Screenwriting : The right length of a screenplay? by Joshua Goldman

Hi, Joshua Goldman. 90-120 pages is a great range. I aim for 90 pages/around 90 pages. I think 142 pages is too long. You might find a producer or director who's ok with that length, but I suggest making your script shorter. You'll probably get more interest from producers and directors with a script that's shorter than 142 pages. One reason is a 90-page script, 95-page script, etc. will usually cost less to make. And 142 pages is a lot to read.

Thanks Maurice. I have a pretty good idea where to shorten it. It was going to be a setup into the next film I'm writing, but I can put that in the prologue of that one, to save length.

You're welcome, Joshua Goldman. That's great. That'll make it easier than trying to figure out what to cut. Something that helps me cut pages is I look at scenes and ask myself if they really need to be in the script. And sometimes I combine scenes to make a script shorter.

I feel this, just like novels are usually best in the 80-90,000 word counts, scripts are usually best when hovering around 120 pages (doesn't stop us from going over, of course lol). I think you can get away with longer ones when you show what you can do with shorter.

The standard answer is yes. It’s a tad long. A standard feature script is generally 90 to 120 pages.

That said, this is your story. If you need 140 pages to tell it, screw it, write 140 pages. However, there are a few questions I’d ask: What’s your intention? Are you planning to produce it yourself? Are you hoping to sell it? Depending on your answer, page count becomes more important.

If you're an unknown writer with few industry contacts, it might serve you to cut it down. Managers, agents, producers, etc. may be less likely to invest time in a lengthy script from an unproven writer. But if your dream is to produce it yourself, do what you want. Passion and vision are key.

A more important factor is having the strength to ask yourself if everything in your script is truly needed. It’s really hard to do, believe me. Can you cut things out and still convey your story with maximum impact? Is the scene driving your characters forward, or is it just taking up space?

So, after my admittedly long-winded response, I wholeheartedly believe that scripts are your creative babies, and you need to decide your real goal. But take advice about so-called concrete rules with a grain of salt. I’d rather read 140 pages of inspired storytelling than 90 pages of formulaic, by-the-numbers crap.

Find the balance without losing your heart, vision, and creative conviction.

Best of luck!

Thanks guys Neil Jaye

90 Min. is the Industry Standard.

90-120 pages. Sweet spot is 100.

If it is longer than 120 pages, it will not be given a serious reading by a producer, manager, or agent, unfortunately. So the question is not so much how many pages they will be willing to read, but rather how they or their reader will view any script that is over 120 pages. They will probably still read it, but, rightly or wrongly, they will really hold the excessive length against the script because they expect every writer to know the rules. You won't want them to start reading your script with two strikes already against you. Comedies should be shorter than dramas. A drama should probably max out at between 100 and 110 pages. A comedy could be about 95-100 pages. Assuming your script is formatted correcty, there's probably a consistent explanation for why your script is longer than 120 pages. If you're able to determine the cause (or someone can do that for you), then you can make the proper cuts. It might be, for example, that the action lines are too wordy, or there's a structural problem in the plot, or there is too much dialogue-- or too many characters or subplots that you don't need. It could be that it takes too long for the story to get rolling and you could have skipped over the beginning (for example, if you started with backstory, such as the childhood of the protagonist, which is hardly ever needed).

Hi Staton. My current script is sitting at 126 pages. Is that still too long? It’s a horror/thriller. I might know where to cut a few things but overall, Im having a hard time with it

... Yes. So cut everything that does not drive the plot forward. Get it down to a 115 pages.

Hi, Joshua. I empathize, it can be hard to cut things from a script. It may be that your script is perfect at 126 pages, but believe it or not the psychological bias among pro readers is so heavily against scripts over 120 pages, that I'd still suggest seeing if you can get it down to 120 at the most. And a horror/thriller script would tend to be fast-paced and, presumably, shorter rather than longer (though I have not checked the page-count on produced horror scripts). Maybe have a script analyst take a look and ask them what you can/should cut? If you really feel it will destroy the script to cut it further, then leave it as-is. Certainly, if a script is great, nobody is going to "pass" on it because it's 126 pages-- especially if it's not a comedy. The one thing not to do, though, is to "cheat" a script's length by changing margins, changing spacing, etc. Readers can always spot this, so it's even worse than having a script that is too long.

I've found that the sweet spot is 90 -110 pages -- very few scripts at 120 pages read well, unless they have a lot of "white space" - minimal stage directions. If you get a bunch of actor friends to do a table read (or living room read), you can hear the pacing and that can really help you know where to make cuts.

90.

William Joseph Hill is correct. However, that being said, it is not the length, but the quality. If the script is tight and it takes a 142 pages to tell a great story, then so be it. People say that readers/producers don't want to read more than the standard 90-110, but I have a 123 page script that people that have read it, can't put it down. They enjoy it to end. No one has come forward and bought it. It also has over 20 top ten finishes in screenplay competitions around the world so It isn't just stroking me. Most production companies want the complete (pitch) package. Director, stars, etc. attached. The more complete the better. Heck, they love it when you walk in with the money. Used to be the producer's job to put together the package. Not any more, seems like it is the writers job.

The Page Awards puts out the Logline newsletter and the most recent edition has one of its writers declare that 90-100 is the new sweet spot regarding length. I think there's more tolerance for longer works based on genre, e.g., period dramas.

Exactly Eric Christopherson