Screenwriting : The setup by Daniel Rewijk

Whatever the story needs. But I am a fan of a big start. Get the audience into the world.

I do not have a page number. For some stories I like a fast setup. For some stories I like a slower build as a setup.

Most industry guides suggest 10 pages, but independents don't care because we're awesome.

I have a Script Tip in rotation on my site that was expanded into a chapter in my HOOK 'EM IN TEN book called SECOND CHAPTER FIRST. The title was swiped from a column by novelist Lawrence Block that was in Writers Digest Magazine on how new novelists often have chapter 1 introduce the character in their normal world, and then chapter 2 is when the conflict kicks in. Block said you should reverse those two chapters - begin with the conflict, then show us all of the background stuff on the protagonist. That way, the background stuff is not just about some boring person, but the person who has this enormous problem they have to deal with... which makes those "boring" details about their life more interesting. Heck, here's that Script Tip: http://www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/tip99.htm

I try to get it done in ten pages.

I've always thought of Act I as the set-up, but maybe that's just me, so what do y'all mean by that term? My best guess: you mean it's how long it takes before the inciting incident.

IMO, Eric Christopherson is correct. When I discuss a script's chief set-ups, I'm discussing the protagonist's set-up and the overall story set-up. They will overlap, but the overall story set-up may not come into focus as quickly as the protagonist's set-up.

Thanks for those replies. I was looking for a page number for the protagonist settup. The total settup(act 1) is in most cases longer indeed. I know what the books say but wonder if you guys have a certain page count that feel like the magic number, where it always works for you or is it every time different? I like what William Martell said. to start out with an incident and then show more of their regular life but going back in time with a titelcard feels like a cheat. @Dan MaxXx I find that I like fast settups my self. I have seen some films with a 25-30 page protagonist settup and it's just to long for me. i think between 5 and 15 works.

Hi Daniel, it depends on the shape of your opening. For example, you might open with a teaser that doesn't include the protagonist at all. This is a common technique is horror movies. For example, Sequence 1: A carload of teens drives into the woods, gets killed. Sequence 2: Days later, a 2nd car drives into the same woods. Meet the protagonist. IMO, it's not helpful to to throw out a "one size fits all" answer when no one knows your story. In case anyone is interested, Stage 32's previous Education Director Shannon asked me to teach a class on just this topic - https://www.stage32.com/classes/How-To-Hook-Your-Reader-In-Only-5-Pages

I recently read a script, and by page 8, I was brewing coffee to wake myself up because there was no clear indication of what this movie would be about. On the other hand, I just read the "First 10 Pages" of a script in S32's First 10 Pages Happy Writers program, and it opened with a teaser sequence (that didn't involve the protagonist). The protagonist first appeared around page 9 or 10, and that aspect of the script worked fine IMO.

Setup, every time I write whether it's the first draft or last draft, I asked myself these two questions: what's the purpose of the characters in context of the story? How can I introduce a story and characters within the first five pages worth following? Nothing holds men's attention like unresolved issue/s, in other words, questions mark with clues. Writing to me is like painting, I starts with ugly lines, then brush strokes for clarity, and finally colours for details. Hope that helps.