Script length
Your advice of 110 to 120 pages for script length agrees with what others say, but upon sampling a large number of films I find their lengths usually fall between 85 and 115 minutes, including five minutes of credits. At a minute per page, something doesn’t click. Do producers expect 15 extra pages because they feel scripts usually have fat that needs trimming? Or perhaps producers know that during script development, writers find it less distressing to eliminate scenes and hope no one notices, rather than turn them into something far removed from the original vision. Just a thought.
–Ryall
It’s true that a lot of movies clock in at 100 minutes or less, and that the one-minute-per-page rule of thumb really depends on whose thumbs are doing the measuring. Moviemaking is more art than science, so it never holds up to much mathematical scrutiny. Whatever the reason for the discrepancy, I assure it doesn’t come from producers trying to spare writers’ feelings.
One variable that really effects running time is pacing. GO was about 102 minutes long. The script was 126 pages, and almost nothing was dropped. The movie never dawdled, however, which is how it got the story told so quickly.
Even movies that end up at 85 minutes probably began as screenplays in the 110 to 120 page range. In the course of production, or post-production, scenes often get cut. Either they are never filmed, or they end up on the cutting room floor, just waiting for the DVD version.
Since scenes are going to get cut, why not just start out with a shorter script? It’s not a bad question. In television, where programs have to be delivered to the network at a precise running time (at ABC, it is 42 minutes, 20 seconds for a "one-hour" drama), it is obviously preferable to avoid shooting scenes that couldn’t possibly fit into the allotted time.
In terms of features, however, anything shorter than 100 pages "feels" too short. It’s literally just not enough pages in your hand. And if you go much beyond 120 pages, people get nervous. Even if it’s great, it feels long.
Western’s out?
Are western’s out?
–Mark Barragar
Yes. So write one if you feel like it. By the time you’re finished, they’ll probably be in again, and you’ll be ahead of the curve.
Film festival contacts
I am an aspiring screenwriter with several screenplays nearing completion. I envision my screenplays as independent films, with low budgets and talented character actors. I will need a director. I’ve been told excellent director contacts can be made at film festivals. Is this good advice?
–Kristy B.
It’s great advice. In fact, I intend to steal it as soon as I get the chance.
Early in their careers, most independent directors aren’t exactly getting besieged with scripts for them to direct, so you have a pretty good shot of getting them to actually read it. Having been through the festival grinder a few times, my only advice would be to try to find a relaxed moment to talk about the project, and not swarm the stage after a Q&A session.
If you don’t have a chance to meet the director at the festival, you can probably find contact information in a program or at the festival office. Drop a note telling the director how much you liked her movie and a few paragraphs describing what your script is about, and asking if you could send it to her.
It’s certainly not foolproof, but it would be a good way to get your foot in the door with a director you hope to work with.
Does a Brit have a chance?
I’m a 20-year old university student from London, currently studying film and creative writing at Buckinghamshire University. I’ve got a few questions that I would really appreciate you answering:
- Coming from England and being a wannabe film writer, would
you suggest moving to America or at least selling to America? To me
the English movie
scene is pretty dull and lifeless. Apart from the odd Guy Ritchie film,
there’s not a lot to offer in England unless you want grim reality films
of how poor
the North of England is.
- Do you think being from England will effect my chances of selling to America in terms of dialogue etc?
(Scott actually had five questions, but other columns probably answered the other three. So let’s address the England question.)
While your assessment of the British film industry is funny, I also think it’s a little unfair. Considering its size, the U.K. has a pretty substantial film business, with a wider variety of genres than you’d admit. True, if you want non-James Bond big summer popcorn movies, you’re out of luck. But you can find good examples of almost every other kind of movie.
Unless you’re dying to leave England, my advice is to stay put and see what you can learn there, at least for a year or two. It’s much easier to make the transition to Hollywood if you have something to show for yourself.
For instance, Christopher Nolan went from the tiny-budgeted FOLLOWING (shot in the UK), to the small-budgeted MEMENTO (shot in the U.S.) to the studio feature INSOMNIA.
But if you’re sure it’s L.A.-or-nothing, then by all means come. But make sure you’re going to be able to get some kind of work or educational visa that will let you stay in the country for a few years.
Copyrighted materials in your script
I had some questions about copyrighted materials. I know you have to pay the recording companies for the rights to songs. What if I have a character singing Foreigner’s "Urgent" in the shower? Will I get sued?
In the same vein, can I have a character argue the merits of McDonald’s Big and Tasty or will I have Ronald’s team of lawyers calling me up? I know different films have portrayed companies negatively before, most memorable (in my mind) being RAIN MAN, which had Tom Cruise proclaiming "K-Mart sucks!" But I don’t know if that was somehow approved by K-Mart or not.
–David Scott
Here’s the difference between writing a screenplay and making a movie: as the screenwriter, you can do anything you damn well please. You can have your hero urinating on the Pillsbury Doughboy while smoking crack with Mr. Clean.
Now, when the time comes to actually make the movie, there may be a legal team offering very cogent arguments for why that can’t happen. The Pillsbury folks might sue, and even if they wouldn’t win, the threat of a lawsuit might be deterrence enough. And in the case of Foreigner, they might ask for too much money. It happens. But by the time it comes to make the movie, you’ll hopefully have strong producer and director who are so entranced by your brilliant writing that they’ll help you fight to get your vision on screen. (More likely, they’ll cower and capitulate and blame other people, but let’s just pretend.)
In short, David, worry about writing the best scenes and not about lawsuits or song rights.
Script formatting
Could you please refer me to a website that gives detailed information regarding the proper format that a film script is to be written before being passed around.
–Pat Meehan
If you’re using either Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, you can rest assured that the standard formatting these programs recommend is fine.
If you’re not using either of these, I suspect you’re consulting one of the many screenwriting books out there, all of which will point you in the right direction in terms of margins and spacing.
But the best advice I can give you is to do what I did: find a properly formatted script and copy it exactly. Not only will looking at real scripts show you how they’re formatted, but it will also give you a sense of how standardized the format truly is, for better or worse.
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