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To sell a script...

post #1 of 38
1/1/00 at 9:52pm
Thread Starter 
...THAT is my New Year's resolution. It MUST happen this year.

Optimistic, yes... but so was becoming human.


`Carl

------------------
"I am not afraid."

Carl's C.H.U.D. BIO Page
----------------
Carl's DVD List (Always "in production")
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post #2 of 38
1/2/00 at 12:22am
I've got a few bucks, sell me one of your old ones.
Actually, I have one I want to send to Charles DeLint. You see, for an elective, I took Screeenwriting from both the english and the film departments. Film side was an original script, english side was an adaptation. I wanted to do Matt Wagner's MAGE (hey, it's already storyboarded out), but I was missing a few eps and the collections were not in print at the time. So I did Jack The Giant Killer by DeLint.
I want to send it to him to warn him what Hollywood can do to good material.
You see, it started off as a faithful adaptation, which would have been great if it was being produced in England. But the Hollywood tweaking the professor had me do made it a cross between The Terminator and Pipi Longstocking.
Still, I got a B from a professor I later found out detested fantasy. Probably would have made a decent film in its own right...until DeLint fans lynched me with peanut butter and penguin feathers.

So, whatcha got, Carl?
Anybody else?
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post #3 of 38
1/2/00 at 1:48am
I have a story/script hybrid that's about the Gecko brothers from From Dusk Till Dawn going on Wheel of Fortune. It's a comedy, and it's pretty faithful to the characters. It's not too long, though.

I wrote it on a dare.
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post #4 of 38
1/2/00 at 3:04am
Lemme guess...it's short because they try to be inconspicuous and wind up killing everyone?
Oh, and if you haven't seen the video version of Curdled, do so. It has a scene with the Gekko Brothers. Very short.
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post #5 of 38
1/2/00 at 3:10am
I'm almost done with a pretty snazzy little script, which'll pave the way for the big budget project Carl and I are working on...

Then I'll be rich and able to update CHUD 5 times a day for you!
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post #6 of 38
1/2/00 at 3:17am
Nah, I was proud of it. Tarantino would be proud of it.

Seth and Richie have gotten into a bit of trouble, and due to unusual (as normal) circumstances, wind up at a television studio. While the two wait for their getaway, Richie talks Seth into becoming a contestant with him on the show (Richie's favorite), just for kicks. The two take over the studio, locking all doors, and holding the place at gunpoint. After a while, Richie starts hearing Vanna "talking" to him (you know, what I mean)...

Nick, I might have a C.H.U.D. treatment for ya, here...or something, anyway...
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post #7 of 38
1/3/00 at 9:53am
Ok, Nick, Carl, spill the beans on your respective projects, if you feel comfortable doing so. I'm curious.
(And trust me, I understand if you feel hesitant.)
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post #8 of 38
1/3/00 at 11:33am
Damn all of you creative movie-types!!! I write and I write and I write but it's all merely prose fiction. I've tried my hand at screenwriting a couple of times and (one would think) since I am an utter and total comic book nerd it would seem like I have the concept of films being envisioned in frames straight in my head, but lemme tell you, I just get lost on the journey from my head to the paper. Of course, I get lost on my way to the bathroom, so that's not saying a whole lot. Prose: no problem. Scripts: End up looking like William S. Burroughs and Jerry Stahl had a love child and then pissed on it while watching a retard whittle...no hope, I tell you.
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post #9 of 38
1/3/00 at 12:02pm
Hey, I'm a prose writer. I actually dislike script writing...too many damn ways to screw up the formatting (which looks unprofessional & doesn't usually get read), plus, the prose side of me hates the lack of detail.
But they do pay better.
Tip: Don't worry about frames and shots & the like. That's the director's job. Just wory about story and dialog/characters.
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post #10 of 38
1/3/00 at 12:09pm
Also, pick up a copy of J. Michael Straczynski's screenwriting book. I can't remember the actual title (it was just refered to as "your text" or "the bible"...which was odd, because a screenwriter's bible is another kettle of penguins all together)
Joe Straczynski is more than just B5...he's been involved in everything from Murder, She Wrote to the animated Ghostbusters to The Twilight Zone to Captain Power. It's a good book, and covers many different fields.
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post #11 of 38
1/3/00 at 1:07pm
Not only that, but Stracinktn5yu (however the hell you spell it) is now putting out what is just about the best limited comic book series since the Watchmen. 'Rising Stars' is unparalleled in its magnificent storytelling and utter humanity, shown, oddly enough, through the eyes of a generation of children born with super powers after the impact of a meteor (I know, I know, sounds a bit like Village of the Damned, but trust me on this).
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post #12 of 38
1/3/00 at 3:07pm
Thread Starter 
Grendel, I agree with you on "Rising Stars". It's magnificent,as is almost enough to get me back into collecting comics again.

Coyote, I can't say much (for obvious reasons) at this point, but I will spill this much: Nick and I are working on a script project called "The Undoing", which is basically an "end of the world" type movie... with a CHUD-style twist or two.

I'm also working on a couple other scripts, one is a gross-out comedy based on my own experiences with fertility tests (in case you were wondering, it worked out fine... my wife and I are expecting our second creature later this year)... I'm tentitively referring to this one as "The Baby Batter Project". Yeah, I know...gross. The other project I just started is actually a very personal one, based on my grandfather's life and experiences. You know the old saying "truth is stranger than fiction"? Well, it was never more truth than with my grandfather and his family. For just one example, he had 8 brothers. Together, they formed the first and only semi-professional baseball team made up of 9 brothers. My great uncle was the pitcher... the first pro pitcher to have only one arm. Their father was the Manager. I'll probably design this one as a novel, but there is definitely cinematic potential there. But, then again... I am biased

I'm also toying with working on a project with Micah (who prowls these very boards from time to time) that's based on an idea I had a few years ago for a comic book.

Other than that, I don't have anything to do as far as screenplays.

Anyway, as I said in my initial post, I MUST sell a script this year. If I do, something tells me it won't be any of the ones I mentioned. Life is weird that way. Personally, I hope EVERYONE'S projects work out. We'll see what happens...

`Carl

------------------
"I am not afraid."

Carl's C.H.U.D. BIO Page
----------------
Carl's DVD List (Always "in production")


[This message has been edited by Carl Cunningham (edited 01-03-2000).]
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post #13 of 38
1/3/00 at 3:17pm
I write speculative fiction...you know, Harlan Ellison/Twilight Zone type stuff. And I definately believe truth is stranger than fiction. I'm living proof.
How many issues are we in Rising Stars?

[This message has been edited by Coyote (edited 01-03-2000).]
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post #14 of 38
1/3/00 at 3:46pm
Dear Wired: I started writing fiction when I was fifteen, I have attended college, I have consumed alchohol, and I have driven. That may put me (or not) in a category to give you some advice. Read all the Harlan Ellison you can get your hands on. This is not merely a personal preference of mine, it is a nod to the fact that the man shows you how powerful words can be. Read Phillip Jose Farmer's Riverworld books to see how to integrate history and imagination. Read Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels and Gregory MacDonald's Fletch novels to learn dialogue and human speech patterns. Take the following in college: History, Russian History, and any and all Political Science courses. Sociology and Abnormal Psychology. Stay away from Creative Writing Courses:They will tell you that good writers are all like Steinbeck or Turgenev. Ignore them. You are creative enough on your own.

Watch talk shows. Talk to people with problems. Learn how to shoot a bow.

Live. As you live, write.
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post #15 of 38
1/3/00 at 4:01pm
Go ahead and start writing. Most people do not write golden scripts the first few tries...so get it out of your system
Theoretically, there's some good screenwriting macro software out there...but you probably can't afford it
I can't.
Social studies are good. Anthopology classes are good..they broaden your knowledge of cultures (the real thing, not Ms. Manners). What genre do you like to write in? It may influence what you take. For instance, mystery make have you take forensics (it's a good course anyways, since it teaches you to think in terms of cause & effect)
If you can take screenwriting from diferent departs, say English & Film, do so.
Use your own best judgement in reality, but remember the FORMAT has to be perfect and professional, or they won't read it.


[This message has been edited by Coyote (edited 01-03-2000).]
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post #16 of 38
1/3/00 at 4:04pm
As Carl mentioned, he and I are working on some script ideas, but I have a few of my own.

I risking being ripped off by telling you this , but here goes one in particular:

1) I am a big fan of Rising Stars/Astro City-type comics, and I think the idea of what happens AROUND the worlds of superheroes is as fascniating as can be. I always thought a movie that looks into the "sceret lives of superheroes" would be interesting. Kinda like a Behind the Music on a fictional "Justice League"-esque group of heroes. Not tongue-in-cheek like Mystery Men, either. I mean, really and truly serious.
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post #17 of 38
1/3/00 at 4:16pm
I myself am a wannabe writer. I have two novels going right now. One is a fantasy concept (although not sword&sorcery) that looks into what constitutes a god. Deals with issues like destiny vs free-will and the "problem of evil".

The other is a thriller -- telekenetics on a molecular level (rather than "I move that chair across the room" it's "I rearrange the protons and electrons"). You know, simple stuff like: there's now a 3' sphere of ammonia around your head, and the tissue of your heart is no longer pliable.

I will never finish ...
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post #18 of 38
1/3/00 at 4:32pm
Thread Starter 
Wired,

The only advice I can give you is this: College is unnecessary if you want a job in the film industry or want to write scripts.

The entertainment business is basically the only one with no front doors or entry level positions. You have to know people, get lucky, or both to make it. But of all things, you have to work hard and have faith

I went to Film School (in fact, Nick and I met each other there a few years back). But not because I thought it would help me get a job in the industry. I went because I knew I already had the desire and natural instinct, but wanted the technical knowledge of the craft to go with it.

So, all that said... it's always a good idea to go to school and get some kind of degree, just in case. But I would suggest you find a school with some typ eof Film program, preferrably one that is hands-on. Learn the technical stuff and the basics of the craft. If your heart is into writing, that's great. No books or courses needed. Simply find 4 or 5 scripts out there (probably different genres) of films that you appreciate. Read the scripts, and study them. Then, sit down and write the stories in your head in your own style.

I don't want to sound trite or cliched, but the truth is... all you need is what you have. At least in the film business, where all of the "success" stories are made up of people falling into 2 categories:

1) The "lucky" few who make it via hard work and preserverance.

2) Phonies. Usually people who get in simply because they know someone.

Just keep the faith and plug away. There are probably many more Hollywood "success" stories than we're lead to believe, especially if you account for writers.

`Carl

------------------
"I am not afraid."

Carl's C.H.U.D. BIO Page
----------------
Carl's DVD List (Always "in production")



[This message has been edited by Carl Cunningham (edited 01-03-2000).]
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post #19 of 38
1/3/00 at 4:33pm
Blofeld you unutterable b*****d! Your fantasy type novel is eerily and reminiscently similar to the novel that I am in the middle of writing. I'm a hundred pages into this novel and I'm loving it, and here you have to go and say that you've had the same stroke of genius!!! Man Blofeld, you really live up to your namesake!
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post #20 of 38
1/3/00 at 4:47pm
In reaction to what Carl said, however, I must note that this day and age is easily the most promising for new people trying to enter the business of filmmaking. Pitches are being bought and sold for six figures. Journalists who are first-time screenwriters sell screenplays on a monthly basis. Development and production deals are flying fast and furious as the number of movie studios begins to swell. Now is a good time to be a beginner in the industry.

I want to sell a script, but at the same time, I don't want to see it on a screen three years later after Barry Sonnenfeld has taken the directing reins and cast Will Smith, Julia Roberts, and Kevin Costner in the lead roles. So when I think have THE idea, and I am ready to fully execute it (and it will be this year), rest assured, I will make my move to try and get it sold.
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post #21 of 38
1/3/00 at 5:32pm
grendel -- well, the ideas are grand enough to be dealt with in many different manners. I'm certain that the novels will be entirely different ... uh, wait -- are you the person I stole the manuscript from on the bus? Nevermind. You're writing the exact same novel that I am ...
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post #22 of 38
1/3/00 at 5:40pm
Nobody wants to see their artistry turned into utter crap by people who have all of the combined creative talent of yak-smegma. That is the fear that the artist goes through and(not to sound too lofty here) it is what the artist MUST go through if he is to be seperate and disparate from his mediocre neighbors who are not called to create art at all. Sounds like crap, doesn't it? And I'm sure on some level it is, but at the same time that does not keep it from being true.
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post #23 of 38
1/3/00 at 6:56pm
IMHO, get published scripts from the bookstore, with notes about production and such (T2 is a great example). It helps with seeing how a script gets transfered to film.
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post #24 of 38
1/3/00 at 7:12pm
Check out www.joblo.com
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post #25 of 38
1/3/00 at 7:12pm
Check out www.joblo.com
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post #26 of 38
1/3/00 at 7:14pm
Oops, I posted twice. I'm ashamed.
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post #27 of 38
1/4/00 at 4:37am
I have tried and tried, but the simple truth is: writing doesn't get any easier (for me, anyway). Inspiration is easy. It's the translation that's a bitch. Good luck, dude.

I have some ideas, but I just cannot get them full out...by myself. I'd need somebody to work with me on these things. I start to push an idea uphill, but I have to get someone to help push it the rest of the way up. With a like mind, I'm sure I'd get somewhere.
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post #28 of 38
1/4/00 at 7:08am
DJ Evil-I don't know if I'm your collaborator or not-but you beat me to my punchlines and have been slaying me since I discovered CHUD. I've been dying for a collaborator. I used to write with a friend, and we'd do it like Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy (The Destroyer series novelists)-one of us would start, one of us would finish, then we'd do a polish tomake it all coherent. Well, he joined the work-a-day world, whereas I remain a bum, so I have plenty o' time to write.

My problem is, I've written some very inside stuff that no one gets, or some very personal stuff that no one is allowed to alter. When I sat down and tried to write something I could distance myself from, I ended up writing the best screenplay ever. I was talking to Robert Rodriguez's "people" and John Woo's "people", nd I even managed to put it in the hands of my leading man of choice "Buffy's" Nicholas Brendon. I thought things were looking up, but the rug got pulled out from under me (current events be damned!) and now I am depressed and downtrodden.
Sorry about that...I kinda' rambled...
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post #29 of 38
1/4/00 at 7:17am
BTW, Wired guy-You may want to check out Drew's Script-o-rama (www.script-o-rama.com)-You will be absolutely overjoyed by what you find. Whenever I feel like I'm never going to make it as a writer/director, I just go there and read a way-too-dense, poorly formatted, and mind numbingly dull screenplay entitled "The Star Wars" by George Lucas. If that schmuck parlayed that horrid, horrid tome into a cultural phenomenon, that I have no doubt that you and I will meet one day in Tinseltown, rich beyond the dreams of avarice and covered in supermodel.
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post #30 of 38
1/4/00 at 8:23am
Stay tuned, I think I'm gonna release my current script (a romantic comedy between a guy and a girl who happens to be a midget) in intallments on CHUD.

No kidding.
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post #31 of 38
1/4/00 at 10:46am
Here's a line for you, Nick, from a Real Life (tm) situation:
"...person of small stature..."
"I'm a midget, you idiot. HE'S a person of small stature." (points to me. I'm 5'6")


HAM: Ouch. Condolences.
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post #32 of 38
1/4/00 at 1:54pm
Thread Starter 
Short people are our friends.

Except for Warwick Davis. He must go.

`Carl

------------------
"I am not afraid."

Carl's C.H.U.D. BIO Page
----------------
Carl's DVD List (Always "in production")
Reply
post #33 of 38
1/4/00 at 2:10pm
HAM, gimme a day or so to get back to my home base (I'm currently on semi-vacation). Then, I'll run some ideas by you.

Midgets. So this is a horror, right?
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post #34 of 38
1/4/00 at 3:13pm
We'll just use computers to shrink you down.
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post #35 of 38
1/4/00 at 3:19pm
But can you play a FEMALE midget?
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post #36 of 38
1/4/00 at 3:23pm
I'm sure an operation can be arranged. Anything for show business.
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post #37 of 38
1/4/00 at 11:48pm
Thread Starter 
This topic is degenerating quickly. Talk of dwarves and midgets frightens.

Still, it reminds me of something I read in a cool book Nick go tme as one of my X-Mas gifts from him. The book is "You Choose 2". You have to choose a fate between one of the following:

Being orally stimulated by Don Knots.

or

Being gang-banged by a pack of Oompa Loompas.


Eh, I;d chose..... DEATH!


`Carl

------------------
"I am not afraid."

Carl's C.H.U.D. BIO Page
----------------
Carl's DVD List (Always "in production")
Reply
post #38 of 38
1/5/00 at 12:56am
You guys got me thinking...

If Stephen King can do a serial novel, why can't I do a serial screenplay?

So mosey on over to:
http://www.chud.com/ideas/small.php3

if you want to read installment one of my midget love story SMALL SACRIFICE.
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