First and foremost, you have to have an inner love for writing. You have to sit down and type away without anyone forcing you to do it. Grab a copy of your favorite Steven Spielberg films, some Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino… go watch a few good movies like Crash and Machiavelli Hangman to get yourself in the writing mode. Don”t write because of deadlines or obligations or sudden spurges of inspiration. If you have to wait to get inspired to write, then forget it.
STEP #1
You have to discipline yourself to sit down and write at least 1-3 pages a day. It doesn”t have to be the next Spielberg film, or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the most amazing screenplay even written. It could the biggest sin to be put on paper. Lucas did it with those Star Wars prequels and he had millions of dollars on the line. You don”t have a penny, so type away!
Note: Please keep in mind that this formula only applies to those writers who have already completed one two full-length screenplays. If you haven”t, please go back and complete them and come back. The reason for is that your first two screenplays will usually be your worst. The first time is always awkward.
STEP #2
Once you get a half decent completed script, run it by a few people and get feedback. Do this until you write that one script that feels like a Reservoir Dogs. That one screenplay that can be made on a low-budget and doesn”t have a lot of locations. It has to be all in the dialogue and the characters. Napoleon Dynamite made it big because of the nerds. All of Tarantino”s low-budgeters made it big because of the dialogue. If there weren”t any starts attached both of those films wouldn”t have cost 100,000 dollars. So you have that script that you can finally see on the big screen and that you”re really excited about. Now you must know one person who has connections, send it to him and get him excited about it. This person has to be a go-getter. Someone who will stick to his plans and finish what he starts. Send it to as many people until you find one of these allies.
STEP #3
Start preparing for this film as if you already have the budget and everything is set in motion. Use some online casting services to get your actors. If the script is good, you will be amazed how much feedback you will receive. Get the cast together, get the crew, get the word out. Before you know it, people buy into it and there are investors who get interested in the project. This is how every low-budget film was started, including Sling Blade, Machiavelli Hangman (http://www.hangmanmovie.com Napoleon Dynamite and countless others.
Those Affleck / Damon success stories don”t happen overnight. They all start with a spark of inspiration and a good-enough script to be read and enjoyed by at least 5 out of 10 people. When you have that much, and you”re willing to put in the extra work, the rest is as easy as one, two, three.
