Making movies is no easy task. That's what anyone who's tried to break into the business knows, and unfortunately this forces people to decide it's not worth the trouble. For them, it probably isn't, but for people like me, and maybe us, we're not very good at giving up. This blog is for those people who've written a screenplay, discovered a screenplay, or just wanted to make a movie and don't know a soul in the business or where to start. Maybe you're past all this and in development hell; not the studio kind, but your own, personal kind. Maybe you're just curious about how a movie is really made, from idea to theatrical release. Maybe you wonder how a director or producer can get past that catch-22 of funding versus cast for their first feature film. How do you even get anybody to read your script in the first place? My objective is to tell you what has so far been impossibly possible. This is my road to wrap...
Now I'm just one guy trying to make his first feature film. That alone is a hard thing to do. Why? Money. Most people don't have $5 million bucks saved up in their bank account. (By the way, if you do, you probably don't need to read any of this. Make the movie; you're all set to go!) But seriously, I'm closer than I've ever been. As long as I'm moving in the right direction, as slow as it's been, it's a good thing.
But who cares how the already successful people did it or are doing it? They'll tell you some crazy story about how they sold their house to finish their film. They were in a film festival and some well-known producer approached them and said, "Hey, let's do a movie." Those stories are crazy! One of the first things I learned about festivals, especially the smaller ones: if you want to win, make sure they've heard of someone working on, or in, your film. It's not always the case, but it usually is.
So how does this all start? With a screenplay, whether you wrote it yourself or you discovered one you love. How many people in regular life, in and out of the business, have told you they have a great idea for a movie? They wrote a 2 page treatment and it just need to be fleshed out. Or more commonly, they know what it takes to make an amazing screenplay, but they just haven't finished it yet. In my experience, this is most people. First step to making a movie? Finish the damn script! Do whatever it takes... even if it comes out as crap at least you crapped it out! That's the hardest part of writing, getting it on the page, and more importantly, getting it done. No one wants to read about an incomplete great idea. I hate pitching ideas. I just want to say read the damn thing and let speak for itself. Of course, that never happens either, so get used to pitching.
Once the screenplay finished, take a month or two. At least that's what I need... at least. I can write a feature in 3 weeks with virtually no problem, but it takes me months to years to write a screenplay. Why? I can't do proper rewrites unless I step away for a while. That's just me; everyone's different. I could go on and on about writing, so I'll try to stay general. I have a rule of thumb for writing that I've made up along the way. I break it up by each draft, starting with the 1st:
1) Get the story down, even if most of it sucks. Make sure everything is paced right, and you have an Act I, II, and III... unless of course you're purposely breaking that rule (I don't recommend that, though).
2) You've got it down, now you have something to work with. Make sure it all makes sense and just go over the plot again at least.
3) Pay special attention to character. Make sure as many as possible are three dimensional and learn something by the end of the story. Make sure everything said or done reveals character or plot. And lose some extraneous exposition (I always have to do that).
4) Make sure the theme stays intact and almost everything that goes on plays off that theme as much as possible. At the same time, I like to make sure that if a scene doesn't have something going on during dialogue, such as eating, picking out a book, or building a model airplane, add it. Those actions can always give you a way to reveal more character. If one guy is a pain in the ass, have him pull off his friend's hat, or whatever it is.
5) Dialogue. If it's not tight already, do a round to make sure characters don't sound alike and stay true to who they are. Make sure characters speak like they should and aren't saying things like, "Yes, my dear friend, I am fully aware you were not present." Change it to something like: Hey, man, I get you weren't there." Saves space too.
Okay, so we've got ourselves a rewritten and rewritten screenplay. Great, you're done, right? No. Now you need to find someone else who loves it as much as you. I'll explain next time...
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