Screenwriting

I think I should go into writing books rather than Screenplays because I prefer the creative freedom to roam and create a world to the T with no restriction of word count.

If its not too much I posted the first Screenplay I wrote on my profile, its a quick read and I'd love to hear criticism on it

With screenwriting, you need to second-guess the supporting story the visualization provides.

Take Lord of the Rings. The visualization had to be done before a word could be written.

So I am not totally sold on the fortunes of selling scripts. Selling film rights to a book feels to have more gravitas.

Njabulo Shabangu If you ever need help publishing a story and getting the ISBN to protect your work, let me know, that is what we do.

I learned screenwriting by creating no-budget movies. For me the standard script format is intuitive. My advice to those who have problems with the format is to contact your local group of no-budget filmmakers. Help them to film. When you are forced to read, and understand what must be in the film, you will find it easier to understand why the standard format looks the way it does.

If you're using screenwriting software, it's probably one of the most efficient ways of presenting a story. The formatting is easy. The real issue might be with focusing. I find it very hard to write creatively and technically at the same time, so I separate those processes by pre-writing all my structure first.

Thanks for sharing Tim!

Congratulations on the job and meeting, Tim Morell! A strong visual hook can help. I pitch my scripts on Stage 32, Twitter/X, and IG with posters.

As much as many writers don't like to hear it, posters and visuals are powerful. Script Revolution has encouraged them from day one. We've been slowly moving into a need to present scripts more like pitches than just a logline and pdf. AI makes it very easy to generate the images now too.

Thanks for sharing the article, Amanda Toney. I haven't written a biopic yet. This article will come in handy. And I might even write a biopic/narrative film mix.

I adapted a biography this year. The shoot just wrapped. The V.O to death comment is very true. They key part is finding the thematic thread within it all.

Let a screenwriter see it. You'll get an opinion about length and probably easily resolve your 'time issue'. Sixty pages is very likely giving you an immediate disadvantage you cannot afford at this stage of your journey.

Your page count is very light. Get yours up to 90, and let the producer and director be concerned with what to do with it.

I think the screenplay for THE ARTIST was very short, approximately 41 pages, but its running time was around 100 minutes.

I loved the style of the artist, but absolutely do not like that movie. But what do I know. To me it was a misfire. Millions of others obviously don’t agree. That’s movies for you.

A 61pp screenplay that translated into a ~90min movie sounds odd. Unless the film is almost entirely visual with next to no dialogue. Generally, our craft dictates writing pages that average around 1min of screen time per page. That makes things like scheduling easier. There are short scripts for famous films out there, but they are typically developed internally.

I'm pretty sure competitions will happily take your money.

Finish school if you can. Make sure all your ideas are written down. They say getting any kind of job in the industry is a place to start so you make connections. Take your best story and begin the journey learning the craft of screenwriting by writing the script soon. You have the huge advantage of being young. There is ample information and learning capacity on this site - and people who will help you. You are very far from needing a 'manager' so just take it one step at a time. Write. Write. If you want to be a writer, you need to write. It's the first rule of Write Club.

thank you very much David Taylor, this means a lot to me and I'm going to do what you said, thanks!

Alyazin - Always happy to help. Other people helped me. Especially when I was young. Thank you for your kind comment.

Finish school, write a script or two, and work on your writing. You won't be able to pitch anything or find a manager if you haven't written a script yet, but it's good that you have a passion and know what you want to do. You have time, there is no need to hurry. It takes some people years to break into the industry, so it's good that you're starting young.

You'll get taken seriously in context. Nobody is going to expect great things from a sixteen year old, but they may see potential and want to stay connected. The important thing is to start writing and networking as you'll be twenty-six before you know it.

Writing commercial scripts (15 sec, 30 sec, etc.) can help writers get better at writing the first page, Elle Bolan. There's not a lot of time in a commercial script, so you have to grab the reader's attention right away. It gets writers in the habit of grabbing the reader's attention right away (the first word or sentence/sentences).

I've found starting a feature script with the protagonist or monster/antagonist doing something that's important to the story grabs the reader's attention.

Yep, that's the same method. 15 to 30 seconds flexes that exact same muscle.

It's a good skill to have.

I tend to drop in media res as often as possible. Right to a pivotal moment before page 1 ends. Maurice Vaughan

That's a great idea, Elle Bolan. I mainly do it in commercial scripts and short scripts. I also like to set up a mystery (like showing an object) on page one. I used to overuse flashforward scenes on page one in my scripts.

I think the first pages of The Silent PFC War may feel boring, but I can’t delete them.

They are the daily life routine before the disaster begins.

Julie Lamont Depends on the reboot, but most often the studios will have OWA (open writing assignments) for reboots and will go out to a handful of writers with big credits or who they're fans of.

Jon Hersh Well, I'm hoping for the latter, hah! Thanks so much, it's definitely more difficult here for any sort of representation. But will keep my eyes peeled, thanks again.

Jon Hersh thanks for the reply about reboots. I was more interested though about what if a writer has the script and pitch for a reboot the relevant network hasn’t considered yet?

Suggestions in finding a manager to represent my feature film or series screenplay will be much appreciated. Just starting on this path. Thanks!

Jon Hersh question do you see younger audiences engaging in 1980s movies the classics. What would be a good way to bring those classics to 2026 without ruining the originals and establish the younger audience. Demographic from a manager, producer perspective thank you

GRAND THEFT AUTO would be an incredible movie and hit, Dan MaxXx! There's enough in the GTA universe to make sequels, a show, spin-offs, and adult animated series. I think someone will crack the first person narration game to 3rd person pov eventually.

Twitch is big!

It’s interesting to see how video game studios are stepping into the role that streamers once dominated. They’re creating worlds that don’t just tell a story but also allow full immersion, much like how online casinos keep players engaged with interactive features. In fact, platforms such as Sweet Bonanza show how gaming mechanics and storytelling can merge, offering experiences that are as gripping as watching a film or series. The blend of entertainment and interactivity is exactly why people spend hours in these spaces. If studios continue moving in this direction, they could easily rival traditional streaming services by offering not just content to watch, but experiences to live through.

Amazing webinar, thanks! I don't know if I want to connect my life with that industry, but gaming in general has always been interesting to me. So that I try to keep in touch with information

You're welcome, Austin Richards. I have an idea for a video game. I'm definitely gonna check out the webinar once I get around to working on the script.

Here's a post about Scrybe from a month ago, Jim Ramsay: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Scrybe

I like the Comedy Western mix, Jim Boston. I haven't heard about a lot of them.

Quite a few feature-length Western comedies came out of Hollywood in the 1957-74 period. (Two of the most famous ones were 1965's "Cat Ballou" and 1974's "Blazing Saddles.")

I guess what happened to shut Westerns of all kinds down were three things: A dip in popularity as the Twentieth Century headed for the sunset, spaces to film oaters in the Mountain and Pacific time zones dwindling, and...1977's "Star Wars" setting a new standard.

It's a good problem to have, but my problem is Comedy - the awful temptation to put comedy gags into serious stories to amuse myself. I'm a natural gag writer so have to stop myself. Nothing ruins the high-tension moments in a thriller more than e.g. a fart gag - it is hilarious, but it's not supposed to be there. What I do to control it, is write the gags down separately. I just love writing comedy. -- Yes, I have a few, including a very recent TV thirty minuter called 'Ponzi's schemes' - which makes me fall about laughing.

I think a comic relief character is fine in serious stories, suspenseful scenes, and Horror scripts, David Taylor. Maybe avoid writing too many comedy moments though, or maybe don't make the comic relief character over-the-top funny.

Yeah. I do manage to get the balance right.

Congratulations on Shaolin Demon being named a semi-finalist, Ramon Zapata! I'm looking forward to watching it! I like the inspiration for writing Shaolin Demon. I think it'll be great in your pitch. I suggest making it shorter though so it doesn't take up a lot of time in your pitch.

There's a lot of selfishness in the world and people not helping others. That's part of the inspiration for the Horror Action feature script I rewrote for November Write Club.

Congratulations!

I don't know of any structure besides 3 acts. As for a perfect first 10 pages, absolutely. Try to make the whole damn thing perfect. If you want to see a perfect first page, check out the first page of FALLEN ANGEL in Lew Hunter's book "Screenwriting 434."

Hi, Alyazin Alriyami. I use the three-act structure for feature scripts. I used a three-act structure plus a cold open (at the beginning) and a tag (at the end) for a kids show pilot I wrote a while back, and I used a four-act structure plus a teaser (at the beginning) in an old Action Crime Drama pilot.

Stage 32 has a webinar called "How to Master The Story Structure Of Your TV Pilot Script" (www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-master-the-story-structure-of-...).

And here's some free TV writing webinars: www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/Stage-32-and-Netflix-Partnered-Up-o...

If it's a Series Pilot, you can have Four Acts - Literally Act One; Act Two; Act Three; Act Four. You can also add two- or three-minute TEASERS at the start - -Excerpts of what happens later - - and add two or three minutes of TAGS at the end -- adverts of what happens in the next episode. That gives you a 'Six Act' structure - which if it is fifty minutes total, gives you a traditional TV one-hour Pilot Episode. For 'The First Ten Pages' read lots of scripts first ten pages of successful movies or TV shows. The perfect first ten pages, means telling a great story beginning, which is properly formatted and doesn't have daft mistakes in it, like bad spelling, wrong scene headings, wrong character names, huge blocks of dialogue, or the author thinking out loud notes. etc