Our Journey to Making A Movie - Writing the Script

So, want to know what ex-video-game-artists-turned-designers do after they leave the industry? :) A while ago, I shared that K was pursuing some creative ventures but remained vague about it. Now it's time to spill the beans. Following the closure of yet another game studio, K decided to pursue his dream of making feature-length films with his younger brother Steve on a full-time basis!

Maybe one day they'll be like the Coen brothers... :)

Their first movie project is a classic, 80’s-style PG action-comedy for all ages. Kinda like Back to the Future or Adventures in Babysitting. Also, it features a strong, positive message intended to reach mass audiences (rather than an overly preachy sermon that only churchgoers would care about).
 

Ah, those good ol' 1980s comedies!

Given that I'm totally new to all this movie-making stuff (and I bet you are too), I plan to share a little about our unique journey into the film business. For example, here’s the way it all begins. Most movies kick off in the Development phase, where you do all the preparatory stuff that makes investors want to give you the big bucks for the Production phase, which is when you actually make the movie. You can read more about the development process here, but one of the main priorities is of course getting the script done and polished.

God totally honored our bold prayers by providing for us with several months’ worth of severance pay so that K could work on the screenplay. Since I also work from home and take care of Dexter, he would often pay his "Starbucks tax" to park there all day and focus on writing.

I personally like working at Chick-fil-a since they come by and give you free refills. Mmm, sweet tea for the soul...

K has never had any formal training per se on writing screenplays, but in the video game industry, he started off creating barks (the little bits of repetitive/informational dialogue that video game characters say when you get close) and game text. Eventually he graduated to creating entire game stories and full screenplays for cutscenes. Long story short: K became self-educated in script writing by consuming tons of books and podcasts on the subject.

His 90-minute comedy probably took three months to reach first draft status, then another couple of months to revise and polish into a final draft. The hard work paid off. In fact, when K did a live script reading session to smooth out the dialogue and flow, the actors laughed out loud when delivering their lines. Always a good sign. :)

Printouts of K's screenplay for a script reading session

I'm so proud of my husband for pursuing his lifelong dream of making movies with his brother. Please be praying for our family since we have some upcoming important decisions to make. I'll update you next time something really big happens!