How to Write, Direct and Edit Your Own Movie
Come up with an idea., Invent your characters., Sketch out the major plot points of your movie., Write your script., Do a table read to improve your writing.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Come up with an idea.
Unless you have an imagination the size of Oceania, this will be the hardest part.
Coming up with the idea for your movie, however, does not need to be an intense showdown with the Artistic Muse.
Try and get one good sentence, like the one you read in a movie description, to base your movie around.
What is the conflict, character, or story you want to tell? Keep in mind a few things when planning:
Smaller is better
-- if you are shooting this yourself, every extra character, location, and special effect will need to be financed and figured out at some point.
What genre are you aiming for? Comedy? Sci-fi? Drama? Once you know your genre you can start thinking of plots and characters that fit it.
What are movie combinations that you haven't seen? While it seems childish, almost all movies and TV are hybrids of other movies, TV, and genres.
For example, Twilight is Vampire + Romance Novel.
Have you seen a good comedic western? What about a stoner sci-fi? How can you match your interests in unexpected ways? Where do you have experience? Can you comment on the day-to-day life of an office worker in an original way? Do you know more about disc golf than anyone else? Is there a movie in these experiences somewhere?Look up "log-lines" for your favorite movies for inspiration.
These are similar one sentence synopsis of movies used to sell the script to movie executives.
You can search 1000's of them online. -
Step 2: Invent your characters.
Characters drive stories.
Almost all movies are the result of a character who wants something but is unable to get it.
The movie then shows the trials and tribulations of the character(s) as they try and fulfill their desires (get the girl, save the world, graduate college, etc.) The audience relates to the character, not your film, so you need to make sure you have well thought out characters before beginning.
Good characters:
Are round.This means that they have multiple facets, not just an "angry man," or "strong heroine." Round characters have strengths and weaknesses, which make them relatable to the audience.
Have desires and fears.
Even if there is only one of each, a good character wants something but is unable to get it.
Their ability or inability to get over their fear (of being poor, of being alone, of space aliens, of spiders, etc.) is what drives their conflict.
Have agency.
A good character is not whipped around because your script needs them to go somewhere.
A good character makes choices which push forward the plot.
Sometimes this is only one choice that drives everything else (Llewellyn, No Country for Old Men), sometimes it is a series of good/bad choices in every scene (American Hustle)., Some people like to come up with characters and a premise and then start writing.
All screenwriters, however, see the value of the 5-point plot, where 5 key, escalating moments make up the movie.
Almost every single movie made follows this general structure, from Jurassic Park, and Just Friends, to Jupiter Ascending.'This does not mean your script must follow this template, but there is a method to the madness.
There are 5 major moments in every film that fall in the exact same place, and you need a good reason to deviate from this system if you want to be "original:"The Set-Up:
Who are your characters, where do they live, and what do they want? This is the first 10% or less of your movie.
The Change of Plans/Opportunity/Conflict:
Something happens that sets your conflict in motion
-- Erin Brockovich gets a job, the school of Superbad throws a party, Neo is introduced to The Matrix, etc.
This is roughly the 1/3 mark of your script.
The Point of No Return:
Up until this point, the characters are working hard to make their goals a reality.
But, at the halfway point of the movie, something happens to make it impossible to turn back.
A Bond villain attacks again, the Gladiator arrives in Rome, Thelma and Louise rob their first store, etc.
The Major Set-Back:
Since the point of no return the stakes have gotten higher.
To the characters and audience, all hope seems lost.
This is when the girl and guy break-up in every romantic comedy ever made, when Ron Burgundy gets fired in Anchorman, and when John McClane is beaten and bloody in Die Hard.
This comes at the 75% mark of your story.
The Climax:
The characters make one last, all-out push to reach their goals, culminating in their biggest challenge of all.
This is the run through the airport moment, the final holes in Caddyshack, or the showdown between hero and villain.
Once resolved, the last 10% of the script ties up loose ends and shows the aftermath of the climax., If you are producing the movie yourself you can use any writing format you like.
However, screenwriting software like Celtx, Writer Duets, and Final Draft will help you get studio-quality formatting along with tools specific for screenwriters.
These programs will auto-format for you, and are a great way to know the length of your movie-- 1 page of formatted script equals roughly 1 minute of screen time.
Give yourself some notes on things like setting, scenery, and actors, but focus mainly on the dialogue.
You'll be making the other decisions later, when you have cameras, actors, and locations.
Prepare yourself for rewrites as well.
It is nearly impossible to get all of your moments
-- characters, plots, themes, jokes, etc.
-- right in the first run through.
Once you're done, return to the script and try and read it objectively.
Would you watch this movie? , Table reads are essential for honing a good script and preparing to film.
Get together a couple of friends or actors and give them each a script 2-3 days in advance.
Then invite them over and do a dry run of the entire movie, having them speak out the parts while you or someone else narrates the actions.
Make notes of any lines that sound unnatural or awkward, where a scene falls short, and how long the script takes to read.Ask the actors/friends what they thought.
Where did they get confused, what did they love? Ask them if they felt like their character was well thought out and consistent.
Try not to play a part and just listen.
Do you hear your movie coming to life? Does it sound like you hoped it would? You want to hear these moments now, not when the cameras turn on. -
Step 3: Sketch out the major plot points of your movie.
-
Step 4: Write your script.
-
Step 5: Do a table read to improve your writing.
Detailed Guide
Unless you have an imagination the size of Oceania, this will be the hardest part.
Coming up with the idea for your movie, however, does not need to be an intense showdown with the Artistic Muse.
Try and get one good sentence, like the one you read in a movie description, to base your movie around.
What is the conflict, character, or story you want to tell? Keep in mind a few things when planning:
Smaller is better
-- if you are shooting this yourself, every extra character, location, and special effect will need to be financed and figured out at some point.
What genre are you aiming for? Comedy? Sci-fi? Drama? Once you know your genre you can start thinking of plots and characters that fit it.
What are movie combinations that you haven't seen? While it seems childish, almost all movies and TV are hybrids of other movies, TV, and genres.
For example, Twilight is Vampire + Romance Novel.
Have you seen a good comedic western? What about a stoner sci-fi? How can you match your interests in unexpected ways? Where do you have experience? Can you comment on the day-to-day life of an office worker in an original way? Do you know more about disc golf than anyone else? Is there a movie in these experiences somewhere?Look up "log-lines" for your favorite movies for inspiration.
These are similar one sentence synopsis of movies used to sell the script to movie executives.
You can search 1000's of them online.
Characters drive stories.
Almost all movies are the result of a character who wants something but is unable to get it.
The movie then shows the trials and tribulations of the character(s) as they try and fulfill their desires (get the girl, save the world, graduate college, etc.) The audience relates to the character, not your film, so you need to make sure you have well thought out characters before beginning.
Good characters:
Are round.This means that they have multiple facets, not just an "angry man," or "strong heroine." Round characters have strengths and weaknesses, which make them relatable to the audience.
Have desires and fears.
Even if there is only one of each, a good character wants something but is unable to get it.
Their ability or inability to get over their fear (of being poor, of being alone, of space aliens, of spiders, etc.) is what drives their conflict.
Have agency.
A good character is not whipped around because your script needs them to go somewhere.
A good character makes choices which push forward the plot.
Sometimes this is only one choice that drives everything else (Llewellyn, No Country for Old Men), sometimes it is a series of good/bad choices in every scene (American Hustle)., Some people like to come up with characters and a premise and then start writing.
All screenwriters, however, see the value of the 5-point plot, where 5 key, escalating moments make up the movie.
Almost every single movie made follows this general structure, from Jurassic Park, and Just Friends, to Jupiter Ascending.'This does not mean your script must follow this template, but there is a method to the madness.
There are 5 major moments in every film that fall in the exact same place, and you need a good reason to deviate from this system if you want to be "original:"The Set-Up:
Who are your characters, where do they live, and what do they want? This is the first 10% or less of your movie.
The Change of Plans/Opportunity/Conflict:
Something happens that sets your conflict in motion
-- Erin Brockovich gets a job, the school of Superbad throws a party, Neo is introduced to The Matrix, etc.
This is roughly the 1/3 mark of your script.
The Point of No Return:
Up until this point, the characters are working hard to make their goals a reality.
But, at the halfway point of the movie, something happens to make it impossible to turn back.
A Bond villain attacks again, the Gladiator arrives in Rome, Thelma and Louise rob their first store, etc.
The Major Set-Back:
Since the point of no return the stakes have gotten higher.
To the characters and audience, all hope seems lost.
This is when the girl and guy break-up in every romantic comedy ever made, when Ron Burgundy gets fired in Anchorman, and when John McClane is beaten and bloody in Die Hard.
This comes at the 75% mark of your story.
The Climax:
The characters make one last, all-out push to reach their goals, culminating in their biggest challenge of all.
This is the run through the airport moment, the final holes in Caddyshack, or the showdown between hero and villain.
Once resolved, the last 10% of the script ties up loose ends and shows the aftermath of the climax., If you are producing the movie yourself you can use any writing format you like.
However, screenwriting software like Celtx, Writer Duets, and Final Draft will help you get studio-quality formatting along with tools specific for screenwriters.
These programs will auto-format for you, and are a great way to know the length of your movie-- 1 page of formatted script equals roughly 1 minute of screen time.
Give yourself some notes on things like setting, scenery, and actors, but focus mainly on the dialogue.
You'll be making the other decisions later, when you have cameras, actors, and locations.
Prepare yourself for rewrites as well.
It is nearly impossible to get all of your moments
-- characters, plots, themes, jokes, etc.
-- right in the first run through.
Once you're done, return to the script and try and read it objectively.
Would you watch this movie? , Table reads are essential for honing a good script and preparing to film.
Get together a couple of friends or actors and give them each a script 2-3 days in advance.
Then invite them over and do a dry run of the entire movie, having them speak out the parts while you or someone else narrates the actions.
Make notes of any lines that sound unnatural or awkward, where a scene falls short, and how long the script takes to read.Ask the actors/friends what they thought.
Where did they get confused, what did they love? Ask them if they felt like their character was well thought out and consistent.
Try not to play a part and just listen.
Do you hear your movie coming to life? Does it sound like you hoped it would? You want to hear these moments now, not when the cameras turn on.
About the Author
Stephen Hall
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Stephen Hall brings 1 years of hands-on experience to every article. Stephen believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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