Screenwriting : A quick inquiry. by Jennifer Mira Jimmy

The accepted way to estimate the length is one minute of script averages one minute screen time. The average movie is 90 minutes long.

Thank you, Maeve. That’s really helpful! :)

Glad to be of any help I can, Jennifer. Thanks for the request.

Most feature screenplays that I've read or worked with come in between 90-120 pages. The length of scenes varies but that page count is the standard. Some people balk when seeing a 130 page script and some doubt scripts under 89-pages (although I've seen horror scripts that come in under 90 that have a lot of non-speaking sequences).

Here's a link to a Stage 32 webinar on screenplay story structure that I recommend checking out: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-to-Master-Story-Structure-for-Your-...

Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Maeve once again. :)

so, from a development or preproduction stage perspective, it's impossible to offer an authoritative opinion on how long a film is likely to run based on the number of scenes; the language of screenwriting can necessarily produce 15 scenes on the page, which could actually run in just 90 seconds of screen time if produced. Obviously as everybody knows the bailiwick for interpreting. The length of a piece is a minute per page of screenplay, but everybody knows that this is only a yardstick, I think is important to remember that we as screenwriters are detached to a certain extent from how long a script which is taken to principal photography might run, especially if it's a spec script. most importantly, if you're writing on spec, you should aim to tell and communicate the story sufficiently as possible, and generally speaking try to conform to the page count standards of industry that readers and executives are expecting. After that, it's anybody's business as to how long a page of written material might run on the screen. So I wouldn't worry too much about what are essentially are other people's responsibilities. Nevertheless it's something that's always worth keeping in mind again, efficiency economy, directness.

A movie script is about 90 to 120 pages long. It doesn't matter the amount of scenes. That's just my own opinion though.

The "one page equals one minute of screentime" is only a rough guide. A page of dialogue will often run under a minute but a page of action may take more. The best way to get an accurate run time for your screenplay is to have a table read.

Thanks a bunch, Ewan, Marcel, Dan and William! I can absolutely get the scope of everything now. :)

Look at Tarantino's scenes & page count. How does he do it, and he's been writing the same way from beginning, Reservoir Dogs. Long monologues/contained scenes where characters sit and talk and talk and talk! GL!

Dan MaxXx, thank you for that advice. Really helps. :)

One page = one minute on screen

Depends on the pacing of your story. A page a minute I've never found to be accurate. For example, if your story is a thriller, and there is a scenes that is one sentence describing someone peering into a dark room, that could be :10 seconds long, or 45 seconds long. How many pages is your story now?

Writers should get time in postproduction editing sessions, see how movies are edited, and how long/and boring camera takes are.

Thank you, Stephen Folker. It is about 100 pages. Thanks, Richard.

For me, 90 to 105 pages is the sweet spot. Keep the feature under two hours. I've been told that the first thing a producer does when a script is dropped in their lap is to fan to the last page, indicating its length.

First script, 85 pages or less. Most indie scripts have way to much dialogue, too many characters and not enough 'show / don't tell moments'

I'm gearing up to shoot a psychological thriller (feature film I wrote) and it's 65 pages. Runtime, I'm anticipating 80 minutes (before credits). Why go longer, I'm an unknown, non-famous filmmaker. This is long enough to keep someone hopefully glued to the screen. Shorter is sometimes better.

I can only repeat general wisdom - comedy film scripts should be about 90 pages/90 minutes. Drama scripts should be a maximum of 120 pages and I think in modern times for an unknown writer - about 105 pages. A scriptwriter told me that the first thing readers do is skip through a script to see how long it is and if there is a good spread of white space to text and if it is generally spread out well e.g. no recurring pages full of dialogue. If the look of a script seems tedious, they're already put off. I think most people who have attended Writer's Group meetings feel the same way when they first read many scripts.

I think if you are an 'unknown writer writing a spec script - you should not concern yourself with anything other than basic 'production' issues in your script. It's a good idea to reflect the length of action in a script in it's page count so if someone does something that will take 4 mins screen time - that should be reflected in it taking 4 pages..

FYI - I was watching the Amazon doc on Star Trek and the episode about 'Enterprise' had an interesting minute when they said Scott Bakula was a very slow actor in that he spoke .....dialogue .....with a lot of .....melodramatic .....pauses which the VERY EXPERIENCED writers and Showrunners had not predicted and which meant they had to start cutting about 15% of the pages. It wasn't the writers 'fault' - it was the actor. Good Luck.

Awesome Dan Guardino

My 10 year old (whom is a painter with his own business) says, "When it comes to art, there are no rules." That's how I look at it too! Just do what feels right and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

90-120 pages for a feature is the standard page count range, with an assumed 1 minute of screen time per page.

Thank you, Joshua and John.

Joshua is correct. That's what I've always been told...one minute per page...

@Curt, that's what people say. A minute per page. I'll go by that. Thank you for the confirmation!

Jennifer Mira Jimmy https://johnaugust.com/2020/how-accurate-is-the-page-per-minute-rule-2