Everyone loves the movies! And if you’re anything like other aspiring screenwriters, you leave the theater thinking about how you could have just as a good a story if not better. You might dream about receiving an Academy Award for your screenplay.
Hang on. The reality isn’t quite that rosy. More than 10,000 scripts are registered with The Writers Guild of America a year, and less than 1 percent of them are made into motion pictures. Over 90 percent of screenplays never make it past a first read. And, although you’ve surely heard of the occasional screenwriter who rakes in an impressive payment for one script, the average working screenwriter earns about $50,000 a year.
The movie industry is seductive, however. If these numbers don’t discourage you and you want the best chances of writing a good screenplay that will be purchased and produced, read on.
A script is a document that outlines every aural, visual, behavioral, and lingual element required to tell a story. Making a movie is a collaborative process with the director, cast, editor, and production crew all interpreting the story as it is filmed. Chances are good that if you sell your screenplay, by the time it is made into a film, you will no longer be involved in the storyline. Another screenwriter might even be brought in to rewrite parts or even the entire screenplay. So, keep that in mind as you write.
Before you get started on your own screenplay, it’s worth spending some time on others. Watch a lot of movies. Hollywood produces roughly 500 feature films a year. That means that even the worst film of the year beat impressive odds to make it to the big screen. You can learn something from almost every movie out there.
Read a lot of screenplays. You can download screenplays off the internet from sites like www.iscriptdb.com or you can buy them from www.scriptshack.com.
Read a screenplay while you watch the movie. Notice how a well-written screenplay follows the presiding principle of screenwriting: “Show, Don’t Tell.” Even though you’re reading words on paper, a well-written script shows you the movie in your mind. Remember that film is a visual medium. Include what the audience will see and hear in your screenplay. You might know what your characters are thinking but successful screenwriting requires that you write to show that on screen.
Try to write the screenplay for a favorite movie. Before you read the screenplay for a favorite movie, watch a few scenes. Then try to write that screenplay. Obviously, the dialogue will be verbatim but try writing the scene headings and action lines. Compare what you came up with to the actual screenplay.
Learn the business. This is an aspect of screenwriting that too many writers overlook. The problem is that a screenplay comes from the solitary nature of screenwriting and goes into a process that may involve hundreds of people. Understand how you fit in the filmmaking process.