Quality Advice...Where to find it?

Hi, am just starting out writing a screenplay. I write regularly for fun, but have not done a screenplay before. Have a good book (I hope) and a pile of scripts to wade through.

There's a lot of advice out there. How can you tell if any of its any good?

if several people advise you in one direction then it's a good bet that that's the way to go

It all depends on who's giving the advice! If you ask a family member to give you advice, they are naturally going to slather you with plenty of praise...they're family, that's what they do. To get some good constructive criticism ask some of the writers here...they would be more than happy to give you some great advice...check out the Share Your Work Board...or if you e-mail me at [email protected] , I can give you e-mail adressess of some really great mentors who can help you out...the most important part is go to someone with experience and so they can HELP YOU OUT. Good luck with your writing...

eir

use your judgement.

but, use this as a guide: most people never learn anything but the basics - nonetheless, the will profess to know a great deal. most people do not do the work necessary to become great, but they will be glad to advise you on how to proceed. most people do not have to talent to succeed, but will inform you on the variety of ways you should continue. most people are full of @#%$

trust your instinct


zilla

Re: Quality Advice.... Where to find it?

When it comes to quality advice - Consider the Source.

If the advice comes from industry professionals or books or articles written by industry professionals - then I would give it more weight than say.... advice that comes from posters on a board such as this. As many posters on these boards are novices just like you and it is difficult if not impossible to know how accurate the information is.

Re: Quality Advice.... Where to find it?

There are plenty of professionals on this board, Simon.

Re: Quality Advice .... Where to find it?

That may very well be maestro.

My point is that on boards like this there are far more non-pros than pros, and it is not always possible to distinguish between the two.

Hence, the articles and information in other areas of these sites, or in books, etc. are better resources for advice and information about technique, structure, formatting and the industry in general.

Re: Quality Advice .... Where to find it?

Trust your instincts. Look for info from a variety of qualified industry professionals and books, and use your judgement from there. No one person is the end all and be all of everything.

If it's a question about the business end of things, I've found out you can sometimes call prodcos and agents and sometimes they'll be willing to help you. When receptionists get technical questions, they'll often refer you to a producer, development exec, agent, etc.