Screenwriting

The sub page has a comprehensive list of screenwriting terms.

Script Vs Screenplay

Writers can create a script for many mediums, while screenplays are only for motion pictures like movies, TV episodes and web shows. Scripts are applicable for stage plays, video games, speeches and books. A primary difference between a script and a screenplay is that a script can be for non-visual art. 

A screenplay takes into account the camera and will often include some camera elements such as direction or transition. However, this is not too common as the creative direction should be left for the director, not the screenplay writer, to decide.

This StudioBinder article goes into considerable depth regarding screenplays: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/screenplay-vs-script/ 

This page will mix articles regarding both script writing and screenplays.

Check out the other StudioBinder videos, which cover far more depth of screenwriting, such as midpoints, tropes, etc.

Script Writing: Where To Start

All Hollywood movie magic starts with a first draft and evolves into a screenplay fit for the big screen. Writing a film script for a feature film is a long and challenging process that requires a degree of technical know-how. With sufficient study, practice, and familiarity with the standard scriptwriting process, though, you can master the craft of screenwriting. 

1. Know what a script is

If this is your first time creating movie magic, you might be wondering what a script actually is. Well, it can be an original story, straight from your brain. Or it can be based on a true story, or something that someone else wrote – like a novel, theatre production, or newspaper article.

A movie script details all the parts – audio, visual, behaviour, dialogue – that you need to tell a visual story, in a movie or on TV. It’s usually a team effort, going through oodles of revisions and rewrites, not to mention being nipped ‘n’ tucked by directors, actors, and those in production jobs. But it’ll generally start with the hard work and brainpower of one person – in this case, you.

Because films and TV shows are audiovisual mediums, budding scriptwriters need to include all the audio (heard) and visual (seen) parts of a story. Your job is to translate pictures and sounds into words. Importantly, you need to show the audience what’s happening, not tell them. If you nail that, you'll be well on your way to taking your feature film to Hollywood.

2. Read some scripts

The first step to stellar screenwriting is to read some great scripts – as many as you can stomach. It’s an especially good idea to read some in the genre that your script is going to be in, so you can get the lay of the land. If you’re writing a comedy, try searching for ‘50 best comedy scripts’ and starting from there. Lots of scripts are available for free online. 

There is a link on Firefly to a series of Hollywood scripts under the Digital Media and Design subject page.

3. Create a Log Line

You’re likely to be pretty jazzed about writing your script after watching all those cinematic classics. But before you dive into writing the script, we’ve got a little more work to do.

First up, you need to write a ‘logline’. It’s got nothing to do with trees. Instead, it’s a tiny summary of your story – usually one sentence – that describes your protagonist (hero) and their goal, as well as your antagonist (villain) and their conflict. Your logline should set out the basic idea of your story and its general theme. It’s a chance to tell people what the story’s about, what style it’s in, and the feeling it creates for the viewer.

In the olden days, you would print your logline on the spine of your script. This was so producers could quickly glance at it and decide whether they wanted to read the whole script. A logline does the same thing, but you usually tell people in person or include it when you give them the treatment.

Here are some example loglines from famous movies

4. Expand the Log Line & Build a Treatment

Once your logline’s in the bag, it’s time to write your treatment. It’s a slightly beefier summary that includes your script’s title, the logline, a list of your main characters, and a mini synopsis. A treatment is a useful thing to show to producers – they might read it to decide whether they want to invest time in reading your entire script. Most importantly, your treatment needs to include your name and contact details.

Your synopsis should give a good picture of your story, including the important ‘beats’ (events) and plot twists. It should also introduce your characters and the general vibe of the story. Anyone who reads it (hopefully a hotshot producer) should learn enough that they start to feel a connection with your characters and want to see what happens to them.

This stage of the writing process is a chance to look at your entire story and get a feel for how it reads when it’s written down. You’ll probably see some parts that work, and some parts that need a little tweaking before you start writing the finer details of each scene.

5. Develop your characters

What’s the central question of your story? What’s it all about? Character development means taking your characters on a transformational journey so that they can answer this question. You might find it helpful to complete a character profile worksheet when you’re starting to flesh out your characters (you can find these for free online). Whoever your characters are, the most important thing is that your audience wants to get to know them, and can empathise with them. Even the villain!

6. Write your plot

By this point, you should have a pretty clear idea of what your story’s about. The next step is breaking the story down into all the small pieces and inciting incidents that make up the plot – which some people call a 'beat sheet'. There are lots of different ways to do this. Some people use flashcards. Some use a notebook. Others might use a digital tool, like Trello, Google Docs, Notion, etc.

It doesn’t really matter which tool you use. The most important thing is to divide the plot into scenes, then bulk out each scene with extra details – things like story beats (events that happen) and information about specific characters or plot points.

While it’s tempting to dive right into writing the script, it’s a good idea to spend a good portion of time sketching out the plot first. The more detail you can add here, the less time you’ll waste later. While you’re writing, remember that story is driven by tension – building it, then releasing it. This tension means your hero has to change in order to triumph against conflict.

7. Know the basics

Before you start cooking up the first draft of your script, it's good to know how to do the basics. Put simply, your script should be a printed document that's:

• 90-120 pages long

• Written in 12-point Courier font

Font fans might baulk at using Courier over their beloved Futura or Comic Sans. However, it’s a non-negotiable. The film industry’s love of Courier isn’t purely stylistic – it’s functional, too. One script page in 12-point Courier is roughly one minute of screen time.

That’s why the page count for an average screenplay should be between 90 and 120 pages, although it’s worth noting that this differs a bit by genre. Comedies are usually shorter (90 pages / 1.5 hours), while dramas can be a little longer (120 pages / 2 hours). A short film will be shorter still. Obviously.

8. Write the first page

Using script formatting programmes means you no longer need to know the industry standard when it comes to margins and indents. That said, it’s good to know how to set up your script in the right way. We have subscriptions to FinalDraft, but you can also use StudioBinder.

The entire document should be single-spaced

The first item on the first page should be the words ‘FADE IN:’

9. Formatting

There are key elements you need in your script/screenplay:

Scene heading

The scene heading is where you include a one-line description of the location and time of day of a scene. This is also called a ‘slugline’. It should always be in caps.

Example: ‘EXT. BAKERY - NIGHT’ tells you that the action happens outside the bakery during the nighttime.

Subheader

When you don’t need a new scene heading, but you need to make a distinction in the action, you can throw in a subheader. Go easy on them, though – Hollywood buffs frown on a script that’s packed with subheaders. One reason you might use them is to make a number of quick cuts between two locations. Here, you would write ‘INTERCUT’ and the scene locations.

Action

This is the narrative description of what’s happening in the scene, and it’s always written in the present tense. You can also call this direction, visual exposition, blackstuff, description, or scene direction. Remember to only include things that your audience can see or hear.

Character

When you introduce a character, you should capitalise their name in the action. For example: ‘The car speeds up and out steps GEORGIA, a muscular woman in her mid-fifties with nerves of steel.’

You should always write each character’s name in caps, and put it about their dialogue. You can include minor characters without names, like ‘BUTCHER’ or ‘LAWYER.’

Dialogue

Your dialogue is the lines that each character speaks. Use dialogue formatting whenever your audience can hear a character speaking, including off-screen speech or voiceovers.

Parenthetical

A long word with a simple meaning, a parenthetical is where you give a character direction that relates to their attitude or action – how they do something, or what they do. However, parentheticals have their roots in old school playwriting, and you should only use them when you absolutely need to.

Why? Because if you need a parenthetical to explain what’s going on, your script might just need a rewrite. Also, it’s the director’s job to tell an actor how to give a line – and they might not appreciate your abundance of parentheticals.

Extension

Placed after the character's name, in parentheses

This is a shortened technical note that you put after a character’s name to show how their voice will be heard onscreen. For example: if your character is speaking as a voiceover, it would appear as ‘DAVID (V.O.)’.

Transition

Transitions are film editing instructions that usually only appear in a shooting script. Things like:

CUT TO:

DISSOLVE TO:

SMASH CUT:

QUICK CUT:

FADE TO:

If you’re writing a spec script, you should steer clear of using a transition unless there’s no other way to describe what’s happening in the story. For example, you might use ‘DISSOLVE TO:’ to show that a large portion of time has passed.

Shot

A shot tells the reader that the focal point in a scene has changed. Again, it’s not something you should use very often as a spec screenwriter. It’s the director’s job! Some examples:

ANGLE ON --

EXTREME CLOSE UP --

PAN TO --

DAVE’S POV --

10. Spec script vs. shooting script

A ‘spec script’ is another way of saying ‘speculative screenplay.’ It’s a script that you’re writing in hopes of selling it to someone. The film world is a wildly competitive marketplace, which is why you need to stick to the scriptwriting rules that we talk about in this post. You don’t want to annoy Spielberg and co.

Once someone buys your script, it’s now a ‘shooting script’ or a ‘production script.’ This version of your script is written specifically to produce a film. Because of that, it’ll include lots more technical instructions: editing notes, shots, cuts, and more. These instructions help the production assistants and director to work out which scenes to shoot in which order, making the best use of resources like the stage, cast, and location.

Don’t include any elements from a shooting script in your spec script, like camera angles or editing transitions. It’s tempting to do this – naturally, you have opinions about how the story should look – but it’s a strict no-no. If you want to have your way with that stuff, then try the independent filmmaker route. If you want to sell your script, stick to the rules.

11. Make a plan

When you’re approaching a chunky project, it’s always good to set a deadline so you’ve got a clear goal to reach. You probably want to allow 8-12 weeks for writing a film script – this is the amount of time that the industry would usually give a writer to work on a script. Be sure to put the deadline somewhere you’ll see it: on your calendar, or your phone, or tattooed on your hand. You should also tell a few friends about your goal so that they pester you and hold you accountable.

For your first draft, concentrate on getting words on the page. Don’t be too critical – just write whatever comes into your head, and follow your outline. If you can crank out 1-2 pages per day, you’ll have your first draft within two or three months. Easy!

Some people find it helpful to write at the same time each day. Some people write first thing. Some people write late at night. Some people have no routine whatsoever. Some people need to turn off their phone and the internet to be able to concentrate. Find a routine (or lack thereof) that works for you, and stick to it. You got this.

12. Share with a friend

As you work towards a final version of your script, you might want to share it with some people to get their feedback. Friends and family members are a good first port of call, or other writers if you know any. Ask them to give feedback on any parts you’re concerned about, and see if there’s anything that didn’t make sense to them.

13. Write final draft

After you’ve made notes and gathered feedback, it’s time to climb back into the weeds and work towards your final draft. Keep making edits until you’re happy. If you need to make changes to the story or characters, do those first as they might help fix larger problems in the script.

Create each new draft in a new document so you can transfer parts you like from old scripts into the new one. Drill into the details, but don’t get so bogged down in small things that you can’t finish a draft. And, before you start sharing it with the world, be sure to do a serious spelling and grammar check using a tool like Grammarly.

The Treatment

The treatment is a detailed description of your logline.

StudioBinder has further details: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-film-treatment-definition/ 

Top 10 Script Tips

1. Finish your script.

This is so important. So many people spend years tinkering over one idea and never move on. The more work you complete, (no matter how toe-curlingly bad) and move on, the better you’ll be.

2. Read along as you watch.

Choose your favourite TV show or film. Get a copy of the script and a grab-bag size of your favourite crisps, and read the script as you watch. It’s a great way to decipher what the writer intended and what the director bought to the piece.

3. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

Run out of ideas? Listen to a piece of music, put a random name into a search engine and see what images come up. Pick a story from The Metro, and use these as starting points for a character, a scene, a story. And let your imagination go.

4. Make sure your characters want something.

From your protagonist, to the waitress in the café serving tea. When you know what your characters want, your next job is to make it hard for them to get it.

5. Show. Don’t tell.

Whatever a character wants or feels, it’s always more interesting to learn this through their actions, as opposed to dialogue.

6. Write to your strengths.

If you’re naturally funny – then bring that into your work. If you’re not a fan of research then don’t start with something that requires 10 years in the British Library.

7. Starting out - write about what you know

Work. Family. Childhood. Or things that get you excited. Things that make you so mad you want to throw bricks. Write the script instead.

8. Free your characters from cliché

Worried you’re writing a clichéd character? Characters we may have seen before? Then switch an element of that character around. Change their sex, age, class, occupation. This can often turn a cliché on its head and lead us to something interesting.

9. Make mistakes, and learn from them.

‘Writer’s block’ is mostly ‘writer's fear’. The fear of getting it wrong. That nobody will like it. The idea that any writer sits down at their laptop one morning, and by 5pm they have a hit on their hands is nonsense (or luck).

10. Less is more.

My top tip for scenes… ‘start late, and get out early’. Scenes don't need to be fully-realised stories - don't worry about describing how we got here, just get on with it!