Yep kiddies, time once again for…. Screenwriting L I N K S!
Lots of dues paid in tracking down the best stuff upon the Digital Divide. The goal, as ever, is to help you on your way, to impart some wisdom, and to get my AC kicking as I write this in the August dog days in Chicago. Got some good ones today, so a little traveling music, maestro!
- FILM PRODUCTION BASICS
This YouTube video plays a bit stiff, but it goes down easy when you think that this is essentially what you learn in a Production 1 class at Columbia College whilst paying 24K a year. This is free and to the point–Who is who on set, nicely diagramed.
- PAUL SCHRADER SITE
The man wrote Taxi Driver, Hardcore, Cat People, and Last Temptation Of Christ. Oh yeah, and a little movie called Raging Bull. Screenwriting G-O-D. But how about having a chance to read some of his lesser known works? Some of his thoughts on Greek Tragedy used in the movies? Or perhaps an essay on Peckinpah shooting The Wild Bunch in Mexico? Oh yes, please! Here’s an entire site dedicated to his writing. You’re welcome!
- GORILLAS IN THE MOVIES
No, this article probably won’t help you write screenplays. It’s also dated, from 2012, but in my investigations I couldn’t pass it up. Look at how movies how changed in portraying these savage beasts. From Bella Legosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla in 1938 to the current day CG take on them in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. Study this the next time you’re writing in a gorilla into your script, and remember–we want COMPLEX gorillas…no black and white single dimensional Bride Of The Gorilla types.
- FEMSCRIPTINTROS
61k followers with 64 posts? All-time record? I’m late to the party here on this Twitter page but it’s a true phenomenon. What’s the page about? Ross Putman, a phony name for a producer in the biz, reading tons of scripts and seeing more than his fill of cliches. Looks like he just has to share his daily load of cliched crapola that makes its way to his desk. Read this page and avoid introducing your female characters like this…
Ross Putman A young woman suddenly dives in, stark naked. Swims the length of the pool & comes out at the end. Meet JANE, 24. Toned, scrappy & tattooed.
This is JANE. She’s lithe, leggy, spirited, outgoing, not afraid to speak her mind, with a sense of humor as dry as the Sonoran Desert
Behind a steamy shower door is the indistinguishable but sexy silhouette of JANE showering.
Like draping the Venus De Milo in a burlap dress, Jane’s sensational natural beauty fights through her plain blue Ann Taylor outfit.
JANE, 28, athletic but sexy. A natural beauty. Most days she wears jeans, and she makes them look good.
- SCREENWRITING SOFTWARE FOR FREE
There was a time CELTX was the only choice I’d recommend for my broke-ass freshmen writing students at Columbia. It was buggy but workable, a cheap solution for kids with no money who weren’t pros yet. FINAL DRAFT 11 being the current industry standard, virtually all of them tried to work around paying that $250. Rather than hit Pirate Bay I suggested CELTX. That is, until they started to charge for it. Yes, I know there’s a basic product you can still get for free. But it felt like jumping through hoops. So I was happy when Amazon came out with Story Writer. Great alternative.
Though I’ve never used it, I also hear good things about Fade In. You can learn about it here.
