Hey everyone! I posted a lot of fake scripts on Reddit over the years from Fast Nein: The Fast & The Fuhrer to FIERI ROAD. This weekend my first real movie that I got made came out! It's THE BINGE about one day a year when there are no drinking and drug laws! AMA!

Proof: https://imgur.com/a/JghDDYx

Comments: 605 • Responses: 93  • Date: 

Mr_Music_Man44327 karma

How did you get from writing your fake script to writing a real one? Also any tips for beginning writers?

shrimptooth1114 karma

I started a website www.WeekendScripts.com where I posted many fake scripts. Then I would post them on Twitter and a few times they went viral. Paul Scheer found FAST NEIN and put on a live read with Nick Kroll as Hitler, Lance Reddick as Tyrese. It was amazing. From there I got a manager and started writing things that I could sell and eventually I got lucky!

My tip is to just keep writing and writing and don't get discouraged. I wrote dozens and dozens before anyone bought anything. People told me my scripts sucked all the time and now they are telling me my movie sucks! It's never going to stop and you just need to keep pushing through!

Brotayto9 karma

Is there an audio version of that live read? Cause that sounds amazing.

shrimptooth19 karma

No! No one recorded it!! It was one night only. I wish someone had it.

ConnorMurphy44321 karma

How do you think this movie differentiates itself from the likes of other High School party movies (Superbad, 21 and Over, Booksmart, Project X)?

shrimptooth499 karma

I love all those movies and if you watch it you will definitely notice the influences. I think the way it differentiates itself in my eyes is the absolute insanity. We have Vince Vaughn wrestling an alligator, a giant musical number, a full on Scarface monologue. It feels way more absurdist than an average teen party movie and probably comes from my obsession with Wet Hot American Summer and all things David Wain.

EyeLoveMondays153 karma

I watched this last night! I loved it. There where many times I was laughing out loud while saying “omg this is so stupid”, in the best way. Thanks for the lols

shrimptooth209 karma

Thank you!!! That's what I want people to be saying. A lot of the reviews are asking why we didn't try to talk about the ISSUES of today but we really just wanted people to be able to escape the issues for 90 minutes.

filbertsnuts88 karma

Why would a teen party movie talk about the issues? Am I forgetting that part in Porky's where they talked about the Cold War? Was there a talk about the recession in American Pie that I missed?

shrimptooth96 karma

I know it’s insane. But whatever, as long as normal people like it I’m happy!

CptCut48 karma

Did not enjoy the musical part. Threw me off. But the rest of the movies was good.

shrimptooth92 karma

Thank you!! A movie like this is so subjective, so many people said the musical was their favorite part or ONLY part they liked! But I totally get not being into it. Thanks for watching!

rei777732 karma

Yeah, I really enjoyed the musical part!

shrimptooth38 karma

Thank you! Me too!

Suki__9359 karma

well I felt indifferent about the musical part!

shrimptooth54 karma

Perfect!

rmoss2017 karma

I started looking at my phone during the musical parts.

shrimptooth37 karma

Cool!

HogDad19777 karma

I loved it too. My wife and I kept trying to predict what they were actually doing, while in their minds they were singing and dancing. We thought maybe they were laying in the fountain with homeless people or something else hilarious. When they woke up in the club I was at first disappointed but then I liked it, less predictable. It was great when he referenced it later about dancing with a bunch a people. Awesome movie and thanks for the laughs!

shrimptooth7 karma

Yes!! In the script we pull out and reveal they are dancing with homeless people but we didn’t have the time to actually shoot it!

bholub2 karma

On a scale of 1-10 how Porcupine Racetrack is the musical number?

shrimptooth3 karma

10 out of 10! It’s a marvelous day at the porcupine racetrack!

solidoxygen80089 karma

Ehh he just needs to Suck it down pipe.

shrimptooth3 karma

Agreed!

SoCalThrowAway78 karma

I like the song lol, been stuck in my head all day

shrimptooth9 karma

It should be on Spotify/Apple Music shortly!

RooSparkles174 karma

Tell me more about your "Now that's what I call music 69" CD behind you. Just kidding, what is your favorite part about the process of writing scripts?

shrimptooth165 karma

Haha I knew someone was going to ask me about that NOW 69 CD. It was a birthday gift and a treasured piece of my stupid memorabilia filled office.

My favorite part is definitely joke writing. Specific turn of phrases or the pacing and set-up of a bit really makes me happy when it works. I was obsessed with the TV show Strangers With Candy growing up and the way they used wordplay and puns really inspired me. And I think about it when trying to write dialogue with characters.

NukeStorm28 karma

Holy shit I loved strangers with candy (the episode where she smokes pot oh my god) and also love Wet Hot American summer. I will seek out The Binge, and I’m already biased to enjoy the hell out of it! Congratulations on finding some success!!

shrimptooth10 karma

Thank you!! There were so many classic Strangers with Candy episodes. I feel like that show doesn't get nearly enough credit for how insane it was.

Reddit-TheBoredGame58 karma

Congrats and great work! I've really enjoyed the watch so far. While writing the script did you envision celebs in the roles you created? Asking because Vince was a great choice for principal and it seems pretty natural.

P.S. I'm currently a third of the way through the movie but had to stop because I was hungover watching it and once the party started I was getting nautious watching all of the drinking.

shrimptooth70 karma

Ha! Yes, definitely better to watch pre-Hangover.

Vince was always the dream actor for the part so I was definitely skewing it in his voice. Luckily when Jeremy Garelick came on board to direct, he had worked with Vince on The Breakup so it was much easier to get the script to Vince. We got insanely lucky. He was so awesome and made the movie infinitely better.

TheDumbAsk16 karma

That makes a lot of sense, I was crying a couple times with Vince's antics. I even thought at one point about how well the script fit Vince's style. Ridiculously absurd, great work.

shrimptooth14 karma

Thank you. Yeah he was amazing. Watching his brain work was truly incredible to watch.

wznilbog58 karma

I just saw it and I think it’s a lot of fun. Since quarantine I’ve started writing scripts at home. I have about 3 going right now. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

shrimptooth124 karma

Thank you! My biggest tip is to just finish your script. Under any circumstance just get it done, 3 acts, beginning-middle-end. Having a finished product means you can actually get it made. You can always go back and make it better, funnier, scarier, etc... But finishing is the hardest part. Once you get past that hurdle it's much easier!

RonnieHasThePliers29 karma

I'll check it out! What's the worst advice you can give to an aspiring writer?

shrimptooth83 karma

Thank you! Burn every bridge, be an asshole and listen to nobody!

budaphest29 karma

Just watched the movie and i loved it.

What was the initial thought that led you to the plot?

shrimptooth83 karma

Thanks so much! Hulu never releases the numbers so I have no idea how many people are actually watching besides my friends in Long Island.

May be dumb to admit this but I came up with the title first! I thought you have the PURGE but what about THE BINGE! Then I worked backwards. Like all great artists and auteurs I'm sure!

PootisPencer628 karma

How'd the process of getting your movie made go? What would you say was the most fun part, or the most annoying part (that you can talk about, legally)

shrimptooth88 karma

It was very slow getting the script around. But once AMERICAN HIGH optioned it everything moved pretty quickly. From the time I met Jeremy (The director) to the green light was about 9 weeks. Jeremy bought a high school in Syracuse to film movies and I just went up there to live and be involved in every part of the production. It's really unconventional for the writer to be involved at all, so definitely a unique and awesome experience.

DeputyDomeshot11 karma

I’ve always said that if I managed to get anything I wrote produced I would absolutely need to be involved to see how things actually work from an operational angle. That said, how much were you involved? Critiquing performances or storyboarding or what?

shrimptooth29 karma

I think I was more involved that 99% of writers and especially first time writers. I never felt like my opinion wasn’t being heard. Jeremy is all about being collaborative and best idea wins so it was an incredible first time experience.

Crandog27 karma

For real tho, I watched it Friday and I was laughing so hard it hurt! It's EXACTLY the sort of movie we all needed in 2020 and I'm recommending it to everyone I know. Has there been any talk of a sequel? Seems like it ended with a perfect setup and we all love the characters.

shrimptooth26 karma

I hope after this comment EVERYONE will be talking about a sequel. You’re a good man!

Ya_Dingus5 karma

Hey, your IMDb says your 6' 11.5". Is that true?

shrimptooth12 karma

No! It was something I put there in like 2013 and completely forgot that still was there. No one ever has ever brought it up actually. Thank you!

sjrotella25 karma

Hey, I laughed my ass off during this movie! How did y'all get the pedal tour bike to turn right when it did when it was going down then hill?

Random feedback, but I'm actually thrilled with how short it was... too many movies now a days are 2+ hours and I just end up getting bored during those and zoning out.

shrimptooth25 karma

Thanks so much! There was a stuntman in a green screen suit driving the Boozecycle and then with movie magic we erased him in the cut!

I agree! Keep it to a tight 90! Pack it with jokes and let people go about their business!

vaporwaverhere18 karma

What's the minimum amount of money a guy selling his first script of a movie for streaming platform should ask?

shrimptooth42 karma

I would say WGA minimum! It's the least they can do, literally!

kuhawk510 karma

Do you have to be in the guild to sell a script?

shrimptooth23 karma

Nope. I wasn’t in it till I sold this.

murkedu199415 karma

Since this was filmed in my town I wanted to know if you did any location scouting for parts of your script or if there’s was some stuff that was left to interpretation. For example the scene where they are getting cleaned up in the fountain after the sushi roll, did you have a place in mind or was that more up to the direction or include the fountain?

shrimptooth20 karma

Yeah a lot of the stuff was based on the hospitality of Syracuse and what looked best in the movie. For example Carnegie Library at the end was originally a mall in the script but the library just looked so cool that we decided to make that the end set for the party.

TheKrollToll10 karma

My wife and I just finished your movie like 20 minutes ago. We woke up hungover this afternoon and were looking for something to watch. Never heard of it till we turned on Hulu and it was advertised on the front page. Lots of laughs, it was a overall very funny movie. A nice surprise for a Sunday afternoon. Good job

Since I have to ask a question. That dance number was really good. Did you write that song?

shrimptooth9 karma

Thank you for stumbling on it and clicking play! Glad you enjoyed it. I wrote the lyrics with the director and then Matt Bowen and Chris Lennertz who did the score came on and added lyrics and made it a real song and insanely catchy. So most of the credit should go to them.

TheCheddarBay10 karma

Were you there during the musical scene rehearsal? How long/many takes did those scenes take?

shrimptooth15 karma

I was! Not to plug my own self any more but there is some rehearsal footage on my twitter https://twitter.com/jordanvandina

I believe it was one night of rehearsals and two nights of shooting. Everyone worked so hard, it was amazing to see come together.

top_man7 karma

How do you come up with the odd personalities like Pompano Mike?

Fun movie, really enjoyed it.

Also, Suck it down pipe!

shrimptooth19 karma

Thank you! He was definitely my favorite character to write because really he can say anything. His uncle Rick invented the Chia pet or he got his car from Pimp my Ride. It's much easier when you don't need to ground or arc the character, you can just have fun!

SuckItDownPipe!

chris7697 karma

Thoughts about Syracuse where the movie was shot. How was that experience?

shrimptooth18 karma

I loved it so much. I want to live there except for the brutal winters. Their chicken riggies are unbeatable. Everyone there was so supportive and continues to message me and post about the movie. The coolest part about doing the movie was all the local support and excitement that you wouldn't necessarily feel if we were shooting in Los Angeles.

League_of_leisure7 karma

How did you get the cool looking backpack to be so cool? As soon as I saw that I instantly saw how cool the animation of the flames looked and said "damn I wish I had one of those in high school" and I'm only 21

shrimptooth7 karma

I believe the production designers made that backpack. And were able to program it to have any image we wanted. I also want one of those and I'm 32!

Hoosteen_juju0036 karma

Do you think parody movies will make a comeback?

shrimptooth22 karma

I am trying my hardest. My favorite movies of all time are Airplane and Naked Gun.

ebb56 karma

Did you read any of the reviews for your film? Do you let the negative ones get to you? I find it interesting how everyone in this thread loved your movie but the Rotten Tomatoes score shows most critics did not.

shrimptooth10 karma

Yeah it's pretty crazy. This is my first movie so it's odd. People on twitter and everyone I talk to seem to really enjoy it but the critics are just being brutal. Asking why we didn't add social commentary etc... But it's just not the kind of movie critics like I suppose! Doesn't bother me as long as people are watching!

What's annoying is that Rotten Tomatoes has kept our Audience Score locked so people can't rate it. It's supposed to open as soon as the movie comes out. No idea why it's not open yet. They are out to get us!

ebb57 karma

Comedy is so subjective and it seems like critics don't like most absurdist humor, so that's a bummer.

I'll be checking the movie out soon!

shrimptooth12 karma

Agreed! I remember hearing Wet Hot American Summer got no bidders at Sundance and that told me everything I needed to know about the kind of comedy I wanted to make. Hard to get everyone on board.

AegonTheConquerer5 karma

How was working with Vince Vaughn, did he just work with the script and add his own lines ?

shrimptooth13 karma

So incredible. Can't say enough good things. I would sit with him the day before we shot his scenes and go over the pages. He would add so much it was crazy. He really comes from an actor's background so whatever he is adding is not only hilariously funny and insane but it always serves the story and to make the character more interesting. He made his part 10,000x better than it was in the script. Truly amazing watching him work.

Theprofash5 karma

Congratulations on the movie! I just watched it and have to say it's a great watch! What would you recommend new writers to do? I just finished my script for a series but I feel its impossible to get it to anyone to read if you're not based in the US (I'm from Europe and neither a script writer nor do I have connections to the film industry) thanks for your advice!

shrimptooth9 karma

I would say submit it to script competitions. 2 of my writer friends that work on Animaniacs with me were in Australia and they got into a competition and someone at FOX read their script and the rest is history! They got to meet a bunch of people through the contest and eventually got staffed.

Courtaud5 karma

how do you stay focused on one project when you have many projects you want to work on?

shrimptooth7 karma

I've always tried to have a couple irons in the fire just because I assume all of them will fail but I usually have one that I'm focusing on more than the others. Then if I get stuck I'll jump to another one for a bit until I get stuck there and jump back to the original. The back and forth helps keep things fresh for me and prevents me from getting too frustrated with writer's block.

Crandog4 karma

One more question - is Pompano Mike based on a real person?

shrimptooth12 karma

YES! But pretty much just the name. My cousin told me she met a guy in Florida who called himself Pompano Mike and drove a Hummer and I haven't forgotten that name in 15 years.

itssarahw4 karma

hey Jordan, congrats on you opening weekend. Would you detail your path to becoming a staff writer? Thanks!

shrimptooth11 karma

Hey! Thank you!

It took a long time! I wrote a lot of free scripts and started www.WeekendScripts.com where I would post full scripts and post individual pages to twitter. Then I would post on Reddit and FAST NEIN went pretty viral. From there I got a manager and he submitted it to a bunch of show runners who all mostly passed and then I got my first job on WHAT WOULD DIPLO DO thanks to Brandon Dermer and James Vanderbeek!

itssarahw2 karma

Amazing story, congrats and keep it up!

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you!!

bilaba4 karma

Awesome man, congrats!!

Can you describe the proces frome idea to reality? I.e. how and what steps did you take? Is it also luck as a factor?

shrimptooth5 karma

I feel like luck is such a huge part of everything. Obviously you need to put in the work and spend the time but there's plenty of talented people that never end up getting their shot.

I had written it on spec, meaning no one asked for it I just did it on my own, and then sent it around a lot. Most people passed. I had a manager sending it around too. A LOT of "no thanks!" but eventually it got to American High who optioned it and brought it to Hulu!

im_new_reddit3 karma

How was your day?

shrimptooth6 karma

Pretty good! and you?

dbmiv3 karma

Jordan, thanks for taking the time and congrats.

I have a personal question...

Fuck, marry, and kill?

Lou Bega, Guy Fieri and the Bud Light King.

shrimptooth2 karma

That’s Easy! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Matelot673 karma

I saw that movie advertised, wondered if I should give it a go. Congratulations on seeing your work come to fruition!

Have you ever written a character with a particular actor in mind, and does it help to visualise how you feel the character should be played, but all the while knowing that it's probably not going to be anything like your vision of the story?

shrimptooth6 karma

Thank you! It definitely helps me to have an actor in mind when writing a character. I think it keeps the voices unique and helps them from blending together if you assign a specific person in your head to the part.

lilyungkillurself3 karma

Is Vince Vaughn as funny and nice in reality as he is on the big screen? Or as the writer did you not get or interact much with the actors?

shrimptooth9 karma

I spent A LOT of time with all the actors including Vince. We were up in Syracuse so it's not like people could just go home to their families. So we all just kind of hung out like a filmmaking summer camp. It was awesome.

He is insanely funny and very nice. He never wanted to go to his trailer, he just wanted to hang out and talk and make the scenes funnier. His work ethic is shocking and everything he did made the movie better. And it was just incredible getting to hear the stories about all his classics.

FotographicFrenchFry3 karma

That is so rad! Congrats!!! I guess the biggest question is for any advice. I live in Vegas, where you would think a lot of writing opportunities might generate, but not really.

Do you have any advice for someone trying to break into television writing living somewhere that isn't necessarily a hub of the industry?

shrimptooth4 karma

I think now more than ever people are realizing you don't necessarily need to be in Los Angeles to do the job. All the meetings/writer's rooms have gone virtual. I think if you have a good writing sample and keep pushing than you can pretty much do the job from anywhere. Especially Vegas which is close enough that you could be here quickly if you really needed to be.

gwaccount882 karma

How does such a basic, unoriginal, crappy plot get bought by a major company?

You stole the premise of The Purge, correct? And you never once thought, "Wait, people break the drinking and drug laws every single day. This is a stupid idea"

So you stole an idea, applied zero real world common sense, and got Hulu to buy it.

shrimptooth6 karma

Guess I’m the smart one then! Tricked em!

stansteamer2 karma

Was Vince ad-libbing any of these scenes?

The movie was about ten times better than I expected (and I figured it would be fun). I now think it will be a comedy classic. Vince's timing was really top notch.

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you! He did a bunch of ad-libbing but we would sit together before the scenes and he would work out the scene and do most of the improv there. Some of the Fanta stuff just came out randomly and was so funny.

FrakkinPhoenix2 karma

What is your favorite meal?

shrimptooth11 karma

Chicken Riggies!

beccaroux2 karma

Just watched The Binge yesterday and loved it. Great chemistry with the cast, and a great story line. Why was it set in 2032? Just wondering, thought it was a pretty random year to choose.

shrimptooth5 karma

Thanks so much!

We just wanted to make it in the future but we didn't have the budget to go so far in the future that we'd need all new cars/phones/technology so we settled on 2032!

DexRCinHD2 karma

Congratulations! Has this opportunity enabled you to do this as a job now? We all know the movie stars get stupid amounts of money, but from reading around it would seem like you would need to sell lots and lots of scripts to make a good wage.

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you! Luckily I have been writing for TV since about 2016. So I have been able to make a living from comedy writing for the last few years. Hopefully I will be able to continue but you never know when it can all just go away! I'm certainly not buying any mansions or Ferraris just yet!

tophusurvivor2 karma

Do you write sober?

shrimptooth8 karma

Yeah! Sometimes I'll have a Bud Light Seltzer or three. But mostly sober.

itsthebrownbear2 karma

Hey! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers to make it within the industry? Like how can we get our foot in the door if we don’t live in LA?

shrimptooth7 karma

I think twitter and reddit are incredible ways to meet writers and people in the industry. While I did move to LA in 2010 I didn't know a single person here in the industry. All my connections I made through tweeting and posting scripts on the internet.

AlongCameSuperAnon2 karma

Super fun movie to watch! My favorite part is the breakout musical number after being referenced as an urban legend side effect of drugs and alcohol.

When it comes to writing a song and dance number, is that something that you have experience with? Or did you need to consult with song writers for?

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you!

I had no experience with any musical numbers. Jeremy the director did one for his movie The Wedding Ringer. We wrote the lyrics together then brought those to Matt Bowen and Chris Lennertz, two musical geniuses, who added lyrics, added a tune and made it actually good and catchy.

paradoxofchoice2 karma

How do you pay your bills? Before writing and now? Do you make money only if it gets made?

shrimptooth5 karma

I worked as an editor for 7 years before getting a job writing for TV in 2016 and I’ve been doing that ever since. You initially get paid for the script and then usually get some more if it gets made.

FredTingle2 karma

This is awesome and just what I needed to read at the minute. How did you get to a point where you could churn out a script inside of a weekend? Is it just a case of not being too precious about the content and focusing on getting a first draft out, and enjoying it along the way as much as you can? After a few weeks of struggling with different writing projects I watched Tenet in cinemas today and thought 'man, this movie is so much fun. Maybe I just need to not be so serious with what I write.'

shrimptooth3 karma

That’s exactly it! I knew no matter what I would release the script in 3 days so I was never precious and also had the excuse “well I wrote it in a weekend!” So I was never judged too hard!

FredTingle2 karma

That's awesome dude. Started a fresh one in this hour since I posted. Looking forward to seeing how far I get! Congratulations on your successes, looking forward to following your work!

shrimptooth2 karma

Thank you!!

deedubfry2 karma

Dude... my wife and I just finished the movie and holy shit we’re dying! How hard is it to get into the mindset to write this purely absurd rapid-fire dialog?

shrimptooth2 karma

Thank you!!! Writing dialogue is really the only thing I truly enjoy. So it’s fun for me. It’s all the plot stuff that is hard!

TheJimiBones2 karma

Watched it last night. It was really funny. How close was the final product to what you wrote?

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you!! It changed so much from my original draft as I think it always does. The studio has notes, the actors have notes, the producer and director all have notes. But the good thing about this process is I was able to write all the changes and the script was never passed to anyone else.

starwars_and_guns2 karma

I LOVE this movie, and I love those goofy teens that all play in movies together (Eduardo Franco, Skyler Gisondo, etc). I loved the worldbuilding you put into the background of the film, and all the fun details.

So the big question: what's next?

shrimptooth2 karma

Thank you!! I am writing on Animaniacs that will premiere in November and I sold a movie to Netflix called Cocaine Hippos! Hopefully that will be next if we can ever film a movie again!

J3lander2 karma

How did you enjoy shooting in Syracuse? As a local, I’m so psyched that Central NY is gaining so much traction in the film industry!

shrimptooth3 karma

I loved it so much. I’m from Long Island so I had been upstate a bunch. But everyone in Syracuse was so awesome and supportive. And the chicken riggies! I hope to be back soon!

general_reddit_user2 karma

What did all the stars do in Syracuse while filming it? Where did they stay? I assume you took them to Wegmans?

shrimptooth3 karma

We went to Destiny Mall constantly. Went bowling. Went to the Retreat in Liverpool. The director and I ate at Wegmans almost every day. I just bought him an I <3 Wegmans shirt.

CornCobMcGee2 karma

Syracuse local, here. What was your favorite part of the area while filming, and did you get a chance to try any of the local cuisine?

shrimptooth4 karma

I ate chicken riggies at the Retreat almost every night. I spent a majority of my time in Liverpool and loved it there. Also spent a weekend in Cazenovia and that was awesome.

emperorgenghiskhan2 karma

[removed]

shrimptooth13 karma

One shot at Hulu! I would love to work with them again because they are awesome but I had recently sold another script to Netflix. I'll go anywhere people will have me!

Nerd-Arsenal-Panic2 karma

I hope somebody hasn’t asked this already and if so I apologize. So the premise as well as the title have to be inspired by The Purge series(and if I am wrong please let me know). My question is what aspects of that movie or that concept inspired you to write the script for The Binge?

shrimptooth4 karma

I had never seen the Purge when I wrote the Binge. I just knew the premise and saw the trailer. It looked awesome and just way darker than anything I'd ever write so I just thought about a way to make a light hearted version. Plus I figured they could do a Binge/Purge double feature one day.

Nerd-Arsenal-Panic2 karma

Right on! I haven’t seen your movie yet but since it is front and center on the Hulu main page and you were cool enough to answer my question(not to mention be the first AMA I have ever participated in so thank you for popping my cherry) I will give your flick a watch. Thanks and have a great day.

shrimptooth2 karma

Glad to be your first!

Kgallen19792 karma

Just watched - hilarious!!! Enjoyed it very much :) How much of this was inspired by the Purge?

shrimptooth4 karma

Thanks so much! Not too much just the initial premise of a "one day a year all things are legal." When I wrote the Binge I had only seen the Purge trailer.

jomunjie10102 karma

Holy fucking hell i am dying here. Got to Dom arguing with his manager about not giving a shit about family and can’t stop laughing already. Cant wait to finish reading this.

This is also the first script I’ve ever read and while I’ve tried writing before, I have no idea where to start on formatting scripts.

How did you learn to put these in the right format and if there is a software that helps, which do you enjoy the most?

Thanks for sharing! Happy to have discovered you. I’ll watch your movie tonight. Added it to my watch list last night but settled in The Art Of Self Defense. But your next!!

shrimptooth5 karma

Thank you!! Fast Nein is definitely my favorite Weekend Script.

Best way to learn how to format is to just read scripts. Fast Nein is formatted the right way I think, you can steal that! And yeah the software does A LOT of the work for you. I use Final Draft but CELTX is free and just as good.

Thanks for intending to watch!

MultiGamerClub2 karma

Whoa.. Saw one movie trailer and it looks fucking sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet

How'd you get to the idea of writing the script for the movie?

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you!!!

Honestly I came up with the title first and worked backwards! I'm sure my film professors would love to hear that!

Treebs2 karma

Jordan, let me ask you, do I have a bald patch right here on my head?

shrimptooth3 karma

Let me answer your question with another question, am I bald from the crown of my head to my neck?

Red-muff2 karma

Did you the lady in subway that ordered spaghetti inspire you with this movie in anyway at all?

shrimptooth2 karma

Check the special thanks at the end of the credits for your answer!

n815e2 karma

How many hats do you own?

shrimptooth2 karma

11

ChiefQuinby1 karma

I have a cartoon id like to pitch how do i find a good literary agent?

shrimptooth3 karma

I know people always say not to do it but I had a lot of early success just cold-emailing managers and agents. I signed up for IMDB PRO and went to creators I respected and was a fan of and I checked their reps. Then I would email them with my logline. 99% of the time you never hear back but sometimes you can get lucky!

DrRedditMemes1 karma

I just saw this yesterday! What do you plan on working on in the future?

shrimptooth2 karma

Awesome! I am working on a movie for Netflix called Cocaine Hippos and writing on the reboot of Animaniacs! And maybe if Binge gets enough views, BINGE 2?! Who knows!

DrRedditMemes1 karma

Nice! Keep up the good work man!

shrimptooth2 karma

Thank you!

ProgrammerRookie1 karma

We’re you writing for Animaniacs before this movie, or did this movie open up the opportunity? I just have no idea how to even break into this industry and start meeting like-minded people.

shrimptooth1 karma

I was writing for Animaniacs before and then luckily my boss who is very cool let me leave for a few months to make the movie. In most cases that would never be allowed.

Imafilthybastard1 karma

Is there somewhere I can easily read about how to write properly formatted scripts? Would love to start writing some of my own.

shrimptooth1 karma

I found this on John August's page https://johnaugust.com/2003/script-formatting, he runs a great script-writing podcast called SCRIPTNOTES.

His advice is basically just read a finished script and copy it! That's what I did. The first one I ever read was Clerks and always remembered the way it was formatted. And for the most part, the program does a lot of the work for you!

ClipClopHands1 karma

Anything in production soon?

shrimptooth7 karma

I sold a movie "COCAINE HIPPOS" to Netflix. But no idea when will be able to shoot that because of Covid.

Also I am writing on the Animaniacs reboot that will be out in November!

ClipClopHands2 karma

Congrats! Loved The Binge , I binge watched it!

shrimptooth3 karma

Thank you! Might as well watch it again. Why not?!

YoMrPoPo1 karma

Will there be a sequel?

shrimptooth1 karma

I hope so! If enough people watch!

MrBragg1 karma

Was it a tough decision casting Skyler Gisondo over rising star, and America's sweetheart Joey Bragg?

shrimptooth1 karma

One of the single hardest decisions of my life.

CurlSagan1 karma

Did you draw any inspiration from the ancient Romans who apparently used to have a single day when hallucinogens were legal and widely administered?

I heard about this from author Michael Pollan, who wrote a book about psychedelics.

shrimptooth3 karma

I wish I could say that I did because that's sounds awesome. I will have to read about that. Maybe we can do a prequel!

emperorgenghiskhan1 karma

Were you inspired by The Purge? On the one day a year part.

shrimptooth15 karma

Yeah! I had never seen The Purge when I wrote the script but I saw the trailer and knew the concept. Seemed like it was ripe for a comedy take on it. Some people disagree!