"Not by might nor by power..."
Urban Mediamakers Writers Corner
Urban
Mediamakers' Screenwriters Forum — "Writers Row "
Don't miss the next Urban Mediamakers Screenwriters Forum -- "Writers Row." The next forum will be held June 2009 in Norcross, Georgia. We're looking for interested writers to make our screenwriters forum a success! If you're willing to share your time and talents, join us. More details to come. RSVP today by e-mail or call 404.460.2793.
Copyright Your Script
Before you start sending your work to agents, producers and actors, make sure to register your material with the Writers Guild East Online Script Registration Service.
The Guild East Script Registration Service protects members and non-members of the Guild by establishing the completion date and the identity of their literary property.
The goal of the Guild East Script Registration Service is to protect your claim of priority of ownership. So register your material before showing it to a producer or agent, many of them won't even look at a script unless it has been registered first with the Guild.
I Don't Know How To Format A Script
We get many e-mails on how to get started as a writer for film and television. There are many sites on the web that offer downloadable scripts for television shows and feature films. Go to these sites and download your favorite script and learn from completed a script. Visit www.script-o-rama.com or www.scriptshop.com. There are also several writing softwares that do the formatting work for you including Final Draft and Sophocles.
FOX Writer's Initiative
Visit the Fox Broadcasting Network's website for information the Writer's Initiative - Fox Diversity program. [read more]
ABC Talent Development Fellowship for Writers
ABC Talent Development Fellowship is an excellent resource for aspiring writers. Visit http://www.abctalentdevelopment.com/programs_writers.htm for the details.
Open Call for Screenplays
F.O.C.U.S. is looking for original, compelling, human interest stories that promote positive values and social responsibility. We are particularly interested in supporting writers and filmmakers - new talent as well as more experienced whose material endeavors to stir the hear and uplift the human spirit.
Project selection is based on the writing talent reflected in the screenplay, the subject, the message, the content of the story, and the suitability of the material for low-budget production, however, exceptions may be made for higher budget screenplays. Visit http://www.focusinstituteoffilm.com.
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8th Annual Urban Mediamakers Film Festival (UMFF)"Changing the World, One Story at a Time"October 16-18, 2009Norcross, GA |
Writing Tips
Show, Don't Tell
by Larry Brody
I've probably said this before, but since it's THE most important aspect of writing for films and television it can't hurt to say it again. SHOW what happens, don't just tell about it.
This means that whenever possible the audience should see key events occurring onscreen. Don't have the White House Press Secretary announcing that President Bartlet has decided to run again. Instead, show him deciding.
Notice that I said "deciding," and not "announcing." As writers we have to present the series of events in his life that give him the need to make the decision, and then the events that shape it. Just showing that it's campaign time isn't enough, and merely having the president turn to his chief aide and say, "I'm going to do it," isn't enough either.
The audience needs what comes in between. It needs to understand what motivates the character, and to agree with the response. The only way to truly understand something is to participate in it. And when it comes to a TV episode the only way to approximate participating in an event is to SEE it unfold before us. Without a depth of understanding, identifying with the hero is almost impossible, and if we don't enable the audience to identify with the hero, why the heck should they turn on the show or go to the film?
Learning the Lingo
Script is a generic term that can refer to either a screenplay (written for the big screen) or a teleplay (written for television).
An outline synopsizes the script; length can vary, but rarely exceeds 5,000 words.
Treatments are expanded outlines of your script, similar to a novel synopsis.
A logline is the one-sentence description of the story.
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Last edited: 04.30.2009
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