no ideas for a script....

[johnnhud]

Roger, the voice to text programs I have used in the past, while not being entirely intuitive, were fairly easy to use punctuation in.

for example.

Hello, how are you today?

would be pronounced as

"Hello comma how are you today question mark"

The program rarely messed up after I had learned to talk the way it wanted me to.

[steve hyde]

...I thought this thread was about developing ideas? oh well...

Steve

[MovieStuff]

Roger, the voice to text programs I have used in the past, while not being entirely intuitive, were fairly easy to use punctuation in.

for example.

Hello, how are you today?

would be pronounced as

"Hello comma how are you today question mark"

The program rarely messed up after I had learned to talk the way it wanted me to.

Yeah, I've seen and used them like that before, as well. But I found they often faltered and having to say "comma" or "question mark" kind of throws off my stream of thought. I also found that any sentence that had the word "question" in it most often ended up with a question mark in the middle. The same if you wanted to use the word "period" or "semi". It just seems that pushing designated button for a handful of punctuation marks would be more efficient. Also, the unit could be made to ignore the punctuation tones and mute them if you just wanted to play back what you had recorded for reference.

Roger

[Actor]

Voice recognition software is still primitive. Give it 20 years.

In 30 years the software will be able to write the screenplay for you. :twisted:

[Actor]

I also found that any sentence that had the word "question" in it most often ended up with a question mark in the middle.

To be or not to be, that is the ? .

Astronomers know that eclipses occur with a certain . icity.

Have you considered the ramifications should the king marry a , ner?

There's a jackknifed ; on the interstate.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Actor]

...I thought this thread was about developing ideas? oh well...

Steve

Here's an idea:

Title: The Untouchable Ghost

Tag Line: Eliot Ness goes after Al Capone aided by the ghost of Wyatt Earp.

:roll:

[steve hyde]

...it's not that I'm not interested in the technological aspects of voice recognition software and what not, but it is not a technology for developing ideas. It is a technology for recording them.

Last night I watched Alfonso Curaon's "Children of Men" and really appreciated the ideas that the film is built on. It's great science fiction. I'm reminded of Ray Bradbury's (highly recommended) essay "Zen in the Art of Writing" I recommend this book to anyone working on story ideas.

Steve

[MovieStuff]

I also found that any sentence that had the word "question" in it most often ended up with a question mark in the middle.

To be or not to be, that is the ? .

Astronomers know that eclipses occur with a certain . icity.

Have you considered the ramifications should the king marry a , ner?

There's a jackknifed ; on the interstate.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Wow! The # of problems you list pretty much _ the point I'm getting @. Can I " U on that? I guess not. The effort would be > I can bear. If the software did not sail, sale, sell then they would have to / prices.

;)

Roger

[flatwood]

...Last night I watched Alfonso Curaon's "Children of Men" and really appreciated the ideas that the film is built on. It's great science fiction. I'm reminded of Ray Bradbury's (highly recommended) essay "Zen in the Art of Writing" I recommend this book to anyone working on story ideas....

Just got the Children of Men DVD myself and am looking forward to settling in to watch it, hopefulyl next week.

[johnnhud]

I know that these books are not books that will give me story idea's per say, but have any of you read or would reccomend the following two books?


Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting - Robert McKee


Making a Good Script Great - Linda Seger

I'm just wondering this because maybe if I had a better grasp on story telling it would help me pull what ideas I do have into some sort of script. At this point I'm just trying to organize my thoughts. I have some ideas but I'm really unsure as to how to go about putting them on paper in a way that would make sence.

[mattias]

both are good, but story is more about analysis than writing, i.e. very hard to use to structure your ideas. the second slightly better but also a bit backwards. two good books that start from the other direction, how to flesh out your idea into a script, are the screenwriter's workbook by syd field, and how to write a movie in 21 days by viki king. mix all four, and season with alternative scriptwriting beyond the rules by ken dancyger, which will explain why theme, genre, time, place and many other thing are actually much more important than structure, or rather actually create structure in themselves without forcing you in the same way.

/matt

[paul]

I know that these books are not books that will give me story idea's per say, but have any of you read or would reccomend the following two books?


Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting - Robert McKee


Making a Good Script Great - Linda Seger

I'm just wondering this because maybe if I had a better grasp on story telling it would help me pull what ideas I do have into some sort of script. At this point I'm just trying to organize my thoughts. I have some ideas but I'm really unsure as to how to go about putting them on paper in a way that would make sence.

Did you know that these two never wrote anything themselves, at least not from a scratch or contributed on an important film. Story is a good book, but doesn't help you in writing, merely in analyses afterwards, if you like. I

try these;

"The 101 habits of highly succesful screenwriters", edited by Carl Iglesias. The interviewees may or may not have written your favorite scripts, but the interviews are worth reading if you want to learn the proces. At least these people talk from experience.

The other book I would highly comment is Alexander Mackendrick's on film making. It has a lot to say on the creative proces of writing and 'dramatic construction'(read; script writing) too.

In both books experiences film makers are speaking. You can almost "taste" their experience.

my two cents

Paul

[mattias]

Did you know that these two never wrote anything themselves, at least not from a scratch or contributed on an important film.

don't underestimate the value of the script consultant. knowing how to write doesn't necessarily mean you have something to say, which may very well be why these two haven't written anything, but people who do have something to say very often need the consultant, or at least their book, to put it on paper, plus many people who are natural storytellers are lousy at explaining it to others. most books i've read by industry professionals in the various trades have been interesting and inspirational but didn't teach me anything.

/matt

[flatwood]

Try Myth And The Movies. I think it might add to your insight. I know it has mine.

[steve hyde]

I like McKendrick's book "On Filmmaking" and I also like McKee's "Story". I also like the first couple chapters of Johnson's "Crafting Short Screenplays that Connect." I like the McKendrick book because Alexander McKendrick is one of the few filmmakers who had a very active directing career early in his life and then switched to teaching and spent the second half of his life pouring his passion into teaching filmmaking at CalArts. Naturally his book is a product of both chapters of his life and for that reason is probably the finest practical textbook for filmmakers.

In contrast, McKee's insights into screenplay craft, like Matt said, are entirely analytical. McKee has a background in drama (mostly theater) and then a professional background working as a reader in the story division of a major studio. His job was to read hundreds of scripts a month and to flag the ones for consideration.... His book is clear and concise and well worth consideration.

Johnson's book is full of student scripts that you may or may not want to read, but the introductory chapters are an exploration on the process of idea development and connection. That is connecting your ideas with your audience. .... Personally, I think great dramatic cinema comes out of a struggle with difficult questions that usually have a psychological component. (thinking of Bergman) ... for this reason, I think making films that ask difficult psychological questions can be a kind of therapy for the filmmaker. (thinking of Lars Von Trier and Jurgen Leth now) I think this is a good thing because then the project gains a sense of urgency. It becomes something that the filmmaker must get off his/her chest. It becomes essential for survival. I think that is where any filmmaker wants to be: on a project that they feel is so urgently important that they are willing to make great sacrifices to see it through - to complete an important arc of communication. In other words - to speak up and speak out on how they feel and to explain how and why they feel the way they feel about some focused aspect of the human condition.

This is what I found in "Children of Men" when I watched it recently. It is a film filled with protest and anger as well as love and affection. For all intents and purposes it is a perfect film. All this said, this is why I think Johnson's "menu" idea is a good one. Create a menu of ideas. Because it is not screenplay writing and it is not story writing. It is simply jotting down ideas that strike a chord inside. Once you have a developed menu, you can go to it to select images... song writers do this sort of thing too..

Steve