screenplay

Don’t Let These Problems Ruin Your Screenplay

Writing visually is not only about crafting words that flow smoothly and evoke vivid imagery. It is also about not including words that detract from that imagery or interrupt the flow. The screenwriter's goal is to create a script in which the writing flows so smoothly the reader becomes part of the story, watching it from within.

Here are some problems aspiring screenwriters should avoid when writing a spec script:

"We hear" or "We see"

Phrases such as "We hear" and "We see" should never appear in a spec script. They momentarily force readers outside the story. You want the reader to become so involved in your story she forgets the rest of the world exists. You want readers to live and breathe your story as they read it.

The imagery evoked by your words should drive what we're seeing or hearing as readers. Phrases like "We see" and "We hear" make the reader feel as if he or she is part of an external audience, not part of the story itself. Instead of reinforcing the idea the reader is immersed in a powerful story, those phrases do nothing but [click to read more]

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Using White Space to Hold a Reader’s Attention

Resisting the urge to include extensive detail when writing a screenplay as you would when writing a novel is a difficult challenge for a screenwriter to overcome. Most writers who choose the screenwriting field do so because they think in film -- they imagine their stories unfolding shot by shot, scene by scene, image by image.

The job of the screenwriter is to convey those vivid images and scenes to the reader. This is often confused with the director's job of determining how certain scenes should be filmed. Deciding where to place the cameras, which actors to focus on, and when to pan or when to include a close-up are all factors that will be up to the director, not the writer.

So the question remains. How can you, as the writer, direct the reader's mind to imagine your film as you envisioned it, shot by shot and image by image?

The answer -- through the use of white space.

One immediately noticeable difference between script format and [click to read more]

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Five Ways to Turn Off a Hollywood Script Reader

Don't make these mistakes with your screenplayYou may have written the most riveting piece of dramatic work in existence to date. Your dialogue may be perfect. Your characters may seem so real they beg to jump right off the page. Your story may rival those of Oscar-winning screenplays. It might even be so good as to put those stories to shame, but if your script never gets off the reader's desk, no one will ever know.

It's well known that readers are the gatekeepers of the film industry. It is also well known that while most readers would rather be doing anything but reading, they still spend countless hours making their way through stacks of scripts in the hopes of finding the next big blockbuster. The late-night caffeine-induced decision of one reader could be the turning point of your screenwriting career.

So how do you make certain that decision is in your favor? [click to read more]

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