How to Write a Movie: Steal Our Screenwriting Secrets

You Should STEAL Our Screenwriting and Production SECRETS!
How should you go about writing a screenplay that you can also produce? In this video, I'll share our strategy for getting our short film (NO VACANCY) and our feature film (THE HARLEQUIN) produced!
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TRANSCRIPT:
I’m going to let you in on our process of writing and producing an original superhero thriller short film. We’ve got a full plan, and it’s not only about the short film. We’re building up to a feature film as well. What are these films about and what’s our strategy for getting them made? Let’s get into it.
I’m Jay Sherer, and in future videos, I’ll talk more about the inspiration for the feature film and the short film. But let’s talk about the plan first, because it might be a plan you want to copy…
In 2023, if you want to write a feature film, you’ve got two options:
ONE: Attempt to sell your script to a studio.
And TWO: Write the script, and then make the film yourself.
Now, as of the release of this video, you might be aware that we’re in the middle of a writer’s strike. The Writer’s Guild of America, or WGA, has gone on strike because they could not agree to terms with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP.
Which means, at this precise moment (which may have passed by the time you’re watching), we’re not looking to sell our screenplay to a studio right now. But that’s okay, because that’s Plan B for us anyway…
Plan A is to produce the short film and the feature film ourselves.
And here’s our methodology:
FIRST, we set out to write a low-budget feature that’s still a higher concept film than you would expect from a low-budget film. Meaning, we think the audience for the film is broader than that of the average low-budget feature.
SECOND, we wrote a short film that’s a prequel to the feature. Why? Because we’re not connected to a bunch of people who fund feature films, and we need to be able to get in front of those people in order to raise enough money to get our feature film made.
That means our short film serves as a standalone film, a prequel, AND most importantly: a proof-of-concept for the feature. If we produce an excellent short film, we can use it to raise the money to then turn around and produce our feature film.
Here’s where we’re currently at in our process and where we’re going next:
BOTH the short film and the feature have completed scripts.
An earlier draft of the short film earned quarterfinalist and second round placements in 5 different screenplay contests. It’s sitting in the Top 10% of projects on Coverfly.
An earlier draft of the feature film earned quarterfinalist placements in several contests and a semifinalist placement, which means it’s in the Top 12% of projects on Coverfly.
We believe the latest scripts are superior to the versions we entered in the contests, which means we’re highly confident in them.
I also joined a local group that has actors read the scripts of writers. We tested our short film script with that group and it went extremely well.
What’s next? Later this year, we’re putting a team together to go make the short film. I’ll discuss that process in a future video, so if you want to follow along, make sure you’re subscribed. And while you’re at it, do me a favor and hit that like button for me.
Before we make the film, however, we’re also doing a series on this channel where we’ll be having local actors and actresses do filmed table reads with us. We’ll also be producing storyboards and showing them on this channel as well. That process will be super fun and help us dial in performances and desired results.
If you want to help us make this film as good as it can possibly be, consider supporting us on Indiegogo! I’ll throw a link in the description so you can contribute to our vision. And I’ll share more about the core message of these films, which I think you’ll find compelling and needed.
We’ve got our low-budget feature film script in hand, and next we’re working on our proof of concept short film. Follow along to see how it all turns out! Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more videos-including those table reads-coming up in the next few weeks!