In my opinion, writing is the best profession in the world. Anyone can write and contribute their thoughts to the topic. Most importantly, no one can order or forbid us to write. Including writing in a foreign language. I will refer to the statement that without the level of a native speaker there is nothing to try. Over the years in exile, I have often observed how Poles who knew English had problems with speaking in front of native speakers. The main reason was that they were afraid of being judged and ridiculed. When it turned out that native speakers could not spell their own name, the complexes passed.
If you have had or have ever had anything to do with professional writing, then you know that even after a journalist who writes in his native language, there is always someone else who reads (or at least should). The books you buy in the bookstore were also read by editors and proofreaders before printing. So why should you have complexes before giving your script translated into English for someone else to read. Of course, you can’t expect such a person to do all the work for you.
That is why in the first point
I recommend reading books and screenwriting guides in English. Even if you read them in Polish, you will see that in the original it is the same, but different. These nuances are very important, because people from all over the world take part in foreign competitions and you have to take into account the competition of several thousand scripts , not several dozen / several hundred as in Poland. Each departure from the structure-pattern of Hollywood, therefore, very often means dropping out in the first sieve.
Below are some books that are worth reading (do you know any others worth recommending? – let me know, I’ll be happy to add):
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
- Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Syd Field
- Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee
- Save the Cat, Blake Snyder
- Invisible InkBrian McDonald
- The Complete Writer’s Guide toprocess Phone Number List will Heroes and Heroines, Tami D. Cowden
- Screenwriting For Dummies, Laura Schellhardt
- That’s Not The Way It Works, Bob Saenz
In addition to books, it is also worth checking out the Film Courage channel on YouTube, where helpful materials related to the film industry are published every day.
ACT II – use the help of a specialist, but not right away
In this section, we will focus on people who do not speak or write English. Don’t worry, English speakers will also benefit.
If we have a ready-made script in Polish, the simplest solution is of course to find a translator. It can be a friend, an English philology student, a language teacher, or a professional translator. Everything, of course, depends on the cost, but also on the stage of advancement of the scenario. If you are not yet sure if the script is 100% ready, cut costs and choose the budget option. Why? Because “writing is rewriting.” If every time someone reads the script and sends you comments, you use a professional translator, the costs will increase quite dynamically. Working with someone who knows the language but doesn’t know how to write history is also crucial.
The second, quite important issue is the use of free language tools to send your own comments to other people’s scripts. Here I return to the question from the beginning of the guide “How to get someone to read my script?”. Well, just read someone else’shelp Hit Post you script and in return someone will read yours. However, I will come back to the topic in one of the next acts.