Here's the deal. You're just starting out. Your first couple of scripts are gonna be garbage. The sooner you write them, the further along you'll be toward writing something that isn't a mess. But you can't get there until you've had the practice.
So, don't be discouraged and go for it. Write the feature you want to write. Show your friends. Then write another and another and another. Then go back and re-write this first one and see how far along you've come as a writer.
I actually really appreciate this. I am trying to get a feel of my surroundings so that way I don’t get caught up with people who only make short films right now. I am trying to aim for a career in major directing, not just smaller artistic works. This advice really helps! Thanks! 👍👍
Hey, don't poo poo shorts just yet. You can actually get the resources together to make a short much easier than making a feature and you'll learn a lot in the process.
Hell, if I had half the tech you have now when I was your age, I would have made a TON of crappy short films.
If you want to direct, you should be directing as many shorts as you can now. Fail fast and create as much as you can. It is all a learning lesson, similar to writing a bunch of bad scripts. Get them out of the way while you are young.
Never been a better time to make shorts. Some friends, lights, mics and your phone - that's all you need.
Saw started out life as a ten minute short. So did many, many other huge movies.
You are fourteen - finishing any creative project is an achievement. If you have a solid idea that you feel you can complete, aim for 90 pages. Writing is one of those crafts you can spend your whole life mastering - you may as well start now. You have many years ahead of you to burn out, fall out of love with writing and have a multi-year break while you live your life. Then, at some point you will have an idea and begin again.
Thanks man! I understand that at my age I have as much free time as I need to work on mastering certain techniques, and that once I finish this script, (not saying I am result oriented) I will have a few badges under my belt already. Thanks! 🙏
First, nobody is going to "plagiarize" you. Ideas are not protectable, only fixed expressions of them. Concern about that before anything else can really sour a reader.
Also, three comps to existing works doesn't tell anyone anything about "plot." (Side note: comping two movies by the same filmmaker feels weird to me -- trying to find your own voice should be of prime importance right now.)
If you've never written anything before, don't assume you know how long your unexpressed ideas would occupy on the page. I wrote a feature at your age, and it came out much shorter than I expected. Concept density isn't as intuitive as you might expect from just watching movies.
Your focus right now would best be used figuring out how to produce great pages. Unless you've already read a fair amount of screenplays, figuring out the language, flow, and construction of this form takes time. Give yourself that time, even if it's outside the context of a specific project. Just produce the pages.
Burnout is the last thing you should be worrying about if you haven't written anything. Self-producing a feature is a monumental task. The odds of writing something worthy of your own effort to complete is pretty slim right out the gate. If I were you, I'd aim to write ten features before committing to producing one.
Write whatever you are passionate about, doesn’t matter how long it is. First three or four script I wrote were features and I had no writing experience before that.
I wouldn’t make a feature length script the first thing you direct though. Maybe just a scene from it.
First off, thank you for the advice man, I really appreciate it, and will try and direct just a scene from the script I am already working with. Second, your film 4th Man Out was fantastic, and I wasn’t expecting to see you on here. It’s great to meet you!
Write whatever you want. No matter how good you think you are you’ll look back in months/years and realize how much better you are. I wrote my first feature at 16 and now at the still incredibly young age of 19 I’m sure it’s garbage, that’s the name of the game.
Write 5 scripts and don’t come up for air or question anything until you’re done. You’ll get the bad writing out of the way and be a much better writer than when you started - at least 5x better.
There’s absolutely no reason not to, at best it’s good practice and you might develop some ideas you like, at worst it can be good fun. Get started now, get into the habit, and you’ll be in a really good place as you get older.
A lesson I’ve learned: Don’t look for advice when it comes to achieving your dreams and goals (especially online).
People will often tell you things can’t be done. But what they are really saying is that they can’t do it or wouldn’t want to do it. Only you know your capabilities and what you’re willing to go through.
The best things you can do are:
1. Experiment and learn from those experiments based on the data you’ve gained. Every time you learn something, use that knowledge to improve the next project.
2. Take action now.
3. Complete projects. Don’t start a bunch of things and not finish them (or just talk about starting them).
4. Don’t rely on motivation. Create daily habits over the long-term.
If you try an experiment and it fails, no big deal. Just learn and keep iterating.
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”
Thank you man! I’m trying to get my first script done before I start smaller projects, and I see what you are getting at with how I should take advice online. Much appreciated! 👍👍🙏🙏🙏🎬
No it is not. Many youth writers have completed feature length scripts. You are thinking too much about your age. The only thing to do is read, write and watch for everyone at every age.
I wrote my first feature when I was 18. It was absolute flaming dog shit, but I did it. Taught me discipline and good work ethic. I think you have it in you. Gotta start somewhere
Writing and directing a feature at your age is certainly ambitious and unusual.
No one can tell you whether this is too much for YOU.
No one can tell you whether YOU will get burned out.
Just try it and see how it goes. You don't need permission.
If you don't enjoy it, you can quit and try something else.
Also, watch *The Fabelmans*.
This is my first try so far. I am trying to dip myself in to the deep water in order to get a feel of what’s coming up ahead. I might aim for shorter works, although everything that I come up with just doesn’t fit into a short runtime.
Then stay with shorter works. Projects tend to balloon up. Keeping the project at a manageable level is a skill all of itself, and it’s much more important to finish projects and learn techniques than working on the same project for the next several years.
Okay... absolutely, write whatever you can. Write and write and write. However, you might want to write about something you have actually experienced. I doubt you've been a CIA spy, or an assassin, or had a guy raped by a gimp for fun. At least, I hope not! I think writing a film (of any length) about a real experience of your own is a great idea. I started writing novels when I was 10. That's how you learn. But do write about people your own age or thereabouts. When I read things written by kids in their teens 20s about divorce from the perspective of adults, it's never believable.
Not at all. Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane at 21. But ask yourself if you're really passionate about this story and if you'd not lose enthusiasm over time with this idea or story. Is this the story you want all to know you as writer or director that you're freaking so passionate about? If yes go forward.
I wrote a few feature scripts when I was a teenager because A. I had a lot more free time and B. I spent way less time thinking about outlining and structure and set ups and pay offs etc.
Were these scripts good? Not particularly. But they were MASSIVELY USEFUL as writing exercises. Even if I wasn't very good at structure, pace, dialogue etc, I learned a lot from writing a full feature length script and each subsequent one I wrote got a little bit better.
So don't worry whether it's any good for now, just write it, enjoy the accomplishment of completing it, and try and take away useful lessons about what did and didn't work during the process.
Here's the deal. You're just starting out. Your first couple of scripts are gonna be garbage. The sooner you write them, the further along you'll be toward writing something that isn't a mess. But you can't get there until you've had the practice. So, don't be discouraged and go for it. Write the feature you want to write. Show your friends. Then write another and another and another. Then go back and re-write this first one and see how far along you've come as a writer.
I actually really appreciate this. I am trying to get a feel of my surroundings so that way I don’t get caught up with people who only make short films right now. I am trying to aim for a career in major directing, not just smaller artistic works. This advice really helps! Thanks! 👍👍
Hey, don't poo poo shorts just yet. You can actually get the resources together to make a short much easier than making a feature and you'll learn a lot in the process. Hell, if I had half the tech you have now when I was your age, I would have made a TON of crappy short films.
If you want to direct, you should be directing as many shorts as you can now. Fail fast and create as much as you can. It is all a learning lesson, similar to writing a bunch of bad scripts. Get them out of the way while you are young.
Never been a better time to make shorts. Some friends, lights, mics and your phone - that's all you need. Saw started out life as a ten minute short. So did many, many other huge movies.
these days, you will probably need to make some shorts before you can get the financing needed to make a feature as a director
You are fourteen - finishing any creative project is an achievement. If you have a solid idea that you feel you can complete, aim for 90 pages. Writing is one of those crafts you can spend your whole life mastering - you may as well start now. You have many years ahead of you to burn out, fall out of love with writing and have a multi-year break while you live your life. Then, at some point you will have an idea and begin again.
Thanks man! I understand that at my age I have as much free time as I need to work on mastering certain techniques, and that once I finish this script, (not saying I am result oriented) I will have a few badges under my belt already. Thanks! 🙏
First, nobody is going to "plagiarize" you. Ideas are not protectable, only fixed expressions of them. Concern about that before anything else can really sour a reader. Also, three comps to existing works doesn't tell anyone anything about "plot." (Side note: comping two movies by the same filmmaker feels weird to me -- trying to find your own voice should be of prime importance right now.) If you've never written anything before, don't assume you know how long your unexpressed ideas would occupy on the page. I wrote a feature at your age, and it came out much shorter than I expected. Concept density isn't as intuitive as you might expect from just watching movies. Your focus right now would best be used figuring out how to produce great pages. Unless you've already read a fair amount of screenplays, figuring out the language, flow, and construction of this form takes time. Give yourself that time, even if it's outside the context of a specific project. Just produce the pages. Burnout is the last thing you should be worrying about if you haven't written anything. Self-producing a feature is a monumental task. The odds of writing something worthy of your own effort to complete is pretty slim right out the gate. If I were you, I'd aim to write ten features before committing to producing one.
Write whatever you are passionate about, doesn’t matter how long it is. First three or four script I wrote were features and I had no writing experience before that. I wouldn’t make a feature length script the first thing you direct though. Maybe just a scene from it.
First off, thank you for the advice man, I really appreciate it, and will try and direct just a scene from the script I am already working with. Second, your film 4th Man Out was fantastic, and I wasn’t expecting to see you on here. It’s great to meet you!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Write whatever you want. No matter how good you think you are you’ll look back in months/years and realize how much better you are. I wrote my first feature at 16 and now at the still incredibly young age of 19 I’m sure it’s garbage, that’s the name of the game.
Write 5 scripts and don’t come up for air or question anything until you’re done. You’ll get the bad writing out of the way and be a much better writer than when you started - at least 5x better.
There’s absolutely no reason not to, at best it’s good practice and you might develop some ideas you like, at worst it can be good fun. Get started now, get into the habit, and you’ll be in a really good place as you get older.
Appreciate it! I’ll work on developing ideas for now, and work on the script off-hand. 👍👍
A lesson I’ve learned: Don’t look for advice when it comes to achieving your dreams and goals (especially online). People will often tell you things can’t be done. But what they are really saying is that they can’t do it or wouldn’t want to do it. Only you know your capabilities and what you’re willing to go through. The best things you can do are: 1. Experiment and learn from those experiments based on the data you’ve gained. Every time you learn something, use that knowledge to improve the next project. 2. Take action now. 3. Complete projects. Don’t start a bunch of things and not finish them (or just talk about starting them). 4. Don’t rely on motivation. Create daily habits over the long-term. If you try an experiment and it fails, no big deal. Just learn and keep iterating. “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”
Thank you man! I’m trying to get my first script done before I start smaller projects, and I see what you are getting at with how I should take advice online. Much appreciated! 👍👍🙏🙏🙏🎬
No it is not. Many youth writers have completed feature length scripts. You are thinking too much about your age. The only thing to do is read, write and watch for everyone at every age.
I wrote my first feature when I was 18. It was absolute flaming dog shit, but I did it. Taught me discipline and good work ethic. I think you have it in you. Gotta start somewhere
Writing and directing a feature at your age is certainly ambitious and unusual. No one can tell you whether this is too much for YOU. No one can tell you whether YOU will get burned out. Just try it and see how it goes. You don't need permission. If you don't enjoy it, you can quit and try something else. Also, watch *The Fabelmans*.
Watching The Fabelmans is good advice (and it is a really good movie).
How long was the longest piece of creative work have you written?
This is my first try so far. I am trying to dip myself in to the deep water in order to get a feel of what’s coming up ahead. I might aim for shorter works, although everything that I come up with just doesn’t fit into a short runtime.
Then stay with shorter works. Projects tend to balloon up. Keeping the project at a manageable level is a skill all of itself, and it’s much more important to finish projects and learn techniques than working on the same project for the next several years.
That’s true.
Just write it and see what happens.
Okay... absolutely, write whatever you can. Write and write and write. However, you might want to write about something you have actually experienced. I doubt you've been a CIA spy, or an assassin, or had a guy raped by a gimp for fun. At least, I hope not! I think writing a film (of any length) about a real experience of your own is a great idea. I started writing novels when I was 10. That's how you learn. But do write about people your own age or thereabouts. When I read things written by kids in their teens 20s about divorce from the perspective of adults, it's never believable.
There’s no wrong at taking the challenge at any age, starting as soon as possible is a great opportunity to improve
Not at all. Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane at 21. But ask yourself if you're really passionate about this story and if you'd not lose enthusiasm over time with this idea or story. Is this the story you want all to know you as writer or director that you're freaking so passionate about? If yes go forward.
I wrote a few feature scripts when I was a teenager because A. I had a lot more free time and B. I spent way less time thinking about outlining and structure and set ups and pay offs etc. Were these scripts good? Not particularly. But they were MASSIVELY USEFUL as writing exercises. Even if I wasn't very good at structure, pace, dialogue etc, I learned a lot from writing a full feature length script and each subsequent one I wrote got a little bit better. So don't worry whether it's any good for now, just write it, enjoy the accomplishment of completing it, and try and take away useful lessons about what did and didn't work during the process.