Any of you, my dear readers, considering participation in Script Frenzy (churn out a script in 30 days flat, warts and all)?
I’m considering it, but I’m afraid I’ll be way too busy with work to get into it properly.
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This is Binary Bonsai, the online journal of Michael Heilemann — a Danish expat Interface Director at Squarespace, ex-Computer Game Developer and Film Lover — coming to you out of New York. It contains thoughts on games, interface design, movies, books, science fiction, Star Wars and various other subjects as befits the author, who is available for comment on Twitter.
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I’m considering doing it – I have a fairly well-defined plot fully worked out, and some scene plotting done too – but my failure to complete NaNoWriMo last year depressed me so much that I don’t know whether I want to put myself through that again.
Hmmm, that’s an interesting idea. I was planning on starting a new feature script recently, but then realized that I’d lost the passion for that particular story… maybe getting it out of the way quickly in a month would be a good idea.
Hmmm…
20,000 words huh? Hmmm, at 350 words per page (dunno how exact that is) that’s only about 60 pages… not too bad.
Frankly, I don’t think Script Frenzy or NaNoWriMo are good ideas. They don’t promote deep development of a storyline that will bring a truly enjoyable story to intended media format. It’s just how many words can you write in 30 days. Any chimp can do that. Quite literally too.
Some of the movies you see on screen take years to write (many don’t, and it shows). Then again, many Hollywood movies are simply formulated visual-crack fests. That’s okay, they have their place in entertainment. But the REALLY good scripts, weren’t written in 30 days. Not even by the people who have the time and money to sit and write full-time.
Script Frenzy and NaNoWriMo are circle jerk fests: good for a little creative explosion, but not for impregnanting a truly good idea in the imaginations of audiences
You have a good point, and generally speaking, I think you’re correct. That said however, consider a script like Ferris Bueller’s Day off, which I consider a seminal 80’s movie; it was written over a weekend…
I think the point of Script Frenzy isn’t so much to produce ready-to-film scripts, as it is to give people a real deadline to work towards so that they may learn the most important lesson in any creative branch: Sacrifice.
There is always an exception to the rule.
And, of course, as you smartly noted, these are not likely produced to get filmed, just to get the creative juices flowing.
To me, setting more reasonable goals would seem more beneficial. If people come away with that idea though, then perhaps they idea is served. Who knows. I am sure participants each take away something of their own.
Kindest regards.
I don’t think there are exceptions to the rule, because I don’t think there’s a rule. I think it’s a strange idea, that there’s some sort of a constant relation between time spent and artistic quality achieved. It just doesn’t work that way.
I also think that this sort of thinking is exactly what prevents talented people from ever trying: they think it HAS to be tough and long and tormenting in order to be good.
I agree with Michael: challenges like this serve a good purpose, namely to put you in a chair and have you work. Do that for 12 months in a row, and even if you end up with 12 rotten stories, I guarantee you that you (a) become seriously better, and (b) get a whole bunch of exciting ideas you’d like to explore and write. Isn’t that worth something?
I disagree with you on one point: ‘Do that for 12 months in a row, and even if you end up with 12 rotten stories, I guarantee you that you (a) become seriously better’
You only get better if you realize what your mistakes are in the first place.
Can you ride a bicycle? If you can, is it because you “realized†what your mistakes were when you couldn’t?
You get better at things by trying again and again, even without realizing anything. Analyzing can help, but it most certainly isn’t the only (or even the main) way of improving your skills.
Riding a bicycle and writing are not comparable in this way. These are two completely different skills. Sorry, but you cannot improve your writing simply by continuously writing.
Before you sat down to write your story you have to know your ending first. Writing is a journey and you have to know where you’re going to end up before you even begin. How do you know your ending? That comes from the theme – what do you want to say? – what’s so important to you that you just have to write 120 pages about it? The message you’re trying to communicate should be your first priority — what am I trying to say? Why is it so important for me to write this story? Who do I want to reach with this story? You have to have a passion about it? If you’re writing because you have a really cool idea…or you want to go to Hollywood… you’re writing for the wrong reasons. And your work is going to reflect that. People want to see movies they can identify with. Something that takes them away from everyday life. The principles are pretty easy to follow: beginning-middle-end. Your screenplay is literally a map, or a blueprint for the movie. You have to first plan the courses you’re going to take from beginning to end before you sit down to write. Writing without know where you’re going is like driving around aimlessly with no direction or destination. Take time to lay down your ground work first. The most writing you’ll probably ever do is going to be in your head anyway — so don’t feel bad about not spending time in front of your computer. Writing a great story takes a lot of thought. Sometimes I listen to certain songs to help me get into the world of the story. Sometimes I even envision the coming attraction (with that song) in my head. This helps me to visualize images and ideas. Once the story is planned — the writing and the characters will come. Like the movie “Field of Dreams”. develop the story and “They will come”.
your page looks a little bit jiggered
“Sorry, but you cannot improve your writing simply by continuously writing.”
Actually, you can. This is dependent on what aspect of your writing you are trying to improve, of course, but it’s certainly possible to improve just through repetition and the creative strain involved. The brain is sometimes analogised as a muscle in this respect; constant training has indeed been shown to improve those skills which the exercise uses – why else would playing Brain Age or related games have any effect? Continuously being forced to come up with new ideas, progress a story and overcome writers block will make you better at doing so.
Further to that, of course, it helps people practice their focus. Writing isn’t just something you can expect to just sit down and do; the best authors have focus and drive which the common person just doesn’t have. Writing continuously for a month certainly teaches you how to focus on your writing and your time management skills.