ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

9 years, 3 months ago - Marlom Tander

Cannes

For any industry, major biz networking events you can afford to attend are worth a mooch.

Writing

Just do it.

YouTube

Always a good idea. Keeps you actually DOING :-)

Have fun.

9 years, 3 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Cannes - only go if you can get accreditation. That's realistically at this stage either being credible on imdb, or having a film in the short film corner. Without accreditation, you're just another punter clogging up the Croisette and unable to get to anything that matters (festival, market, hotels, screenings, pavilions, etc)

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thanks Marlom & Paddy. Need to look at how to write scripts. Cannes probs wishful thinking at moment. N

9 years, 3 months ago - John Moseley

I'm not a writer of the Just Do It school. Personally, I reached a point where I had to find help because I'd got myself into tormenting tangles with my stories too many times.

I'd been afraid of reading manuals because I thought it would cramp my style or something. Two points: this is the standard worry, simultaneously naive and grandiose, of students everywhere and the proper teacher response is: 'You don't yet have a style! Why would you embark on any craft of any sort in which you have no experience and reject the knowledge of those who've gone before and thought deeply about it?'; and second it is a silly and tragic thing anyway if one must maintain one's style by building walls of ignorance around oneself; oh, and, while I think of it, a third: the idea isn't just ignorant, it's paranoid and involves rejecting reams of material without even looking at it on the pig-headed assumption that it will all be conventionalising crap.

The truth is, some of it is conventionalising crap, but some of it I've found genuinely enlightening and some of it's just basic knowledge of the craft that you're going to need and be expected to have if you ever want to work professionally as a screenwriter, like what is three-act structure and why does it exist.

There is a little risk of getting hung up on Syd Field's rules or whatever ('Oh no! I don't have an inciting incident on page...' I actually can't remember what page it's supposed to be on). So the one rule of reading these things is, don't get hung up. You're looking for help, not hindrance. Absorb it all and pay special attention to the things that seem to matter.

My recommendations: Blake Snyder's 'Save the Cat!', crassly commercial in a way I reject, but hugely insightful about structure and seemingly now an industry touchstone; Vicky King's 'How to Write a Movie in 21 Days', which begins with the best, most enabling writing exercise ever; John Yorke's 'Into the Woods'; and Julian Hoxter's 'Write What You Don't Know' also seems good, though I haven't read it all.

The classics, Field and McKee, are worth a look, but I haven't found them as helpful, except for McKee's instruction to take piles of notes working out character, setting and backstory before one starts a script proper. Vogler's 'The Writer's Journey', which I'm reading at the moment, is pretty good as a guide to the archetypal characters and situations one could paste together to make a serviceable screenplay, if one was so inclined. I'm sounding dismissive and, I must admit, finding it boring, but I can't say for sure at this point that some of it won't be useful.

Other than that, read widely and think a lot about what kinds of stories matter to you and what matters to you in those stories. And don't just read prose and watch movies. Read screenplays!

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thks John, lots of info to read through:) Have seen a script on Raindance web & starting a Future Learn course. Been making notes for years.

9 years, 3 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

hi Nathalie, if you want to see/read/study a bunch of scripts, try http://www.imsdb.com/ which has screenplays for many films you've actually seen. It'll give you a far better idea of how words translate from page to screen than a film you've not seen yet.

For instance, the opening few pages of the screenplay for 'Fight Club' are (in my opinion) some of the most compelling out there. In just a few pages, the writer establishes the protagnist, antagonists, humour and darkness, then jump cuts back deeper into backstory with a frankly striking image/line. It's hard to read the first 2-3 pages without knowing you're going to read the rest.

Studying the professionals (and don't be afraid to dissect a script, look at it in terms of texture, beats, language, character, description (or lack thereof), etc. Pull it to bits, note where each beat lands, notice the tricks used. It becomes hard to watch films uncritically once you start ;)

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thks Paddy did not occur to me that will start dissecting films. Thks for link re scripts will def check out.

9 years, 3 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

You don't have to like, or agree with every script you read, but it'll help you to work out what you so and don't like - and why!

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thks P. I will see how it goes. Not sure if be any good or the right thing, especially as dealing with noise nuisance a lot of the time. Thanks Nathalie

9 years, 3 months ago - Marysia Trembecka

Hi Nathalie, you need accreditation to smooze the film tents and the Marche. You need to apply at the beginning of the year with your imdb credits etc. Late accreditation is sometimes possible but you have to be there to try and its expensive.
Best of luck I am there if you make the trip

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thanks Marysia yes, am too late now. I want to visit for the experience & trying to arrange possible stay. Lots to arrange. I do know it though from the past. If I do go will let you know. Hope goes well.

9 years, 3 months ago - Angela Peters

Hi Nathalie, I wrote an article on this as an actor - mine is very informal and not too detailed, and my friend wrote one recently as a producer. Both below.

You actually can pay to get accreditation there. I did it the first year I went to Cannes because I didn't get my application in early enough. You pay for it at a little permanent office located close to the Marche. But you need to take proof that you're an industry professional. It was many years ago but from memory I took my IMDb profile and Spotlight profile printed out, my business card, a headshot, and a letter from a producer vouching for me. You used to be able to pay for up to three days of accreditation, which will give you access to the Marche and to all the tents out back (and the free Nespresso stand! ha).

Feel free to message me if you'd like to talk further about it all. Hope you make it there. It's a hoot.

And we just had a producer come along and speak at my monthly UK Actors Tweetup event and he shared a story about how he is now making a film because of a writer he met outside the Le Petit Majestic last year. And this is a producer who typically makes 10m + US films. So anything can happen in Cannes, even on or off the Croisette.

Articles here: http://blog.castingnetworks.com/10531/ and http://blog.castingnetworks.com/10786/

Cheers, Angela

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thks Angela, I need to sort some money to be able to go but thanks for the info & your story:) Yes, I believe anything can happen as that kind of energy & place. This year may not work out, otherwise definitely next.

9 years, 3 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Nathalie, I cannot agree with Paddy more. He is so, so, right! I'm amazed at how many start writing scripts having never read one. Think of the movies you love, and find the script. Read a script a day for 30 days. Or make some doable goal for yourself. Don't write a word until you've read 30 to 50 scripts.

Go ahead and read all of those screenwriting books if you want, but you might find them more of a crippling experience. Especially Syd Field's book. You won't discover your process until you start writing. For example, on my first couple of scripts I would write a step outline. I could get a good plot out of them, but dialogue and character suffered. And since story comes out of character, step outlines not a good way to go for me. You might find them helpful. Everyone approaches writing differently. Now what I do, is I have a idea for a character and just start writing. I write only a page a day. Even if I want to go a bit longer, I stop at a page. In 3 to 4 months, I have a script. I allow myself to edit pages that I've written in previous days, but new material is only a page a day. I find it keeps me excited, since I don't really know what's going to happen. In a year, you can easily have 3 finished scripts. You have to keep writing and keep writing. It's the only way to get better.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Thanks Dan helpful to hear 1 page per day. At moment I blog & then write various things as ideas pop into my head as they tend to a lot. Dream is to go to Cannes & meet people to develop my ideas! Can dream on.. Namaste Nathalie

9 years, 3 months ago - Nathalie Hickson

Just to say to everyone I really appreciate your advice & support. At moment need to focus on how to earn a living but hope can develop the script/film/documentary thing in time & sp is a great resource. Wish discovered sooner.