Wow. This posted really fast.

Yay, thanks for making this thread, Lyric! I liked the way you wrote it as a screenplay lol :)

So I used to just write novels and stories, but then I kept thinking how great it would be if someone made them into movies - even more exciting than if someone published them. And then during the pandemic I watched a lot of movies, and it kind of affected my writing. I started to think more in terms of dialogue, images, and music, and it was hard to transmit that through ordinary writing, so in the end I decided that I should try screenwriting. I still haven't written any full-length screenplays, but I have adapted some scenes from novels, especially Love and Gelato. Maybe I could post some of it later (if that's okay, @admin?) I've also jotted down scripts for a few random scenes that I've thought of. Oh, and I really enjoy writing scripts for music videos. Whenever I hear a song, I often start imagining the story behind it, and thinking of ways to portray it in a video, and it's really fun! I'll post some of my ideas later, since I'm really busy right now :/

Does anyone have any info on the formalities of writing screenplays? How to structure them, whether the characters' names are capitalized, stuff like that?

i've made a few... short films i guess? stupid videos really. but most of them were scripted.

@Poinsettia, yes, I do know some things about formatting. The first time a character is introduced, their name is written in all caps, with their age in parentheses and a description about them. I've seen some films write them in bold as well. Their name is also written in all caps directly before they speak (It's usually justified center, followed by whatever they are saying; unfortunately I tried doing justified center on here and it didn't end up the way I wanted it to look). All the other times, standard capitalization rules apply. Also, there are a lot of helpful screenwriting websites (I don't think I can mention them, but if you search up something like "freeze frame in screenplay", results do show up). Ooh, you write stories about music videos? 

@Lord Entropy, that's cool that you've made films before! I have done some stop motion in the past (with legos), but the dialogue isn't scripted and is often very off timing. How long were your videos, and did you use animation or live action?

Have either of you read screenplays? There is an Internet Movie Script Database (it is a website; is that ok, @admins?) that I look up movies on sometimes. It's very interesting to see how a movie was written, and how much of it was the screenwriter's decision and how much of it was the director/producer/other people working on the movie.

@Poinsettia, sorry for not responding for a while. I've never actually critiqued a screenplay before so I wasn't sure what to say for a while lol. Out of curiousity, did you base the script you posted off of an existing music video, or the song lyrics? The formatting matches the formatting in the Frozen screenplay perfectly. It differs a little bit from how my teacher (I took a class on screenwriting) teaches formatting, but I think it's accurate. I really like how the action you wrote matches nearly seamlessly with the song lyrics, and I can really see Trisha's character and mood based on her actions, which is always a good thing. I'm a little confused on when her reflection (inner self, like you said) is speaking and when she herself is speaking, so that could be a little clearer, and also a little confused on why Trisha is meeting with her ex-husband in the first place, but other than that, I really like your script (and now I'm considering listen to the song, lol) :D 

@Lord Entropy, that's really cool! Puppetry is fun :) Do you use a curtain while you're filming, to hide sticks attached to the puppets/hands (if you use sock puppets/puppets attached to sticks, that is, which are the only puppets I know of besides Sesame Street puppets or marionettes). I probably couldn't film things myself, because my hand is too shaky, but I'm very interested in it, nevertheless.

This is the first scene of a (possibly?) science-fiction fantasy novel I wrote as a homework assignment. The characters are actually living, talking marble statues who can somehow move a little (they can't do anything like dancing or cartwheeling though, lol). The scene is a little incomplete because it was alarmingly long when I previwed it, so I cut it in half :/ If either of you mind, could you give feedback on the dialogue, and if it sounds realistic or like something nobody would ever say, and if it causes the characters to sound round, flat, or somewhere in the middle? Especially the parts where characters interrupt each other. I fear that I overuse those...

Nya almost said the main character's name :o <kwzhu>

FADE IN: 

EXT. FIELD OUTSIDE THE GLASS TOWER-DAY

We hear a river GURGLING and see several grasses blowing in the wind, then discover a tall, magnificent tower paneled with glass, in the center of a lonely prairie. A spiral at the top of the tower gives it the appearance of a conch shell standing upright.

INT. DARK, UNIDENTIFIED CHAMBER IN THE GLASS TOWER-DAY

We hear A SHRILL, RHYTHMIC BEEPING coming from A MACHINE with eight, hollow mechanical arms attached to its body, a metal cube. On the cube, a light flickers behind a button marked “On” in faded white letters. The two buttons beside it–a green one and a red one–flicker as well, then the red one turns on. 

CUT TO:

INT. SUNNY HALLWAY IN THE GLASS TOWER-DAY 

We see a brightly lit, curved hallway in the tower. The wall is solid marble encased behind glass but the other wall is all glass that displays the landscape we saw earlier.

INZHU (15), a marble statue wearing a tight, unfashionable dress and carrying three large boxes, walks through the hallway. The boxes tilt precariously.

A group of statues walk by Inzhu, laughing and talking about trivial things. Inzhu waves, but they look deliberately past her, pretending not to see. Inzhu looks wistfully towards them.

A mirrored door opens to the left, and JUMANA (12), who wears a dress similar to Inzhu’s and an awkwardly large hat with a ribbon on it, slips out quietly. She looks frightened. DZIDRA (15), a crocodilian smile on her face, emerges behind her, wearing an exceedingly complicated dress and an elaborate hairstyle. She walks like the floor is a cloud, with a swagger. Neither of them see Inzhu.

JUMANA

(twisting a lock of her hair around her finger)

This isn’t going to work. They’re going to find out and you’re going to get in trouble and lose your reputa–

DZIDRA

(laughing)

I’m not too worried about that. This isn’t the first time–

Dzidra sees Inzhu and stops abruptly, the laugh dying in her throat. She bristles. Inzhu eyes Dzidra warily, and moves in front of Jumana.

DZIDRA

(sarcastically)

Why, hello, bestie. Playing delivery girl again?

Dzidra elbows Inzhu and causes the boxes to slip. Jumana catches one, struggles to carry it, then places it on the floor.

INZHU

(picking up boxes)

At least I’m doing something useful–cleaning up for the Ascending tomorrow. 

(Her eyes flash.)

Playing tyrant again?

DZIDRA

Oh, that’s an understatement.

(She turns to Jumana, who quails.) 

Dear, why don’t you tell Inzhu about–

JUMANA

(hastily)

Later. We should go.

She picks up the box again and struggles through the hallway and into one of the rooms. Inzhu follows her, carrying the remaining two boxes.

FADE OUT

i love screenwriting!! when i was younger - just before the pandemic - i wrote some movie scripts and my friends, my sister, and i all acted it out and filmed it (badly) on an iPad. good times. anyway, i've recently gotten back into screenwriting, and even though i have no idea about the formalities and stuff, it's so fun.

i'm actually writing a television miniseries right now - i was looking through my old google docs and i found a story that i'd started to write, but it never really went anywhere, and i realized it would work a lot better as a television show than as a novel! i'm currently working on the series bible (i've found it helpful to do that before i actually start writing the script), and i'm planning to animate it, maybe? idk how that'll work because i have no experience with that and no animating software anwyay, but i'll figure something out lol

i really like the music video script you posted, Poinsettia! writing music videos is such a cool idea, and now i want to try that! like Lyric said, i really love how well you've conveyed the mood and characterizations! 

and Lyric, i love the scene you posted! i could visualize everything so well, and i think the dialogue was pretty good - it told me a lot about the characters' personalities and the world they inhabit :D like right off the bat you're introducing some conflict and piquing interest in your world (Ascending? what? that sounds really cool), and i'd definitely keep reading/watching. i don't really think i'm experienced enough to give actual useful feedback, but i do think it's really good!

Apologies for vanishing for a while!

@Poinsettia, ah I see about how the mirror is not speaking. I think I got confused because in the Disney movie of Mary Poppins, her reflection is able to speak magically. Wow, I thought you had watched a music video, then written a script about it, because the scene/song you posted sounds so professional and could quite definitely be made into an official music video! Thank you so much for your feedback! Yes, I do see how Jumana's first line could be shorter and more natural.

@pangolin, welcome to the conversation! That is so cool that you are writing a television miniseries? What is it about/what is the genre, if you don't mind me asking?

Do either of you mind cliffhangers? I'm considering posting the second half of the scene (the screenplay is called Spiral to the End btw), but unforunately it ends on a slight cliffhanger, and I know from reading experience that those are...painful.