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Answers to Readers' Questions on Writing:
Screen Paradigm
The following 8 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- What happens to the turning points in a short film?
- Writing a screenplay treatment
- What happens into the second act of a script?
- How do you put turning points in a script?
- How can I improve my movie shot selection?
- How many pages allotted to the back-story?
- How many pages is a typical script?
- Developped an interest in screenplay writing
What happens to the turning points in a short film?
Question
November 5, 2007
Regarding turning points in the plot at page/minute 27 and 87
What happens if the film is shorter, e.g. 100 pages/minutes. Is it proportional? (100/120 x 27 = page 25. 100/120 x 87 = 7)
Thanks
Joe - UK
14704
Answer
To a degree the turning point is proportional to the length of movie or television show. Watch half-hour television shows to find the turning points. Often they have a commercial break at those points. Likewise, try to identify the initial turning point in various movies.
Of course, this is not a hard rule that it must be at specific times or pages, but it is a good rule of thumb, used to get and keep the viewer's attention and interest.
Writing a screenplay treatment
Question
March 27, 2007
You state that a "treatment" is a few page synopsis of a screenplay if I am correct. Also that its possible to sell a script with just a treatment. After I write this, where would I begin to shop for a buyer. Thanks for your time.
John
John - USA
13441
Answer
I met a fellow who was able to get a job as a mail boy in one of the movie studies. (Actually, a plum job.) He got to know one of the producers and showed him a 1-page story synopsis. The producer liked it and started buying his story ideas at $6000 a pop. Although, his ideas must have been good, he also was able to get it to the right person.
Typically, you need an agent to sell your screenplay to a producer. You have to go through a process to get an agent. You pitch your story idea in one or two sentences. Then have a 1-page synopsis. If he is interested, show a treatment of up to 10 pages. If you have the full screenplay available, all the better.
The agent will then go through the same process to pitch and sell your script to a producer. But it is possible that they may like the idea but not your script. Even then, you can make out.
Note that before submitting a screenplay to anyone, it is a good idea to register it with the Writers Guild of america: http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/
What happens into the second act of a script?
Question
November 6, 2006
Hello,
What happens into the second act, say from page 30 to page 60. Page 60 is the midpoint, what should more or less happen at that point. From page 60 to the end of act 2, what happens during that stretch? Thanks. Your article has been very helpful.
Mark - USA
12341
Answer
It is a time for developing the characters and their relationships, as well as for developing the plot.
You can study well-plotted TV shows to see what happens at the various points. Even a half-hour show can be split into the various dramatic parts. But often they build up until a commercial to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.
How do you put turning points in a script?
Question
September 18, 2006
I like, and understand the paradigim, however, can you please share any examples of how to get your script to move people in the first ten, and ther after in these strategic turning points.Any help will do.
thank you.
Henry - USA
11947
Answer
You really have to start with the basic idea of your story and have a general idea of your plot before you need to think of these turning points. In fact, you could outline or write your script before even considering them.
Suppose you have written a boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-girl script. In order to get the audience's (and agent's) attention, you could start the movie off with a car chase, ending (at 10 minutes) in a minor wreck. At this point, you could introduce the boy, introduce the girl or have them meet. You've hooked the audience and got them interested in what is going to happen next.
The ending is more tricky, because you want to build up some suspense, even in a comedy. At 10 minutes before the end, issues start to be resolved.
Look for this in good movies. Rent videos or see them in theatres. TV editing off screws things up.
How can I improve my movie shot selection?
Question
May 17, 2006
how to imporove my shot selection ? and how to write the tight screenplay ?
vijay krishna - INDIA
11129
Answer
Once you have a general plot written and perhaps a screenplay, it is good to create a storyboard of the script. This is where you establish the various scenes and make a rough sketch of what the shot will be. You can include the dialog in each sheet of your storyboard. In this way, you can visualize how the film will play. It is a lot of work, but it also can be used to tighten up your script.
Note that the shots do not need dialog. Most movies minimize the amount of talking in favor of action.
How many pages allotted to the back-story?
Question
March 23, 2006
How many pages should alloted to the back-story and set-up? Syd Field paradim suggests 20-30 pages. What is your opinion?
Thanks
Albert Hoeft
albert - Australia
10584
Answer
Field is considering approximately 1 script page per screen minute. Try looking at some movies and timing when the back-story and set-up happens. Most good 90 minute to 2 hour movies will have that turning point at around the same time. Of course, television movies screw it up with commercials, so don't consider them.
I've watched movies, checked my watch and wrote down when certain things happened. It is amazing, but many follow the specific pattern. You can then easily convert that timing to your script.
How many pages is a typical script?
Question
October 12, 2005
Yes, I was curious. Im writing a screenplay that is an epic. Now how many pages is an epic usually? How many pages is a typical hollywood script (like a movie thats 90 minutes).
Eric - USA
8528
Answer
Hollywood agents and producers like to see a script that is 120 pages long. That fits well into their format. A longer script or something like an epic can be a hard-sell unless it is from a book.
The big thing you need is to be able to summarize what your script or story is about in two short paragraphs, one page and six pages. The paragraphs are for a verbal pitch of your idea. The 1-page and 6-page summaries are used in selling the project.
Best wishes in getting your screenplay made into a movie.
Developped an interest in screenplay writing
Question
May 4, 2004
Hello. My name is Simon, and as of only days ago, I've developped an interest in screenplay writing. The reason being, I came up with a great premise for a film, but have absolutely no idea how to begin. Would you have any tips for me, as I believe this story is one that could make a huge impact on the cinematic world, although I have no training in the style of screen writing.
Anyways, I hope you might have some words of advice for an aspiring writter.
Thank you
Simon - Canada
3212
Answer
The first thing to do is to write up a several page summary of your idea. This is called a "treatment" and is often used in selling a script. Since it is only a few pages long, it is easy to update as you develop your script.
Check out http://www.moviescriptsandscreenplays.com/ to find some sample scripts in your genre' that you can look at for the style used. Also check the resources at http://www.school-for-champions.com/writing/screenref.htm.
Getting a book on screen writing can give you a good number of tips on plotting and sturcturing your story.
You can either write out your story as a screenplay script or you can simply write the story and then change to format it later. The script is typically 120 pages long.
Although some have sold an idea or a treatment, it usually is best to write out the script to try to sell. Also, it may get you some other writing jobs.
Best wishes in your writing.
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