What Takes More Skill?

[OverMyHead]

Writing a novel or making a movie?

And why would one profession take more skill than the other?

 

[Kyalesyin]

I don't know really, but I think writing a novel. It can be very isolating and very emotionally taxing- product of the soul and all, and its a much more individual thing than making a movie. With a book, your cast is all in your head, and you have to hold on to them somehow.

My wife is halfway through writing her first book.

 

[DOG LIPS]

Making a movie. You actually have to leave your house for that.




...Or do you? Hmmmm.

 

[OverMyHead]

Lol.

Nice one.

 

[Ben Urich]

That's a really hard question.
Writing a novel is incredibly personal and requires a great degree of control and creativity, whereas making a movie requires the ability to handle large groups of people and, in the old days, some creativity.
I guess it depends on what kind of person you are.

 

[cryptic name]

making a movie. one person alone can write a novel. making a movie requires the talents of many people.

 

[Kyalesyin]

Gotta leave your house to write a novel- inspiration takes a lot sometimes. I should know. I've suffered long hours sat in town looking for 'the right face'

 

[OverMyHead]

...

Uhm... I was asking you on an individual basis.

One person writing a whole novel or one person helping direct, write, or produce a film...

Of course, if we look at your way Cryptic, movies take alot more skill. But that's not what I'm asking..

 

[Ben Urich]

It'd be harder for me to direct a movie. I have no people skills

 

[mightiest_mortal]

Hmmm.. writing a good novel maybe.
Writing a lot of trashy fantasy and mills and boon style novels is soooo by the books its not funny. Its just telling the same stuff slightly differently.
Writing a challenging, thought provoking and (importantly) original idea is incredibly difficult, especially if your a perfectionist at it. then you just keep rewriting the same thing each day

 

[JLBats]

You're kidding, right?

Consider all the work that goes into a movie. You get the same isolation you'd get with the novel, in the beginning, when the movie is being written. Then, there's the little matter of coordinating casts and crews and not wasting thousands of dollars worth of film.

 

[OverMyHead]

Writing a novel, and writing a script, are two totally different things. You should've known that by now, shame on you!

Being dependant on everyone is hardly difficult compared to writing a book, where everything solely lies on you. So the responsibilty, blame, and exoneration, is greater.

 

[JLBats]

Writing a novel, and writing a script, are two totally different things. You should've known that by now, shame on you!

Seeing as I've written a few of both, I know that they're different things, yet both are equaling isolating and taxing

Plebs.

 

[mightiest_mortal]

You're kidding, right?

Consider all the work that goes into a movie. You get the same isolation you'd get with the novel, in the beginning, when the movie is being written. Then, there's the little matter of coordinating casts and crews and not wasting thousands of dollars worth of film.

Well, it wasnt specified what kinda movie.

Some you just need a camera, some alcohol and a bit of atmospheric music

 

[Majik1387]

Making a movie.

 

[OverMyHead]

Seeing as I've written a few of both, I know that they're different things, yet both are equaling isolating and taxing

Plebs.

Script writing is all dialouge. Everything hinges on dialouge.

Novel is not only dialouge, but also character, mood, pace, theme, plotting, action, atmosphere, red herring, suspense, symbolism, metaphor, simile, and most of all story.

So you tell me what's harder.

 

[lordofthenerds]

Writing a novel since it would make my brain throb.

 

[Kyalesyin]

Script writing is all dialouge. Everything hinges on dialouge.

Novel is not only dialouge, but also character, mood, pace, theme, plotting, action, atmosphere, red herring, suspense, symbolism, metaphor, simile, and most of all story.

So you tell me what's harder.

Agreeing with you here. As a long suffering novelists wife I can say novel writing is harder than anything else. The only harder job is being the person supplying the fruit tea and typing out pages and pages of notes.

 

[Majik1387]

Script writing is all dialouge. Everything hinges on dialouge.

Novel is not only dialouge, but also character, mood, pace, theme, plotting, action, atmosphere, red herring, suspense, symbolism, metaphor, simile, and most of all story.

So you tell me what's harder.

Movie making. Script is not only written dialogue, it's also written direction, character developent, mood, pacing, theme, basic plot, sub plots, action, atmosphere, etc.

 

[Majik1387]

Script writing is all dialouge. Everything hinges on dialouge.

Novel is not only dialouge, but also character, mood, pace, theme, plotting, action, atmosphere, red herring, suspense, symbolism, metaphor, simile, and most of all story.

So you tell me what's harder.

Movie making. Script is not only written dialogue, it's also written direction, character developent, mood, pacing, theme, basic plot, sub plots, action, atmosphere, etc.

 

[OverMyHead]

I am talking about writing for scripts, not the editing, directing, or scene cutting process.

If you don't no anything, don't post.

 

[JLBats]

Script writing is all dialouge. Everything hinges on dialouge.

Novel is not only dialouge, but also character, mood, pace, theme, plotting, action, atmosphere, red herring, suspense, symbolism, metaphor, simile, and most of all story.

So you tell me what's harder.

Ho. Lee. Crap.

I know you probably get this lame joke a lot, but it really is apt: I finally get why your name is OverMyHead.

First of all, suggesting that screenwriting is all dialogue when many classic writers and directors, Hitchcock most famously, considered it the least important part of the script and added it last, is kinda shortsighted. If your script is "all dialogue" you are doing it wrong.

Second of all, I was comparing them in terms of isolation and emotional taxation.

Third of all, now you seem to just be considering the SCRIPT, and not the production and post-production on top of that.

Seriously. Try writing a chapter. Now try working a camera and then editing a coherent scene together.


And if you honestly think that screenwriters spend no time on character, mood, pace, theme, PLOTTING, action, atmosphere, red herringhuh:This one doesn't even make any ****ing sense, but umkay), suspense, symbolism, metaphors and similes or STORYhuh:another one that makes no sense) than you need to read some Bob Towne scripts. Or some Paul Schrader ones.

Right now, it seems kind of like you're responding to my posts by omitting half of it and then hacking away at your keyboard with a drunken sort of smile

 

[Majik1387]

I am talking about writing for scripts, not the editing, directing, or scene cutting process.

If you don't no anything, don't post.

I know what you're talking about, but I'm starting to think you don't know what your talking about. Scripts arent just the dialogue spoken by actors. If I were you, I'd actually read some scripts before saying they don't include things like

character, mood, pace, theme, plotting, action, atmosphere, red herring, suspense, symbolism, metaphor, simile, and most of all story.

 

[BRUTAL]

I am talking about writing for scripts, not the editing, directing, or scene cutting process.

If you don't no anything, don't post.

Comedic genius or brutal irony?

 

[OverMyHead]

Ho. Lee. Crap.

I know you probably get this lame joke a lot, but it really is apt: I finally get why your name is OverMyHead.

First of all, suggesting that screenwriting is all dialogue when many classic writers and directors, Hitchcock most famously, considered it the least important part of the script and added it last, is kinda shortsighted. If your script is "all dialogue" you are doing it wrong.

Second of all, I was comparing them in terms of isolation and emotional taxation.

Third of all, now you seem to just be considering the SCRIPT, and not the production and post-production on top of that.

Seriously. Try writing a chapter. Now try working a camera and then editing a coherent scene together.


And if you honestly think that screenwriters spend no time on character, mood, pace, theme, PLOTTING, action, atmosphere, red herringhuh:This one doesn't even make any ****ing sense, but umkay), suspense, symbolism, metaphors and similes or STORYhuh:another one that makes no sense) than you need to read some Bob Towne scripts. Or some Paul Schrader ones.

Right now, it seems kind of like you're responding to my posts by omitting half of it and then hacking away at your keyboard with a drunken sort of smile

HO. LEE. CRAP.

If there was no book "Psycho" (written by Robert Bloch) *gasp* there would've been no movie "Psycho" (directed by Alfred Hitchcock).

Breathe in, breathe out, JL--deep, slow breaths.