Typically, how long (minutes) is 40 pages of a script?  I feel like i am flying through scenes like crazy! Let me know.  Thanks!

Stephanie,

I think this question is a hard one to answer and it deserves some time on the board.

If an action scene is written, ... How do we really know how long a director is going to spend with it? We, as a writer might have an idea of course. If it bears any weight at all it might be several minutes on the screen. But it doesn't have to be that way. We all know that.

Re-writes could happen that prolong the scene in a broken kind of fashion. So maybe the time for that shot is expanded, but the original shot is shortened.

All kinds of things can happen when a script is going through its phases of evolution. Unless we writers work directly in the practical industry, we might be more than a little "screwed up" with our pacing.

My question is:

When a writer writes a script...

How many typical evolutions might they expect before it is ready for production?

Sandra

Steph,

Usually the consensus is that 1 page equals 1 minute of screentime. However, you should see this as an average for the script. Two pages of dialogue may only take 20-30 seconds on screen whereas half a page of action may take 4 minutes on screen.

Rob

This might help.  From my blog...

http://theworkingscreenwriter.blogspot.com/2007/03/does-one-page-really-one-minute.html

Thank you TWC,

This is good for people to assimilate as they work. Also, considering reaction time for some shots.

Sandra