I HAVE AN IDEA. HOW DO I GET IT MADE INTO A SCREENPLAY?

[Cheryl Whitney]

Use this thread to ask about this topic or to offer your opinions on how to take an idea and get it made into a screenplay.

For example: What are the first steps you should take if you've never written a screenplay? How do you even get started? Is it hard to find a writer who will be willing to take this on for free? How do I protect the rights to my idea?

[Brainard Starling]

I have written one or 2 screenplays. No one threw tomatoes at me. I'd be interested in corraborating.

[Haylar Garcia]

Well my friends, I have been following this thread from afar, and I have come to realize that everything depends on the definition of " I have an (IDEA)". The most important thing I can say about turning an IDEA into a screenplay is to really understand the nature and potential of said IDEA.

Is your idea a story: Two men set out to reclaim their childhood by hunting down their first loves.
Is your idea a premise: What happens in a world where dogs can speak
Is your idea a--- or a ---- or a---- etc, etc.

The biggest problem i see when people come to me with IDEAS, is many times they think that a cool idea warrants a movie, when in actuality it is the fleshing of a story within the backdrop of that idea that is more crucial.

The recent film "wanted" is a great example.
Good film or not, like it ot not, the fact is: the film is not about curving bullets (that is a conceptual gimmick meant to stylize the film for modern audiences). Although the film has no shortage of crazy cool stuff that drove it to banking respectably, the story elements are noticeably more crucial than the curving bullets which are the films calling card, because in the end, the film is about a guy (like us) who escapes his cubicle, and redefines himself as an empowered hero to humanity. the film is about transformation which we all crave, and without that underlying story element, all the spiraling hollowpoints in the world, or even Angelina's ass would not have saved it.

So my best advice when trying to turn an IDEA into a screenplay, is to first define the nature of the IDEA, be honest about it's potential (never carry the torch just because you thought of it).

And then find a way to build an actual story with a commonly understood theme around the idea.
You will quickly find that the IDEA or premise itself becomes secondary when you begin to flesh out the theme and the c characters that live within it.

-Haylar 2010

[Todd Bradley]

Yeah, it's funny the range of "ideas" that people think can be turned into a film. Back when I was composing music for films, I met with a writer/director about his film "idea". I just wanted the elevator pitch, really, to make sure it sounded worthwhile before the conversation turned to money. His "idea" was essentially this:

OK, so now we hear some spooky music, and we see a guy walking up the stairs. He's walking slowly, step by step. And the music gets more intense. The guy stops, and then continues to the top. Then he turns and starts walking slowly down the hall. The music is adding to the suspense now. And the guy just keeps slowly walking.

The rest of the conversation went like this:

Todd: OK, I think I get the idea. But then what happens?

Writer/director: Well, that's it. The film is all about that feeling.

Todd: I see. Hey, thanks for the coffee. I really appreciate it. Let me check my calendar once I get back home and then I'll call you when I have time to take on this project.

I still sometimes wonder if he ever made that film out of his great "idea".

[Haylar Garcia]

..AMEN Todd.

[Jim Brennan]

But dude, that sounds so SPOOOKY!

[Meryem Ersoz]

Here's my nuts and bolts advice...
1) Download Celtx
2) Learn the program, it's really good
3) Start writing - find out if you have any knack for this, that is really the fastest way to obtain a free screenplay
4) Think of your screenplay in terms of 8 ten-page chunks or short scenes, each with its own cliffhangers or reveals, if you work this way to start out, you will be able to keep the whole thing less daunting and more manageable.

You can't copyright or register or an idea, so if you give your idea away, without a written "work for hire" agreement for an actual product, it is pretty much open season. Ideas get stolen all the time - and if you decide to let someone else read your screenplay, an NDA is a good idea. It may not stop them from passing your work/idea around, but it may at least make them think twice. Titles can't be copywritten or registered either, fyi, so you should keep those close to your chest as well.

Once you have a screenplay, register it with the WGA.

You may get lucky and find a writer who is willing to take on your idea for free - but the Catch 22 is that they won't be experienced, because the experienced ones want to be paid - as well they should be. Ergo, you are far less likely to get a good product from someone without experience, working for nothing. But it isn't impossible.

[Jim Brennan]

Hey Meryem. Thanks for posting. I just wanted to add a few points.

Registering with the WGA is never a bad idea, but it does not afford you the same legal recourse as copyright. Do both if you deem it necessary, but I suggest copyright if you have to choose.

NDA's can seem like a good idea if you are working locally, but my impression is that Hollywood rarely uses them for pitches, treatments and scripts. Asking an experienced reader/producer/agent/etc to sign an NDA will probably scare them off since they may already have access to a project similar to yours. Signing that NDA puts them in a bad position. Ideas do get stolen, and you should be prudent. But you also don't want people to think you are paranoid.

I agree that many writers willing to work for free may be inexperienced. But many good, experienced writers do spec work. Open writing assignments are common in Hollywood, and lots of experienced writers will work on those assignments, trying to show producers or studio that they are the person for the job. They do all that without getting paid, hoping to get the job.

[Haylar Garcia]

Concerning NDAs:

There is no "probably" about it, no one in Hollywood will EVER sign an ND, unless they are being approached by someone far bigger then they are.

If you try to insist on any type of ND, they will simply pass on the pitch.

Sucks but it is true.

Also concerning © jim is dead on, WGA will not stand up against a copyright, so make sure you have BOTH if possible, if you must choose, again Jim is right choose the ©.

[Jim Brennan]

I should have said that many experienced writers may write for free IF THEY THINK THE PROJECT IS WORTHWHILE. That could mean different things to different people.

[Haylar Garcia]

truer words were never typed

[Douglas Dotts]

Cheryl -- I would suggest reading - Save The Cat!: The Last Book On Screenwriting That You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder. While there are many how to books -- I think this one is outstanding. He would suggest starting with a logline and tells you how to do it. he well written logline is a great start. And adds from there. This might help, but I am not sure of how interest someone else to do the wrting -- if this is what you are after.

[Hamma Mirwaisi]

I do have Feature Film Scripts and want help to find an agent. I hope the agent will sale the script for me.

Hamma Mirwaisi (narrator): I am telling you the stories of Mede in the past. Assyrian, Babylon, Greek, Jewish, Arabs, Turks, Europeans scholars and traders among Persian, Kurd and other Iranian nation, can call me liar, but history is written by enemies of Medes is not true. There are many lies about the Medes after the eliminations of Magi by Emperor Darius the Great of the Achaemenid Empire dynasty. No scholar left among the Nobel Medes and Pars to challenge those who wrote about them unfairly.

http://returnofthemedes.blogspot.com/2010/04/feature-film-scripts-b...