Want Feedback on Your Screenplay? Make a Film Treatment! #Filmmakers #Filmmaking #FilmmakingTips #IndieFilmmaking #IndieFilmmaker #IndieFilm #Screenwriter

As screenwriters we want to make stories and get them from script to screen, but getting feedback and advice on your work is essential to knowing how to market your film and shop it around. As newbies it is also good to get your work seen and critiqued by experienced members of this field. As they give you advice you also manage to get on their radar hopefully as a memorable and talented fresh face which they can say they were happy to advise and mentor.

First, you have to make a Film Treatment of your film. 

What is a Film Treatment?

A Film Treatment is written in prose detailing your movie nearly scene by scene, limited dialogue, includes action, character, and setting descriptions. More descriptive and lengthier than an outline, Film Treatments read like a short story, are told in the present tense, and describe events as they happen in chronological order. They have a “filmic” style giving a feel for all elements that appear in your story. Super easy to follow.

Film Treatments are often times “relatively brief” between 2 – 20 pages in length. 2 pages being the absolute minimum and 20 pages being the absolute maximum. It is written in Times New Roman, 12 Font Size, standard 1 inch margins all the way around.

Here are some resources that can help you write your Film Treatment:

4 Key Elements to Writing a Strong Film Treatment by No Film School

How a Film Treatment Helps You Write Your Script by No Film School

How To Writer A Film Treatment Like a Pro by Studio Binder 

Screenplay Treatment 101 PDF by ScriptMag

Writing (Film) Treatments That Sell by Film Courage

If you want to see an example of a FULL Film Treatment, see one of the Film Treatments I made for one of my own ORIGINAL Screenplays titled “Chronicles of a Cover-Up: There’s No Escaping the Pull Of His Shadow” BELOW!

DOWNLOAD MY ORIGINAL FILM TREATMENT HERE!

If you notice in my Film Treatment I included all the necessary details of my film and stayed within the acceptable margins. My film Treatment is actually 19 pages and I used the 20^thpage to lay out some of my thoughts about the style I imagine for the film. This will be a good addition to your Film Treatment to show some of your knowledge about making movies and what vision you have your story. Finally, this will also further enable readers of your Film Treatment to visual your script on-screen.

Once you have created your Film Treatment use that material to get the attention and help from filmmakers who you look up to and who specialize in the same genre that you have chosen to write in. 

Second, make a list of members of the film industry and their direct contact information in order to reach out to them for mentorship, advice, and feedback. Those in the film industry can include: filmmakers, film reviewers, film journalists, film columnists, etc.

If your Screenplay and thusly your Film Treatment on that Screenplay is in the Crime Mystery genre send it to reputable members of the film industry who also created or have an interest in Crime Mystery or Mystery in general. 

If your Film Treatment is in the Horror genre send it to reputable members of the film industry who also create or have an interest in Horror.

If your Film Treatment is in the Rom-Com genre send it to reputable members of the film industry who also create or have an interest in Rom-Coms.

You get it right! 😉

Third, reach out with your Film Treatment and Make Your First Initial Contact via Email/DM!

It’s time to reach out and get that feedback on your work!

The way that you can approach those in the film industry is by taking the approach of a humble hopeful looking for any amount of advice from someone that they look up to.

Think this persona….⤵️

It will work for you! #TRUST

I have used this method in text form to get many rounds of feedback and critiques on my Film Treatments and my Screenplays which has given me more access to filmmakers in the industry and enabled me to have their ear and also introduce myself and my talent to them. That is what you want too.

*Try to avoid nagging, harassing, and flat out begging. It is possible to be persistent and make a request without going overboard! 😉 

I always approach new contacts with a great deal of humility and almost helplessness making sure to remind them that they are an example to me of what I want to become, that I look up to the, respect them, value their opinion, and am supremely thankful and grateful for any time and attention that they choose to offer me all wrapped up neatly in my Initial Contact Email/DM.

Maintaining these qualities in your initial contact is of the utmost importance to getting, “YESes!”

Interestingly, I have found that direct contact information does not always have to be formal. Email is good, but did you know that DMing your Film Industry Contact was also appropriate?

DMing contacts through Twitter or other Social Media platforms is okay as long as you ask first.

I often reach out to my contacts on Twitter first.

You know why? Welp, Email is called Snail Mail for a reason…☺️

Most of your Film Industry Contacts will be active on at least one Social Media platform. That is where you will most likely be able to get their immediate attention. 

Pay attention and see how they respond and react to their followers and fans. Are they engaging? Are they playful? Do they respond to replies or question at all? 

If you see your Film Industry Contact being willing to be personable then there is a good chance, they mightlet you DM them with your Initial Contact Email/DM.

So, ask them!

I truly believe that it is outside of SM etiquette to slide into an industry contact’s DM without asking for permission first 👀….So, here is an example of the tweet I use to ask my Film Industry Contacts if I can send them my work for review, feedback, and advice!

@__________ I am a Book Blogger, Writer, and aspiring Screenwriter. I would so appreciate some Advice & Feedback. Could I DM you a question?

Customize this tweet to your experiences and interest and use it to reach out!

It is already within Twitter’s character limits and provides enough space for the length of your Film Industry Contact’s @ as well. It is literally all ready for you to use whenever you need it!

So, before we conclude let us review!

• You have your Film Treatment!
• You have made you Film Industry Contacts List with our Downloadable Chart!
• You know where to contact your Film Industry Contacts: Email and Social Media DMs!
• You also have a readymade Tweet to get on your Film Industry Contact’s radar!

Now, once your Film Industry Contact responds to your Tweet asking to DM, they will either open up their DMs temporarily to allow you to DM them, or follow you BACK (You need to be following them already 😉) so that you and them will be able to DM back and forward. Once this happens Don’t Send Them Anything!

First, thank them from the bottom of your heart! Completely gush thankfulness all over them then and only then….Should you send them your Initial Contact Email/DM.

After that the ball is in their court. They are probably very busy and might take a while to get back to you. After a week or two you can follow up with them and ask super, super politely,

“@ _______ This is _______ hope all is well with you! Just wanted to follow up on my DM to you about receiving feedback on my Film Treatment. So, looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Thank you!”

Eventually if you do this all long enough and with multiple Film Industry Contacts you will get some helpful responses and much needed feedback on your story and perhaps even your career in film!

Also, because I know first-hand how intimidating drafting my Initial Contact Email/DM was I have provided for you a template of my Initial Contact Email/DM that you can use to fit your experiences and your Film Treatment in order to get much needed feedback on your story!

DOWNLOAD My Initial Contact Email/DM HERE!

Hope this helps you get your work out there and get useful advice from your peers and find future mentors!

~ Ivana

How To Breakdown Your Script for Production (Pick the Perfect Shot)! #Filmmakers #FilmmakingTips #Screenwriting #Screenwriting #Film #Movies #Filming

A Shot List is a tool which lays out what you intend for each shot to look like within your film. Which camera angle you want for each shot and how you want the film to look in post. Some things in post must be done during filming such as getting the right shots. 

First, to know how the filmmakers were able to able to dictate how this you need to know what shots there are and the acronyms to refer to them in text!

Types of Shots & Their Common Acronyms

Extreme Long Shots (ETS) ~ A Extreme Long Shot shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surrounding from a very far distance so far that the object or person appears as small dots on the landscape

(Often used as an establishing shot to establish what you character is doing and what setting they are in and is also known as a Wide Shot)

• 

  The Revenant (2015)

• 

  San Andreas (2015)

Long Shots (LS) ~ A Long Shot shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surrounding from a far distance, a long shot will be closer to the objects in focus than an Extreme Long Shot and will show more details

(Often used as an establishing shot to establish what you character is doing and what setting they are in and is also known as a Wide Shot)

• 

  Limitless (2011)

• 

Medium Shot (MS)~ Also known as a Mid-Shot or Waist Shot is a camera angle shot from a medium distance

• 

  The Princess Diaries (2001)

• 

  The Hunger Games (2012)

Medium Close-Up (MCU)~ A Medium Shot that forms a tight frame around a person or object from the chest area up to the top of the head.

(This style of shot is slightly wider than a Close Up)

• 

  Moonlight (2016)

• 

  Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Close Up (CU)~ A shot that is so close to an object – often times someone’s face – that that object takes up most of the screen. 

Extreme Close Up (ECU)~ This shot surpasses a Close Up by getting even closer to a subject within an intimate space showing their characteristics and emotions  

Two Shots (2-Shot)~ Frames two people in one shot 

• 

  Black Panther (2018)

• 

  Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Over the Shoulder (OTS)~ This shot adds dimension to scenes by shooting your shot from the perspective or camera angle from over someone’s shoulder.

(When making this shot the back of the shoulder and head should be used to frame the image of whatever the camera is aimed at)

• 

  The Social Network (2010)

• 

  Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

• 

  The Dark Knight (2008)

Wide Shot (WS)~ Either an Extreme Long Shot or a Long Shot

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Dolly Zoom (DZ)~ This dizzying in camera technique is meant to create agoraphobia and vertigo in viewers by Dollying Backward with your camera while simultaneously zooming in with the lens.

(This camera technique is rarely used as it is very obvious and highly criticized as a “Cheap Trick”. It was made famous by Jaws and created for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”.)

POV Shot (POV) ~ Shows what a character is looking at represented through the camera angle 

• 

  Breaking Bad (2008)

• 

• 

High Angle Shot~ A technique where the camera is elevated somehow to look down on the subject

(This shot can be used to convey a sense about a character. Since this angle can make someone appear to be small or dwarfed by something or someone this angle can be used to send the message to viewers that your character is feeling inferior, vulnerable, or powerless.)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Low Angle Shot~ A technique which is often referred to as the “Heroes Angle” is created when the camera is lowered to look up at a someone or something. Buildings, large objects, and people with power are often given this angle. The Low Angle Shot gives the appearance that the object in the scene is larger than life and dominating. 

(This shot can be used to convey a sense about a character. Since this angle can make someone appear to be larger than life and ultra-powerful and giant over others tis angle can be used to send the message to viewers that your character is feeling unbeatable, unbreakable, power, superior, and in control.)

• 

  The Dark Knight (2008)

• 

  The Dark Knight (2008)

• 

Dutch Tilt~ The Canted Angle, German Angle, or Oblique Angle is a camera shot that involves setting the camera at an angle on its roll axis with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame so that the horizon line of the shot is not parallel.

(It is used for dramatic effect and to portray unease, desperation, franticness, intoxication, and even madness or insanity.)

• 

  Thor (2011)

• 

  12 Monkeys (1995)

• 

Aerial Shot~ Taken from an elevated location above the setting covering large amounts of space.

This shot can be used as Establishing Shots and can add a very expensive and cinematic quality to any budget film. Aerial Shots are often captured by using drones or helicopters! Two very pricey options; however, there are few more affordable options for indie filmmakers! A very useful resource to use to find aerial shots of most cities around the world is Shutter Stock Urban Aerials which provides a variety of aerial shots that you can buy for a low cost to add to any of your projects. Also, AER GoPro can be used to get unique aerial shots for a lower cost than a drone and without having to be regulated by federal laws which have been put on drone use globally!

• 

  Charlotte, North Carolina

• 

  NYC

Picture This!

There are Three (3) necessary things to consider with Shot Lists:

• Communicating what is in your inspired thoughts with your production team!

• Getting the most useful shots for your editor to be able to use in post!

• Creating a visual movie with professional film and cinematic experience for your audience!

Look forward to an Industry Secrets video tutorial on how-to create a Shot List coming up! Follow Industry Secrets on Instagram for more info here!

~ IS

Your Guide to Making Scenes That Are the Opposite of Flat! #Screenwriters #Filmmakers #Filmmaking #FilmmakingTips

Do you ever watch a movie and think, “Eww, that scene could have been so much better and way more epic!” Or “That was it? That big reveal could have soooo much more impactful!” Or “Seriously that character arc fell flat. What a dud!“

The horror of people watching our movies and thinking the same thoughts! 

We not only want to produce the best films that are void of flat, empty, disappointing scenes and dry dialogue we want our audience to leave our movies satisfied and inspired by what they have just seen!

I have some easy tips to help you make that goal a reality!

Avoid Flat Scenes by being mindful of these 6 Scene Mistakes:

1. Unrealistic interactions between characters
2. Dialogue that feels out of character for your characters and made to only move the writer’s agenda ahead
3. A slow pace 
4. Excessive dialogue
5. Excessive exposition
6. Lack of Color/Bad Lighting/Boring Cinematography

How To Make Flat Scenes Full Of Life, Energy, and Emotion by Correcting the 6 Scene Mistakes Like This:

1. Try not to make your characters each other’s Ying and Yang. Sometimes characters need to butt heads and be unpredictable. 
2. Try to maintain consistency with who your characters are. Are they jittery? Nervous? The Dare Devil? The Flirt? Always suspicious? Then use your scenes to bring the personality traits of your character out so that viewers can grow to understand them better
3. Even a scene with two people sitting in a dull room can be intriguing if executed properly try to give characters a purpose in each scene either to bring something out of another character or to reveal something about said character’s personality. Also, try to use events, threats, victories, etc. as an initiation point for verbal action and to show the dynamics of each character (Think of that standout, subtly intense, and memorable scene in Inglorious Bastards. Refresh your memory of it here).
4. When it comes to dialogue the goal is to say as much as possible with as little as possible 
5. Okay, verbal exposition is not good anyway, but sometimes it seems impossible to avoid in a movies. What can make a scene feel flat is having too long of a “trips down memory lane.” Keep those at minimum and only give exposition to describe things that you cannot showyour viewers as opposed to telling them. 
6. Take the below tips to heart as they provide 8 Simple Rules to getting the “Film Look” and therefore easily upgrading your movie to heights unseen.

• Adjust your camera settings to film in 24fps (Frames Per Second)
• Do Color Grading based on your film’s genre
• Use Cine Bars to set your film in 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio
• Be selective with your shots and angles
• Keep in mind that while many things can be fixed in post you need decent footage to edit in post
• Choose the right lens (50mm and 24mm are your basic lens to start off. You may have to get creative, but together they can do most anything for the average film!)
• Lights and knowing your lighting techniques are the key to quality shots
• Planning and having an organized production will enable you to bring forth the best film that fulfills your inspiration and showcases the skills of your entire production team!

~ IS

Crafting the Worst Best Character…The Anti-Hero!! #Screenwriters #Screenplay #Screenwriting #Filmmaking #FilmmakingTips #Movies #CharacterDevelopment #Protagonist

It is said that, “It takes a fine hand to draw an Anti-Hero because this character requires a great deal of nuance to arouse complicated reactions in the reader.” ~ David H. Weisberg

Well, anti-heroes are some of the most intriguing characters in cinema and literature and in this article I will lay out some of the ESSENTIALS you will need to craft the perfect worst, best character…..The Anti-Hero!

Crafting the perfect Anti-Hero Involves ~

• Making Them Sympathetic 
• Narrative Structure (How-To communicate the intimate details or your Anti-Hero to audiences)
• Well Thought Out Character Traits & Motivations
• Limited Redeeming Qualities

Make Them Sympathetic

They have flaws that are rooted in plausible resentment, anger, self-loathing, desperation, amorality, immorality. They have a sort of helplessness not in them or their subconscious, but in their lives. Their backstory has contributed greatly to who they are now. 

Think of how Walter White’s cancer diagnosis and deep resentment towards his more successful peers lead him to becoming Heisenberg the Kingpin in Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad.

Think of the emotionally dark, obsessive, tormented yet brilliant Detective John Luther who hunts down murders for justice, but not before being taken over by the darkness that surround him in his line of work in the BBC’s Luther.

Think of how Timothy Blake’s predicament as the sole survivor of mass murder as a child molded his taste for human flesh and set him on the course for being the sarcastic yet lovable cannibal advisor to the FBI in the Timothy Blake Trilogy by Author Jack Heath.

• 

• 

Anti-Heroes Are Both Born & Made

• Your anti-hero could have be victimized 
• Your anti-hero could have been wronged
• Your anti-hero could have been traumatized
• Your anti-hero could have been overlooked
• Your anti-hero could be a vigilante willing to do wrong to make thing right (a crusader)
• Your anti-hero could have a clinical psychological issue (Psychopath, Sociopath, Bipolar, etc.)
• Your anti-hero could have a vice or addiction 

“My protagonist’s flaws are drawn from the psychology of everyday life, only intensified: the need to be loved, the craving to find relief from pain and anxiety, the fear of being abandoning, the resentment that arises from seeing people who are no better than you thrive, while you languish.” ~ David H. Weisberg

Narrative Structure 

You have options for how you want your Anti-Hero to tell their story because stories focusing on Anti-Heroes are often very personal, emotional, and intimate.

They may need to have a sounding board, an accomplice, a therapist, someone, anyone whom the Anti-Hero can communicate their rationale to so that audiences can hear their flawed logic from their own mouths. They need to have a platform where we can hear what in the world they are thinking to make them behave the way that they do. 

They could have some sort of tell which let’s viewers know when they are lying. So that even when they are being reserved about their motives we, the viewers, would then have a clue not to believe them. Therefore leaving us with an even better understanding of them and their psychology.

Character Traits & Motivations 

• Make your characters motivations stem from what makes them the anti-hero. Why they do what they do is essential because that is what separates them from just being a rebel or a bad guy.
• They are not supposed to be the bad guy or the villain. They are supposed to be an example of the human condition gone wrong.
• These are people we are meant to empathize with even though we should strive to never be like them. 
• They are not always physically attractive, but they can be. 
• They will have a few (not too many) redeeming qualities. There will be a line they just won’t cross or maybe they will cross any line and simply have a soft spot for one special person.
• They identify with both the underdog and also don’t want to be the underdog.
• They have a distinctive personality. 
• They are lead by their emotions (this could be subtle).
• They have a well developed self-concept and know where they stand in life. They usually want to break free of their mold or their circumstances for a deep, personal purpose.
• They are made to be highly complex. They have ups and downs. Fails and successes. Their emotional fluctuations guide their story.
• Some can be redeemed which is way their story arc must be well thought out. If they are truly redeemed at some point something or someone in their lives needs to have been there to chisel away what made them capable of being the sympathetic very flawed person.

Hopefully these tips will help you on your way to Crafting the Worst Best Character in your next screenplay, short film, film treatment, or manuscript!

~ IS

A Bullet Point Movie Review ~ “US” by @JordanPeele @MonkeyPaw #Horror #UsMovie #MovieReview #IndustrySecrets #Movies #Film #Filmmakers #Filmmaking #FilmmakingTips #WatchYourself

~ IS

Follow My Favorite Filmmaker YouTubers to Become a Film Aficionado! #Filmmaking #Filmmakers #Film #Movies #Production #Directing #FilmmakingTips #WomanInFilm

I have got a very necessary tip for you…

Follow and Subscribe to these Filmmakers for endless tips to becoming a Film Aficionado!

I have learned so much from these experienced and talented creators in the industry and I know that you can too! See what these guys and girls have to say!

Film Riot

YouTube Channel

@TheFilmRiot

Peter McKinnon

YouTube Channel

@PeterMcKinnon

Parker Walbeck

YouTube Channel

@ParkerWalbeck

CineFix

YouTube Channel

@CineFixNetwork

D4 Darious 

YouTube Channel

@D4Darious

DSLR Guide

YouTube Channel

@DSLRGuidance

Indy Mogul

YouTube Channel

@IndyMogul

The Closer Look

YouTube Channel

@HenryBoseley

YC Imaging

YouTube Channel

@YCImaging

Film Courage

YouTube Channel

@FilmCourage

Armando Ferreira

YouTube Channel

@MondoBytes

UglyMcGregor

YouTube Channel

@LewisMcGregor

Mathieu Stern

YouTube Channel

@MathieuStern

Angus Crossley

YouTube Channel

Sid the Jet

YouTube Channel

Studio Binder

YouTube Channel

@StudioBinder

Key Vision

YouTube Channel

Visual Rev

YouTube Channel

@IAmVisualRev

Cinecom.net

YouTube Channel

@JordyVandeput

Aputure

YouTube Channel

@AputureTech

Brandon Li

YouTube Channel

@RunGunShoot

The Buff Nerds

YouTube Channel

@JakobOwens

Becki and Chris

YouTube Channel

@BeckiandChris

~ IS

8 Simple Rules to Getting the “Film Look”

Want to make your film look like a professional production with high production value? Below are some simple and significant tips to getting the:

“Film Look”.

• Adjust your camera setting to film in 24fps (Frames Per Second)
• Do Color Grading based on your film’s genre
• Use Cine Bars
• Be selective with your shots and angles
• Keep in mind that while many things can be fixed in post you need decent footage to edit in post
• Choose the right lens (50mm and 24mm are your basic lens to start off. You may have to get creative, but together they can do most anything for the average film!)
• Lights and knowing your lighting techniques are the key to quality shots
• Planning and having an organized production will enable you to bring forth the best film that fulfills your inspiration and showcases the skills of your entire production team!

Here are some helpful tutorials from filmmakers around the web to help you execute the tips on this list!

How to Get the Film Look by Film Riot HERE

How to Achieve a Film Look – DSLR Film Look by Jack Coppinger HERE!

Cinematic Film Look by Sid the Jet HERE!

Cinematic Lighting Techniques by Paul Walbeck of Fulltime Filmmaker HERE!

Cinematic Film Look on a Budget by DSLR Guide HERE!

How to Make Your Videos Look More Cinematic by Angus Crossley HERE!

Industry Secrets’ 8 Simple Rules to Getting the “Film Look” Guide

Use the image below as a quick reference and a tool to share with your Filmmaking Friends!

~ IS