Writing a script and I'm about 29 pages in and nothing really big has happened yet apart from stuff like an intro that sets up the script like a flashback, people warning the main character to beware of another (because she acts like she's "possessed") and two characters talking to each other, hinting at the thing that's going to happen in a few pages. It's a drama (I suppose. Don't think it can fit into any other genre)... Just worried if it's talking too long to set up or if I should just write it and then mention it when (or if, depending on whether people will) I get it critiqued.
I read online tha if nothing has really happened in the first 25 pages then the agents and exec's will throw it away.
:/
"Remember to always be yourself unless you suck." Joss Whedon
"Remember to always be yourself unless you suck." Joss Whedon
I'm not an expert but based on what I've read and as an aspiring screenwriter myself, I have a few advices:
- Always start with a log-line. Summarize your story--the main plot--in one sentence, so that it becomes easier for you to get into your story.
- Start from the Film Outline. Break down your story into the classic Aristotelian 3 acts: Beginning, middle, and end.
- Only after these first two steps, jump towards the script. Get a feel of your story before writing it down in screenplay format.
There is a thing called "inciting incident," which usually occurs 10 - 14 pages into the screenplay. It forces your central character--the POV of your movie--to act and to move for something he or she desires. THAT is your number 1 dramatic moment of the movie, and from there on--you'd cram it with all sorts of twists and angles to ensure that your POV does what needs to be done to accomplish his or her task.
So, get back to your script and work from there. Also, always remember that a movie is not telling of events, but a journey captured in camera. Treat it as one.
The first person to read your script will be a paid "reader". They
will cover your script - do a complete synopsis including notes
that they give to their boss; the agent or producer. If your script
takes 30 pages before anything big happens that will be put in
the notes. The chances are a producer will not want to read that
script. I bet YOU wouldn't want to read a script where nothing
big happens in the first 30 pages. I bet YOU wouldn't want to
watch a movie where nothing big happens in the first half hour.
What you read on line is not accurate - execs will throw away a
script if nothing big happens in the first 10 pages.
Make the set up big - make the set up interesting - make the
set up the beginning of the drama.
Or...
Now that you've written all the set up and it's in your head (and
on paper) start your screenplay on page 30. Keep writing exactly
as you have been. Then toss the first 29 pages, renumber page
30 as page 1 and you have a great beginning to your script. You
may find that all the set up isn't needed at all.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
quote:
Originally posted by Bookworm452
When should the drama begin?
Immediately.
