Screenwriting 101; How to write your own script in simple steps
Hello there! Imagine this. It’s a bright and sunny afternoon. A typical lazy Sunday, where the world seems to be moving slowly and time’s nearly at standstill. You pick a movie off your list, and decide to give it a go. You’re watching it, still not quite sure what to make of it, when the scene plays out. Yes, the scene. The one that makes you pause, stare into space and wonder about how absolutely brilliant that was. A scene like this has to have perfect combination of dialogue and physical action. An important part, if not the most important part of creating that moment is, of course, the scriptwriting. So, if you’ve ever dreamt about turning the story in your head into the script of a film, we’re here to help you get started!
Screenwriting is not just about showing your story through words. It involves writing your script in professional format that is presentable to people who might be interested in turning it into a film. One of the easiest ways to get started is by breaking down the entire process into steps. By no means is this the only way, it’s just another good way. Let’s get right into it.
Steps to start writing a script
1. Creating Your Logline
A logline is what captures a producer’s interest. It the crux of your story, it’s very being. It’s what makes the difference between a published work and being one in a million completed drafts. A logline is a one to two line summary of your story. Loglines generally involve the protagonist, an antagonist and a goal.
Having a logline is great for staying on track while writing, for it describes the most important part of the story.
2. Writing out a Treatment
A treatment is basically a document used by writers to explore their idea, to figure out if they have something concrete, something worth investing further energy into. It contains details about the world your story is set in, about your characters and their development arcs. Here, you write out the structure of your story in about three to five pages. It helps define how you want your story to presented on the screen. A treatment is written before you write your script. It may contain a bit of dialogue, but its main focus is a detailed summary of the plot.
3. Outline of your story
An Outline is also often referred to as a ‘Beat Sheet.’ This is probably the most creative part of the screenwriting process. Here, you drill down into the details, figuring out what goes on in each and every scene. This involves describing the setting and all the major moments and turning points of your story. Some writers also tend to include important dialogues here.
4. Get excited! You’re now writing your First Draft.
And finally, the process that we adore and yet, dread- sitting down and actually writing. There isn’t much to say here, except write your heart out and don’t edit. We’re always extremely critical of our work and editing while writing is one of the worst things that you could do to yourself and your script. Remember to write in the present tense, and the thumb rule of scriptwriting- show, don’t tell.
5. Edit, edit, edit!
There you go. Think of all the times you’ve had to stop yourself from scratching out paragraphs, and take out all that frustration. Fill in all those plot holes, remove unnecessary bits, or even add in recent inspired ideas. One of the most important parts of a movie is the dialogue. Ensure that your dialogues aren’t too lengthy. Make them sparkling and crisp. Be ruthless, don’t be afraid to rewrite entire pages. Encourage constructive criticism! We must always keep in mind that nobody, nobody writes the perfect script in a single draft. It takes several rounds of editing and notes, from yourself and others to reach that level when you’re finally satisfied with your work.
Now, here are a few pieces of advice from established writers to make your script the best it can be.
• See it before you write it! Make sure that whatever you’ve put down on the page is relevant to keep your story moving forward. Given that one page of a screenplay is considered to translate into one minute of screen time, and most short films are usually less than 40 minutes, there really isn’t enough time for unnecessary dialogue.
• Italian author Cesare Pavese once said- “We do not remember days, we remember moments.”
Like everything else in life, films are remembered by their unique, defining moments. Moments that make a character, that shatter or save their world, moments that hit home and stay with us for years to come. Learn to turn a scene into a moment, because only moments entice an emotion or response from the viewer and keep them hooked until the end.
• Make sure to avoid clichés in these moments. Using archetypes is a great way of writing unique and more compelling stories.
• For the setting of the story, ensure that your structure is solid, but give only a general description of the scenes. Leave the task of bringing your story’s world to life to the art director.
• Keep in mind that the first act isn’t for getting into the depth of a character. Quickly introduce them, and throw them into the premise of the story. Let the viewer discover who they are through their actions and reactions throughout the movie.
To actually have your script read by a professional, you need to write it in a predefined format. A formatted script is very necessary for the director to present your story to the viewers. Screenwriting softwares are a must for this. There are several screenwriting softwares out there, like ‘Final Draft’, which is considered the industry standard screenplay writing software. It is however, paid. A great free alternative is Highland2, which also allows you to convert your script into a Final Draft format and several other formats.
While scriptwriting software takes care of most of your formatting, it is always a good idea to have a high-level overview of the rules. Check out this article by studioBinder, which gives you a good amount of intel about the format.
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/brilliant-script-screenplay-format/
To understand how good scripts are written, one of the best ways is to read a script and then watch it play out in the film, scene by scene. You can find large collections on websites such as ‘Simply Scripts’. (http://www.imsdb.com/)
Another good resource is ‘The Screenplay Database’, where you can find a script based on the genre. (http://www.screenplaydb.com/film/all)
One of the hardest things for me to do is to actually start writing, no matter how much I may want to. Stemming from the fear of failure, or maybe just plain laziness, procrastination is a writer’s greatest weakness. Here’s an article that I’ve found helpful in motivating me to push past those fears and actually get started.
That’s it for today! Now that you hopefully got an overview of the entire process, this should help you get started. So, go out there (or rather, get in your room) and write your story, and we hope to see it on screen someday!
~Ishita
