Why 9 Out Of 10 Screenplays End Up In The Trash - Joston Ramon Theney
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2022
- Screenwriter, Author, Producer, Director Joston Ramon Theney grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He is known for films such as Wanton Want (2021), Axeman at Cutters Creek (2020) and Jurassic Hunt (2021).
WATCH 'WANTON WANT' TRAILER
• Video
MORE VIDEOS WITH JOSTON RAMON THENEY
bit.ly/3IQRNIh
CONNECT WITH JOSTON RAMON THENEY
jostonramontheney.com
www.imdb.com/name/nm2133820
/ jostonramontheney
/ jostonramontheney
/ joston-ramon-theney-50...
RELATED VIDEOS
I Only Write Stories That Pass This Test - • I Only Write Stories T...
What Must Happen In The First 10 Pages Of Every Screenplay - • What Must Happen In Th...
99% Of Screenplays Are Rejected After The First Scene - • 99% Of Screenplays Are...
This Is How 99% Of Screenwriters Write A Story - • This Is How 99% Of Scr...
99% Of All Screenplays Submitted Are Unreadable - • 99% Of All Screenplays...
BOOKS WE RECOMMEND
buff.ly/3o0oE5o
(Affiliates)
►WE USE THIS CAMERA (B&H) - buff.ly/3rWqrra
►WE USE THIS EDITING PROGRAM (ADOBE) - goo.gl/56LnpM
►WE USE THIS SOUND RECORDER (AMAZON) - amzn.to/2tbFlM9
►WRITERS, TRY FINAL DRAFT FREE FOR 30-DAYS! (FINAL DRAFT) -
SUPPORT FILM COURAGE BY BECOMING A MEMBER
/ @filmcourage
CONNECT WITH FILM COURAGE
www.FilmCourage.com
#!/FilmCourage
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FILM COURAGE RUclips CHANNEL
bit.ly/18DPN37
LISTEN TO THE FILM COURAGE PODCAST
/ filmcourage-com
Stuff we use:
LENS - Most people ask us what camera we use, no one ever asks about the lens which filmmakers always tell us is more important. This lens was a big investment for us and one we wish we could have made sooner. Started using this lens at the end of 2013 - amzn.to/2tbtmOq
AUDIO
Rode VideoMic Pro - The Rode mic helps us capture our backup audio. It also helps us sync up our audio in post amzn.to/2t1n2hx
Audio Recorder - If we had to do it all over again, this is probably the first item we would have bought - amzn.to/2tbFlM9
LIGHTS - Although we like to use as much natural light as we can, we often enhance the lighting with this small portable light. We have two of them and they have saved us a number of times - amzn.to/2u5UnHv
COMPUTER - Our favorite computer, we each have one and have used various models since 2010 - amzn.to/2t1M67Z
EDITING - We upgraded our editing suite this year and we’re glad we did! This has improved our workflow and the quality of our work. Having new software also helps when we have a problem, it’s easy to search and find a solution - goo.gl/56LnpM
*These are affiliate links, by using them you can help support this channel.
#writing #screenwriting #movies
Here is our full interview with Joston - ruclips.net/video/hpSSRjSb8-k/видео.html
It's crazy how many of those screenplays get dug out of the trash for some indie director to make.
😂😂😂😂
Bull. I have a dozen cute, fun, or dramatic screenplays that I really like, and have gotten some good feedback. But no one will pay the $100,000 to $2 million to make any of them. There are a million decent screenplays out there. I'd make them but I'm poor.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 I’d read them Scott.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 not bull. I suspect crappy movies with tons of padding are chosen for the exact reason that it doesn't effect the budget much. I'm not saying indie movies are always bad, quite the contrary. Some of my favorites are "Clerks" and movies starring or involving Mark Duplass; those kind of movies are able to subsist by a good screenplay alone (good actors, too!). It's just seems that a good screenplay almost always seems to have been supplied by the director and that many great indie directors simply don't let the good stuff go, while others either can't write a good screenplay or have to result to looking for a script that sounds easy to pull off on a small budget.
@@Lifesizemortal I suppose any film can be made if you find someone who will fund it.
I was doing sound for a film one time that had all the usual suspects in the Sacramento film community. One guy was a rich uncle of one of the actors. He put $125,000 into the film so his nephew could be in the film
This guy truly knows what he's talking about. His movies all have great scores on IMDB
lol
Lmao
I'm absolutely floored they got someone who made undisputed pieces of shit to talk about writing good product when he has not one good product under his belt. I wouldn't take his writing advice. Watching the trailers of his movies were painful enough.
Stop it! Lol
Hey! According to himself hes "just on that level" 🤦🤣
I completely agree. For me, it's like putting blocks together. They all have to fit in order for my story to work. This is a great video.🙂🙏
The biggest problem with scripts not being read....is them being given to people to read who aren't creative and are going in cold (not knowing what the script is about and maybe reading something they'd never have any interest in seeing in the first place)
I've read almost 200 unproduced screenplays (based on liking the logline) .... and I'd like to see 90% of them made so I could watch them. That's because I'm a screenwriter and director so I can easily see the writer's vision (no matter what their level of writing ability).
*More creatives need to be readers and something DOESN'T have to happen by page 10.* #ProducedScreenwriter
All of those films can't be made. Good enough isn't. Must be a great screenplay. Knock everyone's socks off.
I got feedback on one of my screenplays..."It's one of the best I've seen come out of Sacramento."
Well whoopie!
@@scottslotterbeck3796 please try posting again in English 😉
@@Matt_Mosley1983 It is in English. Good isn't enough to get noticed.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 No, it doesn't count as English if it's broken. Good description is needed, not perfect. It doesn't have to be the best thing possible or knock off socks (though either obviously helps) it just has to be well enough written to keep the reader engaged and wanting to continue on because they WANT to, not because it's the only way to get paid.
customers aren't creatives
I have personally met people working at Netflix who have openly admitted to me that they got their gig with nothing but an inside person. One in particular I met in a club. He had a meeting the next morning but was just trying to get laid. Same story-- friend gave him the job and he's riding those coat-tails until he can pitch something solid. Zero previous experience. Dude was drunk outta his mind lmao..
Bottom line. I'm so sick and tired of people at those levels pretending that access to connections matters less than the craft. It doesn't. Your writing and ideas could be worse to read than first draft fanfiction. With the right people, a person can afford to fail and follow others their whole career.. making thousands a month if not millions a year.
I've dedicated my life to this. And it's left me hollow and full of hate. Not because there's not talented folks up there, cuz there are.. but because I know actualizing my passion for stories isn't up to me. It's up to circumstances.
You're approaching it wrong. Write a novel and make it great. Flog the hell out if it. Most studio films come from boojs, short stories (Arrival) or magazine articles. Self publish.
Look, I'm sure your stuff is good. A lot of screenplays are good. But why pick your good screenplay over Michael Bay's screenplay? Make a film yourself. Make a short. Maybe lightning will strike.
Austin Film Festival gets over 14,000 scripts per yr., I learned the readers are not PAID, they just get passes to the festival, now how much incentive do they have to reject scripts? a lot
JK Rowling didn’t need connections. If you’re good enough you are the connection.
@@Pottercraft278 She got rejected a lot at first. Also for every JK Rowling there are thousands of unheard voices out there. Just saying
People win the lottery without talent. People with no talent get promoted at work over those with talent. That's the way the world works. Sad, but true.
VERY needful....great job dude !!..i love your approach and insights....your experience shines !! a 5 STAR job...
Glad it was helpful!
I know I'm more interested in being a story writer instead of a screenwriter because...I want to be responsible for writing the start to finish plot of the movie, but I don't want to be responsible for the movie doing poorly due to a bad/just ok script. Screenwriting IS hard!
Is becoming a story writer easier than a screenwriter?
@@pauoliver I imagine the level of difficulty to get your "break" for either is rather difficult and based somewhat on luck
@@pauoliver screenwriter is being a surrogate you carry it and once you have it it’s not yours anymore. Studio, directors and even actors comes in and changes things up.
Think how many films are "based on the best-selling book". And how few are original screenplays.
Write a book. Seriously. Plus you can have to most outrageous special effects. They cost nothing.
@@pauoliver both are/can be difficult. However, being a screenwriter requires more commitment since you're responsible for every detail of every scene, character description, and dialogue. It's more time consuming writing a script/scripts as opposed to just writing a start to finish movie summary aka the plot.
If you want to be a story writer only, it means you partner up with a screenwriter and you write a script together OR you hire and pay a screenwriter to write your story for you. I hope this gives more clarity 😎
As if HOLLYWOOD even knows what is good these days. Hollywood is dead, Make your own film.
Talker and not a do-er. He says the right things but then makes axeman which has 0 point, and 0 purpose.
I just watched the trailer of Axeman.. Haven't seen the movie, but it looks really bad!
What did you like about this video?
Truth is every "page" and persons life are all subjective. Keep it simpleminded. ..don't let Emmy's or Oscar's or other narcissistic part of you stop you from putting your spin//art and imagination onto any paragraph or entire play/movie. Too much pretentious know it alls out there killing people's dreams. Ugh lets EXPRESS OURSELVES AND WHO CARES WHO'S JUDGING IT!!!
The issue I have sometimes with this channel are the films that are being discussed. Is it fair to talk about Stepford Wives, when that film was an adaptation of a bestselling book? Most of the viewers here are writing original screenplays. These are separate categories for the Oscar's, so it doesn't seem fair to talk about writing by continuously using adapted screenplays as an example.
@@donnabailey566 Hint: write a novel. Self-publish. Worked for E.J. James ..(50 Shades...)
As a jaded writer, I like the thumbnail. Screenplays in the trash, and big bold heading: WASTE OF TIME. 👍
I wish I approached screenplay like I approach art. Do a piece, throw it away (or someplace nowhere to be seen) and go on to the next one.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 That novel was trash. I am related to Toni Morrison, one of the greatest American writers who ever lived, so I wouldn't step into that world unless I was very good. I don't write great prose, but I can write a screenplay or stage play. I also don't need any career advice.
He has great insight
if you outline well before you write, you can see what happens and when, this helps a lot, outline, read other screenplays before you write
@@gianthills yes, but they give you focus and direction. They are a map for your story.
Many of the comments are mentioning how it’s impossible without connections. You all would be surprised how unready your script is by the time you do get a connection. If it is written at all. Put most of the focus on finish a script ready to sell.
I have personally met people working at Netflix who have openly admitted to me that they got their gig with nothing but an inside person. One in particular I met in a club. He had a meeting the next morning but was just trying to get laid. Same story-- friend gave him the job and he's riding those coat-tails until he can pitch something solid. Zero previous experience. Dude was drunk outta his mind lmao..
Bottom line. I'm so sick and tired of people at those levels pretending that access to connections matters less than the craft. It doesn't. Your writing and ideas could be worse to read than first draft fanfiction. With the right people, a person can afford to fail and follow others their whole career.. making thousands a month if not millions a year.
I've dedicated my life to this. And it's left me hollow and full of hate. Not because there's not talented folks up there, cuz there are.. but because I know actualizing my passion for stories isn't up to me. It's up to circumstances.
Send it out for notes. But pick the right people. A lot are scams.
I knew a couple who were middle-aged, thought they were hot stuff. Got a big name script doctor, paid thousands for 'career coaching'. I watched their films. Absolute crap. These career coaches are very, very happy to take your money.
Film Courage should do a series on bad career coaches/scams in the script doctor business.
@@sajaihaloD Thats all fine and well but if you do get a connection and your script isnt ready then it doesnt matter. And it takes time to get the script in a solid state. so what is in everyone's control is writing an up to par script.
“I have read scripts where I ask, what is the point? I laughed in real decibels when he said that, horrifying burn since we only actually finally sit down to real world write the thing because we finally figured out what it is that gave us the goosebumps to write it in the first place, it’s the Quincy advise I live by when he said “ don’t even bother working on anything until it passes the goosebumps test” don’t write dull shite deliberately,we write for our audience, excite them, give them moments to remember, do new things, find a new way to scare, a new way to be funny, make new cinema that’s not copied from a hundred years of film gags, change the form, be brave, be new even if you’re 90 years old, be fresh, think outside of the same old devices, be cinema.
Fantastic insight!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Something has to be building to something. This doesn’t apply to movies…. It applies to life.
Thank you
There are no rules without context and each script comes with it's own context, so the rules that apply to one script don't necessarily apply to other scripts. Context is everything, in art and in life.
Most of the screenplays that get produced these days should have been put in the trash too.
It’s really hard with no connections
Yes. If you want it badly enough...
Make it yourself. Seriously. Make it on one or two locations, get excellent actors (how? Go to local theater. There is talent in every town.)
I don’t want to make it myself want it done right
I want to be on tv
@@azia3337 I'm going to tell you what my former high school teacher told me you can do it trust me you just got to have money.
@@starbright6579 thank you
It doesn't matter if the hero, the inciting incident, the goal and so on occur within 10 pages, if the story has paper-thin characters, donut-hollow dialogue, puddle-shallow 'meaning and magic', then it's just another "no essence, flashes only" Hollywood-typical script!
Read the screenplay for "Argo" to see how it grabs you... immediately. Wow.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 Most Hollywood movies (indeed not all) are bad, like "bad boys". They may be "fun" but forgettable. A good movie "enlightens the hearts and minds" of the people who watch it.
@@PCIMPOSSIBLE A GREAT movie does that.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 A great film should always "POINT OUT THE TRUTH", not "JUST SOME FUN". Rossie says it BEST here...
ruclips.net/video/6bpgK9fXGkQ/видео.html
Most mainstream Hollywood movies are formulaic and the story is predictable
This guy would have thrown so many good scripts into the bin. So many great movies out there where nothing is happening for the first 10 minutes.
You now know the game. Adapt or die
Go read the screenplay for 'Argo'. Tell me you weren't hooked in the first FIVE pages.
I'm sure he is saying you don't need to have something happen as long as you can set the right tone and (I'll add) grow upon it in a tactful way. Look into the definition of tone. It's related to temperature. Warm vs cool. In art, warmth and cool temperatures are used to contrast one another. Warmth approaches, cool recedes. Instead of being completely plot focused, perhaps try to be temperature focused. Do you want to make this next scene a little warmer just to make the scene after a frozen nightmare. Those are your decisions and matter right away, the moment the story begins.
Name just 1 great movie where nothing happens in the first 10 minutes.
@@ToyFiend Alien
@@brianaguilar8283 lol no. In the first 10 mins of Alien they establish the geography of the ship, introduce all of the crew, and start to setup where they are headed in the story.
it's all about who you know - contacts! And even then it's a million to one shot.
It is not all about who you know. Write a book or short story. Market it. Maybe it will take off.
Did Stephen King start out writing screenplays? I think he's a bit successful just writing novels and short stories, lol.
@@scottslotterbeck3796 you could say that about any author
So how do many end up through the net and made into movies?
This is why telling writers that it's okay being a 'pantser', this being a writer who works without an outline, a term derived from the concept of writing by the seat of your pants, is often bad advice; Stephen King did not write all the twists and turns , character development and connecting scenes in The Shawshank Redemption by just sitting down and writing by the seat of his pants. You need a good plot to tell a good story. If you don't understand 3 Acts, 8 Sequences, plot points, pinch points, inciting incidences, etc., then you're at a real disadvantage when you try to write something that people will care to read.
That page 20 thing is real lol my tutor told me this the other day
I don't know. I watch a lot of slow burn movies where virtually nothing happens for two thirds of the film. Almost all of the movie is set up for the third act. With those movie it's all about the payoff and I've watched a whole lot of really good movies that start slowly.
I watch slowburners too. But there's still a sense of ramping-up-promise that builds early on into those later acts. Slowburners that are less well crafted do a poorer job building confidence of a payoff. In worse examples, you have to force patience from yourself in hopes of that patience being rewarded. In the best of examples, you feel the payoff building, rather than just hoping it will happen.
This guy's highest rated movie on imdb is 5.6 out of 10. Many are 2 or 3 stars. I've watched a lot of videos on this youtube channel, and I always assumed the people giving the advice were good at what they do. Oops
Failure teaches. Success is the diploma. People who have failed a lot have also learned a lot. Some people go to school to learn. Some just want their diploma.
squad team
Try reading the first 10 pages of Manchester by the Sea. If you don't read the name of the writer and the movie is not produced yet, it means that you'd throw that script away just because nothing happened in the first 10 pages.
When is something going to happen? Lol? Damn!
Maybe I need to rewatch Hereditary. Everyone seems to love it, but it did very little for me. I thought it has some great cinematography and acting. There was a brilliant dinner scene... But honestly I was laughing at the end... It's strange. Ari Aster is one of my favorite contemporary directors, yet has never made a feature that really connects with me. I do recognize his talent though.
Maybe that’s just what it is for you. You don’t thoroughly enjoy his work but can respect it from a far lol
@@purplemashedpotatoes8886 That's the thing. I saw Hereditary at home and it inspired me enough to see Midsommer in theaters. I think he's an amazing director. The movies don't seem to work on me, but I'm so objective I still enjoy them. 😅
@@TwinOpinion I know the feeling. I usually don’t get that feeling with film but I do for music. There are songs I really hate to hear but I can say the song is well put together.
I would like to know Joston's thoughts on Terrence Malick's portfolio post Days of Heaven. I have struggled to sit through and watch his movies because nothing happens in the first 10 minutes and you're waiting for some semblance of narrative to occur but it never does. For me, The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life are the most boring films I. have ever watched in my life (no exaggeration).
He‘s talking BS. I bet in 90% of movies nothing happens in minute 10 (equals page 10 more or less). It takes 20-30 minutes until something happens.
@@scofield3467 He spoke to that issue. "Something happening" is not limited to some dramatic action sequence. That "something" is also tone and atmosphere. If tone feels like watching paint dry, therein is the issue.
Movies like The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life are not for everyone, but they are truly masterpieces. I’m including the other films too like Knight of Cups, Song to Song and To the Wonder.
If you enjoy action movies, fast pace storytelling, that’s cool, but for people who enjoy cinema, brilliant cinematography and creative storytelling, those films by Malick are classics.
If you have the time to watch them, you’ll be in for a treat, it’s something to turn on a lose yourself in the world he creates. Most filmmakers respect Malick, it’s incredibly difficult to tell a story with just an idea and actors and rarely a script. With that said, I like directors like Nichols Winding Refn and Derek Cianfrance for the same reason, but those films are more fast paced in comparison.
the legendary page 10...ahaha
True, if the first few minutes can't get me to care about at least one character/event, I don't give a damn about what good things there might be later on because by then the movie's already abandoned.
Look at the original Ghostbusters, after the initial gag it starts with one of the characters trying to scam a co-ed into bed, all the actual story doesn't start until after that, but there's one character that's interesting and gets you hooked and that' and the effects in the opening gag are enough to get you to continue watching.
It's called having a low attention span
9 out of 10? More like 999 out of 1,000.
Technically it's the same proportion.
@@goldgamer6260 No, the same proportion woulde be 900/1000
@@cek7363 his point is...you got a snowballs chance in hell.
"What is the point ?"
if it is about "the software" then there is no honesty in the writing process. not every script needs to follow a fomula that says "must have X happen by page 10"... go look back at some of the classics... cheers!
Save the Cat... works.
Rings of Power in a nutshell.
Movies are made or not made by a dozen different other reasons BEFORE what happens in the first ten pages. Get a name attached to your script and no one cares what happens in the first 10 pages. Watch Resevoir Dogs and tell me what happens in the first ten pages.
How about 99 out of 100 end up in trash for one of 3 reasons: the writer doesn’t know anyone in the business, they aren’t related to anyone in the business, they didn’t get lucky.. being good has little to do with it..Hollywood is the land of remakes, sequels, prequels, and anything by a known, Hollywood embedded writer..and that’s all you need to know
True. And new writers with fresh stories are almost unheard of. You can go on wattpad and find great stuff if you look hard enough. Only the trashy things seem to get attention. And lots of movies are released and thrown in the bargain bin. They may not be good but at least they got made. It's all about luck.
It makes me worried cause I've got this cool idea for a comic - I've drawn at least 20 pages now - and it probably wont sell that much cause I'm just not lucky.
That's true, but good things sneak through the cracks occasionally. It's time we stop thinking about Hollywood as an only option anyway, for the reasons you state. Sure, many of can't pull millions of dollars out our back pocket, but the climate today makes independent forays more feasible than ever. Then we can better focus on the art.
Dude must have never read Stephen King lol
The only reason this dude's scripts didn't end up in the trash is because he shot them himself.
He did?
Or you could say, this guy taught himself filmmaking by writing and shooting his own work.
he's talking about crappy woke screenplays where they just talk about their feelings for 100 pages...
I'd love to see what movies it is you're talking about here.
@@Futures_End check out batwoman oh wait they realized it was 100 pages of shit and cancelled a $90 million project lmao
99.99% of movies and tv series suck. So even the screenplays that don't end up in the trash likely suck anyway regardless.
With all due respect, rigidly expecting "something to happen" by page 10 smacks of "Save The Cat" and is why many movie goers today are losing interest because far too many movies have far too similar rhythms and beats that have to be on cue. I know it's the biggest reason why I will watch a trailer and if I can guess the plot with what I just saw then I'm not interested. I don't want to watch a movie and know by this time and this time and this time all these things are going to happen on cue and so static in delivery. YAWN.
To me, expecting "something to happen" reeks of "I have a limited attention span" and that's disappointing. I get that these people typically have hundreds of scripts to pore over, but if this script or that script doesn't have the key beat at page 10 and you junk it that is very telling of someone's lack of imagination (and aforementioned attention span). Like with life, not everything happens on predefined beats.
And when you're world-building, don't forget that life doesn't happen on beats. Never has. Never will.
You have to otherwise nothing will watch it... people like you will call it boring and watch something more entertaining
Most movies are "paint by number." These RUclips "experts" are trying to sell you something.
You're confusing the job of a screenwriter with that of a filmmaker. If you're writing a screenplay with the idea of making it yourself, than feel free to write whatever *you* want. But if you're writing a product for others to purchase, than you had better write something *they'll* want to buy.
A script is a launchpad. It's only the beginning of making a movie, and therefore it has a singular purpose: to create enough excitement that it gets made. The final edit is the last rewrite. A lot of the pacing and rythm is worked out on set and during the edit, and a lot of that can completely ignore what was initially written.
If your words are precious to you, if your scripts are your babies, then you might be a novelist. Film is an art of collaboration and cash flow, and no one's contributions are guaranteed to survive the process.
WOW. Final Draft doesn't write a story for you buddy. Jordan Peele never had excuses. Not any of the writers had excuses.
I agree. 99% of indie films are 🔥🗑️🧃