4 Essential Resources for Budding Screenwriters

(Photo : 4 Essential Resources for Budding Screenwriters)

If you're a movie lover, chances are, at some point, you've considered writing a screenplay. At some point, you've either been inspired by what you've seen or frustrated by what you haven't seen enough so to consider taking up the craft. Here's a word of advice: just do it. 

With social distancing measures currently in place, freeing up time to pursue interests and passion projects, now's the perfect opportunity to put fingers to keyboard and write the next great film. 

To help get you started, this article will walk you through four essential screenwriting resources, from the ideation process, through to the writing, honing and analyzing of your soon-to-be masterpiece. 

Save the Cat

With the subtitle The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, Blake Snyder's seminal text is pretty confident. But he's not wrong, necessarily. The book breaks down the "beats" of a film - that is, their individual narrative moments - and looks at commonalities between all screenplays. Akin to Joseph Conrad's "Hero's Journey", Save the Cat boils down the narrative into sections like:

• "The setup"

• "The catalyst"

• "All is lost"

• "Bad guys close in"

• and "Dark night of the soul"

It's an indispensible read for writers looking to turn out a Hollywood-friendly script. 

Final Draft

With you great idea formulated and your beat sheet filled out, now's the time to actually write the thing. For decision makers in the film industry, formatting means a lot. It's an easy way for them to separate the amateurs from the pros. A professional screenplay follows very strict formatting guidelines, which, if you were to write out in a simple document, would take forever. All screenwriters, it's safe to say, use a screenwriting software that automatically formats their work as they go. The most popular screenwriting software is called Final Draft. 

A Mentorship Program

You're writing your screenplay, but you get stuck. Maybe you're having third act problems. Or maybe you just can't figure out how to nail the dialogue. This is where mentorship is pivotal. It's also pivotal to have a mentor for the business end - someone who's been around the block and can tell you how to shop your screenplay around, how to create buzz and how to procure an agent. You might have the best idea in the world, but in order to start your career in entertainment you're going to need some outside help. Luckily, you can find resources in the link provided. 

Coverage

The screenplay's finished. It follows logical beats, is formatted properly and has received guidance from an industry insider. Now, all that's left to do is get people to read it. When you submit a screenplay to an agent, it will receive what's called "coverage": a thorough critical analysis of the story and its merits, both artistic and potentially financial. Before you leave the fate of your screenplay up to an agent's coverage, though, it's good practice to send it for third party coverage first. For this, check out Screencraft's list of the five best screenplay coverage services. 

If you've got the time, the good idea and the willingness to see it through, you may just see your name up their on the credits one day.