I've been told this is legit what many people in Hollywood do. If you're trying to sell a screenplay, you gotta aim for 90-110 pages, maybe even less. These people are reading screenplay after screenplay on any given day, they're not gonna spend time on something if they feel like it's gonna be a chore to get through.
The Coli's Screenwriting/Filmmaking Thread [Share tips, etc]
- Thread starter CEITEDMOFO
- Start date
I've been told this is legit what many people in Hollywood do. If you're trying to sell a screenplay, you gotta aim for 90-110 pages, maybe even less. These people are reading screenplay after screenplay on any given day, they're not gonna spend time on something if they feel like it's gonna be a chore to get through.
i've always had ideas, or started writing some and them scrapped them or just never went back to them.
could never get that fire in belly or that drive to do it.
back in like 08/09 i did write a short screenplay about a guy on house arrest fukkin his neighbours wife.
Looking At The Front Door...named it after the Main Source song.
wish i had my old laptop to read it to see how bad it was.
could never get that fire in belly or that drive to do it.
back in like 08/09 i did write a short screenplay about a guy on house arrest fukkin his neighbours wife.
Looking At The Front Door...named it after the Main Source song.
wish i had my old laptop to read it to see how bad it was.
steadyrighteous
Veteran
I think you let me read them (I remember specifically an Occupy themed one)
It was funny if I remember. There was also a sub-plot about Dee wanting to be attacked in a park lol. Is that the same script?
I'm writing a Premium cable half hour comedy. How long do you think that should be. I've got a few network sitcom scripts and they're about 32/34 pages.
I'm 27 pages deep and rounding third, I want to make sure it's long enough for 30 mins w/no commercials.
yeah, you read both of em, and just combined the storylines.
Yeah 90-110 is the "industry average".
My mindset/theory is:
Write however many pages, place no limit and try to make it as interesting, clever and filled with as many great ideas as you can think (Obviously not every page, scene or sequence will be the writing gold that we first thought) Then trim the fukk out of the fat. If I can not only keep the vital info, enrich the theme but make every beat hit much harder and tighter going from 132 pages to 105... If you have a modest story, I can't see how that wouldn't only elevate the soon-to-be final product.
132 page script? I can barely get to 10 pages sometimes. We got legit writers on here
The greatest advice I ever got.
"Keep writing."
No matter what what you do - keep writing. If you're stuck, writer's block? Keep writing. If you're unsure of structure? Keep writing. Character doesn't have a voice? Keep writing. Unsure of theme? Keep writing.
We constantly get caught up in our heads and build these invisible dead ends. You have to seep into the mindset of "NO MATTER WHAT I WRITE FIRST, IT WILL BE TERRIBLE shyt".
May sound too simple or dumb, but I've tried taking a stab at writing over ten screenplays and never sniffed past 15-30 pages. I'd over complicate things before they were ever simplified.
And here's the magic... When I bulldoze through a dead end and just kinda sketch a scene, these other doors in the story always tend to open that makes for a much more exciting direction than I ever initially thought.
It's CLOCKWORK my friends. If this script is a precursor for anything, 10 times out of 10, when I burrow through, all of the problems that had me banging my head against a wall, the answers slowly showed their faces.
It's been an eye opening experience for me, no doubt.
I can't emphasize, as easy of a task it is, JUST KEEP WRITING.
The GOLD that we strive for will NOT come with your first or even second drafts.
So with that factually embedded into your mind, what can go wrong in your first draft???? If you're lucky, you might have 20% of the first draft in your final. So take that bytch in your head judging every line of dialogue, description or idea and throw her in the bushes.
All of the above was paramount in me making it through my first screenplay.
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CapitalOne
Do You Believe...
i hate writing dialogue
I'm sure if you anyone was able to write it to 102, they could get it to 99. My first ever draft was like 135, with all the deletes and add-ons, it could've went over 150.
It's at 94 and better than any other draft. Check your pm.
steadyrighteous
Veteran
I would assume having a shorter draft (94-99) and having a longer version doesn't hurt, especially if it were to be shot and you realise that you're short on time.
In your longer draft you could have scenes that aren't vital to the plot if removed, but help if added.
I was just watching Wolf of Wall Street over the weekend and lord knows that movie could have done with 4 or 5 scenes that were either half as long or not in it at all.
In your longer draft you could have scenes that aren't vital to the plot if removed, but help if added.
I was just watching Wolf of Wall Street over the weekend and lord knows that movie could have done with 4 or 5 scenes that were either half as long or not in it at all.
TheGodling
Los Ingobernables de Sala de Cine
My first screenplay was a nice 105 pages. My second I quit at 150 pages as the story just moved into the third act when it simply got too bloated. My third screenplay topped off at just 139 pages after I cut down huge parts to get it eligible for some of the screenplay competitions I enter. That's over three years ago, haven't really gotten back into writing since.
I've never written anything that long because I stick more to TV stuff. Speaking of which if anyone has any tips or just general wise words for breaking into TV writing (aside from the obvious) let me know. I wrote a couple scripts about my high school and think it has some legs and a fresh perspective
steadyrighteous
Veteran
Sorry to quote your post without having any tips for you, just wanted to say I'm writing something for TV now myself that I think would be a go if the right person read it (at least I think lol). I prefer TV to movies and it's not even close.
I went to a talk by Greg Daniels (adapted/created The Office for the US, co-created King of the Hill, created Parks ad Rec, wrote for the Simpsons etc.) and he didn't have much advice for "breaking in", but he did alleviate a lot of my fears about writing.
I know I can write, I know I can write TV, but every once in a while I think to myself "Can I do this or am I fooling myself?" and hearing him talk about his process, the writer's room on different shows and what goes into writing TV, he made me realise that it's not some magical thing and it seems like once you're in, you're pretty much in. TV writer's aren't all wizard-like geniuses, they're just thinkers who push past their initial ideas and thoughts and root deeper to come up with interesting things, and if you think that's something you are, then you are a writer, you're just an unemployed one lol
Good words breh. And I believe in that wholeheartedly. It's just storytelling and if you're good at that then you can be good at screenwriting. I've written four scripts for the show and stopped for grad school and lack of time etc but now I'm getting back to it
steadyrighteous
Veteran
Have you written a treatment? I read that having one of those is almost as important as the Pilot script because a lot of shows get bought and put in development just off a treatment or pitch.
I was doing some research and came across the treatment/bible for The Wire and read it. If you've seen the show, when you read the bible you really get a feel for why HBO would buy it and see it was more than just a cop show.
You only need to read the first 9 pages - the rest becomes almost mini scripts for the whole first season.
http://kottke.org.s3.amazonaws.com/the-wire/The_Wire_-_Bible.pdf
Poetical Poltergeist
Precise and cold hearted
Hardest part for me is just sticking to one idea. Its easy to scrap an idea for a new idea. I'll get inspired by a song or news story or movie then I get inspired by something else. I have many unfinished stories/scripts. shyts frustrating.