Hello!
I wrote a 30-page short: a coming of age story, sliced into three parts; my protagonist at the age of 6, 12, and 18. In my first draft, each period (say, my protagonist at 12) began on top of the page.
However…
Since rewriting the bitch, everything has moved down a couple of inches. I know this isn’t THAT important. Still, my lines once sat elegantly on the page, read like a breeze. Now they appear clunky and disjointed. I don’t like it.
Which brings me to my main question: What is the rule on ending a scene halfway through one page and writing the following scene on the next?
Thanks,
Tamim
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To my understanding, you don't stop halfway on a page and start a new page. You can break up your scene with a scene heading but there shouldn't be any big gaps like that. You want a script that flows and is easy to read, and big white spaces like that can be confusing to readers.
I've even been told (by a friend and mentor who is a working screenwriter) that your script should never end mid-page. Always take it as close to the end of the page as you can.
That's what I thought. Thanks, Jody!
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Tamin, there is no 'rule', but I'd say don't do that. It sounds like you've written a coming of age story in three segments. Basically, short films do best when limited to a single subject. 30 pages is awfully long for a short. Maybe what you have is really three seperate shorts.
30 is long. 40 is awfully long. Either way, thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it.
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(CONT.)
Fine.