Question by Black Metal: How to become a screenwriter?
Im interested screenwriter. I dont live in a city where movies are filmed, but i really like the work of a screenwriter. I’m 14 years old now, i live in the capital of Canada (Ottawa). What and where should i study to have one of these jobs? Where should i start?
Thanks
Best answer:
Answer by meat
To become a screenwriter, you need discipline, imagination, and knowledge of the monomyth & an understanding of screenplay format.
Monomyth:
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First, it’s important to know that virtually every story is written the same way (there. I’ve just ruined movies for you forever.). Read up on the Monomyth (Joseph Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces is a great book). You can do this here:
http://www.skepticfiles.org/atheist2/hero.htm
Format:
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Your screenplay HAS to be in proper screenplay format. There’s an EXCELLENT book for this, called the Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier. Dave’s site is:
http://www.keepwriting.com
You should also read as many scripts as you can. This will teach you formatting, how a screenwriter communicates ideas, and the necessary brevity you need in both dialogue and description.
You can read screenplays here:
www.script-o-rama.com
www.imsdb.com
www.simplyscripts.com
Once you’ve done your homework, you’re ready to write.
There are two ways to do this: the cheap, broke-down way or the proper and professional way.
You can use celtx – which is free, and available here:
www.celtx.com
The proper and professional way, however, is to use either Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter. These are industry standard formatting programs. I’ve used both, and I prefer Movie Magic Screenwriter.
You can get these programs here:
www.screenplay.com
www.finaldraft.com
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