By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
If you are wondering how to write a script for a TV show, first learn what TV shows are all about. Today television is the most potent medium of telecommunication that transmits and receives moving images either in multicolor or shades of grey and white. Being the best loved means of amusement in the world, almost every home institutes and business has at least one television set to keep the inmates entertained. There are a vast number of networks and channels that broadcast different genres of programs. The main categories of TV shows that entertain, educate or inform the viewers are:
� News
� Documentaries
� Action oriented drama or thrillers
� Science fiction
� Tele films
� Comedy
� Game, talk, reality or variety shows
It is not difficult to master the art of how to write a script for a TV show if somebody has the drive to do so. The best way is to watch TV. This sounds like an enjoyable project. Observe all types of programs keenly. Take note of their:
� Length
� Style
� Common terminology used, language
� Breaks for commercials
There are several schools imparting knowledge of how to write a script for a TV show. You could enroll for any course that suits you or you could undergo on-line training in the field. Another good way is to work as an assistant television writer. The on-the-job training can teach you the craft like none other. Some helpful hints will get you started on the right path:
� Select a genre that you are comfortable with and you possess some knowledge of already.
� Get down to writing the script once you know what exactly is expected of you.
� Begin by writing a pilot episode. This is like an acid test to see whether the show will be accepted by the audience or not. Let the pilot be a stand-alone show.
� Divide the show into episodes as directed by the network you are writing for.
� Introduce the characters and situations at intervals, making allowances for commercial breaks.
� A team of writers work on a single episode. Try to maintain uniformity in language, style, characterization in all the episodes. All should seem like one continuous story.
� Learn how to write a script for a TV show that keeps the interest of the audience bubbling by ending every show with a bang. The viewers should be left thirsting for more of it.
� Show, rather than tell the audience what the character is feeling through his actions and reactions.
Most often there is a cross-over of one genre to another with no water-tight compartmentalization. With the popularity of the television growing, people with a flair for creative writing have an option to take it up as a profession and learn how to write a script for a TV show. The television has always played a pivotal role in spreading knowledge to the masses since their invention in the early 20th century with a brighter future ahead.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay, proposal, or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-a-Script-for-a-TV-Show&id=6613804] How To Write a Script for a TV Show
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Writing A Treatment for a TV Show
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
By writing a treatment for a TV show you are attempting to sell your story and start to develop the TV show screenplay. A TV show treatment is a short prose composed between the time you have gathered all relevant information about your concept and the time when you start writing the main script. It is longer than an outline and includes directorial style that is omitted by the outline. A TV show treatment should be written in present tense, describing the sequence of events as they occur. It reads as a short story. A treatment could fall under any one of the categories, namely:
� Original draft treatment - compiled while script writing.
� Presentation treatment - meant for making a presentation to a prospective buyer.
Writing a treatment for a television show means you are only selling the general concept of the show. If the executives like your work, they will pay and get you to write the entire script. At this juncture write as if you were writing a punchy review of the show without praising it. You cannot sell an idea unless you write it in the form of a treatment. The treatment for a TV show is sans any dialogues.
� The importance of writing a treatment for a TV show is second only to composing a script and breaking into the entertainment industry.
� Divide the idea for the television show into acts with allowances for commercial breaks.
� An ideal treatment for a TV show must not be longer than 20 pages. Lesser the better because the people reading it lack time.
� Every break should be preceded by a cliffhanger to keep the curiosity of the audience sizzling.
� On the top of the first page write the title within quotation marks. Skip two lines and write "By:" and your name. Do not indent the paragraphs and begin to type from the left side of the paper. Write short, easy to understand paragraphs.
� Capitalize the name of any character appearing for the first time. Use a comma, write his age and give a brief description about him.
� While writing a treatment for a TV show, mention only the pivotal points.
� Let the second act be longer than the first or the third.
� Read the treatment aloud to yourself. Check if everything sounds right.
� The treatment should not have flowery adjectives and must be flawless in every respect; no typographical or grammatical errors, no gaping loopholes in the serene flow of the story.
Read, re-read and edit your work before submitting it for approval. It is used by the development executive to pitch the intended TV show to the financiers and to the people higher up in authority. The style you use must be persuasive as well as snappy. Writing a treatment for a TV show before script writing is an excellent idea since it helps to assess whether it is viable. This will save you from wasting time and energy writing something that is unfeasible.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay, proposal, or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-A-Treatment-for-a-TV-Show&id=6613808] Writing A Treatment for a TV Show
By writing a treatment for a TV show you are attempting to sell your story and start to develop the TV show screenplay. A TV show treatment is a short prose composed between the time you have gathered all relevant information about your concept and the time when you start writing the main script. It is longer than an outline and includes directorial style that is omitted by the outline. A TV show treatment should be written in present tense, describing the sequence of events as they occur. It reads as a short story. A treatment could fall under any one of the categories, namely:
� Original draft treatment - compiled while script writing.
� Presentation treatment - meant for making a presentation to a prospective buyer.
Writing a treatment for a television show means you are only selling the general concept of the show. If the executives like your work, they will pay and get you to write the entire script. At this juncture write as if you were writing a punchy review of the show without praising it. You cannot sell an idea unless you write it in the form of a treatment. The treatment for a TV show is sans any dialogues.
� The importance of writing a treatment for a TV show is second only to composing a script and breaking into the entertainment industry.
� Divide the idea for the television show into acts with allowances for commercial breaks.
� An ideal treatment for a TV show must not be longer than 20 pages. Lesser the better because the people reading it lack time.
� Every break should be preceded by a cliffhanger to keep the curiosity of the audience sizzling.
� On the top of the first page write the title within quotation marks. Skip two lines and write "By:" and your name. Do not indent the paragraphs and begin to type from the left side of the paper. Write short, easy to understand paragraphs.
� Capitalize the name of any character appearing for the first time. Use a comma, write his age and give a brief description about him.
� While writing a treatment for a TV show, mention only the pivotal points.
� Let the second act be longer than the first or the third.
� Read the treatment aloud to yourself. Check if everything sounds right.
� The treatment should not have flowery adjectives and must be flawless in every respect; no typographical or grammatical errors, no gaping loopholes in the serene flow of the story.
Read, re-read and edit your work before submitting it for approval. It is used by the development executive to pitch the intended TV show to the financiers and to the people higher up in authority. The style you use must be persuasive as well as snappy. Writing a treatment for a TV show before script writing is an excellent idea since it helps to assess whether it is viable. This will save you from wasting time and energy writing something that is unfeasible.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay, proposal, or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-A-Treatment-for-a-TV-Show&id=6613808] Writing A Treatment for a TV Show
Saturday, December 24, 2011
How to Write a Pitch for a TV Show
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
Learn how to write a pitch for a TV show before learning how to write a TV show screenplay; the TV show pitch can help to gain funding for the screenplay, which you can outsource to a professional screenwriter for hire. It becomes a simpler task once you realize what it is and how it is to be done. A pitch is a line of talk, accompanied by a visual presentation to persuade a buyer to make a sales deal of the television show about which he already knows or is introduced to. The audible and visual impression has to be very crisp, directional and should establish a good chemistry between the writer and the decision maker(s) in the entertainment industry.
The screenwriter is given a very short time to pitch his ideas and convince the audience. The TV executives are a choosy lot. Unless your sales pitch is extraordinarily good, they will not be swayed even if your premise is solid. Knowing its benefits, every writer must first become a salesperson and learn how to write a pitch for a TV show.
Luring the potential buyer by emphasizing the overall marketability of the TV program requires special skills and follows a definite procedure. Knowing what the other party wants is essential for making a striking good pitch. You get only one chance to make the first good impression. Elements of how to write a pitch for a TV show must be carefully studied before attempting to sell the concept of the TV show you have in mind. The attention span of the client will be lost if the opening statement of the pitch is not an instant interest grabber. In most cases, an interesting question will intrigue the reader enough to read the rest of your writing.
Learning how to write a pitch for a TV show will get much easier if you have researched the current televised programs and are aware of what the audience is seeking. Develop a concept accordingly. This will give you added confidence during pitching. The opening question could be followed by offering a solution to the consumer's problem. Prepare a written description of your idea for the intended TV show. Be very brief but pointed. The document should ideally be 3-5 pages long. Be on time, dress smartly and be open to any suggestions that are offered. Follow the format of writing the pitch that the company expects. This may vary from one network to the other. Note the norms regarding spacing, font, page numbering, structure, accepted terminology, and the cover page.
The art of how to write a pitch for a TV show can be mastered through experience. You may face a couple of failures but do not give up. Try to better yourself each time you have to write a pitch. If you are a success you may be rewarded with the project of writing the entire script for the TV pitch you presented. Professional TV show pitch writers can help to write, polish, and edit your pitch.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Write-a-Pitch-for-a-TV-Show&id=6613817] How to Write a Pitch for a TV Show
Learn how to write a pitch for a TV show before learning how to write a TV show screenplay; the TV show pitch can help to gain funding for the screenplay, which you can outsource to a professional screenwriter for hire. It becomes a simpler task once you realize what it is and how it is to be done. A pitch is a line of talk, accompanied by a visual presentation to persuade a buyer to make a sales deal of the television show about which he already knows or is introduced to. The audible and visual impression has to be very crisp, directional and should establish a good chemistry between the writer and the decision maker(s) in the entertainment industry.
The screenwriter is given a very short time to pitch his ideas and convince the audience. The TV executives are a choosy lot. Unless your sales pitch is extraordinarily good, they will not be swayed even if your premise is solid. Knowing its benefits, every writer must first become a salesperson and learn how to write a pitch for a TV show.
Luring the potential buyer by emphasizing the overall marketability of the TV program requires special skills and follows a definite procedure. Knowing what the other party wants is essential for making a striking good pitch. You get only one chance to make the first good impression. Elements of how to write a pitch for a TV show must be carefully studied before attempting to sell the concept of the TV show you have in mind. The attention span of the client will be lost if the opening statement of the pitch is not an instant interest grabber. In most cases, an interesting question will intrigue the reader enough to read the rest of your writing.
Learning how to write a pitch for a TV show will get much easier if you have researched the current televised programs and are aware of what the audience is seeking. Develop a concept accordingly. This will give you added confidence during pitching. The opening question could be followed by offering a solution to the consumer's problem. Prepare a written description of your idea for the intended TV show. Be very brief but pointed. The document should ideally be 3-5 pages long. Be on time, dress smartly and be open to any suggestions that are offered. Follow the format of writing the pitch that the company expects. This may vary from one network to the other. Note the norms regarding spacing, font, page numbering, structure, accepted terminology, and the cover page.
The art of how to write a pitch for a TV show can be mastered through experience. You may face a couple of failures but do not give up. Try to better yourself each time you have to write a pitch. If you are a success you may be rewarded with the project of writing the entire script for the TV pitch you presented. Professional TV show pitch writers can help to write, polish, and edit your pitch.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Write-a-Pitch-for-a-TV-Show&id=6613817] How to Write a Pitch for a TV Show
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Movie Treatment Format
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
Rules regarding movie treatment format are in a constant state of evolution. Due to the continuous progression, there are sometimes discrepancies in the correct formats used for movie treatments. Individual producers or studios follow their own standards, making it somewhat challenging for treatment writers. Discrepancies have accrued because of the following:
1. The public preferences are changing
2. Newer technology has revolutionized the film industry
3. Time constraints have made changes in treatments imperative
Public preference - It was the silent movies that ruled the roost in the beginning, creating a need for treatment writing. For the first 30 years of the existence of cinema, people were appreciative of movies with no dialogues or sounds, sometimes with a narrator to explain the flow of the story. With the passage of time, historical classics stormed into limelight that required a big budget. Now the trend is more towards fast moving action, romances or thrillers, with sound. Treatment writing has undergone gradual change keeping in tune with what the masses want to see on the screen. The equipment utilized for filming has undergone a vast change, calling for an alteration in the movie treatment format today. When in doubt, use the most up-to-date format, and if you are writing for a specific company, determine if they have a preference.
Technology - The availability of software for the creation of treatments has taken much of the burden of formatting and pagination away from screenwriters. Specialized software has built-in techniques to churn out the completed treatment instantly at the punch of a few keys. The writer need not bother about the formatting rules that they are supposed to follow. This leaves him with more time to concentrate on other more important aspects of movie treatment format, like its appearance or presentation.
Time - People, especially those at the higher rungs of the film industry lack time. Running against the clock, movie formats have been compressed to a fewer pages. It is considered to be better the shorter the treatment is. Therefore, the strict rules that governed the movie treatment format have been replaced by more lenient ones. So much so, that everything is acceptable as long as it is short, crisp and tells it all.
The main purpose of a good movie treatment is to ease the task of:
� The writer to sell his idea or be awarded the project to write the entire screenplay.
� It provides him with a skeleton to work within so that he does not deviate while writing.
� The filming crew, where a common platform of understanding is established.
� The planning process. The set, location, lights, camera men, costume designers can lay out practical plans to do justice to the script that they will soon be filming.
� In case of a documentary, the treatment itself is used instead of a script.
The main considerations for an ideal movie treatment format are:
� The length of the treatment
� The language and the terminology to be used
� Its structure
� Formatting, fonts, spacing, indents
� Marks of punctuation, capitalization
� Page numbering strategy
� Cover page and binding
A movie treatment is approximately 10 percent of the length of the full length movie script. By writing or hiring a ghostwriter to create the movie treatment, you can present the formatted movie treatment to those who may be interesting in investing in the full length movie script. The treatment will provide enough information for potential investors to determine if they want to fund your screenplay.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Movie-Treatment-Format&id=6613699] Movie Treatment Format
Rules regarding movie treatment format are in a constant state of evolution. Due to the continuous progression, there are sometimes discrepancies in the correct formats used for movie treatments. Individual producers or studios follow their own standards, making it somewhat challenging for treatment writers. Discrepancies have accrued because of the following:
1. The public preferences are changing
2. Newer technology has revolutionized the film industry
3. Time constraints have made changes in treatments imperative
Public preference - It was the silent movies that ruled the roost in the beginning, creating a need for treatment writing. For the first 30 years of the existence of cinema, people were appreciative of movies with no dialogues or sounds, sometimes with a narrator to explain the flow of the story. With the passage of time, historical classics stormed into limelight that required a big budget. Now the trend is more towards fast moving action, romances or thrillers, with sound. Treatment writing has undergone gradual change keeping in tune with what the masses want to see on the screen. The equipment utilized for filming has undergone a vast change, calling for an alteration in the movie treatment format today. When in doubt, use the most up-to-date format, and if you are writing for a specific company, determine if they have a preference.
Technology - The availability of software for the creation of treatments has taken much of the burden of formatting and pagination away from screenwriters. Specialized software has built-in techniques to churn out the completed treatment instantly at the punch of a few keys. The writer need not bother about the formatting rules that they are supposed to follow. This leaves him with more time to concentrate on other more important aspects of movie treatment format, like its appearance or presentation.
Time - People, especially those at the higher rungs of the film industry lack time. Running against the clock, movie formats have been compressed to a fewer pages. It is considered to be better the shorter the treatment is. Therefore, the strict rules that governed the movie treatment format have been replaced by more lenient ones. So much so, that everything is acceptable as long as it is short, crisp and tells it all.
The main purpose of a good movie treatment is to ease the task of:
� The writer to sell his idea or be awarded the project to write the entire screenplay.
� It provides him with a skeleton to work within so that he does not deviate while writing.
� The filming crew, where a common platform of understanding is established.
� The planning process. The set, location, lights, camera men, costume designers can lay out practical plans to do justice to the script that they will soon be filming.
� In case of a documentary, the treatment itself is used instead of a script.
The main considerations for an ideal movie treatment format are:
� The length of the treatment
� The language and the terminology to be used
� Its structure
� Formatting, fonts, spacing, indents
� Marks of punctuation, capitalization
� Page numbering strategy
� Cover page and binding
A movie treatment is approximately 10 percent of the length of the full length movie script. By writing or hiring a ghostwriter to create the movie treatment, you can present the formatted movie treatment to those who may be interesting in investing in the full length movie script. The treatment will provide enough information for potential investors to determine if they want to fund your screenplay.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Movie-Treatment-Format&id=6613699] Movie Treatment Format
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Comedy Script Writer
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
A comedy script writer is a humor writer who is able to point out the funny side of life. It is easy to laugh but quite different to make others people laugh. Comedy is a distinct genre of writing. Nobody is a born comedian nor can he learn it sitting in a class-room. A comedy script writer picks up the basic ingredients and polishes the skill through experience. Most of what it takes to be a writer of narrative comedy scripts is intangible.
Comedy script writers who can bring laughter in others are always a pleasant company and sought after by their comrades. In the same way, a comic writer, who has the ability to tickle the reader, gains popularity. In this context, a comedy script writer endowed with a sense of humor, soon grabs the attention of readers, movie makers, and eventually the viewers.
The comedy writer uses the sarcastic remarks made by actors or the irony of certain situations to bring in the effect of fun and frolic. Today when life has become an upward struggle for most people, a little bit of entertainment to lighten the overwhelming strife is a welcome change. This fact places a comedy script writer on a higher pedestal than ever before. In order to continue his mission successfully, he must ensure top quality outpourings in the screenplay he writes. For this he must remember to:
� Intersperse the story with the best jokes that had thought of and saved from earlier creative writing efforts.
� Blend the jokes naturally with the general content of the screenplay. There should be a balance between the storyline and pranks. The jokes must be delivered at appropriate time.
� Keep away from watching or listening to any other comical show on the TV or radio because his brain may use words or jokes from them unconsciously.
� Try to follow the style of a famous comedian. A mentor will be a good source of inspiration for the comedy script writer.
� After having written the screenplay, set it aside for a few days. Pick it up once again and read to see whether he finds what he has written funny.
Humor transcends all barriers -- age, gender, cultural and ethnic. There is timelessness in hilarity. Until today the silent movies showing the absurdities of Charlie Chaplin sent viewers down the aisle roaring with laughter. Easy as it may seem on the screen, the work of a comedy script writer is far from it although it is quite lucrative. The writer can never be sure what will be taken as a joke and what will not. A little bit of practice is all it takes for a person with the right talent to compose scripts for TV or films that cheer the audience. The comic flaws in characters of the story triggers laughter. The way they act, react, and interact results in situations that are amusing. The comedy script writer makes the most of such circumstances and characters to steep his story with wit.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Comedy-Script-Writer&id=6613784] Comedy Script Writer
A comedy script writer is a humor writer who is able to point out the funny side of life. It is easy to laugh but quite different to make others people laugh. Comedy is a distinct genre of writing. Nobody is a born comedian nor can he learn it sitting in a class-room. A comedy script writer picks up the basic ingredients and polishes the skill through experience. Most of what it takes to be a writer of narrative comedy scripts is intangible.
Comedy script writers who can bring laughter in others are always a pleasant company and sought after by their comrades. In the same way, a comic writer, who has the ability to tickle the reader, gains popularity. In this context, a comedy script writer endowed with a sense of humor, soon grabs the attention of readers, movie makers, and eventually the viewers.
The comedy writer uses the sarcastic remarks made by actors or the irony of certain situations to bring in the effect of fun and frolic. Today when life has become an upward struggle for most people, a little bit of entertainment to lighten the overwhelming strife is a welcome change. This fact places a comedy script writer on a higher pedestal than ever before. In order to continue his mission successfully, he must ensure top quality outpourings in the screenplay he writes. For this he must remember to:
� Intersperse the story with the best jokes that had thought of and saved from earlier creative writing efforts.
� Blend the jokes naturally with the general content of the screenplay. There should be a balance between the storyline and pranks. The jokes must be delivered at appropriate time.
� Keep away from watching or listening to any other comical show on the TV or radio because his brain may use words or jokes from them unconsciously.
� Try to follow the style of a famous comedian. A mentor will be a good source of inspiration for the comedy script writer.
� After having written the screenplay, set it aside for a few days. Pick it up once again and read to see whether he finds what he has written funny.
Humor transcends all barriers -- age, gender, cultural and ethnic. There is timelessness in hilarity. Until today the silent movies showing the absurdities of Charlie Chaplin sent viewers down the aisle roaring with laughter. Easy as it may seem on the screen, the work of a comedy script writer is far from it although it is quite lucrative. The writer can never be sure what will be taken as a joke and what will not. A little bit of practice is all it takes for a person with the right talent to compose scripts for TV or films that cheer the audience. The comic flaws in characters of the story triggers laughter. The way they act, react, and interact results in situations that are amusing. The comedy script writer makes the most of such circumstances and characters to steep his story with wit.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Comedy-Script-Writer&id=6613784] Comedy Script Writer
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Screenwriting Rules and How To Break Them
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Krueger]Jacob Krueger
RULE #1 - WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
One of the most misleading ideas in screenwriting is that as a writer you should "write what you know."
On its surface, this is a brilliant idea. After all, writing what you know means you're a whole lot less likely to get into trouble in your writing-and even your fiction is a whole lot more likely to be rooted in truth.
As anyone who's ever told a lie can tell you, building on pure fiction is like building on quicksand.
Things might look so much easier for awhile, but pretty soon one fabrication piles upon another until you're spending all your time trying to keep your story from from collapsing on itself.
Writing what you know makes things so much easier. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you get to focus on something you know profoundly well, conjure it for your audience, help them to connect with it, and take them on a journey in relation to it.
But of course, if great writers truly only wrote what they knew, some of the greatest works of fiction would never have existed.
I think it's safe to say George Lucas never spent much real time "a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away". Nor were JRR Tolkien or Peter Jackson ever abducted by Gandalf.
You don't have to be a serial killer or an FBI agent to write The Silence of The Lambs. You don't have to be a mobster to write Goodfellas. And you don't have to be a pet detective to write Ace Ventura.
As writers, we know on some level that our job is to invent. We are creators of fiction... So how are you supposed to write what you know, when you're conjuring a world you never lived in, or a character whose life you've never experienced?
The trick with writing what you know is not to write what you know literally-it's to write what you know emotionally.
George Lucas may not have known Darth Vadar-but he was deeply connected to the idea of the force. That's what makes the early movies so powerful-and its absence is what makes the later movies so easily forgettable.
JRR Tolkein may not have dwelled in middle earth, but he clearly understood the nature of addiction: the irresistible urge to put on the precious ring of power-even knowing that it draws the dark lord closer. And the way the end of that addiction-with the destruction of the ring by the ultimate addict, Gollum, also means the end of the age of magic, and the beginning of the age of man.
What a great writer does is not simply to write the literal truth of what he or she knows.
What a great writer does is to translate what she knows into a fiction that tells the truth even more powerfully than the literal truth ever could.
Rule #2: DON'T USE FLASHBACKS
As any screenwriting teacher will tell you, flashbacks almost always mean big trouble for young writers.
No matter how exciting their content may seem to be, by their very nature flashbacks almost always kill the drama of a story, distracting both writer and audiences from what is most important in a script: the main character's present day journey.
For this reason, it's become dogma among screenwriting gurus, enlightened producers, and film professors that flashbacks should be avoided at all costs.
Good advice. Except for the fact that sometimes flashbacks just plain work.
Can you imagine what would happen if the writers of great films like Memento, Sophie's Choice, or Blue Valentine had clung to the rules about avoiding flashbacks?
Their films would have lost some of their most powerful elements- and possibly never even been written in the first place.
While avoiding flashbacks may be a good rule of thumb for keeping you out of trouble, the real question is not whether or not you should use flashbacks, but how they are affecting the drama of your story.
Deciding whether or not flashbacks are working in your screenplay is not about simply following a rule.
It's about developing a nuanced approach, based on your intentions for your project, the visual language of your writing, and the shape of your story.
That means understanding the problems flashbacks pose, so you can make sure the flashbacks in your story are propelling things forward, rather than stopping your movie in its tracks.
Have a question about screenwriting?
Ask award-winning screenwriter Jacob Krueger, and your question could be featured in an article like this one. You can email Jacob at [mailto:jake@writeyourscreenplay.com]jake@writeyourscreenplay.com
For more information about screenwriting, or to find out more about Jacob's upcoming screenwriting classes in the New York City Area and Online, please visit his website: [http://www.writeyourscreenplay.com]http://www.writeyourscreenplay.com.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Screenwriting-Rules-and-How-To-Break-Them&id=6609018] Screenwriting Rules and How To Break Them
RULE #1 - WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
One of the most misleading ideas in screenwriting is that as a writer you should "write what you know."
On its surface, this is a brilliant idea. After all, writing what you know means you're a whole lot less likely to get into trouble in your writing-and even your fiction is a whole lot more likely to be rooted in truth.
As anyone who's ever told a lie can tell you, building on pure fiction is like building on quicksand.
Things might look so much easier for awhile, but pretty soon one fabrication piles upon another until you're spending all your time trying to keep your story from from collapsing on itself.
Writing what you know makes things so much easier. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you get to focus on something you know profoundly well, conjure it for your audience, help them to connect with it, and take them on a journey in relation to it.
But of course, if great writers truly only wrote what they knew, some of the greatest works of fiction would never have existed.
I think it's safe to say George Lucas never spent much real time "a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away". Nor were JRR Tolkien or Peter Jackson ever abducted by Gandalf.
You don't have to be a serial killer or an FBI agent to write The Silence of The Lambs. You don't have to be a mobster to write Goodfellas. And you don't have to be a pet detective to write Ace Ventura.
As writers, we know on some level that our job is to invent. We are creators of fiction... So how are you supposed to write what you know, when you're conjuring a world you never lived in, or a character whose life you've never experienced?
The trick with writing what you know is not to write what you know literally-it's to write what you know emotionally.
George Lucas may not have known Darth Vadar-but he was deeply connected to the idea of the force. That's what makes the early movies so powerful-and its absence is what makes the later movies so easily forgettable.
JRR Tolkein may not have dwelled in middle earth, but he clearly understood the nature of addiction: the irresistible urge to put on the precious ring of power-even knowing that it draws the dark lord closer. And the way the end of that addiction-with the destruction of the ring by the ultimate addict, Gollum, also means the end of the age of magic, and the beginning of the age of man.
What a great writer does is not simply to write the literal truth of what he or she knows.
What a great writer does is to translate what she knows into a fiction that tells the truth even more powerfully than the literal truth ever could.
Rule #2: DON'T USE FLASHBACKS
As any screenwriting teacher will tell you, flashbacks almost always mean big trouble for young writers.
No matter how exciting their content may seem to be, by their very nature flashbacks almost always kill the drama of a story, distracting both writer and audiences from what is most important in a script: the main character's present day journey.
For this reason, it's become dogma among screenwriting gurus, enlightened producers, and film professors that flashbacks should be avoided at all costs.
Good advice. Except for the fact that sometimes flashbacks just plain work.
Can you imagine what would happen if the writers of great films like Memento, Sophie's Choice, or Blue Valentine had clung to the rules about avoiding flashbacks?
Their films would have lost some of their most powerful elements- and possibly never even been written in the first place.
While avoiding flashbacks may be a good rule of thumb for keeping you out of trouble, the real question is not whether or not you should use flashbacks, but how they are affecting the drama of your story.
Deciding whether or not flashbacks are working in your screenplay is not about simply following a rule.
It's about developing a nuanced approach, based on your intentions for your project, the visual language of your writing, and the shape of your story.
That means understanding the problems flashbacks pose, so you can make sure the flashbacks in your story are propelling things forward, rather than stopping your movie in its tracks.
Have a question about screenwriting?
Ask award-winning screenwriter Jacob Krueger, and your question could be featured in an article like this one. You can email Jacob at [mailto:jake@writeyourscreenplay.com]jake@writeyourscreenplay.com
For more information about screenwriting, or to find out more about Jacob's upcoming screenwriting classes in the New York City Area and Online, please visit his website: [http://www.writeyourscreenplay.com]http://www.writeyourscreenplay.com.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Screenwriting-Rules-and-How-To-Break-Them&id=6609018] Screenwriting Rules and How To Break Them
Friday, December 16, 2011
Writing a Documentary Treatment
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
Real life is depicted through writing a documentary treatment. A documentary is a genre of short motion pictures where the creative writing of actuality is brought alive on the screen. It deals with any one particular aspect of life and does not require fabricated characters or an imaginary tale. Life as it is or one caught unaware by the camera lens is a pure delight to watch. Documentaries utilize treatments or proposals that comprise a brief description of the person or topic being documented, why and how.
Often writing a documentary treatment helps the film gain funding. TV stations need to be persuaded to shell out the huge amount of money that is required. They need reassurance that the program will attract the audience and will be watched right till the end. Therefore, treatments have to be meticulously compiled. What the audience will experience as they watch the documentary on the screen in included in a treatment. The main purpose of a documentary treatment is to provide a common platform for understanding among all the people involved in making it, editing and in the distribution process. While writing a documentary treatment, research the topic thoroughly. Have up-to-date information of it so that it answers all the queries of the readers and later of the viewers. Every statement that you make should be backed by ample evidence of being correct.
Expand your knowledge about the subject to the fullest. The best way to obtain information for writing a documentary treatment is through the following:
� Libraries
� Conducting interviews with relevant people and institutions
� Professional treatment writers for hire
� Internet
� Contacting related people through phone calls, e-mails or letters
Different producers have their own preference for the format required. Check with them before writing a documentary treatment. Do not sound personal. Use colorful words that help the readers to visualize whatever you are describing. Avoid excessive use of adjectives. Instead, let the readers feel what you are trying to convey through the words that you choose. Adhere to present tense and active voice. Inform the readers what they are likely to perceive and listen to on the screen. Write, rewrite and edit the documentary treatment until the desired degree of perfection is reached.
Be very specific while stating all facts for a documentary project. The factual drama does not call for too much of music but whatever little it does include should be pre-planned. You are free to make changes in music later on. The treatment must mention who the presenter is going to be and why he or she has been chosen. The structure, a conflict and the end should be clearly outlined. In view of the budget, decide the length of the treatment. The scientific background, the people interviewed plus a little about the planned time for production can also be mentioned. It will show your total professionalism and involvement in writing a documentary treatment.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-a-Documentary-Treatment&id=6613736] Writing a Documentary Treatment
Real life is depicted through writing a documentary treatment. A documentary is a genre of short motion pictures where the creative writing of actuality is brought alive on the screen. It deals with any one particular aspect of life and does not require fabricated characters or an imaginary tale. Life as it is or one caught unaware by the camera lens is a pure delight to watch. Documentaries utilize treatments or proposals that comprise a brief description of the person or topic being documented, why and how.
Often writing a documentary treatment helps the film gain funding. TV stations need to be persuaded to shell out the huge amount of money that is required. They need reassurance that the program will attract the audience and will be watched right till the end. Therefore, treatments have to be meticulously compiled. What the audience will experience as they watch the documentary on the screen in included in a treatment. The main purpose of a documentary treatment is to provide a common platform for understanding among all the people involved in making it, editing and in the distribution process. While writing a documentary treatment, research the topic thoroughly. Have up-to-date information of it so that it answers all the queries of the readers and later of the viewers. Every statement that you make should be backed by ample evidence of being correct.
Expand your knowledge about the subject to the fullest. The best way to obtain information for writing a documentary treatment is through the following:
� Libraries
� Conducting interviews with relevant people and institutions
� Professional treatment writers for hire
� Internet
� Contacting related people through phone calls, e-mails or letters
Different producers have their own preference for the format required. Check with them before writing a documentary treatment. Do not sound personal. Use colorful words that help the readers to visualize whatever you are describing. Avoid excessive use of adjectives. Instead, let the readers feel what you are trying to convey through the words that you choose. Adhere to present tense and active voice. Inform the readers what they are likely to perceive and listen to on the screen. Write, rewrite and edit the documentary treatment until the desired degree of perfection is reached.
Be very specific while stating all facts for a documentary project. The factual drama does not call for too much of music but whatever little it does include should be pre-planned. You are free to make changes in music later on. The treatment must mention who the presenter is going to be and why he or she has been chosen. The structure, a conflict and the end should be clearly outlined. In view of the budget, decide the length of the treatment. The scientific background, the people interviewed plus a little about the planned time for production can also be mentioned. It will show your total professionalism and involvement in writing a documentary treatment.
Contact professional [http://screenwritersforhire.com/]screenwriters to write, edit, or help with your screenplay or treatment. Just CALL (716) 579-5984, EMAIL ezine[at]GhostWritersForHire.Com, or CLICK http://ScreenwritersForHire.Com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-a-Documentary-Treatment&id=6613736] Writing a Documentary Treatment
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