Screenwriting : Screenplay Sources by Tony McFadden

google, http://sfy.ru/, http://www.script-o-rama.com/table.shtml

Thanks. I'll pass on the .ru site - bad experiences with them. I'll have a peek at the other. Cheers, Tony

You're unable to google your own sources, and you turn up your nose at mine? I gave you three. Let me spell out the first: Google the movie you want and add "screenplay" or "script".

Try IMSDb: http://www.imsdb.com/

Hey, Cory, I thanked you. I meant it. I have googled in the past and got mostly dreck. Thanks (again) for the Rama link. It has what I'm looking for.

Hey Tony, truth I it can take a few years or longer to perfect screenwriting. There are many gifted ghost writers out there that can get it done at a reasonable price.

Here's one for you: http://la-screenwriter.com/script-index/

Also: http://www.talentville.com/

Thanks Linda

Your welcome.

Alex, I don't doubt it. But as a writer, it's something I need to learn. If I pay someone else to do it, well, I'm not going to be learning much.

Excellent, Eoin (and I love that name).

Hi Tony, for some reason I really like you :) Albert Einstein, is the general theory of screenwriting succinct, powerful enough to follow? We all know 1 + 1 equals one plus one equals, two - 2. Use your free approach for the decided intention of screenplay. If I can give you an example, I skimmed the Dark Knight screenplay, think I read up to two pages... then wrote a full screenplay. Make sense? Reason, dig too deep, restrict freedom in innovation and idea creation, pioneering action. You've got it! :)

Thanks to everyone for their input (even you, Cory). It's very apparent that the formatting/ screenplay specific parts of the story are EASY compared to the amount of editing required to get a full length novel down to reasonable screenplay length (max 120 pages) while maintaining all the plot turns, character arcs and underlying themes. And on the plus side, I'll be learning something new! Whole new level or respect, though, for those writers who successfully adapt Clancy novels to movies.

You can't always put everything that's in a novel into a movie. I think quite a good way to go about it is to make sure you're clear about the book's controlling idea. Then write a one page synopsis of the story focusing on the protagonist's journey. From that you can figure out what's essential to create that story as a screenplay, and it's easier to cut out stuff in the book that isn't necessary for the movie.

Agreed. And since I've got a pretty good plan (and solid understanding of the core story and conflicts) from the original story planning, it should be an interesting exercise.

As for the formatting, I would recommend a screenwriting seminar taught over a weekend or two. There should be something like that offered near you. Also, get yourself a copy of Final Draft. It does most of the formatting for you, as does any decent screenwriting software. The seminar would familiarize with the program features and go over the bones of screenwriting; what is a "series of shots?" What is a "montage?" When do use them? How do I handle writing a telephone conversation or voice overs?

Hey Tony, Simply Scripts is the place to go: http://www.simplyscripts.com/ I have downloaded many current screenplays from there for free -- Django Unchained, The King's Speech, etcetera. Right now, Winter's Bone is available. I believe it was nominated for an Oscar, Best Adapted Screenplay. Oh, I also found Silver Linings Playbook, another adapted screenplay -- also nominated. There are some great books out there that focus solely on the task of adapting novels to screenplays. A good search on Amazon and you should be set! I hope that helps. :)

Thanks Mark. Scrivener has the formatting thing down.

imsdb.com

Well, it's quite the experience so far. Thanks for the help sourcing screenplays - they are a valuable template... I have no illusions about the final quality of this adaptation. I'm approaching it as a learning experience. I have a director friend who will critique it for me when it's finished, and I expect a thorough flogging. But wow. I would imagine writing a screenplay from scratch is much easier than adapting a novel. If we assume 120 page script, Act One should clock in at 30 pages. The number of scenes I had to delete/combine to get the length down, while maintaining all of the necessary set up info...well, I didn't kill my darlings. I slaughtered them. This is fun.