Q&A for How to Become a Movie Writer

Anyone can write a screenplay, even if they haven't gone to school for it. You just have to put your mind to it!

You can receive fellowships through contests. If you're attending film school, you'll have to check with your financial aid office.

This depends on whether you want to write a short-length film or a feature-length film. The general rule of thumb is 110 to 120 pages.

There are quite a few colleges with Bachelor's Degrees in film and/or screenwriting. However, education actually plays a very small role (no pun intended) in getting a writing job. You might need it in order to write your first script, but the best way to sell it is to know somebody in the business.

Yes. "Good Will Hunting" is a great example of this - written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who were also the two leads, alongside Robin Williams.

Networking is the best way to find contacts who are interested to see what you have written. Talk to people with the same interests and get your work reviewed by them. Once you are convinced that what you have written looks professional enough, try getting an appointment with an agent, a producer or a director and show your script. Plan a short presentation of your script.

Start a blog; you can make it private or not, but at least you can come back to it now and then to finish it.

From what I've found, it can be quite difficult. If you're not already established as an actor or know the right producers, you can try your luck being independent.

Before you do anything, get your script copyrighted with the U.S. Library of Congress. This will protect your rights as a writer. If you're staying in India, register with the Film Writers Association. If you're planning to move to Hollywood, register with the Screen Writers Guild. From there, you'll need a manager and an agent.

If this is your first script, contact a manager and attend as many networking events as you can.

You can find a really good tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgPpohbV0vk

You don't have to, but most successful screenwriters did go to college. No one will take you seriously if you don't have a solid grasp of storytelling, grammar, film structure, etc. Education is important.

You can't be a professional movie writer as a child. However, childhood is a good time to start learning and practicing your passions. It takes many years of practice to get good enough at something to be able to do it professionally. Practice writing a lot, especially stories or even screenplays (move scripts). Watch a variety of movies and pay attention to how the stories are structured and what is done well.

It depends on the genre you want to work on. In many cases, you'll have to acquire legal permission to use copyrighted or biographical material. More info here: http://www.earlytorise.com/how-to-sell-movie-ideas-to-hollywood/

If you have the time and talent, you can try writing a film, and if it were professional-quality, your parents could try to submit the script somewhere on your behalf. But normally, it takes many years of education, experience, and practice to become good enough at anything - including screenwriting - to do it professionally. There are not many jobs that children can do, and there's no hurry! You will have most of your life to work at whatever career you choose. Until then, enjoy your childhood, keep practicing writing and watching movies, and get involved in school or local plays if you'd like.

There are always millions of scripts floating around in the movie industry, and every author of every script is convinced their script is the best. So yours needs to actually be the best, for starters. After that, you have to keep pitching it to the right people, write letters summarizing your script, ask for interviews, perhaps create a preview or a teaser.

This depends on whether you choose to teach yourself, attend a few classes, or pursue a degree. Even after that, you still have to work on networking, making your pitch to producers, and finding the right agent. You could get lucky and become an instant hit, or it could take years before anyone picks up your script.

Technically, any word processor can be used, as long as the proper format is followed. However, professional screenwriters usually use Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter. Celtx and Amazon Storywriter are free options. There are plenty of other options if you want to shop around.

No. Most production companies are not going to look at your screenplay unless it is submitted by an agent, manager or lawyer. They don't accept submissions, mainly for legal reasons, because they may already be developing something similar.

Actually, no. It is not needed to stay there explaining your script. If you are needed, the producer or director can call you and discuss any issues over the phone. they'll likely want to make changes of their own sometimes, which won't necessarily involve you.