Reddit reviews How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method
We found 7 Reddit comments about How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
William Morrow Company
It was an off-hand comment in another thread, but this thread seems to be a bit more dedicated to it
It's by no means my favorite or most helpful book, but having someone tell me to write a specific page count helped me get it out in 7 days. I'd just stay after work and not leave until I hit the page count. So in that sense, it made the difference between having nothing and something. I'd rather have a ROUGH draft than an idea teasing me for another 10+ years.
Here's a link to the book on Amazon
Try it and find out.
It doesn't MATTER what model you use. None of them magically make your script great.
Here are some others you can think about. Experiment and find out what feels most comfortable for you and seems to work best with the story you're trying to tell.
Three Acts
A really old (but still useful) model of story-telling structure involves three acts:
Occasionally, like with Job in the Bible, shit just happens to a character. But it’s usually much more interesting when a character actively tries to solve a problem or achieve some goal.
Probably the most famous explainer of the three-act structure for screenwriting is Syd Field in Screenplay.
A similar model is in How to Write a Movie in 21 Days by Viki King.
Hero’s Journey
Another really old (but still useful) model of structure involves a “hero’s journey.”
Joseph Campbell is often associated with this model, but it’s as old as story-telling.
Basically, the hero’s journey
>involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed.
This model was applied to screenwriting in The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.
It’s all about theme
Craig Mazin (HBO’s Chernobyl and the Scriptnotes podcast) says structure is all about theme.
He says it’s about asking what your character believes at the beginning, and what you want that character to believe at the end.
The structure of a script thus arises out of the character confronting, and wrestling with, that thematic question.
He talks about it here.
The Unified Theory of Screenwriting
In this interview, I talked with Ashley Miller (Thor, X-Men First Class). Here’s what he had to say about structure:
>I’m not a fan of anything that smacks of formula—“If you do this, your screenplay will work.”
I don’t care if you’re talking about Christopher Vogler, or if you’re talking about Robert McKee, or if you’re talking about Blake Snyder. I don’t believe that’s how the creation process works.
What they’ve each identified is an analytical tool. They’ve identified a way of looking at a product in retrospect and telling you what the parts are.
In other words, many structure models are autopsies – but they’re not recipes.
Miller combined a bunch of different structure models into a chart that he could apply to his own work – as a diagnostic tool AFTER he wrote one or more drafts.
>I’m not saying, “This isn’t working because it fails to meet any of these standards.”
What I’m asking is, “Am I getting an insight about what’s making me feel this bump in the story?
What’s making me hear and smell the gears grinding?”
You can see the chart at the interview link above.
There are definitely guidelines. Some are strict, but many of them can be bent.
Your script says "awesome as fuck". I don't know what that means. I need you to explain it. What makes it awesome? That's how you have to spell things out in a script.
But great work on hammering out a screenplay! If you're interested, here are some good books on screenwriting:
The line you mention from Django is really good. We see that it is a stereotypical western town. We all know exactly what that looks like because we gave seen those millions of towns in westerns before. For your line, we all have different interpretations as to what "awesome as fuck" is.
Did you use Celtx? If not, try it. Great free screenwriting software.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Movie-21-Days/dp/0062730665
This is everything you’ll ever need. I recommend it to everyone who is trying to write a script. It’s a solid place to start without a lot of extra filler mucking it up.
I often see questions like “How do I become a screenwriter?” or "How can I write a screenplay?"
So here’s an answer you can read in five minutes or less.
Read at least two screenwriting “how-to” books
For example, you could try:
I think it’s a good idea to read more than one book because you don’t want to get the idea that there’s only one right way to write a screenplay. Different authors have different approaches that you may find more or less useful.
TAKE NOTES ON WHAT YOU LEARN.
Read at least five professional scripts
You can often find them by googling the name of the movie along with “PDF.”
You can also try Simply Scripts and The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb).
Your reading list should include scripts for movies that have been made in the past five years, so you can see what styles are current.
TAKE NOTES ON WHAT YOU LEARN.
One thing you should notice is that professional scripts have certain things in common. For example, they almost all have sluglines that look something like this:
EXT. RAIN FOREST – DAY
Some writers put sluglines in bold (which is a current fashion), and some don’t.
You should also notice that other things are different. For example, some writers use CAPS for objects and sounds a lot more than other writers do. Some writers write long, detailed descriptions of locations; others don’t.
One reason for this exercise is to get a sense of what a professional script looks like – what’s “standard,” and what’s more a matter of individual taste/style.
Another reason to read a lot of scripts (especially award-winning ones) is to get a feel for what “good” looks like.
Think about how these pro scripts follow (or not) the “rules” in the books you’ve read.
Follow along in the script as you’re watching the movie
Notice how words on a page translate into sights and sounds on the screen.
Notice how much detail is written out by the screenwriter, and how much is left to others (like the costume designer, set designer, or fight choreographer).
Come up with a screenplay idea/story
A good source for help with developing commercial story ideas is Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds.
Or read this blog: https://lauridonahue.com/fantastic-ideas-and-where-to-find-them-stps-5/
It can be helpful to put your idea into logline form. One basic model for loglines is:
>[Type of person or group] must [do or overcome something] in order to [achieve some goal].
You can also add details about where and when the story takes place, if relevant.
For example:
>A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a restless farm-boy must rescue a princess and learn to use his supernatural powers in order to defeat an evil empire.
Create a beat-sheet
A beat-sheet is a short (1-2 page) outline of what happens in your script.
For example, you can use the famous/infamous Blake Snyder “Save the Cat” Beat Sheet.
The books you’ve read may have other models for this.
Some people don’t like outlining. They just like to jump right into the story and start writing. How you work is up to you. But you may find that having an outline will let you know if you’ve got enough story (or too much), keep you on track, and save you from wasting time.
Write a treatment or a scriptment
A treatment or scriptment is a longer kind of outline.
Again, you may prefer just to dive in. It’s up to you.
Try to write a screenplay
It’s a good idea to get script formatting software, like Celtx or Highland or Final Draft. If you try to write a script in Word or another standard word processing program, you may drive yourself nuts dealing with format issues, and the end result may not look professional.
Or, just can write your first draft in a notebook, and do your second draft using formatting software. (I decided I wasn’t going to spend money on Final Draft until I proved to myself I could finish a first draft by hand.)
If you finish, congratulations. You’re now a screenwriter. Most wannabes never make it to that point.
However, your script probably isn’t very good. Most first scripts are awful.
What if you want to be a GOOD screenwriter?
Then you’ve got a lot more work ahead of you.
Put the script aside
Don’t work on it for at least a week. You want to be able to see it with fresh eyes.
Don’t show it to anyone yet, however much you want people to tell you how awesome it is.
This would be a good time to start working on your next script.
Rewrite
Look back at your notes from the screenwriting books and scripts you read. Think about what makes a script good.
Compare your script to the professional scripts, in terms of format, structure, dialogue, pacing, description, action, etc.
Re-read the chapters on revisions in the books you read.
Read a book like Making a Good Script Great and apply what it suggests.
Rewrite again and again and again until your script is as good as you think you can make it.
Get feedback
Do NOT get feedback on your first draft. Get feedback on your BEST draft.
So where do you get feedback?
Whatever you do, don’t be a douche about the feedback you get. Accept it with THANKS and graciously, even if you think the reader is an idiot for failing to recognize your genius.
And before you ask anyone for free feedback, read this – and don’t be that guy.
Rewrite again and again and again
Again, in between rewrites and while you’re waiting for feedback, put your script aside and work on more scripts.
You could experiment with different formats (feature, TV, short, webisode, etc.), genres, and styles. Discover where your strengths and interests lie.
Get more feedback; revise; repeat
Repeat as needed until people who know what they’re talking about (not your buddies, not your mom) say it’s good, and/or you start placing in contests like the Nicholl and Austin and/or getting 8s and up on The Black List.
Keep in mind that it may take years, and many drafts of many scripts, before you get to this point… if you ever do. (Most people don’t.)
If you do make it that far – congratulations again! You’re now a pretty good screenwriter.
(If you like this, please subscribe to my blog: https://lauridonahue.com/how-to-become-a-screenwriter-in-five-minutes-or-less-stps-4/)
Edit: this isn't mine it's Seshat_the_Scribe but it should help
if you want a professional advice, there is a book, Read this in few hours and start writing.
I'll definitely echo that you want to exercise and get out a little.
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"Save the Cat" is a tremendous book if you're looking to write a screenplay.
https://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Book-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VASGY1QBT0JYX60M3PX0
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You may also want to try "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days". I haven't read the later but a few friends who have and said it was phenomenal.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Movie-21-Days/dp/0062730665
Cheers and enjoy your writing.
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