All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
It's all a winnowing process. They have to have a way to downsize the tremendous amount of scripts. Rules give us hoops to jump through. Become a CEO - follow the rules. Become a songwriter - follow the rules. And maybe after all those rules are complied with you be a produced scriptwriter. Famous. Wealthy.
It's all a winnowing process. They have to have a way to downsize the tremendous amount of scripts. Rules give us hoops to jump through. Become a CEO - follow the rules. Become a songwriter - follow the rules. And maybe after all those rules are complied with you be a produced scriptwriter. Famous. Wealthy.
Whoa! Where did that come from?
Gary
You make a good point, Gary.
I'm sure there's a lot of dross those guys have to read. Disregarding something without even the smallest of reads is a little silly, though! Having said that, I think luck and fate govern to a degree with these things. I am sure perseverance is the key tool for a writer in learning the craft, perfecting and then selling the fruits of the hard work.
The average feature screenplay, traditionally, is between 95 and 125 pages long. In Hollywood these days scripts generally don't run longer than 114 pages. Comedy scripts are typically shorter, dramas longer. There are, naturally, variations. You could be writing an action-packed film where your description takes only 10 seconds to read, but will take 45 seconds of film time. Here's an example:
"Cpl. Owens sheds his pack and picks up the machine gun. He runs from doorway to doorway, dodging enemy fire while shooting back, until he reaches the church bell tower." Writing Tip: If you had a script full of scenes like this, you could come up with a short script in total pages... but that doesn't mean when it is filmed it would be short. By the same token, another writer could write the same scene and have it take up half a page. It just depends on the writing style of the individual writer.
125 page scripts are considered on the long side for a screenplay. Length is a very important component of the script. When you turn in a script to a producer, the very first thing s/he will do is fan through the pages and look at the last page to see how long it is. It doesn't matter if you've written the most incredible screenplay ever, if it's too long they may refuse to read it.
The Industry's aversion to long scripts is due to economic considerations. Films under two hours mean more showings per day in a theater, which means more revenue for the exhibitor, distributor, filmmaker, and possibly even you, the screenwriter.
When you realize your script is long and have to start cutting your work, keep in mind that if a scene can be removed and the story continues to work, that scene wasn't necessary. EVERY SCENE should not only move the story along to its conclusion; it should be an integral part of the path to the climax.
Software like Final Draft has made screenplays longer. The always uniform spacing between elements and a constant top and bottom margin has added page count.
There used to this big fear about going over 120 pages but that's not true anymore. You see lots of scripts that run into the 140s that aren't epics.
Some of these guidelines should be taken more seriously than others. The ones regarding dialog and the first ten pages should be considered rules to live by. The ones colorful covers and page length...not so much. Still, wouldn't you say that this list is something to keep in mind?
As to the guy with his insider's list of tricks that allows him not to read things this a quote from an actual reader:
"We do have to read everything that is submitted and determine which of the few merit a closer look by those in the position to make decisions about moving it on up the pipeline for potential acquisition and development. If we readers rave about a script in coverage, and the executive requesting the coverage agrees and also raves about it, this script will be passed on to the highest level exec or producer(s) in the company who have the ultimate say so on whether a property is acquired or not."
Here is a link to the interview if anyone is interested:
So, noodling around the site Lakewood suggested, I find this:
Quoted from Scott Myers
My point is this: you're lucky! With a couple of clicks of your computer's mouse, you can tap into a universe of screenplays -- for free! My favorite screenplay hosting website is SimplyScripts.com, but there are plenty others.
So the guy obviously knows his stuff, right? Always fun to find SS being discussed outside our own little corner of the internet. Here's the link to that particular page.
"Directing the script No camera angles. No songs. No soundtracks. No actors. WE PASS.
I don't get it... Aren't we supposed to NOT give directing suggestions unless it's actually critical for the reading of the script?... And if I don't have an actor in mind it should pass, too? Hmmm...
The deal here is to keep it simple as much as possible. If the direction is essential to telling the story, include it. If it can be told some oter way, then tell it another way.
In homebrewing circles, there's a phrase, 'hotside aeration.' In a nutshell, it refers to introducing oxygen to the unfermented beer while it's still very hot (you boil the ingredients to make beer). Doing so is bad for the finished beer, or so they say.
While there are many people who believe that hotside aeration is a problem, there is an equal number of people who believe that it is bullshit. In the end, there is no one who says that hotside aeration is good for the beer. For this reason, I avoid hotside aeration.
The same can be said for WE SEE and many of the other debatable things in script writing. While some people will say that it doesn't hurt a script, no one will say that this phrase will help a script. For this reason, it (and other debatable issues) should be avoided.
ANGLE ON the brewing process as we see the hotside aeration begin to happen.
Phil snatches a huge stirring paddle and attacks the frothy mixture.
PHIL (Almost hysterical) Down, damn you! Down! I'll NOT HAVE hotside aeration in MY brewing process!!
The link provided above about making sure not to have red flags in your script no matter how talented you seem to be, or think you are was an excellent piece! It makes such total simple sense. Why sabotage your work by leaving in the red flags and try to explain it away. It'll just hurt you in the long run.
Pages: 
Author
Script readers guidelines...
Logged
Locked Board