Screenwriter's Guide to Writing Screenplays

Written by Mike Fenward

Sunday, 13 December 2009 08:15

by MikeFenward

No matter how successful a movie might or might not be, it always started as a simple idea. Regardless of where it was inspired, ideas are the foundation of any movie, television show, or book ever made. If you've ever said, "I have a great movie idea," then you've got what it takes to write a screenplay. If you're serious about screenwriting, there are some things you must keep in mind.

Right out of the gate, you're going to want to get Final Draft. This is a computer program designed to create screenplays and it's absolutely essential to writing a good script. Not only does it format your screenplay properly and keep track of things like characters and locations, but it also removes a lot of the guesswork that goes into writing a screenplay by hand. You can do this with any word processor, but Final Draft is considered the industry standard. It's expensive, yes, but you're going to need it if you want to get serious about screenwriting properly. Pick it up as soon as you can and spend a lot of time with it. It will become your best friend.

When sitting down to flesh out your idea, you're going to want to start with a treatment. This is a very important step in the writing process. These are typically five to six pages long and detail the movie from start to finish. Some can run even longer, up to thirty pages or more. Treatments will let you see how your movie will progress and allow you to make changes to the basic story without having to re-write an entire script. It'll also give you an idea on movie length. Is it a feature or a short? You'll also have a chance to see all your characters, how they react, and how the story flows. Treatments typically do not contain dialogue, though you can add a few lines here and there to get a sense of how they meld with the story. Keep a treatment basic: don't add a lot of explosions or camera movements. Leave those for your actual script. What you're doing with a treatment is seeing if your idea is feasible and if it can make a good story.

Once you've got a treatment you're happy with, it's time to begin writing. Stick with your treatment's structure and try not to stray too far from it. Doing so will increase the chances of having a screenplay that makes no sense. This is also where you add dialogue. When writing this, try to make it seem natural. Don't force lines or make them too manufactured. Imagine how you would say the line, or how your character would say the line, and write it that way. This will help keep it believable. Get as creative as you want with the story, but try to keep in mind the budget this film would take to get produced. A lot of special effects or explosions or car chases are going to take a lot of money to do right. Most studios take that into consideration, so you're better off starting small and keeping the budget down. Keep in mind that a feature-length movie would be about ninety pages or so in length. Features are difficult to start with, so you might be better off starting with a short. Also, make sure you register this script with the Writer's Guild of America. For a small fee, your work will be protected. They'll assign you a WGA number, so be sure you include this on the cover page.

Now that you're done, read through your script from cover to cover and make sure you're happy with it. Make any changes you need to and get ready to send it to producers. Producers are responsible for getting your movie made, so they're the ones you want to deal with directly. More often than not, producers are going to be working with independent productions. If you did well enough, they might want to pick you up. If they do pick up your script, work with them to get your project completed. Make any necessary rewrites and be prepared to make changes. That being said, don't compromise your vision for the producer's. Stay on top of your script but don't become obsessed with it. If it's not selling, it's time to rewrite it or scrap it for something new.

Stay with it long enough and you just might have the next big blockbuster on your hands.

About the Author:

Looking for a job writing screenplays? Click Here to browse a current selection of the industry's best jobs. Writers with existing talent can get noticed by creating a Writer's Profile.