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There are a lot of people who say “you have to do this” and “you can’t do that” in your script. I’ve seen spec scripts from new writers and experienced writers break all kinds of rules and get optioned or sold. The only rules I follow are be entertaining and be clear/don’t be confusing. Learn the craft, practice writing, and read scripts so you can write incredible scripts, and shut out the noise/negative people.
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You write a good script and no one will care. You write a bad script and everyone will care. That's the big to do...
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Hey, Scott Sawitz. That's what "learn the craft, practice writing, and read scripts so you can write incredible scripts" is for.
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I did a competition once and I was told the script and characters was compelling and that the script could be easily sold; however, I didn't follow all the rules to "scriptwriting"
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Hey, Michael Bryan. That's great. Even more proof. I hope you sell your script!
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100%. It’s definitely an art more than a science (if I may say so as a newbie to screenwriting lol). Like a couple of the critiques I got for my first script, Marisol and Mezzaluna, said that while it’s clear I’m new to writing a screenplay, there’s also no right or wrong way to do it. I had to just sorta play with it anyway though since the story is surreal :)
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You're right, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. It's definitely an art more than a science. I love that I can go wild with action lines and formatting if I want to.
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I’m just here for the wild ride, man. If it happens? GREAT. If not? GREAT. : )
WIN-WIN!!!
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"F-It" scripts. I am down with the concept 100%; HOWEVER, I skimmed through about sixty+ scripts on SimplyScripts the other day and it's obvious people still need to be brought back into the fold somewhat... Two features I saw weighed in at 173 and 180 pages respectively. There were lots of cases of trivial issues which could be brushed off, but oh man were there some other issues en masse... I mentioned previously I have become this screenwriting technocrat (unfortunately), but now I am trying to heed CJ's type of advice and let my Shane Black freak flag fly... All that stated I think it is important to remember, as a Spec Script Ronin, it's likely no one is paying you to write so write what the frak you want, BUT you also want someone to read your F-It scripts so you also have to conform somewhat re: formatting and basic structure...
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I agree, Mike Childress, write what you want. "So you also have to conform somewhat re: formatting and basic structure..." A script should have some kind of structure, but I've read optioned and sold scripts that had weird formatting. Whatever works, works.
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Maurice Vaughan Rhetoric 101 = Know your audience; the PROBLEM with attempting to hawk your screenplays is that almost perpetual imperfect information re: WHO is reading your script(s) initially. I guess if you pay for coverage the idea is you know the executive you are pitching, but Query Letters, competition reads, studio gatekeeper triage...all unknowns. What if someone is put off by "weird formatting" or Shane Black-esque asides? So I am more of the technical writer now despite the wild child being contained within. To me displaying technical ability is akin to wearing a business suit vice shorts and flip flops to a job interview...
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Mike Childress if you read Shane Black's Lethal Weapon screenplay, it wasnt unfilmable talk to readers; it was his storytelling world that got ppl excited. He introduced 9mm handguns, mixed martial arts fighting, ex-Vietnam soldiers smuggling drugs, suicide. The script was very dark for its time and I think the original script, Riggs dies.
Basically, Shane Black created a new world movie fans have never seen before.
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You're right, Mike Childress, know your audience. Writers can research who they send query letters to/call. If someone is put off by weird formatting or Shane Black-esque asides, just move on to the next producer, director, etc.
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Dan MaxXx ".9 millimeter Beretta, if it matters." Out of the scripts I have read thus far that one is indubitably the easiest to read/most entertaining. Superb.
Maurice Vaughan Yeah, it's a numbers game for sure. I am primarily focused on the studio writing programs at this juncture, but would love to get paid to write features. For the TV writing programs I mostly dialed down the Mike-isms, but feature scripts are now like my free fire zones, i.e. "I do what I want!" (well apart from the Nicholl script that is...).
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Well said, Maurice Vaughan. It's the only advice the matters and something every writer needs to rehearse to themselves on a daily basis until it becomes instinctive.
You're either entertaining or you're not. You're either getting stuff made or you're not. You're either building an audience or you're not.
Lots of people handing in homework rather than art.
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Mike Childress, if you want to learn more about Shane Black being discovered, check out Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency. It literally has a chapter from the agent that discovered him. It's nothing like people on forums will tell you.
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CJ Walley Will add it to the list, thanks! If I can manage to channel even an iota of that (Shane) Black Magic in that Lethal Weapon script I will be a happy camper.
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Thanks, CJ Walley. And thanks for the book rec. I'm gonna check it out.
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Agreed. The rule should be: “Tell a compelling story”. As long as someone can follow your script, and is invested in the story, you’re good!
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One huge point not made here is the concept has to travel- hopefully to production- with or without the original writer.
Spend more time on concepts. It has to get strangers excited now and in the future.
Seems too many here are just focused they will make their specs, be the only writer, only one director, cast one actor....Yada yada... Ppl come on and off production all the time.
So spend your energy on concepts. Concept is king. Concepts pay actual money.
There are thousands of writers/gurus who know everything from film structure to formatting but they cant come up with concepts.
Maybe one day you get a phone call like mine:
Producer: "We're going in a different direction. Bringing in a new writer."
Me: "Cool. Good Luck. And my contract states I get paid in full on first day of production."
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Concept is huge, Dan MaxXx. It's one of the most important things when it comes to a script, but I think writers should spend more time learning the craft and writing scripts. Incredible concepts are easy to come by if writers know where to look and how to come up with them.
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Again, there's this fantasy that's perpetuated by communities and platforms; write specs, win a competition, get repped, sell a script to a studio, join the WGA, lock in a-list talent, release theatrically, receive recognition as the sole writer, rinse & repeat at union rates or above.
It's just nothing like that for the average screenwriter cutting a career, and if we were more honest about what it's like and what it takes, people would be far better off.
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I think that's a great dream to chase, CJ Walley -- and it's definitely possible to catch it -- but I agree. It's nothing like that for the average screenwriter cutting a career. I think writers should know that upfront. Not to deter them, but just so they can know what to expect.
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Ironically, people would set much more realistic goals and expectations and probably stick at it a lot longer.
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I'm not sure a lot of new writers read/chat with people about the trials and tribulations of spec script sales before they type "FADE OUT." and then are gung-ho to hawk the script immediately after... I mean I get it, cool goal and all, but the spec sale battlefield is littered with screenplay cannon-fodder corpses. I started writing in the format to attempt to break into the TV world, not because I planned on wandering the desolate screenwriting lands a hapless Spec Script Ronin. Sign me up for that dream job of cranking out features for pay!
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I don't think enough new writers do that, Mike Childress. I started writing scripts after I found part of THE OFFICE SPACE script and one or two screenwriting articles about the basics online. I wasn't prepared, and I definitely wasn't prepared for the spec sale battlefield. I eventually read more articles, read books, got advice from pros, learned the business side of the industry, etc. though.
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From my experience, most new writers don't learn about anything other than formatting. Everything else is speculation and Chinese whispers.
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New writers send me scripts all the time and I say the same thing, some basic formatting needs to be the same. If I start reading your script and there is no FADE IN, I won't read it. For me, A spec script should contain no camera direction or the words WE SEE....I don't know, just a trigger for me. Perfect your skill,, perfect your craft, keep writing.
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Hi, Jeffery Mack. Would you pass on an incredible script by a new writer if they didn't use FADE IN and/or basic formatting? I personally don't write FADE IN. I used to, but it takes up space, and I think scripts look better without it.
Hey Maurice. I sure would. But that's just me. We are sometimes only as good as our teachers. Because I got mentored by a produced writer many moons ago, I consider basic formatting a staple. So yeah, the script could have been Gone With The Wind,, But I would never know if it didn't start with fade in because I was taught that nothing appears on screen until after that tag.
That sounds extreme, Jeffery Mack. And it sounds like a sure way for producers, directors, and companies to miss out on incredible scripts and potential profit.
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Agreed! That's why I say it's just ME when I read scripts, But a lot of the companies I deal with will X-File a script real fast without some universal formatting. (P.S., X-file means to toss it in the trash. Old term from an old guy)
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I can't comment on any screenwriting software other than FD13 (outside of seeing Celtx watermarks at the bottom of a lot of pages of scripts), but one would think the formatting should be the easy part in 2025... I was pretty verbose with the narrative descriptions when I started, but I have seen some scripts with straight up novellas in action lines. Like half a page of text or more sometimes. I think part of the reason I write to entertain is so I don't bore myself while reading! I still don't know how professional readers do it.
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What I've learned is if you are consistent through out your screenplay and it's a great story, then it doesn't matter.
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It's easy to see why some people, especially newcomers, get hung up on trying to being format sticklers when some veterans of the craft are like, 'Don't worry so much about formatting' and others, including professional readers, will make it clear they are formatting purists. Write a great tale, for sure, but you can also be technically sound at the same time.
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Good advice. Personally, I find that if I'm having a good time while writing a script, there's a very good chance that the reader will have a good time too.
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Iannis Aliferis Nothing like writing to entertain yourself! I write what I want to see on film.
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Totally Agree and thanks for sharing!!
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You're welcome, Mark Deuce.
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Mike Childress %100!
It's kinda weird how the people who stridently reject the idea of any "rules" in screenwriting are also the people who insist that in order to succeed in the business aspiring screenwriters must follow other rules, such as maniacally networking, entering every competition and challenge, and paying reader services and consultants.
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A few years ago a friend who I'd known for 20 years said I needed to face the FACTS that because of my age and location no one in Hollywood was ever going to be interested in my work. When I called him out on that he said it was just a FACT I should accept. It was the last conversation we ever had. If they won't support you they don't deserve you.
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You're right, Bill Albert. People who got into screenwriting late and live all over the world have made careers for themselves. Sorry you lost a friend, but glad you didn't listen to what he was saying.
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There is some validity to ageism targeting screenwriters: Good Old Days syndrome. Many old(er) writers refuse to progress beyond whatever era or period they consider to have been the peak. They churn out dated script after dated script, usually poorly-written, while whining about how everything new(er) is bad. One way to defeat ageism is to write well and keep it relevant.
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Bill Albert I always tell people "Bram Stoker didn't write Dracula until he was fifty". Pretty sure if Stoker was resurrected tomorrow as a zombie (zombie vampire?) and had a killer story/script someone would be interested...
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I agree to an extent. Being entertaining and communicating your story clearly are the main goals for every script. But also writers should embrace standardization and the industry standard screenwriting formatting techniques. They are not limits, they are the boundaries of how seriously you will be taken. And they are your friend. So much more than you know.
Like one of my mentors used to say: "A script's formatting captures the precision with which you're thinking about your project."