Post Creative Resources: links for all things creative.

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SkaAndScreenplays: Dec 11, 2013; by Pragmatica

WRITING- Specifically Screenwriting

http://writingmoviesforfunandprofit.com

I picked this book up on a whim. It's by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant of Reno 911! / Night At The Museum fame
Not only is this book extremely informative it is actually readable and entertaining. If you've ever read a 'how to write for screen' type book you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It does a really good job of proving that becoming a professional screenwriter is possible, while not pulling punches in explaining what it means to be a screenwriter.

After picking this book up I went from outline to finished script in 3 months. I just started seeking representation this week and am working on a second two more spec scripts in the meantime.

The short and skinny is these guys tell you exactly what you need, and don't shill any bullshit. I wouldn't be at this point without this book. Worth the money and then some.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2013 06:44

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 02:07

SkaAndScreenplays: Dec 11, 2013; by Pragmatica

Contribution: Writing Movies For ~~Fun And~~ Profit

This is far and away one of the most entertaining 'How To Be A Professional' books I have read, and while it jokes around about what it is that doesn't devalue the information within it. It is also brutally honest at points, and the sharp attitude helped me ditch the 'starving artist' mindset and realize that things aren't going to happen if I don't actually work and fail and improve. I think most importantly is it's written by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant who are:
A. Active writers in Hollywood - They are currently doing the things they are showing you.
B. Funny and Informative - You don't get bored by the information - which there is a lot of.
C. Brutally Honest, and also Self Critical

The point is that if you want to work as a screenwriter you have to be willing to work for it.

"[s posted:

Fun And[/s]Profit"]
"Screenplays are like blueprints. A guy who's drawn up a lot of blueprints that have never actually been made into buildings is not an 'architecture guru,' he's an 'unemployed douchebag.' A guy who talks about screen-writing but who's never sold a screenplay is not a 'screenwriting guru,' he's a 'lecture circuit bullshit artist.' From now on, that's what we'll call them." - Thomas Lennon and/or Ben Garant

While the subject matter is screenwriting it doesn't dwell on the boring parts that you should know if you plan on being a working writer. All the standard things like margins/font/size/indents/etc vary by studio and you can look them up pretty much anywhere anywhere. It doesn't dwell on the basics, just runs a quick refresher course.

Fun and Profit is basically what you do after you come up with an idea/pitch/first draft. The goodreads page for it has a lot of reviews that sum it up better than I do.

quote:

What I learned from this book:

You have to live in LA. //To work as a screenwriter
You have to use Final Draft (finaldraft.com). //to screenwrite professionally
You have to write, write and write some more (universal for any type of writing).
You have to have an agent (and maybe a manager and an entertainment lawyer) so that you can write, write and write some more. //Not universal to writing
You have to outline (fun!). //Pretty damned important to writing in general
You have to be agreeable and not have a big and easily bruised ego (probably easier said than done). //universal to writing in general
Drinking probably helps (seriously, there's a chapter devoted to that). //universal to writing in general

And! The difference between "&" and "and", because there is one.

Chrome Store/Books has a pretty big chunk of it available online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SDG4Z2vkd8

Meeple posted:

WRITING

This seems like the best place to post this. I made an add-on for Google Docs that converts formatting to forum BBcode tags so you can copy/paste from docs to forums without having to redo formatting by hand. Mostly I did it because it let me post Thunderdome crits more easily, but hopefully other people might find it useful when posting stories or parts for crit.

It got approved yesterday, and you can find it in the Chrome App store for some reason. You don't actually need Chrome to use it, it installs server-side in your Google account.

Any bugs/requests, do let me know

That is freaking awesome.

SkaAndScreenplays fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Jul 4, 2015

# ¿ Jul 4, 2015 13:48

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > Post Creative Resources: links for all things creative.