I used to think they were only based on books and cartoons and such. But there are so many movies. Do movie writers base all their stories on someone else's work or do writers write their own creation sometimes (with a group or whatever)?

And how would you become a writer in the first place? Are you hired to write for a certain director or do you sign up as a writer, write a story, and show different directors?

Thanks.
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01-12-03, 06:59 PM
Minnesota
Many movies come directly from original screen plays: works written expressly to be made into movies. You become a successful screen writer by 1) knowing your craft: how to write a good story that translates well visually. 2)Put that story into acceptable screen play format (there are programs designed with just such formats) 3)Finding a subject that will have either broad appeal (market) or can spark such an appeal in a producer. 3)Do it:write the thing. 4)find an agent to shop it around the studios (unless you have a "name" you won't get in the front door). It's pretty much a crap shoot for first time screen writers, as it is with almost all first time writers. You have to prove you have a good screen play, and the only way to do it is to gamble your time and effort by writing the whole thing out, from opening scene to closing scene. Good luck.

01-13-03, 08:58 AM
Texan-In-Exile
Even when a movie is "allegedly" based on a novel or short story, there are many times that the entire movie plot has to be specially written. Some bear no resemblance whatsoever to the work to which they give credit.

A few examples are:

Premature Burial (1962)
Haunted Palace (1963)

Based on Edgar Allan Poe's short stories of the same names, the entire plots were created specifically for the movies.

Lawnmower Man (1992)
Named after the short story by Stephen King - and that's where the similarity ends!

Ah well...Job security for the screenwriters! Smile

01-13-03, 03:47 PM
Georgia85
I know 2 screen writers and both pursue their career totally different. One creates and writes his own story lines then sends to his agent to promote to the various studios. The other writer is directly contacted by various directors and/or producers from specific studios and then collaborates with other writers for TV shows, movies, etc. Needless to say, the latter of my friends is the one who is most famous.

01-13-03, 04:27 PM
jusork
Thanks MN, TX, and GA. That helped.

I don't think I'd be able to write out a whole script so I guess I'd rather be one who works with others so I can just put in my input. I've got plenty of interesting ideas to write about.

01-14-03, 08:10 AM
Georgia85
You'll have to share them with us sometime Jusork!

01-14-03, 11:12 AM
Elexina
I recall hearing that there are really only seven stories in the world (most of which are Shakespearian) and everything else is just a variation of one of those.

ex. "10 Things I Hate About You" is really "Taming of the Shrew," "The Lion King" is really "Hamlet," "West Side Story" is really "Romeo & Juliet," "O Brother Where Art Thou" is really "The Oddessey" and so on and so on. But we all knew that, right?

There are really only four themes anyway: man vs. man, man vs. machine, man vs. nature, and man vs. the future. Unless it's a kids movie in which case it's often nature vs. nature, or pig vs. man or something.

01-14-03, 03:37 PM
jusork
Sure thing, Georgia.

Elexina, there are five themes: man vs. man, man vs. machine, man vs. nature, man vs. himself, and man vs. society.
Hey I wonder what Shakespearian play Fight Club is a variation of. Confused

01-15-03, 06:02 AM
Elexina
I just see man vs. man and man vs. himself as the same thing, and 'man vs. future' fits into the 'man vs. society theme,' but yes you're right, those are the traditionally accepted five story lines.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,

I've always felt that the "There are X themes/story lines" was an oversimplification. Having so few slots in which to place plots results in some very different concepts in the same grouping. Just pulling movies and/or fiction out of the air and fitting them in yields the following results.

Man vs Man
The Longest Day
Seven Days in May
MacBeth
Assault on Precinct 13

Man vs Nature
Jaws
The Thing (From Another World)
Earthquake
The Wolf Man (1942)

Man vs Society
An Enemy of the People (Ibsen)
Raging Bull
The Last Hurrah

Man vs Machine
Killdozer
The Terminator

Man vs Himself
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Leaving Las Vegas
A Beautiful Mind

Chaplin's "Modern Times" could fit in either Man vs Machine or Man vs Society, but it isn't anything like the movies I have listed for those two categories.

Of all that I have listed, only the movies in the last category have anything really in common in their plot, and I didn't give any of this a great deal of thought. There are certainly hundreds of better examples that could be shown if one took a bit of time.

Ah, wow. I remember this. I've gotten so much more into screenwriting since I wrote this. I'm writing my first screenplay right now. It's looking really, really interesting. Plus I've got ideas for more than 30 others.