My first scripted film

[iMacZealot]

So, I think I'm ready to do my first piece of scripted film since I've been editing film. I've always wanted to make a scripted film or a music video, but the two problems I always ran into were: 1) I could never write a good story, and 2) I could never find any actors.

I now have some actors, but I'm having trouble writing a story. They say "write what you know", which would mean something about high school life, and I thought it would be really cool to set it in a different time period (like the '70s or the '90s). '70s would be easy because '70s style has come back, but it still would be hard trying to alter things such as electronics, cars, etc. '90s would be even easier, but not as fun. If I end up doing the '70s, how what sort of filters or generations could I apply to make it look like it was filmed in the '70s?

That's about all I have: high school kids in the 1970's/1990's. Just about everything has been done on that topic, but I'm still trying to breathe some life into it. Any suggestions?

 

[huntercr]

That's about all I have: high school kids in the 1970's/1990's. Just about everything has been done on that topic, but I'm still trying to breathe some life into it. Any suggestions?

Don't do comedy... even if you are a funny person in real life, for your first film, comedy will be extremely difficult.

Don't put yourself in the film in any meaningful role, unless your training is as an actor first and foremost. I just got done watching "Reign of the Fallen" a Starwars fan film. It had its flaws and was, on the whole, not terrible, but the one thing I just couldn't get past was the main character. I felt he was miscast. After watching him for even a few minutes I knew he was the director. That's sad.

Get your script peer reviewed by smart people. Not just your friends. Find someone you can respect in the Drama/Liberal Arts department in a nearby University. You don't have to listen to everything they say, but it will give you ideas and help refine your story.

Also if you've never written a script before, I recommend reading Dramatica before you write. I may get some flack for this since it's somewhat controversial, but worth the read IMHO. You can download the book from their website for free. They want you to buy their writing system, but you can use the concepts to develope your characters, themes, and plot without the software.