Screenwritting Or Amateur Directing?

[Misanthrope]

Ok im taking a chance here posting something completly off topic, but nevertheless...

Suppose you have a lot of ideas and are working on an screenplay. Nothing too groundbreaking, nothing too out there either, just good mixture of alot of things you love by different directors and movies but never get a chance to see in 1 single movie.

Lets say you have 2 realistic options:
1)You write the screenplay for it and look to sell it
2)You write the screenplay, gather a few interested comunications and film students and maybe look into some minor financing, and try to direct it and make it happen on an amateur level. ( Asuming you are not one such student yourself and need external help, lots of it )

As i see it, if i try the second the lack of money and experience, and lack of reliable resoures could end up making the movie look and feel like crap no matter how good the screenwriter and the idea is.

On the other hand it gets done: If you go for number 1 chances are that since you are totally amateur no one will give you the time of day, and if they do someone could end up buying it and making it into total crap, so far away from your original screenplay you are embarassed to associate yourself with it. But if you manage it you could get it out in a more professional way and even make some money out of it, to finance something of your own later.

What would you do?

 

[Miolo]

i'd take option 1, being very selective with the buyer. if no one suitable appears after quite some time, i move to option 2.

 

[Dafne]

the answer depends on which level you want to reach.i mean,if you wanna stay on a Do It Yourself level then you gotta take the 2nd chance.
If you're interested in -also- making some money,go for the 1st.
in any case you should gain experience first of all and then be careful!so many ppl steal good ideas!;-)

 

[Misanthrope]

No interest in making money, im interested in presenting the story in the best way possible. Money is just a good perk but i can do without, since i could eventually get a day job or something.

Oh and i dont think someone will want to steal my ideas, they are either very common and done to death or too fucking weird and hard to manage to be factible. As is typical of me i dont have a middle point: i just paint an extreme on top of another :Spin:

 

[rahvin]

i'd go for number 2. that's how david lynch started, for instance, and i know the name means something to you, mis.

it's true that your risk the film to turn out amateurish and flawed, but remember that this is your first idea, or at least the first one you deem worthy of production. chances are that someone will notice the spark regardless of the actual result, and be interested in somehow financing further experiments. it still takes a lot of guts and luck, but i think that option number one cannot result in anything but a big company giving you two pennies to steal the idea and market it however they see fit.

 

[Misanthrope]

Valid points indeed. Im thinking directing right now but ill have to see how to work out some details that might be difficult to shot ( I have 3 minutes of movie and i already have a hard to shoot element i need to get done ).

 

[King Chaos]

I'd go for 2. Get your Screenplay or shooting script out to 'Good Machine' productions (Independent production group that will lend a helping hand if they see potential)... Or Fox Search light (Although they usually look for Arty things that could break the mould and comunicate with mainstream audiences).

Funnily enough this year I get to make a movie and Im in a similar predicament. Only I dont have a proper story yet, but Im being encouraged to direct. I have to involve the shooting styles of Miike Takashi and Pedra Almodovar... also I have to include a Documentary diegesis. It will be difficult writing it but making it should be hellah fun.

 

[Siren]

I'd say go for 1 only if you can make sure they won't steal your idea and you get them to sign they won't change your script or something. but that could be really hard, almost impossible, unless you knew people i guess.

So probably 2 would be the best and easier to accomplish, but i'd suggest you find people who know about directing and ask for their help or advice. maybe something good will come out of it.

 

[King Chaos]

So probably 2 would be the best and easier to accomplish, but i'd suggest you find people who know about directing and ask for their help or advice. maybe something good will come out of it.

There are loads of really good books on shoe string budget Directing. Just check out your local Waterstone in the Film and cinema section.

 

[Siren]

@King chaos: maybe it's the early minutes of the day, but i didn't get half of wht you said. care to translate?

 

[rahvin]

@King chaos: maybe it's the early minutes of the day, but i didn't get half of wht you said. care to translate?

waterstone is a chain of bookstores. in their [group]film and cinema[/group] section, king chaos suggests, there will likely be many good books on directing (movies) despite having a [group]shoe-string[/group] budget, meaning very little money.

i think. admittedly, it was a very noun-intensive sentence.

 

[Siren]

and the assumption everyone has a waterstone in their backyard made it really fuzzy.


edit: thanks

 

[Misanthrope]

Nevertheless a fine suggestion. My idea was to get in touch with a number of students from film school and comunications degree school since they have a steady source of resources and technical advise.

 

[King Chaos]

Just realised you guys spoke on what I said. Im sorry Siren for not realising waterstones was not a universal store. I find myself having to really watch what I say these days.

 

[Siren]

@KC: don't worry, even if it was a universal store, we still wouldn't have it here.
and i have the same feeling about my words, heh.