
Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing
scripts for
mass media
Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication.
Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...
such as
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
s,
television production
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
s or
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s. It is often a
freelance
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
profession.
Screenwriter
A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
s are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the script, screenplay, dialogues and delivering it, in the required format, to development executives. Screenwriters therefore have great influence over the creative direction and emotional impact of the screenplay and, arguably, of the finished film.
Screenwriters either
pitch original ideas to producers, in the hope that they will be optioned or sold; or are commissioned by a producer to create a screenplay from a concept, true story, existing screen work or literary work, such as a novel, poem, play, comic book, or short story.
Types
The act of screenwriting takes many forms across the entertainment industry. Often, multiple writers work on the same script at different stages of
development
Development or developing may refer to:
Arts
*Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped
* Photographic development
*Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting
* Development hell, when a proje ...
with different tasks. Over the course of a successful career, a screenwriter might be hired to write in a wide variety of roles.
Some of the most common forms of screenwriting jobs include:
Spec script writing
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...
s are feature film or
television show
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
scripts written without the commission of, but is on speculation of sale to a
film studio
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...
,
production company
A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...
, or TV network. The content is usually invented solely by the screenwriter, however spec screenplays can also be based on established works or real people and events. The spec script is a Hollywood sales tool with the vast majority of scripts written each year are spec scripts, but only a small percentage make it to the screen. Though a spec script is usually a wholly original work, it can also be an
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
.
In television writing, a spec script is a sample
teleplay
A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or a ...
written to demonstrate the writer's knowledge of a show and ability to imitate its style and conventions. It is submitted to the show's producers in hopes of being hired to write future episodes of the show. Budding screenwriters attempting to break into the business generally begin by writing one or more spec scripts.
Although writing spec scripts is part of any writer's career, the
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media:
* The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...
forbids members to write "on speculation". The distinction is that a spec script is written as a sample by the writer on his or her own; what is forbidden is writing a script for a specific producer without a contract. In addition to writing a script on speculation, it is generally not advised to write camera angles or other directional terminology, as these are likely to be ignored. A director may write up a
shooting script
A shooting script is the version of a screenplay used during the production of a film or video. It provides a plan for what footage to shoot to help tell the story.
Shooting scripts are distinct from spec scripts in that they make use of scene ...
themselves, a script that guides the team in what to do in order to carry out the director's vision of how the script should look. The director may ask the original writer to co-write it with them or to rewrite a script that satisfies both the director and producer of the film/TV show.
Spec writing is also unique in that the writer must pitch the idea to producers. In order to sell the script, it must have an excellent title, good writing, and a great
logline, laying out what the movie is about. A well-written logline will convey the tone of the film, introduce the main character, and touch on the primary conflict. Usually the logline and title work in tandem to draw people in, and it is highly suggested to incorporate irony into them when possible. These things, along with nice, clean writing will hugely impact whether or not a producer picks up a spec script.
Commission
A commissioned screenplay is written by a hired writer. The concept is usually developed long before the screenwriter is brought on, and often has multiple writers work on it before the script is given a
green light
Green Light, green light, green-light or greenlight may refer to:
* Green-colored light, part of the visible spectrum
* Greenlight, formal approval of a project to move forward
Arts, entertainment, and media Films and television
* Green Light ( ...
. The plot development is usually based on highly successful novels, plays, TV shows, and even video games, and the rights to which have been legally acquired.
Feature assignment writing
Scripts written on assignment are screenplays created under contract with a
studio
A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater.
The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal.
Types Art
The studio of any artist, esp ...
, production company, or producer. These are the most common assignments sought after in screenwriting. A screenwriter can get an assignment either exclusively or from "open" assignments. A screenwriter can also be approached and offered an assignment. Assignment scripts are generally adaptations of an existing idea or property owned by the hiring company, but can also be original works based on a concept created by the writer or producer.
Rewriting and script doctoring
Most produced films are rewritten to some extent during the development process. Frequently, they are not rewritten by the original writer of the script. Many established screenwriters, as well as new writers whose work shows promise but lacks marketability, make their living rewriting scripts.
When a script's central premise or characters are good but the script is otherwise unusable, a different writer or team of writers is contracted to do an entirely new draft, often referred to as a "page one rewrite". When only small problems remain, such as bad dialogue or poor humor, a writer is hired to do a "polish" or "punch-up".
Depending on the size of the new writer's contributions,
screen credit may or may not be given. For instance, in the American film industry, credit to rewriters is given only if 50% or more of the script is substantially changed. These standards can make it difficult to establish the identity and number of screenwriters who contributed to a film's creation.
When established writers are called in to rewrite portions of a script late in the development process, they are commonly referred to as
script doctor
A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elemen ...
s. Prominent script doctors include Christopher Keane,
Steve Zaillian
Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born January 30, 1953) is an Armenian-American screenwriter, film director and producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for his screenplay ''Schindler's List'' (1993) and has earne ...
,
William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. Among other accolades, Goldman won two Aca ...
,
Robert Towne
Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz; November 23, 1934 – July 1, 2024) was an American screenwriter and director. He started writing films for Roger Corman, including '' The Tomb of Ligeia'' in 1964, and was later part of the New Hollyw ...
,
Mort Nathan
Mort Nathan is an American television producer, screenwriter and film director. He was one of the co-producers and head writers of the comedy show ''The Golden Girls''. Nathan won two Emmy awards, two Golden Globes, and a Writers Guild of America ...
,
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
,
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...
, and Peter Russell. Many up-and-coming screenwriters work as ghostwriters.
Television writing
A freelance television writer typically uses spec scripts or previous credits and reputation to obtain a contract to write one or more episodes for an existing television show. After an episode is submitted, rewriting or polishing may be required.
A staff writer for a TV show generally works in-house, writing and rewriting episodes. Staff writers—often given other titles, such as
story editor
Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called supervising producer. The responsibilities of the story editor vary depending on the production; this article describes the duties the role most commo ...
or
producer—work both as a group and individually on episode scripts to maintain the show's tone, style, characters, and plots. Serialized television series will typically have a basic premise and setting that creates a story engine that can drive individual episodes, subplots, and developments.
Television show creators write the
television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
and
bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
of new television series. They are responsible for creating and managing all aspects of a show's characters, style, and plots. Frequently, a creator remains responsible for the show's day-to-day creative decisions throughout the series run as
showrunner
A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
,
head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...
, or story editor.
Writing for daily series
The process of writing for
soap opera
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
s and
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
s is different from that used by
prime time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
shows, due in part to the need to produce new episodes five days a week for several months. In one example cited by
Jane Espenson
Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer.
Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared ...
, screenwriting is a "sort of three-tiered system":
[08/13/2008: Soapy Scenes](_blank)
, from "Jane in Progress" a blog for aspiring screenwriters by Jane Espenson
:a few top writers craft the overall
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...
s. Mid-level writers work with them to turn those arcs into things that look a lot like traditional episode outlines, and an array of writers below that (who do not even have to be local to Los Angeles), take those outlines and quickly generate the dialogue while adhering slavishly to the outlines.
Espenson notes that a recent trend has been to eliminate the role of the mid-level writer, relying on the senior writers to do rough outlines and giving the other writers a bit more freedom. Regardless, when the finished scripts are sent to the top writers, the latter do a final round of rewrites. Espenson also notes that a show that airs daily, with characters who have decades of history behind their voices, necessitates a writing staff without the distinctive voice that can sometimes be present in prime-time series.
Writing for game shows
Game shows feature live contestants, but still use a team of writers as part of a specific format.
This may involve the slate of questions and even specific phrasing or dialogue on the part of the host. Writers may not script the dialogue used by the contestants, but they work with the producers to create the actions, scenarios, and sequence of events that support the game show's concept.
Video game writing
With the continued development and increased complexity of video games, many opportunities are available to employ screenwriters in the field of
video game design
Video game design is the process of designing the rules and content of video games in the Video game development#Pre-production, pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the Video game development ...
. Video game writers work closely with the other game designers to create characters, scenarios, and dialogue.
Structural theories
Several main screenwriting theories help writers approach the screenplay by systematizing the structure, goals and techniques of writing a script. The most common kinds of theories are structural. Screenwriter William Goldman is widely quoted as saying "Screenplays are structure".
Three-act structure
According to this approach, the three acts are: the setup (of the setting, characters, and mood), the confrontation (with obstacles), and the resolution (culminating in a climax and a dénouement). In a two-hour film, the first and third acts each last about thirty minutes, with the middle act lasting about an hour, but nowadays many films begin at the confrontation point and segue immediately to the setup or begin at the resolution and return to the setup.
In ''
Writing Drama
''Writing Drama'' (French: La dramaturgie) is a treatise by French writer and filmmaker Yves Lavandier, originally published in 1994, revised in 1997, 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2014. The English version was translated from the French by Bernard Besserg ...
'', French writer and director
Yves Lavandier
Yves Lavandier (born 2 April 1959) is a French film writer and director.
Biography
Yves Lavandier was born on 2 April 1959. After receiving a degree in civil engineering, he studied film at Columbia University, New York City, New York, between 1 ...
shows a slightly different approach. As do most theorists, he maintains that every human action, whether fictitious or real, contains three logical parts: before the action, during the action, and after the action. But since the climax is part of the action, Lavandier maintains that the second act must include the climax, which makes for a much shorter third act than is found in most screenwriting theories.
Besides the three-act structure, it is also common to use a four- or five-act structure in a screenplay, and some screenplays may include as many as twenty separate acts.
The Hero's Journey
The
hero's journey
In narratology and comparative mythology, the hero's quest or hero's journey, also known as the monomyth, is the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home ch ...
, also referred to as the
monomyth, is an idea formulated by noted mythologist
Joseph Campbell. The central concept of the monomyth is that a pattern can be seen in stories and myths across history. Campbell defined and explained that pattern in his book ''
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' (first published in 1949) is a work of comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell, in which the author discusses his theory of the mythological structure of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world my ...
'' (1949).
Campbell's insight was that important myths from around the world, which have survived for thousands of years, all share a fundamental structure. This fundamental structure contains a number of stages, which include:
#a call to adventure, which the hero has to accept or decline,
#a road of trials, on which the hero succeeds or fails,
#achieving the goal (or "boon"), which often results in important self-knowledge,
#a return to the ordinary world, which again the hero can succeed or fail, and
#application of the boon, in which what the hero has gained can be used to improve the world.
Later, screenwriter
Christopher Vogler refined and expanded the hero's journey for the screenplay form in his book, ''
The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers'' (1993).
Syd Field's paradigm
Syd Field introduced a new theory he called "the paradigm". He introduced the idea of a ''
plot point
In television and film, a plot point is any incident, episode, or event that "hooks" into the action and spins it around into another direction.
Three-act structure
Noted screenwriting teacher Syd Field discusses plot points in his paradigm, ...
'' into screenwriting theory
and defined a plot point as "any incident, episode, or event that hooks into the action and spins it around in another direction". These are the anchoring pins of the story line, which hold everything in place. There are many plot points in a screenplay, but the main ones that anchor the story line in place and are the foundation of the dramatic structure, he called ''plot points I and II''. Plot point I occurs at the end of Act 1; plot point II at the end of Act 2.
Plot point I is also called the ''key incident'' because it is the true beginning of the story and, in part, what the story is about.
In a 120-page screenplay, Act 2 is about sixty pages in length, twice the length of Acts 1 and 3. Field noticed that in successful movies, an important dramatic event usually occurs at the middle of the picture, around page sixty. The action builds up to that event, and everything afterward is the result of that event. He called this event the ''centerpiece'' or ''midpoint''. This suggested to him that the middle act is actually two acts in one. So, the three-act structure is notated 1, 2a, 2b, 3, resulting in Aristotle’s three acts being divided into four pieces of approximately thirty pages each.
Field defined two plot points near the middle of Acts 2a and 2b, called ''pinch I'' and ''pinch II'', occurring around pages 45 and 75 of the screenplay, respectively, whose functions are to keep the action on track, moving it forward, either toward the midpoint or plot point II. Sometimes there is a relationship between pinch I and pinch II: some kind of story connection.
According to Field, the ''
inciting incident
In a literary work, film, or other narrative, the plot is the mapping of events in which each one (except the final) affects at least one other through the principle of cause-and-effect. The causal events of a plot can be thought of as a selecti ...
'' occurs near the middle of Act 1, so-called because it sets the story into motion and is the first visual representation of the key incident. The inciting incident is also called the ''dramatic hook'', because it leads directly to plot point I.
Field referred to a ''tag'', an epilogue after the action in Act 3.
Here is a chronological list of the major plot points that are congruent with Field's Paradigm:
Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell’s Four Act Structure
Husband and wife film theorists
David Bordwell
David Jay Bordwell (; July 23, 1947 – February 29, 2024) was an American film theorist and film historian. After receiving his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1973, he wrote more than fifteen volumes on the subject of cinema including ''Na ...
(1947-2024) and
Kristen Thompson (1950) would argue that most movies released today consist of these four acts:
* · The Set-up (which establishes a primary story situation that will lead to a formation of goals or one or more story goals)
* · Complicating Action (a “counter Set-up” that takes the action in a new direction); the
* · Development (story premises and goals have been firmly introduced and the protagonist struggles toward their goals, often with incidents and set-backs that create delays, action, suspense);
* · Climax (the final progression toward a resolution).
Both writers have provided examples of this theory in action. Thompson wrote a book in 1999 called ''Storytelling in the New Hollywood'', where she provided 10 in-depth examples films that are told in 4 acts. She even provides an index listing movies from the 1910s to the 1990s and their use of four acts, with only a handful of movies that still use 3 (1996’s ''The Frighteners'' only has a Set-up, Development, and Climax ).
On his webpage davidbordwell.net, Bordwell wrote an article called Anatomy of an Action Picture, where he discusses the four actions of 2007’s ''Mission Impossible III'
:
The sequence approach
The sequence approach to screenwriting, sometimes known as "
Sequence (filmmaking), eight-sequence structure", is a system developed by
Frank Daniel, while he was the head of the Graduate Screenwriting Program at
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
. It is based in part on the fact that, in the early days of cinema, technical matters forced screenwriters to divide their stories into sequences, each the length of a reel (about ten minutes).
The sequence approach mimics that early style. The story is broken up into eight 10–15 minute sequences. The sequences serve as "mini-movies", each with their own compressed three-act structure. The first two sequences combine to form the film's first act. The next four create the film's second act. The final two sequences complete the resolution and dénouement of the story. Each sequence's resolution creates the situation which sets up the next sequence.
Michael Welles Schock's Atoms of Storytelling
Shock argues that the Golden Key in structuring a film script is something he calls the “story spine.” It is the backbone of storytelling, and it starts from the beginning of the movie and continues all the way to the very end. He says that every successful story spine contains film elements
# The Story Problem: Another word for the inciting incident. Examples given include the arrival of the terrorists in ''Die Hard'' or Nemo being kidnapped in ''Finding Nemo''.
# The Story Goal: the very thing that drives the main character. The MC believes that once the goal is achieved, the Story Problem will be solved and life can return to normal.
# The Path of Action: The road the protagonist travels down to achieve the Story Goal.
# The Main Conflict: The force of antagonism the protagonist faces. It could be human, internal, or some other external force.
# The Stakes: The very thing that is at risk for the protagonist should they not achieve their story goal. In ''Die Hard'', John McClane’s wife is one of the hostages in the building. If he fails, he, his wife, and the other hostages will die.
Shock says that the theory of spine could also be applied to the sequence in the Sequence approach. Each sequence spine is made up of the same five elements of the story spine.
Robert McKee's Story
Robert McKee believes that screenplays are a way to delve into a character's "life story." The structure means arranging events from a character's life story in a strategic way that a elicits an emotional response from the audience or conveys a certain point-of-view in life. The events the writer choses to incorporate into the story can not random; rather, the events included, and where they are placed in the story, must serve a purpose for the story. Story "events" impact the lives of the characters in significant ways.
Character theories
Michael Hauge's categories
Michael Hauge divides primary characters into four categories. A screenplay may have more than one character in any category.
* hero: This is the main character, whose outer motivation drives the plot forward, who is the primary object of identification for the reader and audience, and who is on screen most of the time.
* nemesis: This is the character who most stands in the way of the hero achieving his or her outer motivation.
* reflection: This is the character who supports the hero's outer motivation or at least is in the same basic situation at the beginning of the screenplay.
* romance: This is the character who is the sexual or romantic object of at least part of the hero's outer motivation.
Secondary characters are all the other people in the screenplay and should serve as many of the functions above as possible.
Motivation is whatever the character hopes to accomplish by the end of the movie. Motivation exists on outer and inner levels.
* outer motivation is what the character visibly or physically hopes to achieve or accomplish by the end of the film. Outer motivation is revealed through action.
* inner motivation is the answer to the question, "Why does the character want to achieve his or her outer motivation?" This is always related to gaining greater feelings of self-worth. Since inner motivation comes from within, it is usually invisible and revealed through dialogue. Exploration of inner motivation is optional.
Motivation alone is not sufficient to make the screenplay work. There must be something preventing the hero from getting what he or she wants. That something is conflict.
* outer conflict is whatever stands in the way of the character achieving his or her outer motivation. It is the sum of all the obstacles and hurdles that the character must try to overcome in order to reach his or her objective.
* inner conflict is whatever stands in the way of the character achieving his or her inner motivation. This conflict always originates from within the character and prevents him or her from achieving self-worth through inner motivation.
Format
Fundamentally, the screenplay is a unique literary form. It is like a musical score, in that it is intended to be interpreted on the basis of other artists' performance, rather than serving as a finished product for the enjoyment of its audience. For this reason, a screenplay is written using technical jargon and tight, spare prose when describing stage directions. Unlike a
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
or
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
, a screenplay focuses on describing the literal, visual aspects of the story, rather than on the internal thoughts of its characters. In screenwriting, the aim is to evoke those thoughts and emotions through subtext, action, and
symbolism.
Most modern screenplays, at least in Hollywood and related screen cultures, are written in a style known as the master-scene format or master-scene script. The format is characterized by six elements, presented in the order in which they are most likely to be used in a script:
# Scene Heading, or Slug
# Action Lines, or Big Print
# Character Name
# Parentheticals
# Dialogue
# Transitions
Scripts written in master-scene format are divided into scenes: "a unit of story that takes place at a specific location and time". Scene headings (or slugs) indicate the location the following scene is to take place in, whether it is interior or exterior, and the time-of-day it appears to be. Conventionally, they are capitalized, and may be underlined or bolded. In production drafts, scene headings are numbered.
Next are action lines, which describe stage direction and are generally written in the present tense with a focus only on what can be seen or heard by the audience.
Character names are in all caps, centered in the middle of the page, and indicate that a character is speaking the following dialogue. Characters who are speaking off-screen or in voice-over are indicated by the suffix (O.S.) and (V.O) respectively.
Parentheticals provide stage direction for the dialogue that follows. Most often this is to indicate how dialogue should be performed (for example, angry) but can also include small stage directions (for example, picking up vase). Overuse of parentheticals is discouraged.
Dialogue blocks are offset from the page's margin by 3.7" and are left-justified. Dialogue spoken by two characters at the same time is written side by side and is conventionally known as dual-dialogue.
The final element is the scene transition and is used to indicate how the current scene should transition into the next. It is generally assumed that the transition will be a cut, and using "CUT TO:" will be redundant. Thus the element should be used sparingly to indicate a different kind of transition such as "DISSOLVE TO:".
Screenwriting applications such as Arc Studio Pro,
Final Draft (software)
Final Draft is a screenwriting software program for writing and formatting screenplays.
History
Final Draft was co-founded in 1990 by Marc Madnick and Ben Cahan.
In 2013, Final Draft was awarded a Primetime Emmy Engineering Award.
In 2016, ...
,
Celtx
Celtx () is media pre-production software, designed for creating and organizing media projects like screenplays, films, videos, stageplays, documentaries, machinima, games, and podcasts. The software is developed by Celtx Inc., which is owned ...
,
Fade In (software)
Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software (also known simply as Fade In) is software for writing screenplays in the industry standard format used in Hollywood and elsewhere. It can also be used for teleplays, stage plays, radio plays, mult ...
, Slugline,
Scrivener (software), and Highland, allow writers to easily format their script to adhere to the requirements of the master screen format.
Dialogue and description
Imagery
Imagery can be used in many metaphoric ways. In ''
The Talented Mr. Ripley
''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. The novel introduced the character of con man Tom Ripley, whom Highsmith wrote about in four subsequent books. Its numerous film and television adaptation ...
'', the title character talked of wanting to close the door on himself sometime, and then, in the end, he did.
Pathetic fallacy
The phrase pathetic fallacy is a literary term for the attribution of human emotion and conduct to things found in nature that are not human. It is a kind of personification that occurs in poetic descriptions, when, for example, clouds seem sulle ...
is also frequently used; rain to express a character feeling depressed, sunny days promote a feeling of happiness and calm. Imagery can be used to sway the emotions of the audience and to clue them in to what is happening.
Imagery is well defined in ''
City of God''. The opening image sequence sets the tone for the entire film. The film opens with the shimmer of a knife's blade on a sharpening stone. A drink is being prepared, The knife's blade shows again, juxtaposed is a shot of a chicken letting loose of its harness on its feet. All symbolising 'The One that got away'. The film is about life in the favelas in Rio - sprinkled with violence and games and ambition.
Dialogue
Since the advent of
sound film
A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
, or "talkies", dialogue has taken a central place in much of mainstream cinema. In the cinematic arts, the audience understands the story only through what they see and hear: action, music, sound effects, and dialogue. For many screenwriters, the only way their audiences can hear the writer's words is through the characters' dialogue. This has led writers such as
Diablo Cody
Brook Maurio (previously Busey-Hunt; ''née'' Busey; born June 14, 1978), known professionally by the pen name Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer. She gained recognition for her candid blog and subsequent memoir, ''Candy Girl: A Year ...
,
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...
, and
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
to become well known for their dialogue—not just their stories.
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
and other Indian film industries use separate dialogue writers in addition to the
screenplay writers.
Plot
Plot, according to Aristotle's ''
Poetics
Poetics is the study or theory of poetry, specifically the study or theory of device, structure, form, type, and effect with regards to poetry, though usage of the term can also refer to literature broadly. Poetics is distinguished from hermeneu ...
'', refers to the sequence events connected by cause and effect in a story. A story is a series of events conveyed in chronological order. A plot is the same series of events deliberately arranged to maximize the story's dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance.
E.M.Forster famously gives the example "The king died and then the queen died" is a story." But "The king died and then the queen died of grief" is a plot. For
Trey Parker
Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (1997) and '' The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his creative part ...
and
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for co-creating ''South Park'' (since 1997) and ''The Book of Mormon (musical), The Book of Mormon'' (2011) with his cre ...
this is best summarized as a series of events connected by either the word "therefore" or the word "however".
Education
A number of American universities offer specialized
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...
and undergraduate programs in screenwriting, including
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
,
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...
,
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
,
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...
,
Chapman University
Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...
,
NYU,
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
,
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
and the
University of the Arts. In Europe, the United Kingdom has an extensive range of MA and BA Screenwriting Courses including
London College of Communication
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. Its origins are in education for the printing and retail industries; it now specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation ...
,
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s.
The universi ...
,
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
, and
Goldsmiths College (University of London).
Some schools offer non-degree screenwriting programs, such as the
TheFilmSchool, The International Film and Television School Fast Track, and the UCLA Professional
Extension Programs in Screenwriting
New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...
offers both degree and non-degree educational systems with campuses all around the world.
A variety of other educational resources for aspiring screenwriters also exist, including books, seminars, websites and podcasts, such as the ''
Scriptnotes'' podcast.
History
The first true screenplay is thought to be from
George Melies
George may refer to:
Names
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
People
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE
* George, stage name of Giorgi ...
' 1902 film ''
A Trip to the Moon
''A Trip to the Moon'' ( , ) is a 1902 French science-fiction adventure trick film written, directed, and produced by Georges Méliès. Inspired by the Jules Verne novel ''From the Earth to the Moon'' (1865) and its sequel '' Around the Moon ...
''. The movie is silent, but the screenplay still contains specific descriptions and action lines that resemble a modern-day script. As time went on and films became longer and more complex, the need for a screenplay became more prominent in the industry. The introduction of movie theaters also impacted the development of screenplays, as audiences became more widespread and sophisticated, so the stories had to be as well. Once the first non-silent movie was released in 1927, screenwriting became a hugely important position within Hollywood. The "studio system" of the 1930s only heightened this importance, as studio heads wanted productivity. Thus, having the "blueprint" (continuity screenplay) of the film beforehand became extremely optimal. Around 1970, the "spec script" was first created, and changed the industry for writers forever. Now, screenwriting for television (teleplays) is considered as difficult and competitive as writing is for feature films.
Portrayed in film
Screenwriting has been the focus of a number of films:
* ''
Crashing Hollywood'' (1931)—A screenwriter collaborates on a gangster movie with a real-life gangster. When the film is released, the mob does not like how accurate the movie is.
* ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
'' (1950)—Actor
William Holden
William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...
portrays a hack screenwriter forced to collaborate on a screenplay with a desperate, fading
silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
star, played by
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...
.
*''
In a Lonely Place'' (1950)—
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...
is a washed up screenwriter who gets framed for murder.
* ''
Paris, When it Sizzles'' (1964)—
William Holden
William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...
plays a drunk screenwriter who has wasted months partying and has just two days to finish his script. He hires
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...
to help.
* ''
Barton Fink
''Barton Fink'' is a 1991 American black comedy thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts f ...
'' (1991)—
John Turturro
John Michael Turturro ( ; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his varied roles in independent films, and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers and Spike Lee. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award a ...
plays a naïve New York playwright who comes to Hollywood with high hopes and great ambition. While there, he meets one of his writing idols, a celebrated novelist from the past who has become a drunken hack screenwriter (a character based on
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...
).
* ''
Mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man
** Royal mistress
* Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...
'' (1992)—In this comedy written by
Barry Primus
Barry Primus (born February 16, 1938) is an American television and film actor, director, and writer.
Career
While Primus is primarily an actor, he has also worked as a writer and director in films in which he has acted. For the first decade ...
and
J. F. Lawton,
Robert Wuhl is a screenwriter/director who's got integrity, vision, and a serious script — but no career.
Martin Landau
Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's '' North by Northwest'' (1959). His career breakthrough c ...
is a sleazy producer who introduces Wuhl to
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
,
Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...
and
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach ( ; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a British Aca ...
- three guys willing to invest in the movie, but with one catch: each one wants his mistress to be the star.
* ''
The Player'' (1992)—In this satire of the Hollywood system,
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...
plays a movie producer who thinks he's being blackmailed by a screenwriter whose script was rejected.
* ''
Adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
'' (2002)—
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
portrays real-life screenwriter
Charlie Kaufman
Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Having first come to prominence for writing ''Being John Malkovich'' (1999), ''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002), and ''Eternal Sun ...
(as well as his fictional brother, Donald) as Kaufman struggles to adapt an esoteric book (
Susan Orlean’s real-life nonfiction work ''
The Orchid Thief'' ) into an action-filled Hollywood screenplay.
* ''
Dreams on Spec
''Dreams on Spec'' is a 2007 American documentary film that profiles the struggles and triumphs of emerging Hollywood screenwriters. It was written and directed by Daniel J. Snyder, who learned first-hand about the screenwriter's travails in t ...
'' (2007)—The only documentary to follow aspiring screenwriters as they struggle to turn their scripts into movies, the film also features wisdom from established scribes like
James L. Brooks,
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films and received numerous accolades including a British Academy Film Award as ...
,
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...
, and
Gary Ross.
* ''
Seven Psychopaths'' (2012)—In this satire, written and directed by
Martin McDonagh
Martin Faranan McDonagh ( ; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his Absurdism, absurdist Black comedy, dark humour which often challenges the modern theatre aesthetic. He has won List of awards and no ...
,
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...
plays a screenwriter who is struggling to finish his screenplay ''Seven Psychopaths'', but finds unlikely inspiration after his best friend steals a Shih Tzu owned by a vicious gangster.
* ''
Trumbo'' (2015)—Highly successful Hollywood screenwriter
Dalton Trumbo, played in this
biopic
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...
by
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...
, is targeted by the
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...
for his socialist views, sent to federal prison for refusing to cooperate, and
blacklisted
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...
from working in Hollywood, yet continues to write and subsequently wins two Academy Awards while using pseudonyms.
Copyright protection
United States
In the United States, while completed works are eligible for
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
protection, ideas and plots are not. Any document created after 1978 is automatically copyrighted, even without formal
registration or notice. However, the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
can formally register a screenplay. U.S. courts will not accept a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement until the plaintiff registers their copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. This means that the plaintiff's efforts to address an infringement may be delayed during the registration process. Moreover, in many infringement cases, the plaintiff may not be able to recover
attorney fees
Attorney's fee is a chiefly United States term for compensation for legal services performed by an Lawyer, attorney (lawyer or law firm) for a client, in or out of court.
Fees may be an hourly, flat-rate or contingent fee. Recent studies suggest ...
or collect
statutory damages
Statutory damages are a damage award in civil law, in which the amount awarded is stipulated within the statute rather than being calculated based on the degree of harm to the plaintiff. Lawmakers will provide for statutory damages for acts in w ...
unless the copyright was registered before the infringement occurred. To establish proof that a screenwriter is the author of a screenplay (though not affecting the legal copyright status), the Writers Guild of America registers screenplays. Since this service is for record-keeping purposes and not legally required, various commercial and non-profit organizations also provide screenplay registration services. Additionally, protection for teleplays, formats, and screenplays can be registered with third-party vendors to offer immediate proof of authorship.
There is a line of
precedent
Precedent is a judicial decision that serves as an authority for courts when deciding subsequent identical or similar cases. Fundamental to common law legal systems, precedent operates under the principle of ''stare decisis'' ("to stand by thin ...
in several states (including California and New York) that allows for "idea submission" claims, based on the notion that submission of a screenplay—or even a mere pitch for one—to a studio under very particular sets of factual circumstances could potentially give rise to an implied contract to pay for the ideas embedded in that screenplay, even if an alleged derivative work does not actually infringe the screenplay author's copyright.
The unfortunate side effect of such precedents (which were supposed to protect screenwriters) is that it is now that much harder to break into screenwriting. Naturally, motion picture and television production firms responded by categorically declining to read ''all'' unsolicited screenplays from unknown writers;
accepting screenplays only through official channels like talent agents, managers, and attorneys; and forcing screenwriters to sign broad
legal release
A legal release is a legal instrument that acts to terminate any legal liability between the releasor and the releasee(s), signed by the releasor. A release may also be made orally in some circumstances. Releases are routinely used by photographer ...
s before their screenplays will be actually accepted, read, or considered.
In turn, agents, managers, and attorneys have become extremely powerful
gatekeeper
A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something, for example via a city gate or bouncer, or more abstractly, controls who is granted access to a category or status. Gatekeepers assess who is "in or out", in the classic words of manage ...
s on behalf of the major film studios and media networks.
One symptom of how hard it is to break into screenwriting as a result of such case law is that in 2008,
Universal resisted construction of a bike path along the
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River (), historically known as by the Tongva and the by the Spanish, is a major river in Los Angeles County, California. Its headwaters are in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and it flows nearly from Canoga Park ...
next to
its studio lot because it would worsen their existing problem with desperate amateur screenwriters throwing copies of their work over the studio wall.
See also
*
Actantial model
__NOTOC__
In structural semantics, the actantial model, also called the actantial narrative schema, is a tool used to analyze the action that takes place in a story, whether real or fictional.Herbert 2006 ''Tools'', Ch.5, ''Origins and function' ...
*
Closet screenplay
*
List of film-related topics
*
List of screenwriting awards for film
*
Outline of film
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to film:
''Film'' refers to motion pictures as individual projects and to the field in general. The name came from the fact that photographic film (also called filmstock) ...
*
Prelap
*
Storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proce ...
References
Specific references
General references
*
*
*
*
* - Paperback
*
* - Paperback
* - Paperback
*
External links
*
Screenwriters Lectures:Screenwriters on Screenwriting Series a
BAFTAThe Writers Guild of AmericaAmerican Screenwriters Association
{{Authority control
Drama
Film and video terminology
Filmmaking
Film production
Performing arts
Plot (narrative)
Television terminology
Writing