To hardened film industry veterans, a screenplay is less a literary document and more a blueprint for a movie – a business plan.
Yet the job of the screenwriter is to tell a certain kind of story as crisply and efficiently as possible. The goal is to get others enthused about forming a team and raising a production budget to make a movie.
That said, there is a lot of craft and discipline involved. Below is a collection of articles and lessons that link you to our knowledge base, and hopefully guide you through your dream.
Let’s make a movie!
Contents
Mini-Course Screenplay – 5 modules
Three-Act Structure – 3 modules
Writer Support Article – Various
Selling Your Script
Mini Course Screenplay – 5 modules
1. Story Premise and Originality
Originality is the most powerful weapon of the independent filmmaker, and your best shot at beating Hollywood is with a creative original script…
2. Story Structure
If you have trouble shaping your film’s concept into a narrative, think of how your screenplay should be structured and what you’re trying to say…
3. Character Development
A valuable exercise in getting to know your story is getting to know your characters. The definition and development of character is one of the…
4. Screenplay Formatting
The Screenplay is the blueprint for the entire production and every department and every person on the shoot relies on it as a guide and instruction manual…
5. Script Evaluation & Feedback
Evaluating your screenplay depends on the quality of questions you ask yourself, making the difference between pulling the plug or moving forward…
Three Act Structure
The Rhythms of Act One
In a three-act screenplay, Act One needs to accomplish a lot in very little time, with a “call to action” that moves the main character…
The Grunt Work of Act Two
Act Two begins with the protagonist firmly in the “extraordinary” world, the new experience of the story, with no turning back…
The Challenge of Act Three
Act Three is so important that many screenwriting teachers advise their students not to write until the final act is clear…
Writer Support Articles
Premise vs. Theme: Know the Difference–Your Screenplay Depends On It
Fight all you want about the meaning of Premise vs. Theme, and why not? Truth is, it’s not that complicated. Welcome to the smart money.
Writing Assignment: Build the Character
This screenwriting assignment helps build details of a character’s off-screen life, which will inform the character’s response to circumstances as you write.
Vertical Writing For a Quick-to-Read Screenplay
Screenplays must be efficiently skimmed for story, character, and genre. This demands a vertical writing style for an easy read and a chance to get noticed.
Minimalist Screenplay Tips for Maximum Punch
Less is more: Learn some minimalist screenplay techniques that successful screenwriters apply to streamline dialogue and action in their scripts.
Speech As Character
Traditional literary skills are not as crucial to a screenplay as strong storytelling skills. It’s in the character’s speech where the screenwriter can show off a little mastery of language…
Making Sense of Screenplay Format
If you are a student of screenwriting and not confused by screenplay format, you haven’t been paying attention. From the Internet to the public library, conflicting information is everywhere…
Writing Is Rewriting: Being ‘Bad’ is Legit
Writing is a process and what beginning writers often forget, blinded by their insecure craft and fragile egos, is that “being bad” is a legitimate part of that process…
Scene Design: Enter Late, Leave Early
Every word, every moment, has to matter in a screenplay. Beginners almost always begin their scenes earlier than they should and then carry them on longer than they should…
Writing Screen Action – Part One
What makes a screenplay cinematic is rarely found in the dialogue. The magic lies in how the action is portrayed. In this two-part article, we cover that writing action in a screenplay involves three decisions…
Writing Screen Action – Part Two
This follow-up to Part One shows how screenwriting pros format action in filmic beats without insulting the director.
Selling Your Script
The Query Letter: Sell Your Screenplay
The query letter strategy I recommend to my students is this: a letter, always less than one page in length, with four paragraphs, each with its important task
Finding the Right Producer
Two approaches to finding the right producer for your screenplay: the research method and the shotgun approach…