The Importance of the Script Part 2 AKA Download Celtx Now

So now that you've written your script and you're ready to move on to the next steps of preproduction, figuring out how long your movie is going to be and breaking down the script.

So first, figuring out how long your movie is going to be; this part is easy. You simply take your script and see how many pages the script is and that is how many minutes your script should be. This is important, because if you have a ten page script you should be looking to make sure you have enough footage to cover those ten pages. This means that when you get into shooting and editing you should be looking to make your film ten minutes.

I've been on shoots where the scripts are around 10-12 pages and when you get done with shooting and editing the film ends up being about 20-30 minutes. Just think about that. When the person wrote the script there were envisioning the film to be about 10-12 minutes, the actors were envisioning the film to be about 10-12 minutes, the DP was envisioning 10-12 minutes, everyone was expecting the film to be 10-12 minutes until it got into editing, when either the editor or the director couldn't let their vision of the film die and just had all of the shots in the film.

So, If you write a ten page script make it a ten minute movie.

Next, what you are going to need to do is breakdown your script. If you used Celtx to write your script then breaking down your script is really easy, because there is a breakdown tab on the right hand side that allows you to easily add actors, characters, props, locations, etc. into their different respected groups, which then can be generated into a report to easily know who is required for each scene.

After breaking down your script, I'd recommend using the storyboard feature and calendar feature in Celtx to help schedule your film for shooting.

If you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of Celtx as a program, it's amazing considering it is free to download to your computer and a small fee to download it to your iphone, ipod touch, and ipad. You can download the program at www.celtx.com.

Also, below I have included a couple books that can help you understand all of the complexity of what celtx has to offer.

Mastering Celtx by Terry Borst
Celtx: Open Source Screenwriting by Ralph Roberts

The Head is Done

After many hours of construction over a few days the head is done. It has gone through two different looks and the one that is made now seems to be the one that we are going to use for the commercial shoot happening later today in Shakopee MN. Here is a picture of the finished head, and as promised, once we shoot the project today I will upload the storyboard from the shoot. Hope all of you readers will keep on reading and give your thoughts and opinions about the projects I'm working on.

Again we based our head off of this Indy Mogul Episode, though I couldn't find a magnetic motor so I used some rope and a pull system. It seems to work well. If you have a chance, give them some love.

Tattoo Commercial

So, after my meeting yesterday and sending off three ideas with my business partners to our first client; he has decided on one of the commercials and it was mine. I'm pretty stoked, because it's always nice to get picked, but this means I'll have to come up with a muppet outfit for the commercial on the cheap and that's going to be the hardest part.

We're also going to have to come up with a storyboard, and get an actress to play one of the parts. So if anyone knows a good actress in the Twin Cities looking to expand a profile please comment below.

The hardest part about this commercial is that we are planning on using it as a springboard for a potential company and aren't charging the tattoo parlor anything for this. I hope in the end he might give us something to cover the costs otherwise I'll have to think through trying to get money elsewhere.