Places to Chat
Writing musicals, screenp
Chatterbox: Inkwell
Writing musicals, screenp
Writing musicals, screenplays, plays, script-y thingys... etc!
Well, the other day my English teacher and I got into an argument about the villain in a story in our lit book. He died, which I greatly resented. Etc., etc., thus ensued a typical all-ML's-teachers-hate-her-or-something-like-that scenario. Point being, I decided to rewrite the story in our lit book, as a musical...
It's pretty fun, actually. Up until now I'd only done stories and suchlike, but I'm really enjoying this. The weird thing is now I get my own songs stuck in my head, which is kind of creepy... "Let's kill the sunny days / Bring on a reign of night," etc.
It's definitely different from "regular" writing, though. At first it was hard to get used to putting the few adverbs you use into brackets ((for example: OLAF: [[threateningly]])) and not being able to puctuate everything with actions and descriptins and whatnot, because 99% of it's dialogue. And the actual songwriting can be hard, because for one thing you sometimes have to sing it aloud to know how it sounds, and, well... because give you funny looks. Also, I instinctively want to rhyme everything as though it's poetry, but that makes it sound all forced, so that has to be curbed too.
Personal enjoyment/difficulties/songs/etc./excessive use of abbreviation "etc" aside, does anyone else do musicals, screenplays, plays... etc?
submitted by Mary W., age 11.75, NJ
(October 1, 2009 - 5:36 pm)
(October 1, 2009 - 5:36 pm)
*raises hand* I do plays/screenplays (mostly screenplays cause my bestest friend in CA wants to be a director and makes movies of my screenplays with his friend).
Speaking of which at some point I want to start composing music for Ghost of the Cinema... h'm...
(October 1, 2009 - 8:20 pm)
((Top!))
Incidentally, how do you format your plays? Screenplay style or stageplay style? I do both...
(October 2, 2009 - 11:06 am)
I of course have no clue how to compose music. I should learn, though...
What is the difference between screenplay and stageplay? I think I do screenplay, though I'm not 100% sure...
(October 2, 2009 - 3:35 pm)
The main difference is, in screenplays you have huge margins around your dialogue and don't have to capslock character names except the first time they're introduced, whereas in stageplays dialogue has standard margins (one inch) and character names are always capslocked outside of dialogue.
Also, screenplays have scene headings like "INT. SCENE - A ROOM - DAY" and stageplays just have SCENE ONE, SCENE TWO, etc.
Also, actions in screenplays have standard margins where stageplay actions have the same margins as screenplay dialogue. Also also, stageplays are written in Times New Roman font and screenplays are in Courier.
Re: composing: I don't either, really, I just fiddle with the piano until it sounds good and then I write it down... I'm not much of one for all the chords and theories, as mostly I have to work out piano music by ear rather than note by note. Singing notes, on the other hand, is easier than singing by ear. Strange, eh?
Also (and this is random) I hate accidentals.
(October 2, 2009 - 5:35 pm)
Well, I always cap characters' names outside of dialogue (stageplay), and I use TNR font (stageplay). For margins... um, no clue... And in regard to scenbe headings I do, for example, "ACT ONE, SCENE ONE, SETTING: JACK'S HOUSE" or whatever (stageplay-ish...). So I guess that would fall under the category of stageplay? Kind of.
We learned notes and that sort of thing in fourth grade, but I'd have to reteach myself if I wanted to compose anything. Usually I find singing by ear easier, though. I guess that'd be because I wouldn't understand notes...?
And what are accidentals? (as you can see, I am totally new to this sort of thing...)
(October 3, 2009 - 11:01 am)
Accidentals are annoying flats or sharps that don't actually belong in the chord/key of the piece. Pretty much they just make playing/singing more complicated.
(October 3, 2009 - 1:00 pm)
I never have, but it sounds fun. My storywriting skills are significantly below par, too. (Note: why is the saying "below par" when, in golf, that's the better thing?) So I'll just stick with poetry and research papers, thank you. :D Great idea, though. Maybe I will try....
-EH
Good point, Emily. In golf, below par (aka sub par, under par) is GOOD. But when a person doesn't do well in something else, it's a sub-par performance.
Admin
(October 2, 2009 - 6:27 pm)
Ohh. Thanks.
(October 4, 2009 - 12:19 pm)