Eleven Buzzworthy Online Screenwriting Resources
If you’d like to explore the world of screenwriting without buying books and resources that cost you your precious pennies, take a look at some of these free online resources.
I sought out a good mix of online resources for screenwriters that can be used for film research, learning the craft of screenwriting, and getting familiar with what it’s like to be a professional screenwriter.
Check out these screenwriting resources.
Screenwriting Online
- Internet Movie Database (IMDB): Your one stop shop for all things film. This is the go-to site for looking up movie titles, actors, directors, and of course, writers. There’s tons of trivia too, plus message boards, and this site comes in handy umpteen million ways for conducting research about the movie industry.
- Simply Scripts: This is not the easiest site in the world to navigate, but you can find free copies of TV and movie scripts, so it’s a great resource for learning the format, and seeing what a real screenplay actually looks like.
- Screenwriting for Hollywood: A relatively new blog that provides tips and insight to screenwriting and life in Hollywood when you’re trying to break in as a screenwriter. Also offers various screenwriting services such as coverage and consultations.
- Wikipedia: You can look up anything on Wikipedia, including movie titles and screenwriters. I find that some articles on movies will address the writing process and include interesting trivia and great links. A lot of the film articles also provide insight about the difference between the original screenplay and the final product (i.e. cut scenes before and after filming).
- United Hollywood: This blog was launched in order for the WGA writers to address the recent strike in a public forum, and it’s slated to continue addressing screenwriting and screenwriters even though the strike is over. A great place to learn about issues that affect screenwriters and get a sense of the screenwriting community.
- Wordplayer: Promises screenwriting secrets from working screenwriters and includes a couple of forums for movies and screenwriting. The navigation isn’t that great (screenwriters don’t seem to be web design savvy), but if you check out the site map, you can find some useful screenwriting information and advice.
- Creative Screenwriting: A magazine targeted toward screenwriters with mostly clips from the print magazine’s articles, but a good place to go to figure out if you’d like to subscribe to a useful screenwriting mag.
- The Unknown Screenwriter: If you’re into screenwriting and you like blogs, you’ll want to subscribe. Tons of links and resources, insider tips, plus opinions from a writer whose identity remains unknown, but who seems to have considerable experience in the industry.
- Screenwriting.info: This is more of an online book, which explains the entire process of screenwriting. Sub-titled “How to Write a Screenplay,” this gets more into the nitty gritty of screenwriting and will help familiarize you with some of the jargon that filmmakers use.
- Writers Guild of America East and West: Once you become a screenwriter, you’ll be expected to join the guild, so you might want to start learning about it. This union helps writers stay organized and as we’ve recently seen, assists screenwriters in ensuring that they earn fair compensation for their work.
- Syd Field: He’s the guru of screenwriting and he has his own website, which includes free articles, online courses, and various products for screenwriters.
Add Yours
Got any links you want to add to this list? If you know of a useful screenwriting resource on the Web, leave a comment and share it with us!
Hi Melissa,
Good list, and thanks for giving us the chance to contribute other resources.
I always think http://www.script-o-rama.com is a great source of screenplays – and my own screenwriting forum http://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/forum hosts a new, but very busy screenwriting conversation, plus a monthly contest to giveaway copies of Final Draft, plus other assorted goodies.
@Phil, Thanks for sharing even more resources! Both the links you posted look interesting, although I don’t like those talking smileys on scrip-o-rama. Bad advertising. Nice forum you’ve got there, by the way.
Wierd – I never noticed the smilies before. It’s interesting though – I think script-o-rama has had the same basic design for about 9 years now. If it still works, don’t change it I guess. The forum is great – very lively – come and join in – your input would be valued I know.
@Phis, Nine years is a long time to be online. It’s hard to find a good forum, so I’ve bookmarked the ones you mentioned. I’ll definitely check them out, maybe just lurk around for a bit
I think that would be pretty fun to be a screen writer but it seems like it would be pretty hard to get it made into a movie. My screen play would probably be about the dangers of ethyl gasoline. It would for surely be made into a movie.
I would guess it’s just as hard to sell a screenplay as it is to get a novel published. Getting it made into a movie is something else altogether. Once you sell your screenplay, it’s up to the buyer to get it made (or not).
You might want to add “The Zen of Screenwriting”, http://www.donvasicek.com. Got some good articles there.
I haven’t read that one but it sounds good!