Hey, a very good site to go to concerning screenwriting is TheScriptlab.com
Here is their twitter https://twitter.com/TheScriptLab
Also here is a free PDF from them The Encyclopedia Of Screenwriting. Screen Writing
My journey into film
A film and art blog by Tim Schroyer
Category Archives: Film Making
Grinding away.
Back to the grid. I am doing my research for my film that I have written about on here. It gets hard sometime. I am a vet. I know a lot of my brothers and sisters suffer. Especially those who did directly or indirectly do the killing. It can be a motherfucker. Plain and simple. And it hurts. The film I am doing is a lot about pain and painful things; however, they things that need to be discussed. We as a country tend ignore issues like combat vets issues and the sex trade. It makes people uncomfortable when we talk about them. Well guess what America, that is America, regardless if you choose to except it or not. And trust me, these things will fester and grow. And there will be a point where we will have to pay more than we had too.
What kind of filmmaker do you want to be? You can be a fluffy filmmaker that doesn’t take on any real subject. Tampa is full of them. We are the city of fluff. If you are into one dimensional film, Tampa is where you want to be. But then there are a few people who are trying to say something and using film as a medium to say it. I have a lot to say and find I have many tools of saying them, whether it be film, a series, a painting, theater or whatever is at my disposal . But I’m out there using them, and so should you.
What kind of filmmaker or artist, do you want to be? Do you have things you want to say and discuss. For me, art, film, and whatnot is just tools for me to communicate things I want to talk about. The series I am developing is about topics I want dive into and explore subjects that I find interesting and relative, and also showcase good music and talented artist. Go do the same. There are so many ways to express yourself and so many ways to get it out there in front of people. that you really have no excuse not be working on something. I know I have don’t.
Please Support Semone’s
I need you all to contribute. Semone Fournillier, who is a Screenwriter from Tampa, who went to UT, and now is getting her Masters at AFI.
For those who know my project on Sexual Violence, know that she is the Screenwriter for it. Please please please, support her Master Thesis Film.
Thank you
South Sudan Documentary
In case you haven’t heard I am doing a full length documentary on South Sudan. This project fell into my lap about a month, month and a half ago. A friend of mine has been working on something called the Jonglei Peace Initiative which had ended years of ethnic civil war in the state of Jonglei, South Sudan and will bring development to the region and a plan for the rest of South Sudan. JPI was started by the Diaspora of South Sudan who live here in the United States and Canada. These men are also known as the Lost Boys of South Sudan and much has been written about them as well as a documentary done on them.
My documentary will cover many topics: JPI, which is a very important issue to South Sudan’s future, the tensions between South Sudan and Sudan, which could lead to full scale war, women’s right, freedom if the press, development and education, the rebel leader David Yau Yau and his tyranny and the how does a young democracy survive and grow. I am sure there is more to talk about. Through my research I have become very interested in this project. I and my crew get to document the history of a young country as it too experiments with democratic rule.
The first leg if this journey is to get to Washington D.C. at the end of March for a conference that is being held with the leaders of JPI and the Vice President of South Sudan. Then we have to plan our first trip to South Sudan. I am now looking to get this funded. That is the big part now, getting it funded. Where that is going to come from I do not know but I am confident it will come.
My crew; I do have one. I have Brandon Hyde as our Cinematographer, Tony Tartaglia as our sound guy and William, Billy, Wright as our go to guy for whatever it is we need at that moment. Tony, Billy and myself have served in the Army. Tony was in Vietnam, Billy in Iraq and me in the 82nd Airborne. So we have that covered.
I will be writing a lot about this documentary and would love here hear what you have to say and please spread the word. We need to bring awareness of this film and I need your help to do that. Thanks
Why I am doing five shorts this year.
Last Night a colleague of mine, Ron Borders asked me “Instead of doing 5 shorts why not just do a feature?” Which is a valid question, which deserves good answer. First off I have never been to film school, so I do not have the experience of producing and making films that one who went to film school has. For me it has all been OJT, reading and a lot of listening. So for me, this is like a year of film school with 5 thesis projects plus a full length documentary on South Sudan. I will make a lot of mistakes, learn a lot and at the end have a body of work to go off of. So with that I will have a body of work that I can say to an investor “Here is what I have done, these are the awards I have gotten and yes I seem to know what I am doing. Please trust me with your money.” Also I have to think 5, 10 years down the road. What I mean is that with this year of short films it is a building block to the next level, which if you know me is all the above. I want to produce and direct in whatever medium I can, meaning Film, TV, Web, Theater, Graphic Novel or in whatever it is.
Yes I have bitten off more than you or I can chew, but I do it knowing I can do it somehow. I have a company I know I can grow. I have a vision for what I want kinds of material I want to produce and what kinds of people I want to work with. I also want to be able to help other artist and filmmakers. Right now I am in Tampa and I want to help change the culture of film into something that is well respected and received. So yes this is the year of short films but it is with a purpose.
You can now get paid on Vimeo
Really good news, Vimeo is going to make available to it upgraded members a way to make money off of their content. In a short while you can have a tip jar on your page that will allow people to donate money and soon after that they will able to charge for your content. This is a great new platform to monetize your work.
Objectives for the year.
I recently wrote a post for the Slate; which is a online publication for the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association which I am a board member of. I thought long a hard as to what I wanted to do as a board member and as a filmmaker in Tampa, Fl. I feel it is my responsibility to my community to help advance it, make it better and stronger. Here is that post.
“I want to thanks those who had voted for me this year. Yay. I have given much thought to want I want to do this upcoming year. I feel that we have much to do in order for the Tampa Bay film to be taken seriously in the film world; meaning the real film world. I want to do my part to help us to get to that level by being proactive. So I have identified areas that I feel will get us there. These are projects and agendas that I personally want to work on. I believe my projects will benefit the FMPTA.
1. I want identify talented independent filmmakers that are bold, creative, fearless and take their filmmaking careers seriously. We need to find Producers, Directors, Cinematographers and Editors that have a vision and the work ethic to obtain their goals. That they understand how the world of filmmaking is changing and are willing to change with it.
2. The filmmaking paradigm has changed. Filmmaking is changing and no one one knows where it will wind up. For those follow me and pay attention to my post understand that what worked 5 to 10 years ago does not work now. The way we consume film, engage with our audience and raise money for our films have changed. We now live in a transmedia world where we tell and sell our stories on multiple platforms. Today filmmaker have to take responsibility for engaging their audience as well as your marketing and distribution andI want to help them do that.
3. I see a the need for acting classes sponsored by the FMPTA; seminars and workshops by renowned filmmakers; and writers, artist, photographers and other kind of creative people. It is important that filmmakers engage with other type creative people. I am already working on this now, and will have some things coming.
4. I am going to reach out and get businesses to be involved with our organization. Whether it be through a business membership or as a merchant partners. I think this would be a great benefit to our organization and members. We must expand our brand.”
I am doing this because I want to be apart of a movement in this area. A movement of talented, fearless visionaries that take the art of filmmaking seriously. People who see and understand the future of filmmaking and story telling. People who want to be taken seriously in the world of film.
Big road ahead
This week has been the week of meetings. Note to yourself, do them with people you enjoy being around. Makes it fun.
So I have a ton of work and am trying to figure out where and how to start. I have a ton of research to do on a subject for a film I am producing. I am teaching myself how to write a business plan so that I can write one for my production company as well as one for a film I am producing. I need to start searching for talent and a director for that film I need to write a business plan for; and as soon as I have said business plan, talent and director I then need to go in search of the almighty investor.
Along with that, I have to do preproduction for a doc I am producing as well as do some social media for Grey Room. Do not forget we will begin Crowdfunding for it in February. I also have to come up with an article I need to write for the FMPTA news letter The Slate. Any suggestions? God knows I could use some. Also, if you want me to write about something please feel free to make suggestions. It would benefit me because I would have to go and research the topic.
Also, with that I am running for Vice President For the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association Tampa Bay Chapter. FMPTA. If you are a member please vote for me. I will be writing as to why you should vote for me.
This is where I need to learn how to plan and organize my tasks. I am starting to learn about strategic planning, something that I think you should learn if you are to be successful at filmmaking. There are proven tools that work and should be applied to your filmmaking skills.
My journey into film 