10 Basic Rules of Screenwriting
1. Feature film script should be between 95 and 120 pages in length.
* Never longer. A script over 120 pages needs editing.
* Never shorter. A script shorter than 90 pages is too short.
* The perfect length is 100 pages for comedies, 110 for dramas.
* Cheat your margins if you have to, but better yet write and cut to the correct length.
2. Do NOT use camera directions. Ever.
* (Note: Historically, writers used to employ camera directions, but the practice is no longer in vogue.)
* Do not use words like CAMERA, CLOSE UP, LONG SHOT, DOLLY, PAN, or anything else that refers to the camera.
* Do not use CUT TO or any references to editing.
* At the beginning of the script, you may use FADE IN.
* At the end of the script, you may use FADE OUT.
* Please use a maximum of two dissolves in the entire script. If any.
* Dissolves are not generally well-received, disdained by directors and studio readers.
3. Dialogue should generally be one to three lines long. Only occasionally should dialogue exceed four lines. Keep it short and simple.
* A few monologues may be acceptable, but even they should be broken up with action (e.g. ‘he drags on a cigarette’), so they are under ten lines in length. Long stretches of one character talking are boring and hard to read.
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* Never longer. A script over 120 pages needs editing.
* Never shorter. A script shorter than 90 pages is too short.
* The perfect length is 100 pages for comedies, 110 for dramas.
* Cheat your margins if you have to, but better yet write and cut to the correct length.
2. Do NOT use camera directions. Ever.
* (Note: Historically, writers used to employ camera directions, but the practice is no longer in vogue.)
* Do not use words like CAMERA, CLOSE UP, LONG SHOT, DOLLY, PAN, or anything else that refers to the camera.
* Do not use CUT TO or any references to editing.
* At the beginning of the script, you may use FADE IN.
* At the end of the script, you may use FADE OUT.
* Please use a maximum of two dissolves in the entire script. If any.
* Dissolves are not generally well-received, disdained by directors and studio readers.
3. Dialogue should generally be one to three lines long. Only occasionally should dialogue exceed four lines. Keep it short and simple.
* A few monologues may be acceptable, but even they should be broken up with action (e.g. ‘he drags on a cigarette’), so they are under ten lines in length. Long stretches of one character talking are boring and hard to read.
Recommended Sources:
Personal Development Programs
Business Coaching Services
Screenwriting Programs
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