The Coli's Screenwriting/Filmmaking Thread [Share tips, etc]

[Conz]

that is basically what im supposed to doing - "helping." I can write on my own, but I fancy myself a lazy idea man. i would benefit from having go getters working with me. I'm not looking to pass the buck, but at the same time, i lack the drive most (dellusional in my warped opinion) people seem to have. I need those types around me for motivation, and i really believe they'd make me better

 

[PlayerNinety_Nine]

that is basically what im supposed to doing - "helping." I can write on my own, but I fancy myself a lazy idea man. i would benefit from having go getters working with me. I'm not looking to pass the buck, but at the same time, i lack the drive most (dellusional in my warped opinion) people seem to have. I need those types around me for motivation, and i really believe they'd make me better

Everyone's delusional until they're living in the big house, getting head from models, breh

 

[Conz]

i don't even strive for that. i just want to do something i enjoy and "make a living." i want to build to that, sure, but it's not my main focus.

 

[StraxStrax]

Edit: nevermind

 

[PlayerNinety_Nine]

i don't even strive for that. i just want to do something i enjoy and "make a living." i want to build to that, sure, but it's not my main focus.

My whole outlook right now, is if you build it they will come.

It's worked with another passion project I started awhile ago. Could have ended up being absolutely nothing, but it's had it's little moments and perks. Put the pen to the paper, breh...

 

[steadyrighteous]

I'm mostly doing the underlined stuff but I also cast a commerical for a home security company last week. Right now I'm work on an energy drink, gas station chain, chain restaurant and chain vehicle check up service. The Room is fantastic, bouncing ideas back and forth and making dumb and clever stuff up. We do alot of field work, testing/getting the products for free. Every friday the alcohol is flowing, also free. Of course we work with alot of data that we have to take into account for everything but 80% of the time is pure creativity

Living the dream while working on my own shyt after work :orson:

I lived the dream for two months

Me and my old homegirl - she was design, I was copy - interened, but they let us know that they weren't gonna hire us from the jump because they just made 6 people redundant.

It was fun while it lasted, and I haven't been able to get in the door since, so I'm *freelancing

Spoiler

*broke

 

[steadyrighteous]

I was listening to Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan' Hollywood Prospectus podcast today and they sparked some stuff I thought I'd share/start a discussion on in here.

What are you guys' take on "genre-less" stuff. Like Louie, a "comedy" that was pretty dramatic this past season, or the idea they discussed, that it would be cool if drama's were written by comedy writers to breathe some life in it.

They talked about The Sopranos being one of the funniest shows on TV at the time it was on, and the idea that sometimes comedy is scared to get serious at times.

What do you guys think? Would you watch a show where you weren't show what the "tone" or "genre" would be from episode to episode? If you were watching a comedy and there was a whole scene that was devoid of laughs, would you think of it as out of place?

 

[Conz]

i listened as well. he made a good point that dramatic series need humor. every fukkin thing needs humor, imo. the movie could be about kids in the holocaust, and it should still have some levity and light moments to break it up. this is why I only watch Christopher Nolan movies once. he's so light on the humor - no matter what his fanboys will tell you - that his movies seem 2x as long and are just taxing to watch. it's always my critique of him and i get called a troll constantly for it. Take the Walking Dead as another example. It's so doom and gloom. You're telling me a little humor sprinkled in a couple times an episode wouldn't make that a better show? Yea, it's t he end of the world, no human can be trusted, there are zombies everywhere... but fukk, try, just try every now and then to break the tension.

he cited Vince Gilligan, who i think did an excellent job at this. the comedic moments on Breaking Bad were always supurbly done. they weren't in your face with it, but they were great at it. And he cast comedic actors in dramatic roles, which was another stroke of genius.

 

[steadyrighteous]

i listened as well. he made a good point that dramatic series need humor. every fukkin thing needs humor, imo. the movie could be about kids in the holocaust, and it should still have some levity and light moments to break it up. this is why I only watch Christopher Nolan movies once. he's so light on the humor - no matter what his fanboys will tell you - that his movies seem 2x as long and are just taxing to watch. it's always my critique of him and i get called a troll constantly for it. Take the Walking Dead as another example. It's so doom and gloom. You're telling me a little humor sprinkled in a couple times an episode wouldn't make that a better show? Yea, it's t he end of the world, no human can be trusted, there are zombies everywhere... but fukk, try, just try every now and then to break the tension.

he cited Vince Gilligan, who i think did an excellent job at this. the comedic moments on Breaking Bad were always supurbly done. they weren't in your face with it, but they were great at it. And he cast comedic actors in dramatic roles, which was another stroke of genius.

I also think that comedic moments, especially underplayed ones or subtle ones, don't even have to be that funny in a drama to work, because a large part of breaking the tension is having tension in the first place, so a shytty joke out of nowhere works almost as well as a good joke you see coming.

 

[PlayerNinety_Nine]

I was listening to Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan' Hollywood Prospectus podcast today and they sparked some stuff I thought I'd share/start a discussion on in here.

What are you guys' take on "genre-less" stuff. Like Louie, a "comedy" that was pretty dramatic this past season, or the idea they discussed, that it would be cool if drama's were written by comedy writers to breathe some life in it.

They talked about The Sopranos being one of the funniest shows on TV at the time it was on, and the idea that sometimes comedy is scared to get serious at times.

What do you guys think? Would you watch a show where you weren't show what the "tone" or "genre" would be from episode to episode? If you were watching a comedy and there was a whole scene that was devoid of laughs, would you think of it as out of place?

Sopranos was genius at doing this. The 'Pine Barrens' Episode has more laughs in it than some shows that are actually defined as comedies. Mad Men has been really good at it as well (to whoever writes Roger Sterling's ether). I would mess with a show like that. I guess it's really a case of getting the audience to believe in the story and the actors. You'll lose some people along the way (and probably the faith of the brass, your marriage, your sanity and maybe even your show), but the people who buy in and ride with you if the standard is good, would be down to ride the rollercoaster until the end.

 

[steadyrighteous]

Sopranos was genius at doing this. The 'Pine Barrens' Episode has more laughs in it than some shows that are actually defined as comedies. Mad Men has been really good at it as well (to whoever writes Roger Sterling's ether). I would mess with a show like that. I guess it's really a case of getting the audience to believe in the story and the actors. You'll lose some people along the way (and probably the faith of the brass, your marriage, your sanity and maybe even your show), but the people who buy in and ride with you if the standard is good, would be down to ride the rollercoaster until the end.

I'm writing something right now, a premium cable type comedy, and I'm trying to find the line between entertaining, making people laugh, and story, and I was just wondering; if I wrote an episode that wasn't very funny, or like a drama with subtle comedy rather than a comedy with subtle drama, would people fukk with it?

 

[ghostwriterx]

I'm writing something right now, a premium cable type comedy, and I'm trying to find the line between entertaining, making people laugh, and story, and I was just wondering; if I wrote an episode that wasn't very funny, or like a drama with subtle comedy rather than a comedy with subtle drama, would people fukk with it?

If you're writing a comedy I would always aim for funny first, especially if its a pilot, the drama will hit even harder when you bring it in later.

 

[PlayerNinety_Nine]

I'm walking a similar line myself, right now - but working on a movie. To be honest, I'm just going with it - I know what points to hit in terms of the story. I trust my opinion in the stuff I watch that I'm inspired by. My screenplay is based on a true story, I'm using that as an excuse to not have to fit everything neatly into a box, so to speak. There will be loose ends, but it will definitely play with genre, because - shyt - life doesn't fit into one genre...



Back to the original question: Goodfellas might be one of the GOAT films when it comes to messing with genres, in semi-recent memory. Dramatic as fukk, but the comedic parts are note perfect

 

[Conz]

Again, I'm assuredly wrong, but you can get away with a thin storyline in a comedy. No one talks about the story in a comedy, they talk about the funny parts. Who gives a shyt what Dumb and Dumber was "about?"

but again, that's the wrong point of view to have.

 

[Conz]

Back to the original question: Goodfellas might be one of the GOAT films when it comes to messing with genres, in semi-recent memory. Dramatic as fukk, but the comedic parts are note perfect

Wolf of Wall Street was one of the funniest movies of the past few years. Marty gets it