CATEGORIES Auto & Trucks Business & Finance Computers & Internet Education Family Food & Drink Gadgets and Gizmos Health Hobbies Home Improvement Humor Kids & Teens Legal Marketing Men Music and Movies Online Business Parenting Pets and Animals Politics and Government Recreation & Sports Relationships Religion and Faith Self Improvement Site Promotion Travel & Leisure Web Development Women Writing Keyword Search Article Title Author's Name SITE MENU Search Submit An Article Submit Articles in Bulk Submit Press Release Syndicate Articles Distribute Articles Privacy Policy Terms of Use Link To Us Contact Us Site Map Home

Write A Picture!  by: Nick Smith It can take quite a leap to get from the written word to a movie screen. A screenplay, for all its clear descriptions of where characters are and what they say, has to work hard to meet the dramatic immediacy that we expect from films. 1. Stick To The Present Tense Writing in the present tense helps, keeping the text direct and different from the prose you’ll find in most novels or short stories. 2. Add Sound Effects Sound effects can be effectively replicated on the page, using onomatopoeia such as BANGS for gunshots and SCREAMS of characters in danger. 3. Keep It Tight Keeping the whole script tight is one of the best ways to capture the in-your-face nature of a modern movie. Concise dialogue and snappy scene descriptions will help you to avoid a novel’s tone. 4. Write Pictures Thinking visually is the most important part of the process. Writers are not always inclined to ‘talk in pictures’, creating images on the page. By cultivating a visual eye, you can create a script that’s written to be SEEN, not just read. Just as in any form of writing, those images will jump out at the readers and stay in their minds. Screenplays just happen to be the most image-driven of all forms of writing. Start looking, recording dreams, taking notes. Get hold of a camera - still, video, film, whatever you can get your hands on - and look through the viewfinder. You don’t have to stop loving words to start thinking in pictures, so get in the habit of finding appropriate pictures. When you’re writing your script, take every opportunity you can to tell your story using those kind of images, ones that resonate with you and your characters. If they’re relevant and contain an element that hasn’t been seen before, they’ll resonate with your readers. After all, movies aren’t referred to as "Pictures" for nothing. About The Author Nick Smith is a professional screenwriter and film director. Visit his Screenwriting Insider website for free Screenwriting tips at: http://ScreenwritingInsider.com. This article was posted on November 18, 2005 Read More Articles from the "Writing" Category: Writing Tip: Why Nouns and Verbs Are Your Friends by Lisa Silverman Writing A Book - Tips From An Author #6 by www.GetPlotted.com The Secret “Whyâ€� For Writing by Gary Crow Scholarship Essay Contests: 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Win in Essay Challenge by Linda Correli Cover Letters by Amit Pujar 7 Steps to Turn a Blank Page into a Blank Cheque by Richard Jebb Imagine If Yoda Were Your Writing Coach... by Suzanne Harrison Creating and Distributing E-courses by Tom Antion New York Code Orange Jaisini new art series by Yustas K. Gottlieb Article Submission - How Fast Are You? by Steve Gillman << Back to "Writing" Index

Disclaimer: The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors
and do not necessarily represent the views of ArticleCity.com and/or its partners.

	Web www.articlecity.com