To screenplay or not to screenplay?

For creative writing class I was assigned to write a blog about film and screenwriting. It can be about anything related to either topic, so i’ve decided to take this opportunity to write about the screenplay I have always wanted to write.

To put it simply, my dream screenplay would basically be Quentin Tarantino meets The Lovely Bones. Yep, I know that sounds nuts, but think about it. Dying and waiting to cross over isn’t exactly a beautiful thing, and waiting in limbo could be a horrifying experience. Of course, I wouldn’t really know, because I haven’t been there. But, I can imagine. My screenplay would be tragic and terrifying, yet artistically realistic. And that’s where Tarantino would come in.

Writing a screenplay is actually a lot of work. There are so many components involved, including a logline, a synopsis, and an outline. These aspects make it easier for a person to understand what the screenplay is about, but they are quite difficult to write. You pretty much have to dumb down the concept to the bare essentials, yet still be interesting so a person wants to read on. This may sound like the epitome of a journalistic writing style, and it is.

Putting together the actual script is also more work than I thought it would be. There is a specific format to follow, and a certain way to write out actions and scene changes. It’s very easy for a script to become boring quickly, because the writer becomes so preoccupied with formatting the whole thing correctly. I’ve learned from experience that it’s best to write all the dialogue first, and copy it into the proper document later. This method provides the freedom to be creative without stressing about how it’s supposed to look.

So will I ever have a chance to create my dark masterpiece? Who knows. Local filmmaker, Sean Garrity, seems to be doing quite well with his recent feature film, Zooey & Adam. I supposed anyone could be successful if they put their minds to it. But as fun as writing screenplays would be, i’m going to stick to print journalism for now. Maybe i’ll change my mind in the future, and if I do, you’ll all be in for the film of a lifetime!