Hello fellow screenwriters! I have a question about page count for acts. I am about to finish my first script. An hour long TV pilot. But as I am nearing the end, I am having problems with page count for each act. Every source says a different thing, some say the first act should be longer and the subsequent acts should progressively be shorter, some say each act should be around same length, etc. How do you proceed in your own writing? Do you have a specific pattern or page count that you follow? Are there any norms about how long each act should be? It would be very helpful if you could share your knowledge and experiences.
Screenwriting : Question About Page Count by Aybüke Günsel
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Hi, Aybüke Günsel. I don't have a specific pattern/page count in each act. The acts in my teleplays end up being different lengths.
These articles might help you:
https://screencraft.org/blog/the-screenwriters-guide-to-formatting-telev...
https://thescriptlab.com/features/screenwriting-101/8930-how-to-structur...
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I just do total pages for a pilot and don't insert act breaks anymore. The only thing I identify is a teaser at the beginning for a one-hour pilot. You may want to consider whether your writing for network, cable or streaming television.
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Hi Aybuke, page counts for acts vary a lot. Often the first act is longest and the last act shortest. Your structure may vary. I recommend reading lots of pilot scripts to get an idea of the flow for different formats.
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Just write the story, don't spend a second worrying about structural "standards."
Then put that script in a drawer and write another. Do the same with that one.
And the next, and the next...
Hopefully, by the time you've finished the 5th or 6th script, your skill at storytelling will have progressed enough that people will want to read it.
By the 9th or 10th, people reading it will love it and want to make it into a movie/TV show, and format/structure won't matter.
Because, in the end, it's about the story, not the structure.
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Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal" Ditto.
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Get ahold of some Turkish scripts. Turkey has one of biggest Balkan if not eastern European TV and movie productions...when I first sparked an interest for screenwriting, some 20 years ago, I arranged a meeting with an established Macedonian TV writer. He provided me some samples to read both domestic and foreign...you start from the scratch, always start from home...
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If you want to write for tv, the main goal is writing quality. Every spec script is a job audition, and again, you need to write fast and write a lot.
Dont worry about page count/Act breaks; showrunners and network bosses will tell you how to format pages.
Here are examples of tv shows and how they want the pages to be presented.
https://www.wgfoundation.org/blog/2020/4/8/formatting-your-spec-script-w...
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Thank you Maurice Vaughan for the resources. I will certainly check them out!
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Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal" I actually began with no act breaks but then tried to insert them worrying that if I didn't put acts, I wouldn't be considered professional when I eventually send them out to industry professinals. Do you think it matters to them if there are acts or not? I think my current script is more appropriate for streaming television.
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Yes E. Amato, I think that is the most general consensus that the fist act is the longest while the last is the shortest. But I am rather having problems with the in-between acts. I also try to find scripts in the genre I am writing (fantasy) but I find it hard to find scripts for TV episodes. They are generally published as transcripts or I really don't know where to look.
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You're welcome, Aybüke Günsel. Here are some teleplays: https://www.scriptreaderpro.com/best-tv-scripts/
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When writing for TV (in the USA), your job is to deliver the audience to the advertisement and then hold 'em until the next one. Teasers are becoming more common as are tags for serials.
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@Doug justifiably speaks from experience longer than the svod experience which by the way has had one nice little rattle recently. If Netflix goes avod, losing acts may not score relatively, in my opinion.