I would just like to state for the record

[rm]

That screenplay format may kill me.

This shit is hard.

Granted, I entered this contest to force myself to acquire this skill, and plan is working, but UGH.

Because you know what is not useful to Google? "How do I indicate a swoopy tracking shot?"


ETA: First draft is DONE. Too ambitious and too weird for five pages. Probably TOTALLY student work, and you know what, I don't even care. I'm trying to get used to thinking in a text-based way about what is a storyboarding exercise. Hence doing this competition. So, successful on that front if nothing else. Also, I suspect, like with fiction, "short" is not my form.

I'm really proud of myself for doing this, as it's actually pushing a lot of my buttons and is sort of confronting.

Comments

[yamx]

This may help: http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/

Camera movements are at the bottom.

[beckyh2112.livejournal.com]

Heh. My screenplay teacher would go "it is not your job to tell the cameraman what to do" whenever I started getting fancy with camera-shots in a screenplay.

[jigglykat.livejournal.com]

Mine too.

[intenselee.livejournal.com]

'Crane tracking shot' might be what You are looking for? In my experience, "swoopy tracking shot" might be perfectly acceptable. :-) Sure, swoopy could use some refining, but I bet they are more concerned with the story, and You are a consummate story teller. Maybe I'm wrong though and they want more.

Just on the off chance that it helps, this is a small but fairly complete glossary of terms with a good set of camera shot terms: http://www.dur.ac.uk/m.p.thompson/filmterms.htm

Again, You've probably found answers to Your questions by now, but AMC has an exhaustive film terms one here: http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms.html It has more of the business terms than just the terms You might need for the screenplay though.

Good luck. I think You'll write some excellent screenplays.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It's totally not a crane shot, is the thing.

I figured out how to do it (I think) by being smewhat less specific.

I thought I'd overstep more on actorly directions, but I'm totally playing camera guy too much.

THanks.

[intenselee.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. So yeah, easily misinterpreted and yes, as becky mentioned, they don't want a Director, DP, or Cinematographer..they want the story. Keep the actor directions to a minimum as well. I know screenwriters who include all that stuff anyway, but I don't know any Directors who follow any of it.:-) You ARE a storyteller. That's why Your screen writing will be excellent.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I'm totally not loading up the actors. It's just that this is VERY visual, so I'm getting bogged down there.

But I've almost finished a draft, which will satisfy me for tonight.

[intenselee.livejournal.com]

Completely understandable and in that case, You are completely correct. You should paint that Visual for them. Totally feel like I'm telling You things You've already figured out now. :-) See? You're a natural.

A page from 'writing for Visual Media' showing an example of writing the visual: http://books.google.com/books?id=MwtjdtT0fJkC&lpg=PA12&ots=A927r4eOnQ&dq=describing%20visuals%20in%20a%20screenplay&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false

Says it better than I can.

Good luck. I'll hush now.

[loveslashangst.livejournal.com]

*sticks nose in*

What kind of format are they calling for?

If it's a spec script (you're just telling the story), then no camera directions of any kind. Barely even stage directions, if you can avoid them.

If it's a shooting script, that's another animal.

[loveslashangst.livejournal.com]

When in doubt, think Shakespeare -- he'd give you the place where things are occurring, then encapsulate all the relevant info in the text, with only major events (exit, enter, he dies, they kiss, exit, pursued by a bear, etc) as stage directions.

Worked 400 years ago. Works now.

[rm.livejournal.com]

This is a remarkably funny and useful comment for reasons I have too much dignity to explain.

Thank you.

*glees*

[loveslashangst.livejournal.com]

It only took me 10 years of writing screenplays no one would produce (because they were overwritten and stage-direction-heavy) to figure this out.

May your journey to screenplay brilliance be much shorter and full of fewer stupid mistakes than mine was.

Or, in theatre terms: break a leg. :D

[heeroluva.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hate screenplays. Hope it works out for you.

[miep.livejournal.com]

you rock. so there.

[bitsyrant.livejournal.com]

I have competed in NYC Midnight many times and came in first in the preliminary round on a few occasions. Let me know if you wind up beta-ing your draft and are looking for thoughts.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Actually, I have a question for you.

Is it worth putting the thing up for feedback amongst the other competitors or are people just assholes about it?

[bitsyrant.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons I stopped joining these competitions is because I found the peer to peer reviews to be unhelpful. Not only that, but the "professional critiques" were totally useless. I kept thinking they would improve but hey never did. That was my experience.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Ah, good to know. I will continue to do this in the spirit of using my competitive nature to force me to learn the basics of this skill, which was the original point.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I actually had a job two years ago reading submissions and providing ratings and critiques for this place. Too weird.

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

Are you using Final Draft? It makes everything much easier if you are writing a script. I was also taught that you do not indicate camera shots in your script. Those are directorial decisions. YMMV.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm using the tool in Scrivener, which isn't quite as robust but meets my needs and is an app I already know, since I use it for my novel work.

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

You can download and use the demo version of FD for free, but iirc you can only save 10 pages at a time with it. But I find it much easier to use than Scrivener for scripts. I do love Scrivener though.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Yes, this exactly...

I love Final Draft!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

My script consultant discourages me from getting too precise with shots... He say's "that's up to the Director"...

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and that's right on, my problem, of course is that since I also have an eye to that, it's hard to take off the hat.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Same here, which is why I keep getting nagged at!

[lookingaround17.livejournal.com]

I think it's great to just do something hard and gain the skills. They come along much more easily next time, and then you'll be so glad.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

I wonder a little how hard I'm going to get dinged for most of mine being action with little audible dialogue. I can see it all very clearly in my head, but I've no idea how much of that came through in the written version.

Behold, my total lack of skill and experience in this arena.