As many of you know, it all starts with the story. Without it you don't have a film. Well, here is a great opportunity for you to have a crack at writing. There has been mention that taking your time breeds quality and filters out the trash. That I do agree with, but one method I have for writing is to plow through the first draft, get it on paper. Do it as fast as you can so you are no longer thinking about it and you actually have it done, once that is done go back and start the rewriting process.
So what is the opportunity you ask? Script Writing Month with Script Frenzy - http://www.scriptfrenzy.org.
Starts in April, roughly 40 days away. I am going to have a crack at it as well as am attempting to write another screenplay by June. We'll see what happens.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Write What You Know
The saying has been told to me to write what you know. Well, after watching yet another western a thought came to me to make another western, maybe try making a number of low budget westerns almost in homage to the westerns of the 50s. The films of the 50s that were always the independents were typically westerns because they could go outside of Hollywood, rent some horses and shoot for a about a week and have a film. It was fast cheap and easy. Who's to say that it still can't be that way. Enough about genre rants, the purpose of this installment is not to defend a genre but instead to encourage you to write what you know.
Some people find it a shock when I tell them that I grew up watching The Lone Ranger, Roy Rodgers, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Rawhide, Bonanza and even Sky King, especially considering I grew up in the 80s and these TV shows were first created during the Silver Screen era, the 1950s. Westerns were my passion then, always wanting to be cowboy when I grew up. My first attempt at writing a story was a brutal western, I was about 12 then now I'm 25 and have my first feature length film under my belt that falls under the genre of western.
I am for some reason drawn to the genre, I know the genre, I know the elements that make the genre unique, I know the history, I've visited a number of actual ghost towns, the list goes on. I feel comfortable in the genre because I have surrounded my self with it since I was around 3, maybe even earlier.
The danger of writing what you know is getting stuck in a routine that repeats itself. You need to know the elements of a genre to force you to push the boundaries to come up with something new and interesting. As a writer, artist, filmmaker, actor, you use your knowledge to know how to make something better. Writing what you know is not just a genre saying, it is a reference to almost anything. It specifically applies to the core of the story. In my case I wouldn't write a story along the lines of Brokeback Mountain because the elements of that film have absolutely no interest to me. Nor would I write a Hallmark or Lifetime movie type of a film, unless I was able to bring some element into that I related to.
When you write what you know you are able to incorporate your personal experience into the piece of work, making the relateable aspect of it that much more powerful. Whether your work is comedy, action, drama, horror, thriller, romance, I don't recommend throwing something into the story just because it is an element that is always used or it sounded cool, or everyone told you it should be in the story. Use what you know, write what you are familiar with, jokes that make you laugh, dramatic moments that make you cry, emotions that give you butterflies, situations that keep you on the edge of your seat. Write what you know and though it might not touch everybody, it will be true to yourself, to your art and won't be contrived or come off unbelievable.
For me, drama, quirky humor, thrillers and most of all westerns. It's what I know, it's what I love and though some people may not think so, it is what I do best.
Write what you know.
Some people find it a shock when I tell them that I grew up watching The Lone Ranger, Roy Rodgers, Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Rawhide, Bonanza and even Sky King, especially considering I grew up in the 80s and these TV shows were first created during the Silver Screen era, the 1950s. Westerns were my passion then, always wanting to be cowboy when I grew up. My first attempt at writing a story was a brutal western, I was about 12 then now I'm 25 and have my first feature length film under my belt that falls under the genre of western.
I am for some reason drawn to the genre, I know the genre, I know the elements that make the genre unique, I know the history, I've visited a number of actual ghost towns, the list goes on. I feel comfortable in the genre because I have surrounded my self with it since I was around 3, maybe even earlier.
The danger of writing what you know is getting stuck in a routine that repeats itself. You need to know the elements of a genre to force you to push the boundaries to come up with something new and interesting. As a writer, artist, filmmaker, actor, you use your knowledge to know how to make something better. Writing what you know is not just a genre saying, it is a reference to almost anything. It specifically applies to the core of the story. In my case I wouldn't write a story along the lines of Brokeback Mountain because the elements of that film have absolutely no interest to me. Nor would I write a Hallmark or Lifetime movie type of a film, unless I was able to bring some element into that I related to.
When you write what you know you are able to incorporate your personal experience into the piece of work, making the relateable aspect of it that much more powerful. Whether your work is comedy, action, drama, horror, thriller, romance, I don't recommend throwing something into the story just because it is an element that is always used or it sounded cool, or everyone told you it should be in the story. Use what you know, write what you are familiar with, jokes that make you laugh, dramatic moments that make you cry, emotions that give you butterflies, situations that keep you on the edge of your seat. Write what you know and though it might not touch everybody, it will be true to yourself, to your art and won't be contrived or come off unbelievable.
For me, drama, quirky humor, thrillers and most of all westerns. It's what I know, it's what I love and though some people may not think so, it is what I do best.
Write what you know.
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