Start with an image, something visual, that will set the
tone for your entire script. If it's a comedy, make it funny, quirky or
strange. If it's a drama, make it striking or memorable.
Make sure your main characters are introduced, and the direction
of the story is established, by Page 10.
Make sure to hit all your turning points.
| First Act |
Pg 25-35 |
| Second Act |
Pg 75-85 |
| Climax |
Pg 110-115 |
| Resolution |
5 pages from the end |
The above insures that your script
feels the right length, and that
any one act isn't too bloated or too lean. Remember, each turning point
is a pivotal moment, a decision-time, which changes everything.
Make sure your script never exceeds 120 pages, but the closer
to 110 the better. Readers always check the length before they start
reading.
To make your script a fast read, never end the line with a
period. Always end it mid-sentence so the reader's eyes quickly drop-down
to see what comes next.
Try using bullet sentences, especially in action scripts.
"He stops. Turns." is far more dramatic than, "He stops and turns."
Make sure every character has an arc, so you can actually
see him change throughout the story.
Story-lines should have this same arc, so that you can truly
map-out the progress being made. The first act should be very different
from the second, and they should both be uniquely different from the third.
Include three-to-five subplots, which will eventually intersect
and change the main story. Have just enough to keep it interesting, but
not enough to bog it down.
Keep your script as lean and mean as you can make it. Cut
every extraneous word that will slow a reader down.
Use very few parentheses in your dialogue, and make sure that
each one contains only a word or two. If there are more than that, move
them down to become their own autonomous line of description.
Avoid using information that will not be visible on-screen,
like what a character is thinking or feeling. Remember, the audience is
not omnipotent.
Remember to use silences. They work wonderfully!
Make sure you have only one hero--never two--and that he/she
is the one driving the story forward. This is the protagonist who outshines
all others, the one the audience will root for the most.
Don't use scene numbers, or "CONTINUED" at the top or bottom
of the page. That's now passé.
Don't put the completion date on the front of your script.
It's no longer necessary in the US, and only "dates" the work.
Use only two #5 brass brads in your script--in the top and
bottom holes--even though there are three holes in script paper. Using three
brads, or using the wrong-sized brads, will most definitely count against
you.
Copyright your work with theLibrary
of Congress Copyright Office using a Form PA. Do not simply send it
to the Writer's Guild. They provide very limited and incomplete protection!
