How To Write a Movie: Part Three

lwgray — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:24:13 -0600

Now that you've gotten your act together in screenwriting part 1, and read about brainstorming in part 2, here is part 3 of the Screenwriting Course. As you might have guessed by now, I am assuming that you are reading, or have read other "How To Write Screenplay" books. So I am not spelling out every single detail of the process, but then nor am I assuming you know anything. Essentially what I want to do is to put the theory into perspective for you. I do not want it to hinder you. So many people dismiss the theory because they feel it interrupts their creative flow, but at the same time their creative flow never produces anything that can find a market. But if used incorrectly, the theory will start you writing with the confidence and passion required. If you are too formulaic, nobody will be interested.

How To Easily Read Shakespeare

Marilisa560 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:03:25 -0600

I think that if a poll was taken of high school students asking, 'Who would you most wish to see tortured?', William Shakespeare would top the list. English teachers love the Bard in all his wonderful, bawdy 16th century dialogue and prose; English students hate him for the same reason. If you need or want to read a comedy, tragedy or sonnet of Shakespeare's and don't know how to begin, here are some tips to get you started.

How To Find Celebrity Gossip

lashawn — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:58:26 -0600

How To Audition For a Reality TV Show

lashawn — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:48:55 -0600

How To Write the Movie You've Always Wanted

Emmyking — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:20:54 -0600

Writing a good movie requires creativity, skill, research and intelligence, yet it can be fun and financially worthwhile, especially if writing is a natural gift. However, gift or no gift, you can do this in a few steps, which I will discuss below:

How To Write a Movie: Part Two

lwgray — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:12:48 -0600

The screenwriter obsesses over The Idea because without it, we cannot sell our work. It is this more than anything else that allows us to break through the layers of industrial machinery to get our scripts onto the desks of people who may or may not want to make them into movies.

In movie-writing part 1, I described how you must get your act together before writing a movie. So in the following article I shall explain the creative process that you need to go through before you start the script:

How To Write a Movie: Part One

lwgray — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:40:30 -0600

Over the next few articles I will explain the most important aspects of writing a movie:

How to brainstorm ideas and create a treatment.
How to analyze that treatment to see if it will work as a script.
Then, the second most important part, how to write the script.
And finally, how to get together a business plan so that you can begin the long arduous process of marketing your product.

But first, get your act together!

How To Prepare for Acting Auditions

Thomas Hart — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:31:57 -0500

Learning how to show your best qualities will be the most important thing you can do to impress a director when auditioning for play.

How To Analyze a Movie

Michael 129 — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:52:07 -0500

A film, whether it is a blockbuster Hollywood production or a small independent effort, has a number of elements that come together in order to guide the audience through the arc of the story. The actors may be the most visible elements on the screen, but a number of other craftsmen had to perform a lot of other functions in order to get that finished film in front of an audience. If you are interested in analyzing why one movie succeeds and another fails, it is important to understand how collaborative filmmaking really is. Here are some elements to consider when analyzing a film for a review or personal critique.

How To Attend Theatrical Productions For Free

Michael 129 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:08:13 -0500

The price of a ticket for a traveling Broadway show or even regional theater productions can be prohibitive if you are on a budget. Attending a matinee performance may save you a little money, but those tickets often sell quickly. Occasionally a season ticket holder may offer unused tickets at a discount, but these offers are usually far and in-between. There's always the chance a generous friend or co-worker might buy you a ticket in exchange for your companionship, but the cost of tickets for many professional productions often makes this arrangement prohibitively expensive. You may still find yourself obligated for travel expenses, meals, babysitting fees and show-related merchandise. A night at the opera or theater can indeed be very taxing on your limited entertainment budget.

How To Make a Short Film

Beth141 — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:03:00 -0600

They give Oscars for them. They show them at festivals. They may even, on rare occasions, pay for them.

Film lovers love short films. In the digital age, the popularity of short films is growing all the time. If you're interested in making movies, a short film might be a great way to get your feet wet. Of course, you could make a short film by videotaping your brother singing "My Sharona" for YouTube.com, but if you're interested in something more substantial, there are many things you'll need to do and know. You may have to get some kind of film education to understand many of these skills, such as writing a screenplay, how to direct, how to operate various equipment during and after filming, etc. But there are also some basic steps you can follow once you have acquired the necessary expertise.

How To Predict Best Picture Oscar Winners

Staff468 — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:58:00 -0600

How can we predict Oscar winners? I bet it's worth more than a little pocket change to some of you on Oscar night. To predict successfully, you must banish personal sentiment and preference for certain contenders, approaching the field dispassionately.

Oscar winners aren't chosen by the general public, but rather by a 6,000-plus group of show-business professionals (mainly from the United States, though a relative few hail from elsewhere). These professionals belong to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy is an elite club of sorts - you have to be invited in order to seek membership, and the membership effort is competitive. As for the official members, their identities are confidential......

Thankfully, you don't need to know who they are in order to predict what picture they'll choose as this year's Oscar winner. Here are some good guidelines.

How To Make Stage Props

Marilisa560 — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:43:00 -0600

Stage props -- or more specifically, properties -- are the items that actors handle or interact with onstage. A director may choose to use many, few or no props at all. The choice is generally based upon the type of play or the atmosphere that a director wishes to produce.

Several plays are typically performed with the absence of props or with just a few (George Orwell's "1984" and Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," for example). I once acted in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" with complete period costumes and dialogue, but no props. The play was set exclusively in a boxing ring.

A lack of props forces the audience's attention solely onto the actors. It can give a play depth and heightened psychological quality. I often find props distracting if they are not used naturally. It is also sometimes difficult to see or distinguish them.

How To Choose a Film Program

Beth141 — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:06:00 -0600

If you've always loved movies - going to see them, making them in your backyard with friends, writing down ideas for future blockbusters - maybe film school is for you. If you're really interested in finding the right film program to meet your needs and interests, there are certain things you should consider during your search.

How To Learn About Your Favorite Movies Online

Beth141 — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:05:00 -0500

If you're a movie fan looking for information on an old favorite or the latest inside scoop on a current film you're dying to see for the first time or for the tenth, the Internet is filled with movie-related sites you can consult. Here are some ways you can find information on movies - including everything from the cast and crew to release dates and box office numbers - online.

How To Make a Movie

Ashtyn198 — Sun, 21 May 2006 21:46:00 -0500

Making a movie is a lot of work. Some very short movies can take several months to make, while others can take several years. Though the movie making process follows the same basic steps, each moviemaking experience is different. Budding filmmakers should know all about the long hard road it takes for a film to go from an idea to a blockbuster hit!

Of course, not every film is going to be a hit. Not every film is going to be seen on a national or international level. Most filmmakers have many small projects, which still take months of hard work to receive relatively small amounts of praise. However, a true filmmaker will make a movie to improve the craft, make a statement, or try to change the world...not for the millions of dollars he or she can only dream of making.

How To Become an Actor

Michael 129 — Sat, 20 May 2006 12:56:00 -0500

In one sense, all of us are actors, even if we don't get paid millions of dollars to perform. Acting is a skill most of us develop as children in order to get what we want from others. Ask any parent about the dramatic skills of a two-year-old in a toy store, for example. But as we grow older, our instinct to create a character or improvise a scene or mimic others is often replaced with the reality of interacting with others in a more mundane world. A successful actor must learn to tap into that imaginative world--like the world of early childhood--in order to turn fictional characters into a palpable, if temporary, reality.

How To Fund a Film

Beth141 — Fri, 12 May 2006 14:17:00 -0500

Your screenwriter has written and re-written those famous first and last screenplay words "Fade In" and "Fade Out"--and everything in between--enough times to finally hand you the perfect script. Your star is ready for her close-up. Your mom has told all her friends her child is now a bigtime movie mogul. It's time to make your movie and all that's missing is--the money. Funding a movie, even a small one, can be as challenging as the creative processes involved in bringing the film to the screen. Here are just a few of the many ways you can fund your film.

How To Become an Actress

Ashtyn198 — Mon, 08 May 2006 12:18:00 -0500

Acting is one of the hardest professions to break into. In fact, the vast majority of actors in the world spend more time unemployed than they do working. However, if you feel you have what it takes to have a successful career as an actress, and you have the means to support yourself while pursuing your dreams, then you should take the plunge. You never know when or where you could be discovered.

Competition, especially amongst actresses, is extremely stiff. The road of an actress is a hard one. It requires patience, dedication, the drive to succeed, and talent. If you do not have these things, you should probably look into finding a career that better suits you.

If you are still interested in becoming an actress, and believe you have the ability to succeed in this extremely difficult business, then you can use the following tips to improve your chances of making a career out of acting.

How To Block a Theatrical Scene

Michael 129 — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:53:00 -0500

Blocking is a term used in theater to describe the basic stage movements of actors within a scene. When done correctly, the results are often invisible to the audience. When done poorly, the actors and audience can both feel awkward and unbalanced. Good blocking allows the actors to move naturally toward exits or deliver long monologues without making awkward crosses or hiding other actors in the scene. Blocking is also about the visual composition of the set--actors shouldn't be stacked on one side of the stage or kept at the same level all of the time.

Here are some tips on how to block a theatrical scene effectively.

How To Write a Theatrical Review

Michael 129 — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:06:00 -0500

Many newspapers and local entertainment websites seek out reviewers to critique local theatrical productions, often as a means to promote quality cultural events in the local area. These theatrical reviews do not have to be written at a Broadway level, but they should be fair and accurate. A good theatrical review is a blend of both positive and negative aspects, usually with an eye towards improving future performances by that particular theater company. Writing a good review of a play doesn't always mean harsh criticism, but rather an insight into what a typical audience member might expect from the production. Here are some tips for writing a quality theatrical review for a local newspaper or entertainment tabloid.

How To Find Movie Theater Listings

Beth141 — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 13:19:00 -0500

Looking for movie theater listings? Here are some quick tips on how to find movie theater listings, mainly through many of the Internet sites providing this information. Getting the times and places right as you get ready for a night at the multiplex has never been so easy. How to afford the popcorn, well, that's another story.

Try the usual suspects. Of course if you have a copy of the day's paper around or surf the local paper on the Internet, you can definitely check there for local shows and showtimes at area theaters. You might want to bookmark the paper's website movie page to avoid having to go through the main page every time you just want to check when a show's playing. Or jot down the local theater numbers for quick reference without having to go to the paper or site itself.

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How To Become a Voice Actor

Michael 129 — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 13:28:00 -0500

Many people associate acting with handsome leading men or beautiful leading ladies being projected on a fifty foot screen. Some may think of trained actors walking across a professionally designed and lit stage every night on Broadway. The truth is, many of the most successful actors and actresses step into small, unglamourous recording studios every morning, often wearing worn blue jeans and a t-shirt. This is the world of the voice actor, which can be every bit as challenging to break into as other forms of acting. Here are some suggestions for finding steady work in the voice-over trade.

Training for voice actors begins exactly as it does for any other acting profession. Start out by learning the craft of stage acting in school productions, community theaters or through private instruction with an acting coach. It is very important for voice actors to understand the physicality of a character.

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How To Start a Movie Club

Danielle16 — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 12:43:00 -0600

Once a month it's nice to have a no rules, no fuss Movie Club gathering. Everyone meets for a movie at a host's place (preferably somewhere with a good home entertainment system), eat some, drink some, and discuss the movie afterwards. A few things to consider before starting such a club:

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