An Introduction to Screenwriting
What is Screenwriting?
A screenplay is a piece of creative writing that provides a written scenario for a film. A film tells a story, and the screenplay provides basic instructions telling the filmmakers and actors how to depict the story in moving pictures. Screenwriting is the act of composing the screenplay.
But it’s a minimalist piece of writing. Screenplays are incredibly brief compared to novels. Also, unlike novels, there are a few things you need to know about screenplays before you start writing one. Today, we’re going to talk about necessary screenwriting fundamentals.
Formatting
The first rule of screenwriting is format. If you’re not going to format your screenplay properly, then don’t bother to write one at all, unless you happen to have your own cast, crew, and camera, in which case you can do pretty much anything you want. The bottom line: nobody in Hollywood is going to read your script if you haven’t formatted it the right way, and if nobody reads it, you can’t possibly sell it.
There are plenty of resources to help you learn this format. I recommend starting out with Syd Field’s Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
Though the form is strict and you must adhere to it, it’s incredibly easy to learn. Plus, there are software programs like Final Draft
Screenwriting Formulas
Have you ever heard of The Hero’s Journey? It’s a story structure pattern that is found in stories, myths, and legends all around the world and throughout history. It was captured by Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Formulas are popular among screenwriters in Hollywood, and that’s because they are a proven method for successful storytelling through the film medium. A screenwriter does not have to consciously use a prescribed formula, and chances are that as a result of viewing films throughout one’s lifetime, a formula will manifest naturally throughout the writing process.
In any case, you should be aware of formulas and somewhat knowledgeable about them if you’re serious about screenwriting. Also, formulas are the reason why most movies feel comfortable, and have a natural and familiar rhythm. If you’ve ever seen a non-formulaic film, it might have felt off, or wrong somehow.
Selling a Screenplay in Hollywood
If you’re hellbent on writing and selling a screenplay, then at some point you might consider packing up and moving to Hollywood. Is this absolutely necessary? No. Does it increase your chances of selling a script? Tenfold. Hundredfold. Maybe more. Hollywood is an industry driven by networking. If you’re there live and in person to pitch and sell your script, your chances to sell it will increase dramatically.
But be prepared to lose creative control. Screenplays, unlike books, are sold, completely. While a writer may earn royalties from a screenplay, they no longer own the intellectual property and therefore have no say over how it’s portrayed on the screen. That’s up to the director and the producer, and their creative visions will supersede the writer’s. With novels, the rights to publish are sold and the contract is only good for a limited amount of time. Big difference with regards to ownership.
Screenwriting: A Few Final Points
- The average screenplay structure resembles a play in that it usually has three acts, referred to as Act I, Act II, and Act II. These function as a setup, a confrontation, and finally, a resolution.
- One page of screenwriting equals one minute of film footage: aim for 90-120 pages.
- It’s harder to sell a screenplay than it is to get a book published.
- Some writers make a living as screenwriters but never see their work on the big screen. That’s because studios, producers, directors, and other film professionals buy lots of scripts that they never get around to making.
So, now that we’ve touched on the basics, are you ready for more? Have you ever thought about writing a screenplay, or have you actually written one? Sold one? Hope to? Share your thoughts on screenwriting by leaving a comment.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s back it up. Star Wars was not genius. Star Trek is genius.
Kudos on mentioning Campbell. Now there’s a real genius. I am going to use him in a post next week… unless I am too busy writing my new screenplay!
Star Trek has nothing on Star Wars!
I’ll be posting on Campbell’s work down the road too (as soon as I finish the book). I love the Hero’s Journey and think it’s a great tool for writers. That topic will probably be a theme for an entire month.
Screenplays aren’t really all that brief compared to novels. In terms of story — what happens in the main storyline — good screenplays contain about as many story beats as a 400-page novel.
Microsoft Word won’t work. Trust me, there are small, but extremely annoying differences between what you can do with Word and what you’ll get with proper screenwriting software. Luckily there’s extremely good free screenwriting software out there called Celtx: http://www.celtx.com
There aren’t such things as formulas in screenwriting any more than there are formulas in novel writing.
Just about the only “formula” that’s used is the classic 3-act structure: set things up, get conflict going, resolve conflict. Which isn’t a lot to go on, you gotta admit.
Regarding Campbell, then the dude’s seriously overrated. Grab some kind of Jung’s collected works book (there’s a good one edited by Campbell) and Vladimir Propp’s “Morphology of the Folk Tale” and you’ll get a lot more out of them than from Campbell’s classic. Campbell based his theories largely on the works of Propp and Jung and his biggest contribution was the analysis of a large number of world myths. Pretty much everything else Campbell writes about had been done before him. In a more readable fashion.
I’d say that moving to Hollywood actually reduces your chances of selling a screenplay today. Internet has made networking much, much easier (I regularly leave comments on the blogs of Hollywood A-list people and exchange e-mails with them… from Estonia!) and it’s easier to sell yourself over the net. To sell the idea that you’re a great writer.
There’s a bunch of must-read books on screenwriting if you wanna get into it:
Egri Lajos’ “The Art of Dramatic Writing”. Written in the 1930s and mainly concerned with playwriting, it’s one of those little-known books that every serious screenwriter has on their shelf. Best parts: character growth, proving a premise, and his analysis of different types of conflict is legendary.
Robert McKee’s “Story”. One of the industry standard books. If you haven’t read it, the chances of selling your screenplay to a Hollywood studio are nil. Not because Hollywood is prejudiced or anything like that. Without understanding “Story” your screenplay will just suck.
Syd Field’s “Screenplay”. Industry standard, but it doesn’t have much to say. This book is how the film industry sees the 3-act structure.
Michael Tierno’s “Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters”. I can’t overstate the importance of this tiny, tiny book. Even if you’re writing a novel, you’ll write a much better one after reading it.
Elver, Screenplays are shorter than novels in terms of page/word count. They are much quicker to read, often (but not always) quicker to write, and definitely much quicker to proofread and edit. But movies do often have as much story as any novel. However, I’ve noticed that most movies that are based on novels leave large chunks of the story out, presumably to shorten the play time. As for Word, it worked fine for me…
You’re right, there are formulas in novels too. What you’ll find is that many formulas are inherent. One very simplified and well-known example is boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. Hero’s journey is one of the most famous formulas, and some say it can be simplified and then applied to almost any decent story. There are many versions of it. I’ve studied it in a seven step format, a ten step, and a 22-step. None of these are Campbell’s original as far as I can tell, just remodels of his work.
Yes, they have less words, but I wouldn’t want anyone to think that there’s less effort involved. There isn’t. If anything, it’s easier to write a novel, because you don’t have to find the shortest, most concise way of saying everything.
The reason why films based on novels leave large chunks of the story out is because film is a different medium. Putting in extra stuff, not all that relevant to the main story, is probably going to make the book better, but it’s going to make the film worse by diluting the effect of the main storyline. It’s got little to do with shortening play time.
Campbell’s model is too general to be of any real use. It comes down to: something bugs the hero, he sets out on a quest, he wins. This is the kind of stuff that’s present in any story, be it based on the monomyth or not. I much prefer Propp’s analysis of Russian folk tales. Less pretentious and, surprisingly, a lot more useful.
Well Elver, I’ve tried my hand at fiction and I’ve tried my hand at screenwriting. I found novel writing a far more challenging effort, though I enjoy both. I guess it depends on the writer.
Your thoughts on Campbell are interesting. I think his work is quite useful, and definitely brilliant. There’s far more to it than your three act summary, of course, but that’s a post for another day.
I’ll have to check out Propp, thanks for the recommendation!