Because familiarity with the basics of craftsmanship is already half of success, we’ve created this no-nonsense guide to how to write a screenplay to help you learn the basics of screenwriting faster. This set of simple but important script rules won’t tell you what to do to become successful. They won’t make you a better storyteller or catapult you into the movie industry.
To practice or complete test papers, contact the services of professional writers, you can buy assignment online always at a convenient time.
However, they will certainly make your script (see example via Reddit) more professional, dense, and easy to read–the happier the script reader, the more likely you are to get a coveted review or recommendation.
Once you’ve mastered these simple rules, try implementing them in your first or next script.
Use these simple rules, and you’ll be ahead of 95% of other scripts and their authors.
There are quite a few rules, and they all sometimes get confusing in your head, so we’ll go with you in order
What is a script?
In simple terms, a script is a 90-120 page document written in Courier New font size 12. Why exactly with it? Well, that’s because with this font (assuming, of course, you write everything more or less sane), each formatted page of the script will correspond to 1 minute of screen time.
That’s why the average number of pages in a script should be between 90 and 120 pages. Comedies tend to be short (90 pages or an hour and a half) and dramas last longer (120 pages or two hours).
A screenplay can be an original work, or it can be based on real events or on a previously written work, such as a novel, a theater play, or a newspaper article. In essence, a screenplay is a blueprint for the film it will someday become.
The professionals on the set, including the producer, director, designer, and actors, transform the writer’s vision with their individual talents. Because making a film is ultimately a collaborative art, the screenwriter must be clear about each person’s role.
For example, it is important to remember that a film is first and foremost a visual presentation of information. As a screenwriter, you must show the story, not tell it. A 2-page internal monologue may be fine for a novel, but it is disastrous for a screenplay. The very nature of screenwriting is based on how to show the story on the screen, and key moments can be conveyed through the facial expressions of the actor, for example.
Let’s look at what the structure of a screenplay looks like.
The first page of the script
Although script formatting software like Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, Movie Outline or Montage frees you from having to learn fine margins and indentation, it’s still good to have an idea of common spacing standards.
- All text is left-aligned (except dialogs and the title page). Page margins are also adjusted to the typewriter format: Top -2.5 cm; Bottom – 1.25 cm; Left – 3.75 cm; Right – 2.5 cm. The entire document must be single spaced.
- Note: The first page should never be numbered. Subsequent page numbers appear in the upper right corner, 2.5 cm from the top of the page, aligned to the right.
Don’t clutter the title page with unnecessary information
All your cover page needs is the title of the script and who wrote it.
Script Elements
Below is a list of elements (with definitions) that should be in a script, as well as indents. Again, the scripting software automatically formats all of these elements, but the writer must understand the definitions to know when to use them.
Write every day
Readers are the people you need to believe in your vision. They are investors and production people whom you must turn into patrons and partners. You need to hook them with a reading that easily penetrates their imagination. Convert them, and your film will be made.
But moviegoers don’t read scripts-they watch movies. Your mixture must also materialize on the screen. You need to perform quite a bit of magic: the written word turns into an audiovisual performance. So put on your wizard’s hat and learn as many tricks as you can.
This applies not only to scripts, but to any writing. Completed work is an elusive animal living inside you that doesn’t want to be captured. It comes from that place inside you that doesn’t like the light of day. Think of it as a no-kill hunt: to hunt your prey, you can’t lose track of it. Be sure to let it sweat for at least one hour out of every 24. Embrace this reality before you learn about the scenarios in the first place.
It’s not a book, it’s an instruction manual
- One of the biggest mistakes screenwriters make is over-explaining. The fear is that if every thought, every action, every moment is not described in great detail, the reader will not “get it.” But this is all wrong. The art of filmmaking is in the finale. The script should only explain what you NEED to see and hear on the screen.
- For example, you can’t “see” a character’s thoughts, so you shouldn’t explain them on the page. And when you describe a scene, don’t go crazy.
- A prose book has to use words to point us to a place, but a movie doesn’t.
- Give the production a place to make its own appearance, and spare the eyes of the poor reader. This does not mean, however, that you are missing important things. Speak these words clearly and concisely.
- Remember – just because you’ve written it doesn’t mean you’re directing it. Always write as if someone else knows how to make a movie, just from your script. It’s really not just your own work of art, but a set of instructions.
Author: Rosa Bennett
