Always use Courier 12-point font!

Left Margin is 1.5 inches (appx.15 spaces)

From Left Margin justified left tabs:
Character name is appx. 25 spaces
Parenthetical is appx. 21 spaces
Dialogue is appx. 15 spaces

Dialogue should not run longer than 3.5 inches.

Use an unjustified 1.0 right margin.

1.0 inch top and bottom

Sluglines or Scene Headers.

Written in capitals and containing three pieces of information: (1) Where; (2) Exactly where, and (3) when. (2) and (3) are separated by a space, a dash, followed by another space.

(1) can be INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior); (2) is a short identification of the place; and (3) can be either DAY or NIGHT.

For example:

INT. DENISE?S PLACE - DAY

You can use more than one subject.

For example:

EXT. DENISE?S PLACE - TERRACE - DAY

or:

EXT. DENISE?S PLACE/TERRACE - DAY

You need a new slugline each time you change the place, and/or change the time.

Action, or Description

The screenplay?s visual elements, where we show what is taking place on the screen. Character descriptions, what they are doing, the places, and everything the audience will need to assimilate visually. And nothing else!

Try to create the experience of watching each scene, using only the information available to the movie-goer, in the order that he or she will be presented with it.

Lots of people like to ignore or make fun of the 3-act structure. Sure, it's been around for thousands of years, and since Syd Field's "Screenplay" book, it's pretty much been accepted that that's the way a script must be written.

But these poo-pooers tend to laugh at Syd Field, or claim that their screenplay doesn't HAVE to follow the 3-act structure, or maybe even that the 3-act structure is formulaic. Yes!, they say with great passion, the 3-act structure is a mere formula, and I'm an ARTIST, and an artist doesn't follow a formula...he writes from the heart!

If you want to sell a screenplay, you'd damn well better know your structure, whether you're writing a comedy, adventure, drama, or whatever story you're telling. If you fail to follow the 3-act structure, you'll end up with a script that languishes in your desk.

So what is the 3-act structure in a nutshell?

Assuming a script of 120 pages, pages 1-30 are your first act. They set up the story, meet the characters, establish the premise.

The First Turning Point happens somewhere around page 27, and it sends the script off into another direction, known as Act Two.

The second act is from pages 31-90 and this is where your main character (or protagonist) has a whole bunch of problems thrown their way.

The Midpoint occurs around page 57, and this is often a point at which the protagonist changes from reactive to proactive. He knew he had problems...now he's going to move toward a solution.

The Second Turning Point occurs around page 87, and once again sends the script into another direction...hurtling into the Third Act, toward the climax.

The third act is from pages 91-120 and features the final confrontation of protagonist and antagonist. The climax occurs around page 110 (or later) and all plots and subplots are resolved by page 120. Fade out.

It's a nice balanced approach. A good structure. And it works no matter the length of the script.

A 100 page script simply scales back the pages. Act I from 1-25, Act II from 26-75, Act III from 76-100 with corresponding turning points at 23 and 73 and a midpoint at 48.

Yikes, that does look like a formula. But if you want to write a screenplay, this is the structure you must follow.

Just as if you want to build a human being, you have to start with the skeleton and build from there. "But I'm going to build a human being without a right arm!" Sure you are. And it will live, but will it thrive? Maybe you could build a human without ANY arms. They exist. But which is more likely to be a successful human, starting from scratch...one with all its limbs, or one missing a bone here and there?

The same bone structure is responsible for Cindy Crawford, Calista Flockhart and Roseanne. But talk about three different women. It's the same with screenplays. Within the same 3-act structure you will find screenplays as widely varied as are individual human beings.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Wow1 Thanks alot. That really helps. I am so excited to begin writeing the first draft. Also do I atually write ut then type it or do I just type it. I think just typeing would be better for me but I just would like to know. Thanks for the feedback.

Film: Imagintaion becomes reality.

<em>For example:

EXT. DENISE?S PLACE - TERRACE - DAY

or:

EXT. DENISE?S PLACE/TERRACE - DAY
</em>

This is a good example of proper location information because if you listed out all of your locations alphabetically (as Producers often due while trying to figure out how to schedule things) DENISE'S PLACE - TERRACE will appear near DENISE'S PLACE - KITCHEN and DENISE'S PLACE - LIVING ROOM which is how you want it since you'd probably want to knock those out on or around the same time.

I learned this the hard way by writing EXT ROAD and then EXT DIFFERENT ROAD, then later EXT STILL DIFFERENT ROAD. It was my script, I know what I meant, but it was annoying to have the Production Breakdown splitting up the scenes which I knew would be shot the same day.

Seems stupid but that's something you should consider even if nobody else notices.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

quote:

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Originally posted by jawaking1138

Wow1 Thanks alot. That really helps. I am so excited to begin writeing the first draft. Also do I atually write ut then type it or do I just type it. I think just typeing would be better for me but I just would like to know. Thanks for the feedback.

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Things like structure and format are important because that's what other people will read. How you write - long hand first or typing first - is up to you. If ten people here said write it out long hand first and you found that typing it first is better for you, then maybe you should type it.

how do you do a voice over and write action in the background like goodfellas?

Once a Shotta always a shotta.
Movies are the motion of words.
Flying Buddha Productions, LLC.
flyingbuddhaproduction?gmail.com

Voiceover is simply writing dialogue but adding VO after the characters name. That way the character can speak in in the scene normally as well as do his own Voiceovers. You would record the voiceover later of course.

Action in the background would be written like any other action. Although if you have a lot happening in the background you might increase your pagecount that no longer matches the movie length very closely.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA