Most times when people watch movies, they do not direct a lot of attention into getting information on who wrote the movie. The business of screenwriting is as old as human the Hollywood movie industry because, for every movie production, there is a script behind it. Screenwriters are essential to the movie industry. Without them, there would be no producers, actors, costume managers, agents, etc.
Although becoming a Screenplay writer requires talent, many still undertake writing classes, take on a class project, etc. Education in Australia gives the student the privilege to check essayontime.com.au look at this site especially for more help with an essay assignment. You can study in Australia for college degrees to become a professional writer, attend seminars or conferences to improve their writing skill.
What makes a good screenwriter:
A screenwriter is expected to possess the following qualities: the ability to work under pressure and deadline, creative ability to write, self-motivation, ability to follow one’s instinct and evoke emotions. There are multitudes of persons in Hollywood who refer to themselves as screenwriters but are not patient to take out time to learn what it entails to be a screenwriter. This high number as created stiff competitions and problems for producers in selecting the best story for production.
An author who has published a book can have his book adapted as a screenplay although with changes to accommodate the movie industry. While there have been successful screenwriters, who began writing their careers as authors. Such authors cum screenwriters include: George R.R. Martin ( the ‘Game of Thrones’ creator), Mario Puzo (he wrote the script adaptation for his book ‘The Godfather’ and ‘A time to die’), Micheal Crichton (‘The Great Train Robbery’), Gillian Flynn(wrote an adaptation for her book “Gone Girl’) and J.K. Rowling( who wrote an adaptation of her book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them”).
There are no hard and fast rules for creating screenwriting books. The following guidelines have been gathered on how to write a screenplay and how to become a screenwriter:
- Having a story to tell Screenwriting is all about storytelling.
Every scriptwriter must have a good and unique story he wants to share with the world. The plot for a script always stems from the imagination of the writer. A writer is expected to tap into his imaginative mind, produce a quality plot that is captivating and evoke emotions from the audience. Having such plots is all about stories people would not forget for a long time like the Great Gatsby
2. By consistently writing
The love for storytelling is not enough to write a commercial success screenplay. In English parlance, it is said that Constant practice makes perfection. A talented screenwriter tries to write daily to stretch his imaginative mind and to improve his writing skills. Like Brian Koppelman, the screenwriter of the movies ‘Billions’ and ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ said: “Of the many supposed rules of writing, the only one that’s legit is ‘write every day”.
3. By having an outline
Every great screenplay starts with an idea or thought. This idea or thoughts form building blocks upon which the whole story is built. An outline entails having structures. The structures must be chronological and coherent. This implies that the screenplay must have a sequence.
An outline is like a roadmap serving as a guide for writing. They help in planning a story. An outline helps prevent writer’s block because the important details of the screenplay are already jotted. A talented screenwriter that makes use of an outline is American Screenwriter Tony Gilroy who wrote the script for ‘Bourne Identity’ “I have to work from an outline. Every time I have not worked from an outline, I have been completely burned.’’
4. Characters
Characters are the life of a script. They give breath to the plot or storyline. Talented scriptwriters have always been able to make their characters relatable to them. They are given human emotions, they are sometimes made to be larger than life depending on the plot, they are made to have personalities.
Talented scriptwriters always have a star in mind when creating their characters. Although this is not a guarantee they would act the movie, it helps the scriptwriter have a picture in his head. Scriptwriters also draw inspiration majorly from people around them whether family or friends, in their workplace, people they have met in their past or from their imagination.
Greta Gerwig the scriptwriter of the movies ‘Frances Ha’ and ‘Lady Bird’ while speaking on characters opined thus ‘’let your characters talk to each other and do things. Spend time with them- they will tell you who they are and what they are up to.”
5. Discipline
Screenwriting requires discipline. The discipline to not give up on days when you have writer’s block, the discipline to follow your instinct about a particular idea and not waiver, the discipline to finish writing the screenplay and not give up in spite of commitments and distractions.
Joss Whedon writer of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’, ‘The Avengers’ while giving advice on discipline commented thus: “Finish it… finishing a screenplay is first of all truly difficult, and secondly really liberating. Even if it is not perfect, even if you know you are going to go back to it, type to the end. You have to have a little closure.’’
6. Your audience
Every talented screenwriter must always put into consideration his class of audience whether children, young adults, lesbians or gays, adults. This will determine your choice of words, characters, the plot of the movie and setting. Do not forget to leave your audience hungry and salivating for more action.
Keep them in meaningful suspense; allow them to engage their imaginative mind. On days when you are in doubt, or you have writer’s block, put yourself in the shoes of your audience and ask yourself “what do I expect to see after this scene? Or how do I want this movie to end?” As Don Roff screenwriter of ‘The House of Malik’ suggested, “Always mystify, torture, mislead and surprise the audience as much as possible.”
Screenwriting like other forms of writing requires commitment, patience, constant practice, and talent in order to achieve commercial recognition and success. Writing a story for people to read and writing a screenplay are two different things entirely. The difference lies in the excess descriptive details of a story, long dialogues and number of characters in a published novel.
