Script Writing Tutorial Videos

Don't get too excited. I just watched the YouTube hard-sell of their program. Sounds like shit to me. Any time somone suggests writing a script is easy or can be quick, please make sure you run in the other direction. Who is the host, Sherry Sheridan? Can't find her on IMDb so what are her credits, what are her credentials, what the hell makes her an expert to listen to?

It seems she's more into explaining how to produce a movie cheaply more than on how to write a script. If that's the case, what is she going to show you about writing?

You're better off going with a series of DVDs from speakers at various LA screenwriting seminars. It would help if you read a few howto's first, as some of the DvDs are fairly advanced. A few of them are too esoteric or too general, but quite a few are good. I've purchased about a dozen (not cheap, by the way), and I like (and learned from) about 75 percent of them. I think you can purchase them from The Writers Store online, not sure.

Regardless how you learn about screenwriting, whether by book or DVD or live seminar (do all three if you can), make sure you understand that it is not easy or quick. Anyone who suggests otherwise is probably trying to swindle you out of some cashola.

Good luck.

Any time somone suggests writing a script is easy or can be quick, please make sure you run in the other direction.

Click to expand...

But that's the cool things about scripts...they're quicker and easier than novels.

But why is a video a good way to teach about them? What action is involved that requires us to see it?

Hmmm ... a choice.

1. Learn screenwriting from successful screenwriters. -or-
2. Learn screenwriting from unsuccessful screenwriters.

A dilemma.

(I'll take back my snarky comments when http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Sherri+Sheridan starts returning hits)

Mac
(PS: Yes, I know I haven't sold a script. I don't listen to me, either. But I don't sell tutorial videos.

And you can't walk past the screenwriting section at 'Borders' without tripping over half a dozen 'how-to' books written by extremely SUCCESSFUL screenwriters. So I really can't see why someone would bother paying for tutorial videos by fellow amateurs. You can get amateur advice for free.)

(PPS: The creators of this 'How to write a screenplay' DVD might be very successful at other things. I'm not disputing that.)

And you can't walk past the screenwriting section at 'Borders' without tripping over half a dozen 'how-to' books written by extremely SUCCESSFUL screenwriters.

Click to expand...

Really? I got the impression that all those "how to gurus" are actually people who haven't sold. Like the "Story" guy and Sid Fields and all those. I've only seen one book by a major screenwriter (Wells Root) and unfortunately it's so old that it has a lot of adivce about using camera angles and things that are no longer done.

If you look carefully you can still find at least half a dozen books to trip over written by successful screenwriters:

Just on Authors alone:
* Lee Goldberg
* Larry Brody
* Blake Snyder
* Alex Epstein
* Linda Seger (More of a successful script consultant, but has still sold scripts)
* William Goldman

Some of those people have written multiple books .. so half a dozen 'how to write' books written by successful authors are fairly easy to find.

I'm not defining 'success' as 'multiple Oscars' (even though William Goldman matches that description) ... but guys like Larry Brody have had a long career writing stuff that people watch and enjoy. Others have successfully sold spec movie screenplays.

What more could you ask for when it comes to knowing what is important?

Mac
(PS: Many of them also give away their insights free on the web - including plenty of others such as Craig Mazin, John August, etc etc)
(PPS: I'm not sure these were the best examples .. but it was a handful of names I've come across who seem to be good teachers)
(PPPS: I'm sure you can still be a good teacher, while having not successfully done it yourself. However, it still seems like a good first benchmark for deciding what tutorials to buy ... unless you have enough time to read every book on the market!)

Or do what I'm doing, probably not highly suggested, but its the only way I can afford to do it.

Read a heck of a lot of scripts, study the format very very closely. Don't wing anything, if you want to know how to present something think of an example in a movie, look up the script and see how they presented it, then look up a few more to make sure that's the industry standard.

Write a lot, rewrite more than you write. Always keep challenging yourself and have some software so you don't have to sweat the margins.

Then submit for feedback.

Learn about pitching, practice it, write and rewrite your pitches, practice them outloud so you hear how they sound, read all your scripts out loud so you can hear your dialog. Do character studies of real people, do character studies of fictional people, when you watch movies try and figure out how you would put that on paper. Reverse the process.

Study, work, study, work, and pitch. And see where it gets you.

Thanks for that list, Mac.

Don't get too excited. I just watched the YouTube hard-sell of their program. Sounds like shit to me. Any time somone suggests writing a script is easy or can be quick, please make sure you run in the other direction. Who is the host, Sherry Sheridan? Can't find her on IMDb so what are her credits, what are her credentials, what the hell makes her an expert to listen to?

Click to expand...

Shame on you for being so cynical.

The creator of the Tutorial Videos has posted a sample of her work on YouTube.

That way, you can see the quality of the script that comes out of this writing method:

Goth Grrls

See? Aren't you ready to retract your criticism given the quality of the script? The dialogue was so amazing!

Mac

Her cartoon is pretty cool in an edgy kind of way. It would be nice to see one of her feature movies to check how she keeps up the good work over 1h30-2h.

From the samples I watched the training method doesn't seem bad either, for teenagers who have never written any long story. But I agree with gp101 that anyone claiming writing a "great" script is quick and easy is deluding their audience. They'll end up convinced their witless rip-off of Leathal Weapon is the best first draft ever written and will add to the heaps of clutter waiting to be trashed on some agent's desk.

Icerose gives really sound advice. It's good to believe that quality is 90% hard work. It forces us to be critical of our work. The other 10% are about something that I rarely see mentioned literally, imagination. I never know what to think when a beginning scriptwriter says (s)he can't find inspiration. What's the point of choosing the most competitive writing career if they have nothing to express? What are they here for? It's like someone who can't swim applying for a life guard job.

Now, some slightly subversive advice. Don't start by reading produced scripts. Only some written by amateurs. If nothing ticks you off, it's a good hint you should switch to fanfic or blogging. If you think the script is lame for some reasons, it's likely to be part of those pesky flaws every beginner had at some point (like over-talkative characters) but for some twisted reason, it's easier for us to spot it in others. So make a list of all that doesn't work to you and find similarities in your material. It *has* to be there too. Now you've experienced critical reading, you should be able to comb your script more objectively.

Then write more scripts, at least 2-3. The more you write, the better you'll get. That's how things really are. Then only, read produced scripts. And finally return to your drafts in chronological order.

When you're halfway into your first script, you'll close it thinking "omg... what crap..." (the same script which you thought was decent enough to be sent to an agent 2 years ago). That will be really good, you'll have gained awareness, and experience. Serious work will be able to start.

Yeah, you should see my first couple attempts.

Wow. I look back at them and just laugh. I actually thought they were good.

I was using the play format they would pass around at school, with everything to the left, no locations, all character intros and names at the very beginning in one big list, and each character got their own highlight!

Talk about naive. I keep that as a reminder to stay grounded and focused, that even though I've come a long ways, there's always more to learn.

Good luck with your quest and have fun with it.

Do what Ice said... read scripts.

Read a lot of scripts from produced movies, good ones, movies that you liked. Then go a read a bunch of bad ones, you can find them on zoetrope, triggerstreet (there's good scripts there too, but unproduced)

You'll see the difference in the scripts. It'll help.