Now I get it. lol. Thank you very much.

~Zack~

Yes orphans are generally a single word that drops onto the line below in a script.

If there's a load, especially in a feature, they could, in theory, increase your page count... BUT

My scripts have been read by over a hundred producers and none of them have ever mentioned orphans.

My feeling is that a producer will like your script or not, the page count/duration will change once they start giving notes anyway.

Orphans - shmorphans

Yes, they MIGHT (only might) be a sign that your choice of words and sentence construction is not as tight as humanly possible...but no actor, director or producer has ever stopped a table read, or a shoot to say "We've got a problem here...there's an orphan on page 7".

Oh, those poor, lonely, little red headed orphans.

Listen, here's the deal...and I do mean this completely seriously.

When I first started writing, I would reread what I had written over and over (and I had no clue what an actual orphan was).  At one point, I had a 138 page script and I knew it was too long, was overwritten, and I needed to do something about it.

I started to see and realize how "space" was taken up on the page and how I could very easily shorten my script, without removing anything...other than verbose or wasted words.

I did this for days...maybe weeks, and all of a sudden, I had a 115 page script, which is exactly what I was after.

Now, it's so simple for me, as literally ANYTIME a word or 2...or even 3, fall into a new line, I examine the passage, and see if there are wasted words I can get rid of to save a line.

We have approximately 55 lines per page, and that includes blank lines.  So think about this.  If you have 2 orphans per page and a 100 page script, in reality, you have wasted 4+ pages.

In writing a short with a page constraint, given the time and understanding, you can so easily shave off excess lines so you can get down what you want ot, and still come in under the max.

IMO, an orphan per 8-10 pages or so, is fine in a feature.  In a short, it all depends.

I think an orphan is fine if the sentence is tight.  Sometimes, an idea takes so many words.

What I focus on is the premise that:

A story (novel) is an orgy of words.  In other words, you start off with a few words and you WANT to fill up pages because most writers get paid by the word.  So, a new writer can write a 400-page book and it MIGHT sell.

However, a screenplay is a duel of words.  Meaning that each word has to justify its place in the script.  If you can write one word that can replace even 2 words, you should.  No screenwriter, not even the top in the field can submit a 300-page script (as 1 movie) and expect it to sell as is.  I don't think they could submit a 250 or even 200-page script.  

So remember, each word means that another word down the line might have to be cut.  

Just like Jeff said:  His 138-page script was too long.  The standard is 1 page = 1 min.  Action scripts might be shorter because action pieces take longer with establishing shots and a bunch of other props to set up each shot.  And talking pieces (for ex. sitcoms) can be a bit longer  because dialog goes quicker than action.  

Hope that helps.

Dan

Quoted from AnthonyCawood ... Orphans - shmorphans

I like it  

Generally to me it doesn't matter, but I guess for a feature script as Jeff has mentioned it would shave off a few pages.  For a short script, who cares...