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Screenplay: The Importance<br>of the First Five Pages

The opening five pages of your screenplay give me a ton of information about the breadth and scope of your project. As with the opening of a novel or any other literary work, the opening of your screenplay should be a microcosm of the world of your script. It’s the first taste – but as [...]

Look at it from the Reader’s Perspective…

I just got through another big push of scripts. There were a handful of recommends, but overall many of them were dismal. When writing, just get the words down on the page. Get through that first draft. But, then rewrite. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

As you get closer to the time you’re going to send [...]

Do Your Homework: Watch AFI’s Top 100 List Films

If you’re writing screenplays, it’s very important to know the field. You should be watching movies in the theatre now and also studying previously released films. Here is a wonderful basic list of the great movies, which you should see to have a basic understanding of our industry.

In addition, you should endeavor to [...]

What, Technically, is a “Beat” in a Screenplay?

A writer friend of mine emailed asking me to better describe what is a screenwriting “beat.” Here’s the skinny.

This is actually a point of confusion for many people, and I recall it was very confusing to me when I started at film school because there are actually three kinds of beats, but people just use [...]

Screenplay Competition Reading: <br>It’s All Subjective

Here is the good, bad, and ugly of screenplay competitions: art is subjective. For everything everyone tells you, in the end it all boils down to taste. That’s why you just have to write your passion. One reader (producer, manager, agent) might not have any interest in your story. But another will. We write for [...]

The Screenplay Competition “Do Nots”

The basic “do nots” before you send your script to a competition. The following is a very basic list of items that do not impress me as a competition reader and, more often than not, will get your script a resounding pass. If your script contains any of these points, consider rewriting before submitting [...]

The Screenplay Competition “Dos”

The basic “dos” before you send your script to a competition. The following is a very basic list of items that get my attention as a competition reader. If your script addresses each of these points, you’re doing a good job. I will be excited to read your script.

DO have a title page. [...]

Do Not Write What’s Not on Screen

Okay, we all know, “Show, don’t tell!” I will never forget my sophomore English teacher hitting that point home with a sledgehammer every class. As a screenwriter, I hear, “Exposition is bad.” Now I have a better understanding of what this really means.

With screenwriting, it’s fairly simple, actually, but hard to do well and [...]

Where To Buy Scripts?

Whenever I need a copy of something, I call Hollywood Book & Poster.

They have an amazing film and TV script library, as well as posters, stills, etc.

If you need something and they don’t have it, they’ll get it for you.

They can express mail as well.

Screenwriting Basics: Subject Matter

For me as a reader, when I am evaluating projects – and especially in evaluating another writer – subject matter is very important. Quality of writing aside, the choice of what that writer has decided to invest a year’s time (or thereabout) into can tell me a lot about that individual – and whether or [...]

Screenwriting Basics: The Logical World

The logical world may seem like an obvious point, however, I read enough scripts that have major breaks within the logic of their world that this is a topic of importance that I wanted to write about. Whatever rules you establish for your world must remain consistent throughout.

Sometimes, in particular with younger or new [...]

Screenwriting Basics: <br>Character and Location Intros

Many scripts I read don’t bother to establish location or introduce their characters appropriately. Do not forget that when I pick up your script, I’ve never been introduced to your screenplay world before. I have no idea if your script takes place in New Orleans or Boston, in today’s world or in 2055. I have [...]

Screenwriting Basics: The Reader’s Perspective

So, you wrote a script. You’ve birthed the baby. You’re feeling awesome. You tell yourself repeatedly, “I rock!” – since nobody else is going to.

Then you send your script out – and that rock comes hurling back toward the earth faster than you can blink.

Following is a list of some things to [...]

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