Is that Hollywood Calling? - Part 2 - The Basics

When you want to write a book what’s the first thing you’re told by other writers? Read, read, read. Well, the same is true for writing a movie. Except you need to read scripts. Lots of them. And watch movies. Then watch the movies while reading the script. I’ve been doing this for years. Even before I decided to write scripts. I just always thought it was cool to see what actually made it into the movie and how the script changed. But one caveat. That old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” applies here. Screenplays come in a variety of versions. The first draft, the second draft, the shooting script among others. Know which one you have before reading it. Especially if you’re reading it for formatting. Shooting scripts will have camera angles, scene numbers and other things the director needs to know. Your script should NOT have those. Unless it is absolutely essential to indicate a close up or a camera angle keep them out of your script.

More on formatting. When you write a book it’s pretty straight forward. And you’re constantly being told that as long as you tell a good story it doesn’t matter if you have 1 inch margins or 1.25 inch margins. It won’t matter if it’s in Times New Roman or Courier. The message on most of the writing loops (for novels) is if you write a good story the editor will over look those things. Not so in Hollywood. Formatting is essential. That’s why, before you sit in front of that computer and type FADE IN: you should read as many scripts as you can. In the genre you want to write. There’s a reason for the 1.25 inch margin on the left side. There’s a reason slug lines are capitalized. A script page does not look like a manuscript page. Know how to format your script at the very least before you send it anywhere. Also note from the examples that scripts are written in present tense. While books are usually past tense.

Okay, folks. Let’s talk about length. Size matters. Even when it comes to screenplays. Now, books generally come in around 400 pages for a 100,000 word book. For screenplays the general rule of thumb is 85-120 pages. But you have a fantastic 300 page script you say? Like almost any rule in writing this one can be broken - once you’ve established yourself. That means having writing credits (screenwriting writing credits) or production credits under your belt. If you don’t have the credits and you send in that 300 page script, even if it’s formatted properly, it will most likely be introduced to the trash can before anyone gets past your cover page.

That’s enough of the basics. Part three will cover Show Don’t Tell and the five senses. For screenwriting they’re the same, but different.

Until next time…

Cindy