- Видео 457
- Просмотров 509 370
Writing For Screens
США
Добавлен 19 дек 2019
This is a chaotic, revolutionary moment for the art and business of screen storytelling.
I’m here to talk about how you get better at telling a story and working with the medium -- no matter WHAT kind of screen you want to be on: from Hollywood tentpole to streaming series to DIY indie.
I’ve been a full-time professional writer of movies and television for 25 years. My credits include theatrical features, no-budget indies, TV staff and episodes, original movies for cable and streaming. I’ve won multiple festival prizes and an Emmy.
Let’s talk about the nuts-and-bolts of writing scripts, but also about the process of writing and the reality of trying to be creative in -- and out -- of an incredibly high-stakes business.
You can contact me through: writingforscreens.com
I’m here to talk about how you get better at telling a story and working with the medium -- no matter WHAT kind of screen you want to be on: from Hollywood tentpole to streaming series to DIY indie.
I’ve been a full-time professional writer of movies and television for 25 years. My credits include theatrical features, no-budget indies, TV staff and episodes, original movies for cable and streaming. I’ve won multiple festival prizes and an Emmy.
Let’s talk about the nuts-and-bolts of writing scripts, but also about the process of writing and the reality of trying to be creative in -- and out -- of an incredibly high-stakes business.
You can contact me through: writingforscreens.com
Getting Notes
“Notes” is screenwriter-talk for “feedback” - and everybody in screen-world is, well...full of it. Screenwriters get A LOT of notes, and much of the “notes experience” is confusing, contradictory or vague. So how does a writer handle that? Should you defend your work? How much of it do you take seriously, and what do you do with it when you get it?
This video gives you some basic approaches and insights for coping with a stressful and inevitable part of the screenwriter’s life.
- - - - -
This channel is here to help you learn to write for screens - ANY kind of screens, from Hollywood tentpole to streaming series to DIY indie.
Want to know more about me? go to writingforscreens.com
My site: wr...
This video gives you some basic approaches and insights for coping with a stressful and inevitable part of the screenwriter’s life.
- - - - -
This channel is here to help you learn to write for screens - ANY kind of screens, from Hollywood tentpole to streaming series to DIY indie.
Want to know more about me? go to writingforscreens.com
My site: wr...
Просмотров: 603
Видео
About Getting Stuck Or Lost: Some Ways To Overcome "Writer's Block"
Просмотров 2 тыс.Год назад
About Getting Stuck Or Lost: Some Ways To Overcome "Writer's Block"
Screenwriting Essentials: THINK IN SCENES
Просмотров 16 тыс.3 года назад
Screenwriting Essentials: THINK IN SCENES
The Screenwriting Process: Brainstorming & Scrap Piles
Просмотров 3,4 тыс.3 года назад
The Screenwriting Process: Brainstorming & Scrap Piles
LIVE WRITING-IN-PUBLIC PROJECT: Session #8
Просмотров 8673 года назад
LIVE WRITING-IN-PUBLIC PROJECT: Session #8
Livestream CATASTROPHE! (Well...problem)
Просмотров 6073 года назад
Livestream CATASTROPHE! (Well...problem)
Screenwriting Essentials: Writing Is A Process Of QUESTIONS
Просмотров 16 тыс.3 года назад
Screenwriting Essentials: Writing Is A Process Of QUESTIONS
How We Understand Art & Artists: Contest Vs. Library
Просмотров 1 тыс.3 года назад
How We Understand Art & Artists: Contest Vs. Library
21:28 I wish I could like this video twice.
I feel the twice-ness, no matter what RUclips allows.
Everything that you've said has resonated with me. I enjoy listening to your words of wisdom..
That means a lot to me - thank you for telling me!
Love this! I’m currently reading Austin’s book Show Your Work
He's marvelous.
I love your videos, but I think I love watching these live streams even more because it feels more personal. :)
Thank you - I like that I've got the "reference book" of short videos, and then the "hangouts" with livestreams :) I always worry that the lives are self-indulgent or unwatchable, so thank you for letting me know they're worthwhile to you!!
Great to see you back Glenn!
Thank you so much!! Great to be back.
Awesome. I'm so glad you do these. I fell off for a year, and now there's a whole bank of videos to dig into! Thank you, as always.
Thank you! So nice to see you again!
I really hadn't thought about writing a screenplay, I was looking for info for my novel, and now I have binge-watched most of your videos. They are fantastic, thank you!
Thank you so much! I am so thrilled to hear that they are helpful (screenwriting or novel!)
I found your channel after determining I want to write a screenplay. It’s been tremendously helpful and insightful. Thanks for that. I’m well into my outline now, and it’s coming along pretty well, no major writers block as of yet!
I'm so glad to hear my videos are useful! Thank you! If you do happen to run into problems, check back at my first three playlists...might find something to help. Small steps, keep asking questions, and try to have fun with it!!
Great Thank you Glenn
👍
Oh my gosh I love the outtakes! They inspired my imagination right then and there!
I'm so glad, thank you!!
Great Thank you Glenn
Genre bending or blending is a great way to make your work more powerful and alive but it is risky and harder to sell so go into it with your eyes open. Great THE GLENN
Thank you!!
genre bending or blending you can confuse the audience but when bending or blending work they change the game Great The GLENN.
Knowledge,Skills,Tools and Practice------it is really a great lesson. Thank you.
Thank YOU, it is so meaningful to me to hear that my ideas have been understood and are helpful!!
One of your videos randomly showed up on my feed. I am so hooked. Thank you for all your pearls! ❤
Thank you so much - I love being randomly discovered! That's the whole idea, isn't it :) Hope my videos are useful and motivating.
Thank you, Glenn. That is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been following you since I first saw you on Film Courage and I've always been moved by your generosity and encouragement but never more than in this talk. I'm at a stage of life where I can spend my days doing whatever I want with the time I have left. Daydreaming of extraordinary success is unproductive. An artist friend of mine keeps this quote posted in his home: "Good is the enemy of great." I think he's got it backwards. Going forward, when I find myself running out of gas I'm going to watch this video again. Many thanks! BTW, on a live stream you remarked on my scary screen name. There was no thought of the horror character. Penny Wise is the foil to my other self: Pound Foolish.
That you so much - I try to just say what I think is true and hope it is useful to others, so a comment like this is exceptionally good to get. It tells me it's all right to keep doing it. Sorry that Stephen King has messed with perceptions of your very-sound-advice name!!
Thanks a lot for the video, cleared a whole lot of mess in my head! Got one question though: would I be right to believe that theme is a different concept from that of the "main/central idea"? I read somewhere, that the main idea is basically a way to put your theme forward? Like, the very same theme could be explored using different "main/central" ideas? Let's say the theme of "Crime and Punishment" could be explored with different characters and different events? More of a literature question, of course, but I'd be greatly interested in your opinion on that ❤ Once again thanks a lot for the video, the quality of your work is insane!
Thank you so much! Re: your question...it feels to me like what you're calling the "main/central idea" is actually the plot/story. So: yes - a certain theme could be explored in many different versions with different stories. OR a story could be re-thought to convey different themes. One way to look at that would be to think of the theme as the "content" or "idea" or "vision" or - I say this uneasily - "message" ...and the plot or story is the "form." The relationship is inter-dependent: you can't really have one without the other. On the other hand, neither automatically controls or defines the other. They are just two elements, two ways of looking at events and people and art.
Wise words. Thank you so much.
Glad that it's helpful, thank you!
This is such an important video. I see a sort of synchronicity here for me to fall on that specific one. Thank you so much Glenn. I'm not going to tell my story here but yes redefining my vision of success is on my plate right now. I was thinking about that yesterday. So it was the exact right timing for me to see your video. I watch all your videos one after the other. They are truly for an artist of an extreme value. They are true. And it's so rare. Beyond the amazing content, the feeling looking at them is very special to me. I feel so lucky to follow you 🥰 Voilà you have another fan. I will buy your book of course from France! And thank you for your honesty. This is gold 🥇 I finish also the writing of a book. Self publish with amazon for instance is also an option. And maybe if I have enough guts I will write a script from it. This would be my second feature script. And I'm as scared as I'm excited 😬 God I feel alive 💃
Thank you! Keep trying things, exploring, enjoying.
This is an incredibly helpful and practical guide to approaching outlines that made it a whole lot less intimidating for me. Thank you Glenn! 🐐
I'm so very glad to hear it is helpful!!! Thank you!
The only thing in your video Glenn I do not agree with is what is said on Cruising. It is a very specific underground gay male scene that is depicted in the movie. Not the lambda gay scene. Being offended by this movie is making kind of a synecdoche. Like knowingly taking a part for the whole. Taking this very specific underground scene as if it was the whole gay scene. Which is not the case. For me it's a fake trial some people make to this movie. And I say that being myself a lesbian. Creativity is dying under the weight of morality. What is possible to write, to show, what is impossible to do... so as not to offend this or that community. Which gives us crappy kind of ideological movies out there nowadays. I think Cruising is a very complex movie that was really made at the editing room. I saw it hundred times and I always discover something new, some aspect I didn't see before. For me it's a progressive movie because the editing, the lack of certainty (who is the killer/the killers?) serves the idea of showing something normally invisible : police brutality against gays. Anyway…I could write hours on this movie 😅 It's such a genius piece of Art. Disturbing yes. But what is Art if not disturbing! Art to be Art has to disturb, some way. Can't wait for the next live. I prepare my question to you 😃❤🔥
I agree with almost all of what you have to say about CRUISING! The editing, photography, and acting are marvelous. For me the problem is the same with almost all of Friedkin's brilliantly-directed movies: the script. The characters tend to be shallow, stereotypical, seen mostly with contempt - unless they are judged by the director as exciting because they are rebellious. Friedkin's primary concern always seems to be provocation, not empathy or insight. I'm not offended by the lifestyle shown - but I am put off by the sense of delight in "being dirty" by viewing that lifestyle ONLY as shocking and transgressive. I don't believe Friedkin thought or cared about the people he was filming, and that offends me. I also love art that disturbs, I just feel unsatisfied when the whole point for the artist is the pleasure they take in being disturbing - not the actual value of the things they are portraying. He's using the gay leather scene only to shock, without care or respect. Maybe that's better than nothing...but I do wish for more in a movie. BUT...the texture of that movie is astonishing. I was living in New York back when it was made, and so much of it is so real. I have watched CRUISING 3 or 4 times, and always get a lot from it. I just cringe at the characters and story. BTW: I feel the exact same about THE FRENCH CONNECTION - the portrayal of both police and drug criminals is superficial and really dumb. The stories of both movies are illogical, careless and concerned only with provocation or kicks. However, it's also brilliantly-made, and valuable in many ways. Anyhow: I absolutely defend CRUISING for many things. But I do respect that people could feel the valuable elements aren't worth the confused homophobia. I hope you have a wonderful August and I look forward to your questions!
@@writingforscreens You right about Friedkin. I don't think he gave a shit to any of the person he filmed. The controversy with Al Pacino in Cruising is a good exemple. I always try to make the separation between the man/the woman/the person and the Art they make. Sometimes it's hard... I didn't read the script. Interesting what you are saying about it. I felt it was not contempt but certainly distance. In a strange way, Crusing is close to documentary. It's certainly a document. NY changed so much... I live a couple of months in Christopher Street. So funny to compare… Yes I'm a big fan of Friedkin's movies. I love most of them. Sorcerer especially is just incredible and so underrated. And I normally don't fancy so much remakes. But this one is a gem. Yes! I wish you also a wonderful August ☀😎
Oh zut I missed this live! I love so much your videos 🥰🤗Thank you so much for your precious advices. I go back writing after years and I feel with your presence here I'm more equipped for this long journey ❤🔥
Thank you so much for your supportive, encouraging comments! I am so very glad to hear that my work is helpful to you. Keep exploring, keep creating.
Great video. Thanks. Am I right these questions are applicable on any level whether I'm writing an entire movie or a little scene within this movie?
I do find myself asking (versions of) these questions about things as small as a single line. Whatever works to help you find a way forward is legit!!
Thank you very much for sharing your valuable knowledge here for free. You're a hero.
Thank you so much - I am so very glad you're finding it helpful!
@@writingforscreens Yes, it boosts my confidence in writing for a video game. I learned a lot before watching and reading other stuff, but your videos provided the best and clearest knowledge by far and gave me a clear path on how to do the actual work. Also love how short your videos are. I learned a lot in just a few minutes!
I like that you include the outtakes lol it makes you even more genuine. By the way there are a million of y'all on youtube making "how to write story" videos and I listen to you because you're old and it's obvious you spend your time writing and not learning how to make pretty videos which I LOVE. Thank you for doing things this way sir.
Thank YOU, so much! That was exactly my attitude - and also trying to practice what I preach. Though I do try to make them as pretty as I can, under the circumstances :)
Every time I see you, you put a smile on my face Glenn! Happy vacations!!!
Thank you so much! That's so nice to hear. Have a good August - see you after!
I'm very distracted by the ice cream cone😄😄
After you've lived with it a while, it is comforting more than distracting :)
JESUS CHRIST I GET THESE VIDEOS AT THE PERFECT TIME. I felt guilty about wanting to get something else out. Turns out my brain feels better two at a time. Thank you, again.
I'm so glad it's helpful! One note about doing two at a time (I don't remember if this is in the video): don't SHOW them to people two at a time! I once completed two feature scripts close enough together that I sent them to my agent and manager at the same time. Of course, that means one "loses" - gets neglected or seen as less. Even if you finish two at once - hold one for a couple of months :)
@@writingforscreensThat makes total sense. Thank you sir 🙏
Glenn your tips are such sound solutions to writers often stuck. I feel your channel is the master class I always wanted on storytelling. So generous of you to do this consistently for free ❤
Thank you so much! Comments like this mean the world to me - they are the payoff, truly. Thank you for the support and encouragement.
Top 5 favorite westerns for you? I think for me THE WILD BUNCH, OUATITW, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and UNFORGIVEN have to be up around there and maybe even the Pitt Jesse James from 2007. MCCABE AND MRS MILLER was good. I haven't seen THE SEARCHERS yet.
I never know how to limit to 5 (or 50) and yes to yours - but some other great ones: LITTLE BIG MAN, BAD COMPANY (1972), JEREMIAH JOHNSON, 3:10 TO YUMA (both versions)...and THE SEARCHERS is well worth seeing.
@@writingforscreens Thanks for the recommendations!
Not all heroes wear plaid.
Very true!
@@writingforscreens Have a great summer break!
Oop. I did not quite catch on until the end of the stream. Anyway, enjoy your well earned break.
No worries! Thank you!
Missed this yesterday & have never been happier that streamed videos are available for later viewing 😁 Thanks for all the amazing resources and advice you provide!
Thank you so much - it really helps keep me going to know the work is useful to you!
Have a wonderful and productive month doing what you love to do! Hopefully I will be back from time to time. 😊
Thank you so much!! I hope you can make it back now and then :)
@@writingforscreens I will try my best because God knows I need your wisdom and guidance😃
@@ellenlewitt It's always here for you, when you want it :)
Well deserved! Enjoy the month and see you in September!
Thank you!! See you then!
Thnx
👍
Even more gold advice. Thank you. Hope you have a great August.
Thanks - you too!
It's a good time to stay inside in the A/C and do some intense writing sessions. Thank you, Glenn! I look forward to seeing you again on Sept. 4th.
Thank you, wolfpowers! I hope you have a safe productive August, too.
THIS was awesome! thank you
Thank you so much, I'm so glad it's helpful!!
This instruction is awesome for novel writers too!❤
I'm really glad to hear that - thank you! I am trying to use it in writing my own novel now - more complicated stories and characters than a script, but it does seem to help :)
@@writingforscreens I have five manuscripts I’ve written and will use your six essential questions as I edit. Thank you.
Wise words, thank you.
So happy to hear this is helpful, thank you!
Another excellent source of inspiration and food for thought... Thank you Glenn! Love your channel, you are doing a great job here!
Thank you so much! Your support and encouragement mean a lot.
A genuine masterclass. Thank you!😊
Thank YOU, really grateful for the support and encouragement, and to know you felt it was helpful!
Hi Glenn, do you agree with the statement, "There should be antagonistic forces in every scene, even if there isn't a single antagonist" ? The context was in response to a video about antagonists, and how writers don't necessarily have to write with a single strong antagonist in mind (an example given was ROCKY, on the basis that there isn't a strong single antagonist, but rather a collection of antagonistic forces such as his own beliefs, society and characters that flip between ally and opponent, like Paulie). Essentially, it was saying that advice about the importance of antagonism, "who's your antagonist??" might be misunderstood by new writers, and the focus on a single strong antagonist, to the detriment of more nuanced and layered antagonism. The statement in response was saying this sentiment might confuse new writers, who then don't include sufficient antagonism in the story, or ignore advice that their story lacks antagonism. I don't really agree with that. I don't think most new writers would confuse the two viewpoints (nuanced antagonism vs insufficient antagonism). I expect your advice would probably be, "there should be DRAMATIC ACTION in every scene", because this statement about antagonism feels to me a bit dogmatic and exhausting, and potentially *also misunderstood* by new writers. I somewhat agree that there should be some element of background antagonism, such as the audience feeling a sense of intrigue, urgency or importance in the overall achievement of goals for the characters even in quieter scenes and sequences, in most stories. I suppose we could define Rocky's mentality and social circumstances as having "antagonistic force" in every scene, so the exact definition and intention of the terms is the real issue here. I suppose this is just a variation on "there should be conflict in every scene" which can also be misunderstood by inserting "conflict" for the sake of it. Maybe the actual advice should be, "every scene should have meaningful antagonism that feels authentic"? Of course, generally in stories, action and emotion rises and falls throughout so as not to exhaust the audience and give more impact to the crucial scenes and climax. As a generalisation, should "antagonism" rise and fall (depending on your definition) or be consistently present throughout, or just mostly present, or escalate from start to finish, in your opinion? I would say stakes should escalate, right, but stakes and antagonism are not necessarily the same? Thanks (and sorry for the long question but I wanted to get the context) Are there any videos where you talk about "antagonism" specifically in these terms? (I haven't watched your ROCKY video yet)
Respectfully, I think your question is indeed over-thinking it. I don't like to worry too much about inexperienced writers misunderstanding things: I worry more about teachers over-simplifying or making complex things absolute. As you'd guess, I don't think there is an over-arching detailed rule about how antagonism should rise or fall or be from one source or many. To me it just comes down to the question: why can't the character get what they want? I do think there needs to be some "antagonistic force" - which is really just a different way of phrasing my version, which is "obstacle." But beyond that: if the writer felt that "being small-time" or even "not being very smart" was Rocky's antagonist or Apollo was...that's fine. Whatever gets it written, whatever feels right. And then the audience will find their own interpretations (and so will piles of teachers and gurus and RUclips analysts...) and that's fine too. The point of these definitions is to help a writer make the script work better (according to their definition of "work"!). Each writer for each script has to figure out their own rules.
@@writingforscreens Thank you! I will reflect on your answer without overthinking (I hope). Saw a fun quote attributed to Andy Warhol; "Don't think about making art. Just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they're deciding, make even more art." I had better make that a note on my wall :)
@@Ruylopez778 What a great quote!!! I completely agree with it :)
This is the video I've been waiting for. Glenn, thank you so much for answering my questions and spending the first 38 minutes of your live session explaining this. 🙏🙏🙏 Your channel is truly a gem.
Very very glad you felt it was helpful! Best of luck!
i think you should try out chief _executive_ everything once - the fabled CEE
Sounds like a plan!
Hello, Glenn. I'm involves in a short documentary film project and I learned that a good documentary also has a story. Can you tell us what's different about documentary stories and how to make them more interesting? I'm worry that just presenting interviews and footage will bore the audience. I know you once said you couldn't answer about short films and documentaries, but maybe you could give an opinion as an observer. Thank you in advance.
I'll try to talk about that this Wednesday (7/22/24) on the Livestream. My basic feeling is: the trend/theory that documentaries should "tell stories" is only useful IF there IS a true story at the center. The most important value in documentaries is: truth. Even if it's not "facts" or prove-able - it must be a statement of things the documentarian believes to be actually real and true. Many real events don't have a "main character" or single person as the driving force. The documentary should reflect the truth. Documentaries can engage the audience with MANY structures and techniques, not just "Hollywood stories." The structure of the reality must determine the documentary - not the "three act structure." A documentary can be an essay, an argument, a debate, a puzzle, any number of things that are not a conventional story.
@@writingforscreens Thank You. Your answer is very helpful. Since we have a 12 hour time difference, I will be happy to look forward to your next video.
@@nurbaiti_hikaru I understand! I am always glad that the livestreams become videos that anyone can access at any time. I hope it is helpful.
Back to this video after years. Thank you. It's really help.
Very glad to hear this!! Thank you.
I always back to your channel when I get stuck with my script and it's always help. Thank you for your videos.
It has always been my goal to create a library of useful lessons that writers can come back to when needed. Thank you so much for doing that - and for letting me know that it's working for you!
Thank you.
👍😊