Welcome to part two of our journey into upgrading your screenwriting game and career! We’ve already covered ways to level up your writing community, and today we’ll be tackling how to improve one of the fabulous fundamentals:
They say it takes about 10,000 hours to become an expert in something. Well, streaming has made it possible to binge shows and movies nonstop, so without trying very hard, we’ve all taken in enough TV shows and films to have a pretty strong sense of story running through our veins. But the fundamentals of screenwriting require a bit more digging, and sadly many writing classes don’t even bother to go over them!
So let’s do a thorough inventory of writing techniques to make sure there aren’t any blind spots in your writing game.
At the end of the day, the biggest rule in screenwriting is to make your script READABLE. So the following guidelines are meant to be a brief overview of relatively standard takes on the basics. If another way works for you and your script is still clear, take all the liberties you want. But being familiar with common practices will help protect you from delivering a script that makes you appear greener and less aware of screenwriting standards than you are.
Speaking of standards, the best resource I know of for perfecting your formatting and writing is Christopher Riley’s The Hollywood Standard.
Covering everything from scene headings to dialogue, getting in and out of POV shots, and even how to handle texting and Zoom meetings on screen, the most recent revision came out in May of 2021 and is one of the most thorough breakdowns of how to format a script in all its bits and pieces.
Instead of joining in on the screaming-into-the-void arguments on screenwriting Twitter on whether or not you should bold your scene headings, take a look at Riley’s book for all your pressing questions.
And if you can’t afford the book right now, try using the Libby or Overdrive apps to check out the e-book from your local library.
READ SCRIPTS
Reading scripts for formatting and technical advice has its pros and cons. You’ll no doubt find numerous ideas for different ways to handle texting, voiceovers and flashbacks. I, for one, like to take a screenshot anytime I see a cool formatting technique I haven’t seen in a script before. But in reading scripts you’ll also have to keep in mind that you’re looking at produced, finished products written by paid writers.
Most of these scripts were written after months if not years of pitching and developing. With the script itself being written after the sale, but on a tight deadline with multiple studio revisions. Other scripts may have been written on spec, fully completed over the course of months or a year, finely tuned before being taken out to sell. Or you could be looking at a produced script with different formatting than the original. But in most of these cases, these scripts will have been written by big names with big credits. Writers who can break the rules trying to keep their scene descriptions under four lines, or their page count within a reasonable length.
If you’re still looking to break into the industry, it’s not that you can’t break the same rules that these big names are breaking. But your goal, at least formatting-wise, should be to remove as many barriers to entry as possible between you and the execs you want to read you. I’m not saying don’t take big creative swings. But take them intentionally, and for the rest, stick to the standards.
Places to find lots of free scripts:
The files section of The Writer’s ARC (a new script added every Sunday)
Watch a pilot or film—or read a script while you still have them out from the last exercise—and outline the story while you watch/read. A long-standing technique among screenwriters, even heavy hitters like Shonda Rhimes, have used this method to better understand story structure. Outlining as you watch or read will help you see the spine or skeleton of every story you watch, and in turn, it will strengthen your own ability to break and outline your own stories.
No, really. The screenwriter behind "Big Fish" and "The Nines" not only has his podcast Scriptnotes with Craig Mazin (that he also provides transcripts for, #bless). He also has a form on his website to receive any and all qs about screenwriting and the industry in general. If you have a tricky formatting question, you can ask one of the experts here.
I reached out to a few execs and development assistants to get their take on formatting dos and don’ts. This is only a sampling of perspectives and there will likely be those who differ from these opinions, but I’m sharing the notes that overwhelmingly overlapped among them:
Scene Headings - Bold them or not. Underline them or not. Just make sure you’re writing the info that needs to be there.
Page Length - While big-name writers can turn in scripts that are well above an average page count, when you’re first trying to break in, it’s beneficial to keep your scripts as trim as you can. When all other factors are the same, readers are much more likely to pick up that 32-page comedy pilot or that 100-page feature. It’s fine to write a long script, but make sure every page is necessary because the readers can feel when they’re not.
Dialogue - If a reader covered up the character names in your script, they should ideally still be able to tell the difference between the characters speaking. Try doing a dialogue pass on your script to find ways to highlight the different speech patterns and deliveries of your characters.
Act Breaks - When submitting a pilot to managers, execs, or competition readers, consider including act breaks. While many streamers and cable outlets don’t use act breaks in their scripts, including them highlights your ability as a writer to execute a strong act break. And not having act breaks in your script can sometimes read as an attempt by the writer to hide the fact that they don’t know how to write a good act out.
Characters - Make sure your protagonist wants something and is actively pursuing it. Make sure they have obstacles and there are stakes for if they don’t get what they’re after. Unless the absence of one of these elements is the entire point and theme behind your protagonist’s journey, you’ll want to make them pop clearly on the screen for the most engaging read.