ScreenPlay Puns

After another dark comedy/crime film Fargo, the Coen brothers wrote an amazing and eccentric comedy story. This is probably the weirdest, yet one of the funniest films I've ever seen.

A couple of things I loved about this film and the screenplay were:-

1. Even though Walter and The Dude fuck things up, they're best friends and will always be there for each other.
2. Just absolutely love Steve Buscemi's role as Donnie. He's just there in the trio trying to know what's going on.
3. There are so many moving parts in the movie, but the Coen brothers ended up giving a comedic touch to every part.
4. I love the character of The Dude. Things just never seem to go his way and his reaction is just "Oh man."
5. Love the fact that the Coen brothers wrote an elaborate, comic screenplay just because The Dude's last name is the same as another millionare.

They've absolutely nailed this film, and I feel this is their best movie (even better than No Country for Old Men imo).

Edit: Fun fact - So Coen brothers included "Shut the fuck up Donnie" repeatedly in their screenplay because Steve Buscemi's character in Fargo is always talking.

I(20f) am an English major with a concentration in creative writing. My college has a small English department and we have even fewer writers so we all know each other pretty well and circuit the same crowd.

Last night, I was out at a small party, and most of the other writing concentrations were there too. We all ended up pretty much congregating around each other. We are mostly all women so it's nice to feel a bit safer too.

We were having some light-hearted conversations about writing, and at some point a guy we didn't know pushed himself into the conversation. What attracted him was that we were discussing films, specifically screenwriting. The guy introduced himself as a film major, but then another guy, who seemed to be the first guys friend, laughed and said that the first guy was actually a computer science major, so honestly I'm not sure who was telling the truth even now.

Anyway, we were talking about the regular film stuff I guess: Oscar winners, niche classics, cult classics, etc.. and the first guy was talking a lot about every film that was brought up and basically shitting on them by pointing out flaws he thought they had. This wasn't inherently bad, but he would put down female-centered films the most and by like 45 minutes the rest of us were all feeling very awkward. He would say things like "Jesus Christ do you SERIOUSLY like that one?" Or "No that one is so overrated." "The writing is horrible."

It had somehow become "light-hearted" to weird because the guy was acting like we were trying to "outsmart" him with our questions, but really we were just drunk.

There wasn't a single movie we brought up that he considered "good" by an academic standpoint, and we tried the whole roster pretty much. Someone eventually asked him what was the best screenplay ever written, in his opinion, and the guy says without missing a beat "Captain America."

When he said this I laughed, because I honestly thought he was joking, but he wasn't. He stayed dead serious and that just made me laugh even harder, and my other friends also joined in because it honestly just seemed so crazy. I thought he was genuinely messing with us, but he actually got very pissed and walked away. His friend that was with us called us "b*itches" and left too. It was a strange interaction.

Edit: also, I love marvel.

so many of you could benefit from like . . . a simple google search. I promise, screenwriting is not as technically difficult as you think it is. you don't need a film crew to write a movie. you need a film crew to MAKE a movie, but that's years away, anyway. and if you're envisioning your story as a film, but you're writing it as a book, you're honestly just. wasting time. screenwriting goes much, much faster than novel writing. every page equals a minute. so if you're writing an episode of television, that's around forty pages of dialogue and action. you don't have to worry so much about the artistry of the writing. you don't have to go into detail about your character's thoughts. you just write what's happening.

the first time I tried screenwriting, it was genuinely EXHILARATING how fast it went. which isn't to say it's easy! it's not, by any means. there's a deceptive simplicity to it. you need to understand symbolism, how to use visuals to express deeper meaning. you need to understand people. you need to know how to condense a story to the most important, necessary plot points. among other things. but it can be learned! plenty of screenplays are available online. there's information on script formatting and plot structure. you'll also just learn by watching.

I'm speaking as someone who loves books, film, and television. much of my prose has actually been inspired by my favorite shows, and my prose has also influenced the way I write scripts. books take longer to write. end of story. how do you think television even works? they take about a week to write an episode (while collaborating with other writers), vs. authors taking years to finish a book. hence why game of thrones ended before the book series was finished. and it's very hard to be successful in both forms of writing, so you might as well just go for the medium you actually . . . enjoy? and appreciate? like if you don't read books, why would you do this to yourself. it's not easy. there is a difference between writing a school essay and writing a novel. and if you can't even be bothered to read a book, why would you expect someone to not only read yours, but publish it, and adapt it to film? for that matter, if you're not reading books, yours is unlikely to reach a quality that would warrant a film adaptation.

it's just . . . none of this makes any sense. I don't understand you people. if you want to write a movie, write a movie!!!

(also please pour one out for those of us who want to wri

What's an interesting idea for a script that you never executed for some reason?

It was damn good.

Story time...

Back when I was a film student at BYU I approached Brandon, and with the audacity of a young nobody, asked him about using a scene from Mistborn in a short film. Brandon very politely let me down and educated me about how film rights for books work, but then to my complete surprise he sent a bunch of his unpublished manuscripts my way and offered to let me bid on one of them instead.

And that was when I first read, The Emperor's Soul.

While I loved all of the stories that Brandon shared, TES stood out as my immediate favorite. I loved it's magic system, and the story's themes about art resonated deeply with me (aren't all film adaptations just another form of forgery?). So I started working on putting together a team to prepare a pitch campaign to raise the money needed to option the rights.

Since I was a nobody, my idea was to follow Peter Jackson's approach when he pitched The Lord of the Rings. Basically to put together a pitch package so visually and emotionally compelling that it would get noticed even if the idea was bat-shit crazy. I was no longer in this to make a short film, I was going to help this get made into a movie.

I brought in concept artists, cinematographers, and even got a producer from DreamWorks who had read the book and wanted to support the project. And, to bring this back to the purpose of this post, I prepared a 2 hour screenplay adaptation of the story.

It was one of the most fun and stressful project I'd ever worked on, and it's still one I reminisce about. However the truth was that I was still an amateur with big dreams and not enough experience, and so the project began to unravel. About 9 months passed as I tried to balance student life and production work, and during that time TES won Brandon a Hugo and started getting noticed. The death knell finally came when I was informed that the rights to the Cosmere had been bought up, and that TES was no longer available to option. Project TES was dead.

So why am I sharing this?

This past year I decided to dig up the old TES screenplay and give it a read. It was... pretty bad. So I decided to give it a heavy rework, and I think it turned out pretty good. In fact the script review site Black List seemed to think it turned out pretty good too, as they gave it a score of 8/10 there.

But the truth is, Project TES is no longer mine to play with. I'm still pretty much a nobody and Brandon is now very much a somebody, which is great because it means that the Cosmere

###Hello /r/horror and welcome to the Horror Short Screenplay Epigraph Challenge!
Our sub /r/screenplaychallenge is a home for aspiring and seasoned horror writers alike looking to create screenplays and receive feedback from fellow passionate authors. We just finished our 5th Annual Contest last Halloween and have decided to jump right into our next short screenplay contest - the Epigraph Challenge - where writers will be assigned iconic quotes to open or close their short screenplays with.
Each writer that enters the contest will be given a quote or line (ex. "The report of my death was an exaggeration.") and a horror genre (zombie, psychological horror, Lovecraftian, etc) by their fellow /r/horror users.
GROUND RULES:

• The quote can be spoken by a character, appear as superimposed text, or written down - just so long as it opens or closes the screenplay.
• Your epigraph should be a "paragraph" at most but one sentence is the recommended length.
• The epigraph can be a famous quote from fiction or real life or something you have come up with yourself. You are not allowed to include movie quotes unless the movie is in the public domain.
• Please keep in mind that we want genres to complement the quotes, but if someone is assigned a Lovecraft quote and their genre is "Lovecraftian horror"... where is the challenge?
• Your script must be between 15-45 pages for us to accept it. Anything above or below that length will be denied.
• You cannot write for characters you do not own the rights for. For example, if you submit a script featuring Michael Myers as a character - it will be denied.

The contest will begin December 3rd with weekly progress threads every Friday and scripts due on January 7th. That’s five weeks in total to produce a short screenplay that is 15-45 pages in length.
THE PRIZE
Our prize will be announced halfway into the contest. Our last prize was script coverage from a professional screenwriter and in the past, we have given out commissioned artwork and Shudder subscriptions among many other prizes.
TO ENTER THE CONTEST

I just started listening to the audiobook Eye of the World again and I am so mad. I know it's new years but I have literally been trying to sleep (new Dad here, gotta sleep whenever I can) and I can't because the show was just so terrible. As someone with a passion for filmmaking, I have decided to write my own screenplay for the books and maybe I'll even produce a fan film for it. Or rather, several fan films. This is still a half-baked idea as I haven't written the screenplay yet, but basically the idea would be to try and write 8 episodes at about 45 minutes each (just like the show) and make it better than the show. I have no way to fund this project so the production value would be questionable, but if I can get the support from this sub then maybe I could make it happen. I will post updates on the screenplays and ask for critiques/advice as I do this.

Edit: Like I said my goal would be to mimic Amazon's format with 8 episodes running about 45 minutes each, which means I will still have to cut things out. I would love some suggestions on what to include and what to cut out, as well as your justifications for how it helps the story to include or how it doesn't affect the story to keep out. Thanks everyone!

I know this isn't going to mean much to most of you, but i'm just so happy right now and just need to share it with someone. I just finished my first feature length screenplay for this movie that's been in my head for like two years now. Last year, more specifically the fall was the hardest time of my life. I started to experience extreme anxiety and panic attack and as a result severe depression. I started writing in the movie in October as a way to get myself out of bed. My therapist and psychiatrist both recommended I take a medical leave from school so I dropped out of College in late September. I really didn't ever think i'd finish this thing, let alone even be alive right now, not to be too morbid. But I'm just so happy I finally fucking did it. P.S. To all those suffering from depression and anxiety who think it's not going to get better and you're stuck feeling how you feel right now forever, just know it gets better.

Will producers appreciate it?

I am new to this(I'm 14 and with months of dreaming, finally started actually writing)so I am sorry if it is a dumb question.

a friend and i have been working on a screenplay for a short film and, while it might not seem like a big deal to some people, we just finished it up and it was so rewarding! that’s all

Some light reading material for the next few days...

Here are some screenplays that are FYC in several categories this awards season. I've read them all ... curious what your thoughts are on any of these.

I think Sorkin's "Being the Ricardos" (Amazon) and Branagh's "Belfast" (Focus Features) are front runners (IMAO) in the original screenplay category(ies).

I kinda like that "Being the Ricardos" basically takes place around a table read from "I Love Lucy." And "Belfast" is a lot like Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" (in that it's pretty much a biopic of the director/writer).

Being the Ricardos

Belfast

The Tender Bar

tick, tick...BOOM!

The Boss Baby: Family Business

Stillwater (includes some untranslated French dialogue)

Spencer

Spirit Untamed

https://twitter.com/X8WcrhYHMiC6wzX/status/1471495274887802881

This guy claims that Masahiko blocked him on twitter after he pointed out several contradictions in Code Fairy:

• Black Rider couldn't have a fully functional >!optical camouflage!< and be able to boost around like it does in the game with OYW levels of tech.
• The area where >!Hildolfr !<was abandoned doesn't match up with what the IGLOO OVA depicts.
• >!Renato somehow walked roughly 800 kilometers to Cape Canaveral in a MS that was damaged from battle and fell backwards off a 90 meter cliff.!<

Obviously there might be more to the issue than he's letting on but at face value it seems we found someone taking a page from Hideki Kamiya's book XD.

Do you think 2001 should have won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, and Best Screenplay?

I personally think it's a travesty it did not win any of these, kind of like Blade Runner losing Best Art Direction to Gandhi (?????????) or Raiders of the Lost Ark losing Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Score to Chariots of Fire.

I also think Kubrick should have won Best Director for the Shining. Best Cinematography (Steadicam) would have been deserved for the movie, too.

What do you think?

I'm aware of "All is Lost" but I'd like to get my hands on others.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18dUxcw4KOuJnOxrpd6y607Mnn5CLcNiK/view

Logline: A beloved content creator must return to his secret agent past once catastrophe threatens to derail progress on a project that could change the course of humanity.

Wrote it out of both inspiration and boredom, hope it ranks well on the Moist Meter. Any feedback is much appreciated!

I am 15. The writing process came across 2 months worth lunch breaks at school. Since this is my first screenplay I exclusively wrote it using pen and paper. I'd like to thank the people on this subreddit for giving me tips and motivation to finish sh the script.

Back to the future comes to mind. Any suggestions? Thanks.

SPOILER!

Mine will be the killing of Jackie Jr. that WHOLE scene feels so sloppy

Here’s the link!

How to Write a Screenplay

Logline:

Sinclair, an uninspired college screenplay writer graduating in a semester decides that he and his two best friends — Leo and Lilly’s — tragic upbringing may just be movie-worthy, but learns that their story goes far beyond what he initially imagined.

In Korean:

대학 졸업을 앞두고 있는 각본가 신크레어는 자신과 자신의 두 절친인 리오와 릴리의 아픈 과거에 대한 영화를 써보기로 다짐하지만, 그들의 이야기가 상상을 초월한다는 것을 점차 알게된다.

Sinclair Black Kim:

Sinclair is a Korean American in his 20s, majoring in screenwriting. With only a semester left, he is desperate to find a good topic to start writing about.

Leo Gray:

Leo is Sinclair’s best friend, and has a painful, dark past. He’s majoring in business, but it’s a mystery how he came this far without support from his degenerate father and sick mother.

Lilly White:

Lilly is an aspiring veterinarian, the reason why is her tearful family story and…Leo. But the most important thing for her is family, which she feels she has none of.

Professor Theodore:

Professor Theodore is a screenplay professor. When Sinclair comes to him for an idea, he responds with a confusing poem instead.

Chaos:

Chaos is a drug dealer. He and Leo share a dark past, and for some unknown reason, he will not leave Leo alone.

Notes:

So, I sent this to the blcklst site for a couple of evaluations, and received feedback that feels not in line with the nuances and the meditations of story and life I was going for. I also have reached a point where I’m thinking that maybe the title itself is putting professional readers on the defensive and affects how they view my story right off the bat, if you know what I’m talking about. I know I’m coming off across as crazy right about now and since I’m just starting out I am not claiming I know better in any way. But I always meant this story to be slow-paced, “what does this scene, dialogue, and character imply?” drama before any action that I have put in there. That being said, I would love honest feedback on anything, especially if the story as a whole feels confusing, the nuances aren’t clear, or I’m just straight-up in over my head.

Thanks in advance!

I’m reading The Voices by Michael Perry and am in absolute hysterics. What are some others that you guys loved?

Whether it be an action line, dialogue, the way someone wrote something, or simply little additions that you personally think enhance a script, what are some of your favorites? I've been thinking about this a lot as I write my own scripts, and it would be nice to have a little group of them below for inspiration! Feel free to explain why these examples stick out to you.

NOTE: Please be sure to add the NAME of the script, FORMAT (Feature, Pilot, etc), and WRITER(S). Happy discussing!

Hello, people of the Cormac McCarthy subreddit! My name is Oscar Pavlove. I am a writer, filmmaker, and admirer of McCarthy's work. Attached is my feature-length screenplay adaptation of "Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West," one of the finest novels I have had the pleasure of reading. Peace and love to all, and Happy New Year!

Blood Meridian Screenplay

Can anyone think of the most unusually formatted screenplay that they've read - that works. I'm interested in things like unusual stage directions, or inclusion of other writing styles (prose or poetry, for example), or other unconventional approaches that break screenwriting rules in a good way.

So, for my screenplay I'm writing an audition scene where my female character auditions for an off-Broadway theater company. Her audition has to be perfect because at the end she is cast as the lead. I have a few questions:

1. Would it be realistic if I used a monologue from a movie instead of a play? How would a real life director approach that?

2. Would it be acceptable to audition with something that she's written herself. (I'd be writing a monologue in this case)

3. If not, do you have any suggestions for monologues that I can use? It has to be under a minute (shorter if possible) and famous enough that it can be recognized by the reader.

Thanks.