Reality Skewed...
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Articles
Okay, you're determined to be the best screenwriter you can be and nothing will dissuade you. How do you go about it?
There are very few rules and lots of Rules. The first kind of rules are the more approachable technical specifics that all screenplays need to follow to be considered "proper." Most of these are agreed upon by all practitioners in the industry. The other kind of Rules are the more suspect "requirements" that different screenwriting gurus say are stylistic musts to be included in what they tout as necessities for screenwriting. There are nearly as many of these as there are books, classes and seminars for screenwriting given by these gurus. This is not to say that they are worthless, but, they should be approached with a critical, suspect eye.
Nearly all the technical rules are there specifically to level the playing field so that all scripts can be judged against each other quickly. Since there are thousands of scripts out there at any one time and each producer can only assess a small number of them in trying to find their next big success, the technical rules are simple constructs to determine the amount of time that each script will be given before they are evaluated on their actual quality.
The more chances you give a reader to quickly eliminate your script the harder it will be to get read. Yes, scripts written in longhand that were three hours long have been sold, but, not by you or anyone like you. Don't give them a reason not to read your script.
Just what are these common technical rules? There are a small number that are set in stone that haven't changed in decades and others that are the current leanings toward particular tastes. Since things are always changing in the industry even those set in stone could eventually change.
All good screenwriting books, no matter their other content, will have a list of the most important screenwriting technical rules to follow. These include the spacing and layout of the flow of dialog and action sections and the like. Although any text editor can produce an acceptable screenplay with the correct format if you are fully aware of these rules, it is much easier to buy a screenwriting specific software program so you won't have to count lines or spaces or set tabs or any of the other esoterica. Let the software handle the text details and have more time to spend on creative writing. After all you are planning to do this for years to come, aren't you? Why not invest to make your life easier?
| At the moment the solid technical requirements are: |
|---|
| Courier font, 10 point size |
| A two hour screenplay will run 120 pages |
| The paper must be three-hole punched |
| It must be held together with brass brads (Two or three seems a current toss up) |
| It must have a hard card stock cover and backing |
| Reader's scripts should not contain scene numbers (that's for production scripts) |
| There should be no spelling or grammatical errors of any kind | The current tendencies of taste for other rules seem to be: |
| The card stock cover should be blank and a solid, unobtrusive color. |
| The current expectation of producers seems to be single sided pages although more contests are allowing double sided print for their entries, so this expectation may change. |
| The current tendency is away from the use of CONT'D and MORE at head and tail of pages. |
By using the default settings of most current screenwriting software nearly all of these rules will be handled properly. If some of these rules seem arbitrary there are actual reasons behind most of their origins.
For example, the Courier font is a fixed width font and the use of it results in approximately a one-minute-a-page production rate. That way a producer can have a quick estimate of the length of the finished product. Changing the font to squeeze onto 120 pages would do a disservice to this assumption and not serve the purposes. By choosing another font you make the producer's job that much more difficult and gives them a reason to toss your script off of the pile quickly without reading it. Since your script is in competition with so many others there really is a disincentive to vary your work from what the industry expects. Anything you can do to put off the producer making a quick decision about your script before you've had a chance to show off your talent is a step in the right direction.
What about those other "Rules?" There are nearly as many people trying to help screenwriters as there are people trying to be screenwriters. Each one seems to have their own perfect formula for just what it takes to write that killer script. They can easily overwhelm a writer still struggling to find a voice. There are so many of these gurus touting their systems that a new writer might think they are missing out by not following someone. It often leads to the balancing act of trying to make sure you are giving the reader what they expect weighed against raising your voice above the masses of others trying the exact same thing.
If you feel naked without knowing somebody's substantive rules, read at least three books by different authors and/or attend at least two different script workshop/lectures/salespitches by different hawkers. Get a feel for the variety of opinions about what makes a good script. And also note the diversity- even to the point of conflict- of opinion of what goes into a "good" script (including what you may glean out of this writing.)
Then forget ALL of those opinions and write what makes sense to you.
Be honest with your own evaluation of your work. If you stumble in an area and seem stuck THEN look to the opinions of others as possible guidance around the stumbling block. If it's working, don't fix it.
If you have an idea, write it. If the idea is a strong one it won't go away waiting to be written. Hold off on writing until you can't anymore. This will lead to a well developed concept that can't wait to get out on the page. Organize as well as possible to make the writing flow and avoid gaps that could lead to interruptions in the creative process. Use outlines, note cards, prose drafts, page one rewrites, whatever technique feels right and doesn't get in the way of getting the story out.
Focus on completing a script. The first forty pages doesn't have to be perfect especially at the expense of the rest of the story. Every script will be re-written. Most will be redone numerous times so don't fret with getting the details perfect until you have a complete draft. Finishing the first draft is a great achievement that should be celebrated. Then get back to work to make it better, deleting scenes that don't work, adding ideas that occurred to you when you read the complete draft. Fix the flow, character development, whatever is preventing you from feeling the story is complete, full and a story well worth reading.
And how should you evaluate what is on the page? For what should you strive?
If the old adage would be taken at face value you'd have to worry about the writers of those serial killer movies. The phrase truly means avoiding writing about made up characters in unnatural situations. We all share the human condition. There's a commonality shared that everyone can reference. The hard part for the writer is to expose those human qualities we are uncomfortable about recognizing about ourselves. Dig within yourself to the point you are embarrassed by what's on the page. Expose your humanity - it will make your characters more real.
Even when you pull your feelings through the page to make your characters truly human they need to be realistically reacting to the situations in which they find themselves in the story. Characters should be three-dimensional, real and believable. When you find yourself having mental arguments with your characters about what they will do or say in a scene then you know you are writing well. When the characters win the arguments, you've got a good script.
Especially in American mainstream cinema a strong plot is essential to a well received movie. That's not to say there isn't a place for character driven pieces, especially in independent film venues, to survive, but, it takes an effort of faith on the part of a producer to believe an unread script by an unknown writer will be worth the investment in time to discover the talent within. Typically, if the plot isn't cohesive and succinct enough to make a strong impression during the few minutes available to the writer during a pitch session then the likelihood of that script being read is greatly diminished.
A good plot will catch the attention of the audience and carry it with the story through to the conclusion without dropping their interests or overwhelming their comprehension. It will avoid pretense and cliché while remaining approachable and familiar. It will serve as an appropriate vehicle for the well crafted characters to ride to discover more about themselves as they evolve. And it does it all while comfortably fitting within a complete description of its essential elements in a one sentence log line for the busy executive to mull over and make an instant determination whether s/he will want to hear more.
This, of course, is impossible to achieve. But the closer you can get to developing a plot that comes close to some of these goals the better your chances will be of getting your script read by someone who will give it a chance. Once the reading starts then your script can stand on its own particular merits and the strength of its worth will carry it to production regardless of the derivations of plot from the mainstream expectations.
Remember always that your goal is to get your script read by someone who can make a difference with it. A strong, accessible plot makes that task a little easier, but, is not absolutely necessary. Know going in that the harder you make the initial decision making process for your potential reader the harder struggle you'll have in getting them to take the time to read your piece. Know that going in and your expectations will be set properly and your disappointments will be framed in proper perspective.
If your story has fully blossomed and everything has fallen in place don't let a non-standard plot stand in your way of getting the writing of it done. Get the best story down on paper that you can and make sure it is told as well as you can tell it, then move on to the next step.
NEXT SECTION: After you've written
