Screenwriting : My scripts are too short. Any help is a greatly appreciated. by Daniel Smith

You have to read more scripts

Expand your characters. Bring in new scenes that leads your plot to the final page. Open up a bit more. Work on outlining your story before you begin to write it.

Dialog, Dialog, Dialog. As with most low budget features, it's important that you utilize dialogue to build your story. Also, one of the things I realized after writing and producing my first feature is that, if you are being super descriptive in actions, you'll be surprised how little is on the page but how long it takes to unfold. My film is 1h 47 minutes long after cutting out a lot. The shooting script is less than 80 pages.

Hi Daniel,

Maybe you have an idea, but you don't yet have a dramatic story?

Do you have a logline for any of the scripts that have hit 30 pages that you can share?

I expect you need more twists and turns.

I've run into the same issue. For a long time I've written short films and have started writing TV scripts. I can tell the whole story for an hour long drama in 30-35 pages. Too short. What I've finally been doing is go work on something else for a while and concentrate on that. Then I go back to the original script and look it over scene by scene asking "What can I add here?" or "What would make this story better." Bit by it brings the script up to length. Don't rush it.

Hi Daniel, I really like this book and I recommend it:

https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Break-Screenwriter-Writing-Minutes-dp-1615...

-- all the best

What I do is when my main character's life takes on the first initial twist that sets him or her on the path to the journey, during act 2, I usually have them encounter three to four story changing events and in each one of these I create a minimum of three road blocks for the character to overcome before getting past that event. Usually I finish at or near 110 to 115 for features and 20 to 30 pages for 30 minute pilots by doing this. Wish you the best of luck.

My first draft of my comedy/horror is at 61 pages. The main characters are young, stand up comedians so I'm currently writing their comedy monologues and adding more back story. I'll be satisfied with 90 - 100 pages. All the best.

Daniel, when I decided to get back into screenwriting four years ago after a 22-year absence, I started using not only a six-plot-point system (like a TV-movie structure), but also a combination scene list/script outline.

In it, under each scene heading, I give myself a brief description of what each scene's supposed to be about. And I type each plot point in bold.

Last year, because of Stage 32, I also started looking into Michael Hauge's screenplay structure system (six stages and five turning points).

As a result, I'm able to hit between 110-130 pages per screenplay.

Glad you're here on Stage 32, Daniel...all the VERY BEST to you!

Hi Daniel! As a rookie screenwriter I can tell you that I share the same problem. I am unable to write a script long enough to be a film, so instead I'm focusing right now on TV Series format, 3 act structure, so I keep practicing until I'm able to have more reach.

Best I've done so far is 44 pages and counting, but remember, no matter what, keep writing and also read a lot of scripts. With time, you will become a phenomenal writer. Godspeed my friend!

I'm turning a short story of 30 pages into a feature right now. To do it I am expanding the story with additional characters and adding adventures to get to the end with the original story intent intact.

Generally, short screenplays are an Act 2 problem. The conflict doesn't escalate (and sometimes is unable to escalate). You need to think about the back and forth struggle in Act 2.

Read and analyze a bunch of screenplays. Take them apart and see how they work.

I'm assuming you are writing features? I love the Mini-Movie method (8 interconnected 12-15 page short films=1 feature) as I come from a short film background (working on my 4th feature.) keeps my page count at 105ish.

There are myriad reasons they could be short. A few are:

- Only writing minimal "on the nose" dialogue to get you to the next plot point.

- "Black Space" descriptions/action paragraphs instead of nice, loose white space-y sentences. I have friends who write dense 15 line action blocks that really should be 30+ lines spread out on the page based on correct format. New shot or new person=new line. Use that LINE RETURN button!

-Incomplete scenes (Example: "James runs through the woods. A clown with a chainsaw chases after him. They run for a while and eventually the clown catches him." This could be 1-3 minutes of screen time which should translate into 1-3 pages. If you are just writing the above, then you have under-written the scene. This is obviously a terrible example, and I am sure you are better than this, but think how long the scene takes, and strive for the 1 page = 1 minute scene by scene, not just in the overall script.

- In almost every method of screenwriting, the first 10 pages alone build the world and intro us to the characters. Maybe you aren't "setting the stage" enough.

Most people have the opposite problem of writing too much (I once edited a script where the guy talked about a fly buzzing around a glass of lemonade for a whole page. I crossed it out and wrote "A fly buzzes around a glass of lemonade.") His 120 page "feature" script got whittled down into 55 pages.

If you have an example of some pages that we could see, it might become more apparent.

There is also a chance that TV (especially anthologies) is a better format for you. Or short films if you aren't interested in making money ;).

I know this is self evident. But you don’t have enough story.

Okay a person is trying to sell a car.

Why?

They need money for rent.

Why?

They got sacked

Why?

They drink too much and are always late

Why?

They struggle with depression and self medicate.

Why?

PTSD from being a policemen

Why?

This seem like a stupid exercise. But suddenly you have people trying to help him with his depression. He is resistant. He is willing to sell his car before admitting he has a problem.

You are looking at story (at a guess) not the people in the story.

An amazing response from you all, Thanks so much! This has really helped me out.

I would come back to my outline and re-do it. Flesh it out more, add more obstacles, complications.... to create more conflicts for example. Dig deeper my characters, raise the stakes....So many ways. Or it just actually means your story's too short, it can happen. Though as i mention above, there're numerous ways to develop a story.

Hi Daniel, I had the same problem when I started writing screenplays. After 10 years experience, I can tell you the one thing that always works for me, outline, outline and outline.

I use an Excel spreadsheet so it is easy to move these things around. I include a few lines of about the scene, the scene page, and the scene length.

I also color in the scenes of the main characters. That way I can see the character's individual story lines.

It is easy with the Excel spreadsheet to move scenes around. I take my time with the outline and it always pays off in the end. Good luck and keep writing.

Taking in the advice you've all given me, I've decided do a deeper outline and start doing more character bios. I'm going make a habit of reading more scripts to give myself a better idea of what to do. I also think researching my characters jobs more could help.

Hi Daniel. For me a character bio is a few lines.

I started writing dialogue for a character and sudden as I read the dialogue back I heard him. He was irish.

My bios are about a belief the person holds. Most people I find are driven by a belief. Even when they betray it. It is the answer they give when you ask them who they are.

Hey Craig, That's an interesting angle to come at it, takes you to their core essence. It would be interesting to know how other writers do their character bios. So far I've just done a 3 page bio that's kinda like a survey/questionnaire that includes everything from whats in their fridge to what their beliefs are.

Hey Daniel, I'm a little OCD when it comes to my method, but here's what works for me. I echo what others have said about Outline, Outline, Outline, but I throw a few more things in. Please forgive me if this seems pedantic or if it's stuff you're already doing. Just trying to help. I use the beat board in FD11 pretty extensively to map things out. I start with my story idea, create a log line to get me started, and then I focus on Intention and Obstacle. I honestly don't bother with character bios beyond gender and age range, but if they have a specific path through the story that I want to see, I jot it down and try to work it in, especially if it involves interaction with other subplots. The intention and obstacle is what gives my characters the life they have. It defines their arc, and as I go it also starts to define their mannerisms. Dialogue helps fill in the rest. I write a generic beat outline tied to plot points, and then I write a mini-synopsis based on these very general heartbeats of the story. All of this is before I ever type the first slug line. I also give myself permission to change course mid-stride if I see a different direction to go. But at the heart of it, I try to stick with something I learned regarding act structure, which ties back to intention and obstacle: Act 1 - chase the hero up a tree; Act 2 - throw rocks at them; Act 3 - get the hero out of the tree. I also don't focus on hitting the page limit on the first go. I write what comes out, then chop or add as required. I tend to over-write, so it's usually chopping down extra description for me. I hope that's helpful, and not a blinding flash of the obvious.

Thanks Aaron, mannerisms of a character when they hit an obstacle to their desire is a great way to build them up and interest reader.

I have a similar problem.

Consider putting them on Stage32 as is. Maybe someone will pick them up as a shorter work or someone will ask what happens next. This could inspire you to take the story further. That happened to me with two of my stories on HubPages. Good luck.

Outline! No idea is great enough to simply vomit it from your mind to the script and have 90 pages straight. It needs all components developed and you cant process all this just imaging it. I see this over and over within the beginners stuff...You have either a "feature" of some 34-46 pages or you have a theme starting so late you forgot what it was all about and that's just a desperate try to make page boost once writer realized that the great idea of his mind doesn't look so great in the script...writer doing proper treatment of the story doesn't even have to do drafting. First draft comes off perfectly, trust me...and that saves time when you're on this for money.

This might help you, Daniel Smith. Check out my Turn & Burn Screenwriting Guide which details my own development and outlining process. You need to start triggering your brain into building a more detailed story.

Kiril Maksimoski Thanks for the tip I will definitely work out a more detailed treatment on my next script. I'm also working more on character backstories. CJ Walley that's a well detailed article and I can really relate to it. I plan to go over this more over the weekend. Thanks a lot!

I have had the same issue with some of my scripts. For ten years I was writing and producing my own short films and needed to tell stories with the smallest number of characters in the smallest number of locations. I was using volunteers and could only ask for so much. When I set out to write bigger it took a long time to get them up to length. Just going back and looking again and again for places to add characters and stories and make sure they were all important. Keep writing.

Why so hung up on page count? I have a script that is fully developed on 2 pages - it doesn't need to be any longer. I have one that is 130 pages and is so tight that I doubt that it can be trimmed much. And I have lots in the 10 - 30 page range. What does script page count have to do with story worthiness?

Hi, Daniel, I think you may try outlining as an option. I took the webinar here on Stage 32 called “Outlining Your Script to Find Your Story” with Steve Desmond. It’s tremendously helpful in fleshing out your story beforehand so you can focus on being creative instead of these pesky technical details once you start writing. I think that will help you know if you’ve got a long enough script early, so you don’t have that surprise you’re talking about after writing.

I find pacing the script difficult - have been told I have too much content and need to slow it down - so in the middle of another rewrite.

Depends on the needs of the projects and producers. You can expand in the scene descriptions, add a narration, flashbacks and add more characters. Stage 32 blogs, education and webinars along with the lounges cover script services.

If that's the right format, then there's no problem. Maybe it is just meant to be a short movie? If the story is balanced, if nothing is missing and everything fits together, there are no problems.

Your story has a beginning, middle and an end, when you get to the end - stop writing.

Brainstorm as many scene ideas as you can and put together an outline.

Sounds to me like you are more fit for scripted writing in television or maybe even a short series. I say this because, whenever a screenplay has four main characters, that tells me that each main character alone would need 30 pages to flesh them out. That considered, your screenplay at minimum should be 120 pages just for character building. A lot of others may think that sounds crazy but how many films can you name that usually have more than two main characters. It’s just not common because there is so much explaining the audience would need about these characters to be able to relate to them. If it’s an adapted screenplay, then you have more wiggle room there since the characters already have a backstory. But for new characters, they need to be fleshed out and properly introduced.

I personally do not mind multiple leads but I prefer to watch their arcs unfold over a period of time instead of a short span even if you skip years ahead. There would be a lot of plot holes in between the time jump. Anyways, I won’t ramble on. If this helps, great! If not, just continue to write and believe in yourself and if you really love what you’re doing, it will all work out!

This is abit of an old post but I did eventually over come this. I got my first script up to 121 pages and trimmed it back to 108. I managed it by thinking of the broad goal of the character then thought of the steps it would take to get there. On top of that I looked at different types of scenes I could add like establishment, character and exposition scenes. When I added more subplots and side characters I got it done. I still enjoy seeing peoples comments and I always look for a better way. Thanks to all!

Maybe bring in a second antagonist that has a common relationship/motive with the first that isn't known to the primary? This could provide you with two characters competing for different outcomes and triple the protagonist-antagonist dynamic to a 1) protagonist-antagonist#1 2) protagonist-antagonist#2 3) antagonist#1-antagonist#2 setup.

This would provide more grist for the mill, and force your script to tell more of a story.

Or not.

Just a thought- good luck!

I have a similar problem. Your stories do they have a complete end or could what happens next be part of the story.

I have similar problems except on the other end of the spectrum, too many pages. In my opinion it's easier having less pages than more. Many productions companies would favor less pages then more. Add more conversation can help fill up pages and flesh out your characters more. Believable character and ones people can connect with are a key to success, if it helps make four character sheets and describe each of them in detail. Down to even what's their favorite color and drink. I know it sounds silly, but this is one tactic which will help bring your characters to life. Which will probably help fill in the blank pages.

There is a market for shorts!! I'm not sure how long a short has to be, but I've seen even competitions for 5 minute short films - which, on paper, is around 5 pages. Maybe that's your niche - Shorts.