. Unfortunately the contest was this huge liberal hugbox and it didn't get its just desserts.
Show families not eating meals together, kids on playgrounds not playing with each other. Really hit home with it. Cool idea.
I hadn't even considered kids getting infected, that's really great stuff there. Thank you!
That's an idea not a story.
So we've already established that just writing won't get you anywhere (unless you've got connections) and if you want a shot you have to make something independently right?
Is that why the Screenwriting Generals have been combined with the Filmmaking Generals?
I'm making good progress on my script. I'm just fine tuning it, making sure everything makes sense and shit. It's a coming of age type of tale about antisocial high school seniors. Something Larry Clark might make, except they're not all fucking each other
The story is the couple breaking apart for reasons out of their control, and reasons they don't necessarily understand. Obvious parallels are drawn which I'm sure you can fill in the possible analogous meanings. Basically the core of the story is these two people who love each other finding themselves being pulled apart and neither can explain why.
I want to go about in a sort of darkly comedic way. Sort of a combination of Lanthimos and Carruth.
Nice idea man! Kind of envious I didn't think of it. You should show the disease shifting the entire modern culture. Only have the internet and radio, and keep the chatter to a minimum, have the majority of characters abbreviate more so it feels like an obligation just to speak to anyone. Have living rooms, kitchens empty and make use of attics, basements and bedrooms with excessive clutter.
Good luck user
dude thats shit.
Thanks! I was trying to think of a way to utilize the more "lonely" forms of communication - like radio. I like your idea with the social rooms - living rooms, kitchens, - going empty and soulless, while the places we associate more with isolation going cluttered and more overbearing. That could be a fun idea to play with. I appreciate your insight friend.
Sounds very interesting. 0 budget doesnt mean low quality. I damn expect no less than a masterpiece from anyone. I fact I think having a 0 budget makes the film better since the process has to be better thought out. It may be worth dishing out on some decent actors though.
Not like
Settings were off
actors were shit
cinematography off.
1/10 Thats being generous.
I mean feature films, I've made shorts with classmates but I never worked on a major project before.
that girl is THICCCCC
I worked with some decent actors before, I can get them back if I at least pay them gas money. I'll do my best user
RE Script writing.
How could you ever expect to achieve a natural script if only one person is writing it?
Wouldnt it make more sense to write an outline for the script and have real people write them? Better if its the actors.
What do you think?
They've been combined to improve chances of them getting a discussion going.
Good job getting a script mostly finished. How many pages?
No probs! I love world building so Im glad to help out. I think KEEP OUT signs would make for a humorous touch, have them on the front door of the house and maybe notes saying to just drop messages through the letterbox
93. First draft was 82 but I had rewritten a lot of things and that added to the page count. The next step is sharing it with a few peers. I could use some input from other people.
I also have to learn about filming, directing, and all that shit. My expectations aren't too high, my priority is making something coherent.
I'm also thinking of other stories to outline and write that I could do realistically.
I don't know where you really want to go with this story, but I think some interesting things to explore would be:
> What it's like for someone who is immune to the disease and still seeks out other people.
> If it's discovered and a cure is developed, how people rebuild their relationships (also, there'd probably be crazy parties)
Obviously not saying you have to look at these things, I just think theyd be neat.
wtf I love liberals now
Kind of already been done, imdb.com
Your idea is semi-original and intriguing but your way of exploring that idea through two people in love is generic and overdone. Unless you can write some amazing characters, try to find another angle to explore the loneliness disease.
Those are both great! I suck with a lot of humor so little touches like that could add a nice bit of humanity to the world. I really want to nail a sort of The Lobster esque atmosphere.
I wanna explore sort of this culture that emerges once everyone sort of gets an idea of whats going on. The parties idea is something I wanna get into, maybe these huge ecstasy fueled raves pop up and become a sort of phenomenon as people can finally feel something warming to them again. Not sure where I'd bring it or how it fits in, but there's a place for it.
Huh, thank you for showing me this. I'll have to give it a watch.
I had some other ideas on how to explore it, maybe through the eyes of a person who already enjoys the solitude being exposed to a phenomenon like this. Thank you very much for your input.
Not bad. Ive been outlining a few different plots. I've got a few comedies that I'm relatively certain would sell if I had to skill to write them correctly.
I'm aiming to do a few contest runs to try and get representation.
C100 is better
Sounds like an experimental film. Like something james benning would do if he was doing a horror film. I like it.
I made a 5000$ feature, I didn't like it much, so I haven't finished editing it. There's a lot of footage that I could use for something else tho.
You gotta write and also get yourself in places and situations that will take you closer to what you wanna do. Intern, go to film festivals, submit your screenplays to every contest there is, meet other filmmakers, there's a lot a normal person can do. The best thing would be to make a film.
Good luck. Writing comedy always seemed too intimidating. Just the thought of being funny for 90 or so pages frightens me.
>I just took the link out because last time I checked it there wasn't much on it.
I made the blog just for these threads. I try to post on it everyday, but I don't want to just put a bunch of random video essays up, I need to watch them first.
And "Film Production General" is a great name, but maybe we should make a strawpoll?
/fsg/ vs. /fmg/ + /swg/, the latter may be easier for newcomers to find.
Any movies/articles/videos you'd recommend on the importance of visuals?
I would always say they're not that important, but seeing Kubo & The Two Strings changed my mind a bit.
And where do you guys go to find visual inspiration?
What's your writing process?
I like doing structure first, the more abstract the better. As doing the structure, the characters start to come out.
After I'm happy with the structure, usually variations on the third act structure, I begin to develop the characters. I make them human, and give a setting to whatever events were structured.
Creating characters also defines plot, as I like to define characters by their actions, and that usually amounts to a sort of plot. The final thing is always dialogue and it will keep changing until the film is mixed.
I watch 2-3 films a day, sometimes just parts of films I remember or I'm researching. Painting is also a good source of inspiration. Try looking at the guides the post sometimes here or reading a book about certain kinds of films that interest you and watch all of them. If you really like movies, this will make you immensely happy.
Thanks, man. Comedy has so far been my favorite genre when it comes to writing. I like the planning that comes with the set-ups and situational punchlines.
yay my favourite thread's back
is it me or has this site become significantly worse over the last month? it can't just be summer cause it's not normally this bad... i dunno
but this is why i stick by my policy of not posting my shit here so i'm never associated with this hellhole
I've tried many times to write a comedy. It's the most difficult genre. To me is the test if you're a serious writer, a master of timing and modulation. Any tips on writing comedy?
You'll never make it and you know that. Why act so arrogant among anonymous peers?
Alright. I'll be sure to include it in any future OPs.
I do like the umbrella term 'production' more as well. If you want to create a strawpoll and be democratic about it, that's cool.
I will make it, cause I actually do shit. Will I be famous and acclaimed? No idea, but with the next 15 years I will have made at least one feature with a budget over a million dollars
You've gotta be confident, otherwise why even bother?
But no, this site... every thread is only shitposting... there's no discussion other than yet-another-thinly-veiled Sup Forums thread where they all circlejerk how intelligent they are to know what's 'really' going on
I just post shit I'm not serious about. You've got to have some practice work that you aren't going to ever sell?
>No idea, but with the next 15 years I will have made at least one feature with a budget over a million dollars
If I post anything I've worked on here, it's always a short piece that has no context and I'm very vague about the plot if I'm describing it.
I meant in terms of shorts I've made, i never post links to them
I occasionally post the odd story idea and frequently talk about my films in these threads
Right now I'm waiting to do some reshoots
Maybe Im just depressed
Love the encouragement based on nothing, its great
Though if you saw my films you probably wouldn't react anymore positive so that's fair
Nah, it's cool
Fuck you sjw
Shut up
Fuck off feminazi
Shut the fuck up, you didn't make that video.
I only remember it from the days when I used to browse neofag. Someone posted a link to reddit about it.
I'll post the link
dailydot.com
You're not smart, you're not cool
No offense, user, but are you not from an English speaking country? Did you mean to reply to my post?
Thanks. and I think maybe we should just keep this title.
I only asked in the first place because I like to stay updated.
I'm sorry user. If you were serious about that million dollar film thing, I wish you the best of luck.
Study anything you find funny. You get a feeling of what expectations people have, and how to break them, and that's how you get them to laugh.
Any jokes or humorous situations all draw on a defying of expectation. And however you defy that expectation has to be founded in the set up, otherwise it just doesn't make sense.
There's also a lot of different types of humorous situations (irony, reversal, coincidence, failure/success, pun, etc.), And, in a long work like a feature, it's important to utilize multiple kinds or it gets predictable.
I'm leaving my permanent job to go full time screenwriting with no formal education or experience, just a notebook filled with plot ideas with no interconnection between any of the points.
Will my gf be mad anons?
you suck dude, film is for men.
Are you? You asked about visual inspiration I responded to that question.
Can you give an example of how you craft a joke?
You better have savings. Buy hey, I work part time and I write full time, maybe you should do something similar. You're gonna need funds to do anything with your writing, even if it's just trying to sell it.
No worries
I am but i try and stay realistic
I know I'm shooting for the moon and I know the only thing that can get me there is determination
I have a surprising amount of friends who believe in me, and I'm really grateful for it. But I don't expect anyone to think I'll make it until I prove it to them
Fuck what your girlfriend thinks, you're the master of your own life
But if you don't have any paid gigs lined up, money will be tight for a while
What's your plan or long term strategy?
I can tell you about mine if interested. I produced and directed a feature from a script I wrote, produced another, and I'm about to direct my second.
Oh really? How's that been going for you?
Are you based in the west/anglosphere? What sort of budgets are you getting?
My plan is to make a few more no-budget shorts and then spend 20 grand on a short that I put my all into. With it, I'll shop it around every festival and hopefully win some awards and gain some recognition. From there I figure I'll meet people in the industry who I can get to invest in another short/feature
And if not, from there I can apply for a job at a video production company and work my way up
I'm worried this puts all my eggs in one basket though so I'm considering 2 shorts for 10 grand each instead. If you think my plan is flawed, by all means please tell me! You could be saving me a lot of money
You better be sure that you festival piece is the best damn thing you could ever hope to create. I know a guy that sunk all of his (and some other people's) cash into a feature and submission fees at every festival you could think of. Turns out, it was an ininteresting (decently produced) film that couldn't even gain entrance to the majority of festivals. Now he's most likely trapped himself and is never going to succeed, period.
Putting all your eggs in one basket can be fine, if you're still making eggs and might have another chance in the future, but this guy didn't.
It's hard, a lot of work, results take too long, very disheartening at times. I self-financed by first one with 100,000 usd, the one I produced got a similar budget and this new one is gonna be around 1million. I'm not from the US, but most of the business I make is in LA.
Keep the no-budgets coming, I don't think you need a budget to make something good. If you wanna invest do it on a feature. Also, try to get close to a filmmaker, get to work for them even if it's for free, it can be anybody, you'll learn a lot from there and if you're smart grow your connections. Making shorts unless you're really good won't get you noticed and if you're really good you don't need a big budget.
This is the most sensible thing to do. the monkeys that let go of a branch before they grab a new one are the ones that usually fall.
What could you possibly spend 20 grand on for a short though?
It just seems like you could make an equally valued film without spending more than a few grand.
So please, what are you going to spend it on?
This is my fear completely. I'm probably leaning towards 2 or 3 shorts for 5-10 grand each now
That's really cool. What's the chance I would've seen your film? How did you raise the first hundred grand if you don't mind me asking?
I'm actually visiting my actor friend on-set this week hopefully. He's like properly established. You wouldn't immediately recognise the name, but you'd know things he was in and can google him easily.
The reason why I want to move from no-budget is because so far I've been using my friends who are all college kids who aren't actors. My uni's drama society is a fucking joke. I want to be able pay good actors to give decent performances
So far, I've been limiting the amount of dialogue so their flaws don't show through but my best ideas have dialogue
Mainly actor fees, along with crew, transportation, catering, costumes, props and any missing equipment (lights, lenses, rigs, new camera probably etc)
All the normal shit really
>Can you give an example of how you craft a joke?
It's not the best example, because this is work I'm certain I won't show outside of Sup Forums, but the line about 216 and two-sixteenths shows a bit of what I'm talking about.
A prostitute gets kicked out of an apartment (number 216) and is pissed off at the guy who lives there, so she wants to insult him. Incorporating the apartment number as an insult to his penis size is an example of coincidental humor, where something from a situation is applied in two different ways.
Another user had said the neighbors comment was funny as well, and that would be because it's sudden and no expected, but it's been established that there is a neighbor and that they're hearing the argument.
I don't know how humorous this scene actually is, but you get what I'm saying.
>actor fees
A percentage of the earnings.
>crew
Like 3 people, pay them a percentage of the earnings
>transportation
I assume someone has a car with a big boot, maybe youll need two. gas.
>catering
Buy food.
>costumes
make them yourself or hire someone who knows
how to, or even buy them from where-ever.
You could do a thing where anyone who wants to
keep their costume could if they bought it.
>props
Hopefully you film in relevant settings to your, hence you wont need any props.
If you do they are cheap, per prop, and I dont think youll need to use so many.
>missing equipment (lights, lenses, rigs, new camera probably etc)
Fair enough but only if its necessary and not because "you felt like it"
Youd be good with a manager like me, only I would charge and so defeat the purpose of keeping it cheap. Maybe not. I could keep your budget under 5K.
What do ya think?
It hasn't been released yet, but it played in many film festivals during summer 2015 through early 2016 in San Diego, LA, Denver, Austin, NY and all over the world.
I raised the money lying like a mad man and getting some names involved to impress money people. Having a script actors liked helped and being a pushy motherfucker helped too.
You don't need good actors to make good movies. Use what you have, seriously. Actors suck, they'll eat you if you're not experienced, they're overrated and a pain in the ass. Use more interesting people instead of your friends.
haha, thanks.
you're the worst kind of producer there is
Im actually a very resourceful person, and I would save the dude from potentially losing 20K for something that isnt that great.
He already has so much on his plate, a guy like me would take 70% of the non-film things off his mind.
And its not a producer its a manager.
I appreciate your suggestions, but I can't pay a crew with promise of a percentage of earnings on a short film. Short films don't make money, everyone knows that. And talent needs proper payment
Smooth production tends to significantly help the overall quality
Also, I'd hate to get a rep among actors and crew as a cheapskate, even if producers like it
I'd rather make something decent that was slightly below budget than make shit for way under budget
But I do need a manager/producer eventually. I can't wait for that...
interesting... I'll remember that. And I'll see if I can find more interesting people. I've been surprising good at recruiting random people so far
So your film's getting good reviews I assume? Are you ready for the inevitable shitposts about it on Sup Forums?
>Study anything you find funny.
But that makes it less funny.
>Any jokes or humorous situations all draw on a defying of expectation
That's not true.
What kind of fucking answer was that?
>I appreciate your suggestions, but I can't pay a crew with promise of a percentage of earnings on a short film. Short films don't make money, everyone knows that. And talent needs proper payment
>Smooth production tends to significantly help the overall quality
>Also, I'd hate to get a rep among actors and crew as a cheapskate, even if producers like it
>I'd rather make something decent that was slightly below budget than make shit for way under budget
>But I do need a manager/producer eventually. I can't wait for that...
How much are you going to pay these actors?
Do you have a story in mind?
Where are you based?
>I watch 2-3 films a day, sometimes just parts of films I remember or I'm researching. Painting is also a good source of inspiration. Try looking at the guides the post sometimes here or reading a book about certain kinds of films that interest you and watch all of them. If you really like movies, this will make you immensely happy.
there's a typo, what's the big deal?
A boy falls in love with a girl.
Unable to confess, he is gifted by a deus ex machina with the girl's phone number. Never minding the strange area code, he immediately calls her, and is overjoyed to find out that she has a crush on him as well.
But, the next day, when he recounts the previous day's confessions to the girl, she only looks at him with a perplexed expression. After some investigation, he finds out that the girl he called is not the same girl he fell in love with. In fact, she doesn't exist in this universe at all. She is the girl's alternate universe counterpart, who has fallen in love with the MC's own AU self, who too is blissfully unaware of her crush.
Hijinks ensue as the two strike up a deal to give each other their darkest, most private secrets in order to equip the other with the weapons they need to conquer the heart of their other selves. While the two chase their respective loved ones, DRAMA ensues as they begin to fall in love with each other instead and question the NATURE of LOVE.
OP: youtube.com
ED1: youtube.com
ED2: youtube.com
PV: youtube.com
EP 1: youtube.com
EP 13: youtube.com
So what if it makes it less funny? You already got your laugh out of it. And you know why it makes it less funny? Because you begin to understand that you found it funny because it wasn't something you had thought of, i.e. you didn't expect it.
>How much are you going to pay these actors?
I was thinking around £30/day, up to £100/day for someone moderately famous (ie recognisable to some degree)
>Do you have a story in mind?
I've got around 2 or 3 which I keep switching between
a fast-paced war drama, a criminal thriller, a philosophical drama about death
there are a few others in my head
>Where are you based?
UK
>I raised the money lying like a mad man and getting some names involved to impress money people. Having a script actors liked helped and being a pushy motherfucker helped too.
>Use more interesting people instead of your friends.
No lie Im impressed. Solid advice too about the interesting people.
Dude what a coincidence, Im in the UK too. Lets exchange facebooks.
I'm sorry.
>reading a book about certain kinds of films that interest you and watch all of them
Why would that help? And interest me how? Genre-wise? By director?
>If you really like movies, this will make you immensely happy.
If you do mean genre-wise, why would I watch all of them? And why would it make me happy? Not every movie in a genre is good.
>Try looking at the guides the post sometimes here
What guides are posted here?
Its me again, the manager
£30 a day huh...Well we'd need to talk about that. Im very good with people man you really oughta consider me managing this.
Wow, that sounds pretty decent
Are you Sup Forums's next auteur after Carruth then? I'll definitely make sure to check it out when it comes out. Hopefully one day I'll meet you in person
Congrats, I'm totally jealous
You haven't really sold me on why I need you. I definitely don't need you yet since I won't make this for at least a year cause obligations. But even then, exactly what can you do?
I need a producer more than a manager. I'e got a lot of friends that I can bounce general ideas off. So what would you provide exactly?
Analyzing why you found something funny makes it less funny.
>you didn't expect it.
Stop saying that shit. Comedy doesn't revolve around expectations.
How about you share your knowledge on how comedy works, then? What's funny to you?
Because you expect the writer to be talented. Writing is an entirely separate skillset from acting and expecting an actor to come in and write their own dialogue entirely is unreasonable. Now, you can go the Duplass brothers route and have a script written but allow the actors to improvise and bring it in a different direction or different wording but that's much different than expecting them to write everything themselves.
In the end, the screenwriters job is to write characters and plot, not come up with vague ideas and leave the hard work and small details to others.
I made a 60 minute horror short. Submitted to festivals under strict rules. If they weren't going to follow, I asked them to pass consideration
The rules were
>Nothing in the pamphlets about the film
>No advertisement, anything indicating the film existed besides two signs in the theater auditorium that read "Final screening : ____" with whatever the latest possible time the festival would allow
The film itself has no credits, no opening or closing titles. Nothing to tell the audience what exactly it is. I wanted to recreate a sort of raw and primal horror, recapturing this pre-information age way of watching a horror movie. I felt it would best set up the viewer to be truly frightened by the unknown. There could be no buzz, no talk, nothing.
I submitted to a ton of festivals last year, knowing not many would want an unknown filmmaker getting the final slot. Some festival runners loved the idea so they accepted. It ended up playing at 3 small festivals.
All I got in response was an email from a festival in Media, PA, saying he felt the audience was "truly floored" and kept asking around for more information, which he of course could not give.
It may seem a bit pretentious but I don't think I'll ever resubmit it or upload it anywhere. I think I created something that worked, if only for that once audience. Feels like for those few people, I created something that nobody has really felt in a long time. That makes me proud.
Well I already said Im resourceful, and gawd dang do I mean it.
Im the guy whos gonna save you a lot of money, and probably more importantly sanity.
Im gonna allow you to focus on what you need to focus on, whilst I handle the nitty gritty everything that isnt directly part of the film making process.
I can also help you recruit, as I have done in the past. I know how to find talent, just like that other dude put it, you want "interesting people". Il find you a solid bunch of people.
So to conclude. Time, Money, Talent. Thats what Im offering.
PS. I know its brief, just a summary, but what I offer is invaluable. If anything exchanging contact details with me isnt a yes, but being connected like this is useful anyway. Networking y'know. Im planning to produce some of my own works soon.
Yeah okay. Good point. I would definately get actors to interject into their dialogues though. I sincerely believe that it would add a quality of realism into the whole thing. Bonus if you have method actors.
I don't have it all figured out yet, but I know you're wrong.
Comedy revolves more around exaggeration than reaction.
And no, it's not the same thing.
you could make others feel that same way if you let us see it, faggot. otherwise when you die, whats the fucking point? leaving nothing behind.
Please can I see it?
Fuck, your stupid cryptic marketing has already sold me
I hate you and really want to see it
I'm going to bed now. But if you're in the next /fmg/ I might talk to you again