Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

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  • Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

    Hey guys.
    I am in the process of finishing off my first ever script.
    I am excited as its the first ever script i have stuck with and just about finished.
    I am wanting to find out what do i do after i finish the script.
    I got told finish it, leave it on the shelves for 6 months then come back to it later on.

    What do you think i should do? take a month off writing ? register the script ? start another idea? what do you guys do ?
    Cheers

  • #2
    Re: Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

    Start another script. Each script presents new writing problems, and solving them increases your craft skills. Therefore, when you come back to the first script and look at it with your increased skills plus the objectivity that comes with time, you'll be better able to evaluate and improve the first script.

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    • #3
      Re: Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

      How long did it take you to write?

      If it's a fairly short time, it may not have been given any 'incubation' time-- but I think six months is too long.

      Give it a rest but keep thinking about it. In your mind, pretend you are pitching it to a studio. By the time you go back to it and re-read it, you should have fresh ideas and be fired up about it again.

      Has anyone else read it? Do you have any intelligent acquaintances that will read it and give you an honest opinion? I'd do that a few times before you hire a consultant.

      One thing that really helped me was when I talked on the phone with a professional. He MADE me 'kill a few of my darlings' and it scared the crap out of me.

      But I did it. And what do you know, thank god it happened because my script jumped forward then, and now after about five fairly decent rewrites it's so much tighter and better now than my first 'finish'. You have to know your story and characters so well that a big change won't throw you-- it'll make it work even better.

      Give you script to a few trusty people (not necessarily close friends) and listen carefully to their reactions. Don't defend your work, just absorb and contemplate what they say. Then go back to your script and try those things out. It makes you push harder and almost always works for the better. Avoid anyone who will just pat you on the head and say it's great. Pick people who read books and watch films. If they aren't very enthusiastic then you haven't 'finished' your script at all.

      Then maybe try a script consultant, but research them very carefully. My first one is very well known and I thought her services were crap.

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      • #4
        Re: Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

        You need people to read it and provide you with some notes.

        Its okay getting family and friends to read it but you need proper feedback as to the quality of your structure, story beats, plot, characters and character arcs, your act breaks. How your first 10 pages pans out.

        Find some good folk on here who will read it for you and give you notes.

        Some people write 4 or 5 drafts or maybe more to improve on a single item in the script.

        #1 Remove unnecessary scenes not related to the plot or subplots

        #1 Improve dialogue/get rid of on the nose dialogue/where you may have repeated yourself, remove redundancy

        #2 Action - improve active/action verbs and present tense descriptions/grammar

        #3 Character bios/characters names - do the characters descriptions work and or their names in relation to their place within the narrative - are they throw-away or do they act as metaphors?

        #4 Improve the slug lines, be more descriptive remember to use DAY/NIGHT, do you really need that subslug or is it better to have a full slug? Check, check, check..

        #5 Cut down the page count, have you over-written, too many pages not enough?

        There are many additional things you can do for further drafts but those are the basic that will get you to a 6th draft.

        Do you get notes on the first draft or 6th?

        Do you register it with the copyright office or the WGA first or on the 6th draft.

        If you send it out to a bunch of readers then copyright and register with the WGA first. You can still use the copyright and WGA number on subsequent drafts..

        You can obtain reads from other writers on this forum or pay for it professionally. I mentioned in another thread you can get reads and notes from other writers first then when you feel the script is ready to send to a pro reader then pay for that higher-caliber pro service or if you feel your script is of high caliber then send it to a pro right out the gate - its up to you..

        Whichever you choose, get it read by an unbiased, objective individual who understands the craft of screenwriting and who can provide you with notes.

        In the meantine, take a break for a bit. Let your mind rest and when you recover from the hard work you've put in your mind will replay you with lots of creative thoughts to tackle either a second script or to tackle a new draft of your first script..

        Whatever you choose, the scripts needs to be read..

        Use your networking skills..

        Extra, Extra, finished screenplay needs reading. Anybody out there willing to read my screenplay? I'll read your script in return.. PM me thanks..
        Something along those lines should at least get you a couple of responses...

        Read some scripts in your downtime.. Especially scripts in a similar genre to the script you've written yourself. Probably inspire you, give you a handle on the story beats and genre specifics where these occur in time in the script.. All useful stuff..

        Don't forget those other drafts now.. Each one you use to tighten and improve a single element from beginning to the end..

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        • #5
          Re: Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

          Yes, do all those things. You think you have, but you haven't.

          I suggested acquaintances read it first to see what reactions you get before you spend $$$ on a professional. Probably NOT family or best friends-- but people who are film fans or strong readers.

          If they say things like, "Sorry, I haven't had a chance to finish it yet." or, "It wasn't bad, but..." or, "It reminds me exactly of..." then you have work to do.

          You'll be ready to hire a service when someone says, "I couldn't put it down!" and "God, I LOVED it!"

          Then you'll hire a professional and they'll tear it apart. lol

          One thing you might try-- send it in for the Bluecat contest. Every single script gets a page of notes included with the contest fee instead of it disappearing into a black hole. It takes awhile, but the action of actually sending it out should make you want to polish it as best you can.

          By the time you get that one page back of notes you should be a few rewrites along by then, but every reaction is very helpful, even, and maybe especially, the negative ones.

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          • #6
            Re: Finishing my 1st Screenplay what now ?

            Take a few weeks off, then let other people read it, about 3 at the very least. See what they have to say and I'll bet you'll get the same dislikes from them all. Take time off first, though, be good for you.

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