- A movie script, or screenplay, is the written blueprint for the creation of a film that contains dialogue, action, and vivid descriptions for every character and scene.
- The movie script writing process can be done in three steps: research, concept development, and start writing.
- Choose an experienced film production company like Boiling Point to help write a screenplay.
Every time you go to the movie theater, you are watching the product of hundreds of hours of work from many different types of artists. At the heart of every movie is the story, which is brought to life by its characters. Not surprisingly, there are a million ways to craft a plot for a feature film. A movie script serves as the key to allowing directors, actors, and every other member of the crew to have a document they can look to as a reference for every scene they work to create. But what actually goes into a movie script, and what is the process for writing one? This is a how to write a movie script guide from actual movie writers.
What Is A Movie Script
A movie script, or screenplay, is the written blueprint for the creation of a film. It is a document that contains dialogue, action, and vivid descriptions for every character and scene. The movie script is where you can tell the story by describing things that happen and writing what your characters will say. The amount of detail you choose to include will vary, but you will always need to describe the essential visual and audio elements of the scene. Movie scripts must follow a strict written format. However, the structure of the story doesn’t have to follow such strict guidelines. Although following common plot structures can be helpful when working to craft a story.
Why Is Having A Movie Script Important
A movie script serves multiple essential functions when creating a feature film. First of all, it is the first way you can begin to visualize a film before you even begin production. The script can be used as a powerful marketing tool to attract more talent to get your script made. Once production can begin, the finalized script becomes a point of reference for the cast and crew. From the production design, to the actions of the cast, to the actors learning their lines, the movie script is referenced constantly throughout the production.
3 Steps To Creating A Movie Script
The process for creating a movie script can vary dramatically depending on who is writing. However, there is a tried and true method to creating a script that many professional screenwriters follow.
1. Research
The very first step to creating your own movie script is to research possible ideas. There are infinite story possibilities out there from adaptations, to true life stories, and fictional universes. A great place to start is by taking notes from movies and scripts that you are interested in.
Read Some Books On Scriptwriting
Even the most experienced screenwriters still learn something new every day about writing. A great place to start could be finding some screenwriting books. Since there are so many different approaches to screenwriting, reading books about writing will help you find the methods that work best for you. For a list of recommended screenwriting books, consult articles like this one from No Film School.
Watch Great Movies
Another great exercise is to sit down and watch some great movies. Find the things you love about your favorite movies, and hate about your least favorite ones. Take notes about every detail from great bits of dialogue to overall story structure and plot twists. Watch some highly acclaimed and box office hits to find out what made them so popular. Finding out what types of stories you like to watch can be a great way to help you discover what kind of movie script you want to write.
Read Some Movie Scripts
After watching some of your favorite films, do some additional research and try to find the original screenplays for them. There are plenty of screenplays online for iconic classics that have helped to inspire millions of screenwriters. Try to read as many scripts as possible, finding ones with genres and subject matters that you are interested in. A quick search online will bring up thousands of free scripts to read.
2. Develop Your Concept
Once you’ve done plenty of research, you will probably have a lot of ideas for what you want to write about. The next step will require you to take those ideas, refine them, toss some out, and make up new ones. This process will form the foundation of your story and the characters who are going to tell it. Some writers will spend a majority of their time in this stage, so when they go to write the movie script, the process will be nearly automatic.
Establish The Concept
Brainstorm as many ideas as possible, taking into account all of the notes you made when doing your research. You can start by picking a topic, genre, or an idea that interests you and build off of that. Your concept will be the foundation of your script, so it’s important that you develop something that has a ton of room to be expanded, and feels fresh and original.
Brainstorm Ideas
Once you’ve established your concept, it’s time to expand it. It’s a good idea to come up with as many ideas as possible for your story. Even if you feel like you won’t use any of the ideas you generate, you never know when a certain idea will come back later in the writing process or lead to another idea that you end up keeping. Make sure to keep track of all of your ideas by writing them down or recording yourself explaining them.
Research Your Ideas
Every story is going to require a lot of research to make it feel real. This is especially true if you are doing a historical script, a true story, or an adaptation. Just as you brainstormed ideas, use books, online searches, documentaries, and possibly even interview experts to learn all you can about your concept. The more researched and flushed out your concept is, the more real it will feel, and the easier it will be to write.
Create An Outline
After you have done extensive research, and compiled every idea you can think of, you are ready to start on an outline. As excited as you may be to start writing the screenplay, creating a detailed outline is essential. Your outline can be as simple as a few bullet points explaining the basic structure of your story, and your characters. It can also be a more detailed breakdown but keep in mind that you will be creating a more detailed outline later in the process. Your basic outline can be a great tool not only for yourself as you begin writing, but also for showing producers and other interested talent. Your outline should give you a good idea of what the script is going to look like.
Create Your Characters
Arguably one of the most important aspects of any story is the characters. Many writers will create a document called a character breakdown that specifically outlines each character, their history, personality, physical appearance, motivations, goals, and weaknesses. Even if you don’t learn everything about the character in the movie itself, knowing everything you can about them while writing will help you know how they will react to certain situations and how to write their dialogue.
If you’re struggling to find ways to flesh out your characters, look to your favorite characters in other films and determine what about them makes you like them so much. Drawing from real life can also help you create engaging characters. It is essential that every character has a motivation and goals that will inform all of their decisions throughout the script. You typically want to write your characters in such a way where they have an arc over the course of the story. This means that they start out wanting one thing, or acting a certain way, then by the end of the story they have grown and changed for better or worse. Writing characters can be complex and hard. Some writers say that you will only truly know everything about your characters when you finish your movie script.
3. Start Writing
Now that you have an outline and character descriptions, you can begin writing your movie script. It can be daunting to have to start from nowhere. Some writers like to start from the beginning, but others might choose one of their favorite scenes from the outline and start there instead. There are a few things you should consider before starting on a movie script though.
Understand Technical Guidelines
Every script follows the exact same, strict formatting guidelines. This is done so that everyone in the film industry can read and understand a script from any writer. Each page of a script will usually equate to one minute of screen time. Most writers try to aim for a script length of 90 to 120 pages. The format for movie scripts include a standard font type and size, margin size, paper type, headings and page numbers. You can recreate this format in many ways, but most writers choose to use professional or free screenwriting software that automatically formats your script.
Write A Logline
A great place to start after completing the outline is to write a logline. A logline is a tiny summary of your entire story, usually wrapped up in one to three sentences. The goal is to include basic information about your protagonist and their goal. You should also include the obstacles or antagonists that will stand in the protagonist’s way. The goal is to write something short and informative that can serve as a way to tell people about your story in a quick and concise manner. Great loglines will hook readers in and make them want to read your script.
Write A Treatment
The next step in creating movie magic comes in the form of a treatment. A treatment is a short summary, similar to a logline, but longer and more in depth. It will usually include major plot points, as well as a brief breakdown of the characters. The script treatment is used as a tool to give producers and other prospective readers more detailed information about your script. This gives you a fantastic opportunity to look at your outlined story from a marketing perspective before you begin writing. You may find that a character isn’t developed enough, or parts of your story aren’t hitting hard enough.
Create A Detailed outline
Now it’s time to create a more detailed breakdown of the plot structure of your story. You already have a treatment and a basic outline to work off of. Now is when you start putting everything together into one cohesive story. The idea is to fill in as many plot holes and story moments as you can, as it will make writing them easier later on. There are countless different methods and structures you can use to tell your story. The three act structure and Blake Snyder’s beat sheet are two very common story structures that can help you get started. There really is no predetermined structure you need to follow. However, many popular movie scripts do follow the three act or beat sheet structure.
The most important thing you want to focus on in this step is developing every “beat” or story moment in your plot. The more detail is usually always better, and you can go as far as breaking down and describing every scene one by one. Remember to include plenty of twists, raise the stakes, and keep the characters dynamic. Some writers will spend more time in this phase than they will actually writing! You’ve already done the research and gathered your ideas, now it’s time to build the essential framework that will guide the movie script to completion.
Write A First Draft
The first draft of your movie script will always be messy. If you have done a good job on your beat sheet/detailed outline, then it will make writing much easier. As you begin to write, make sure to follow the proper formatting guidelines. Writing your first draft can be challenging, but making mistakes is not a bad thing! You will probably come back and rewrite or possibly even remove these scenes later on. The idea isn’t to write perfect scenes yet, it’s just to get the basic flow of them established. You may need to go back and revise your outline as you write. The end goal is to tell your entire story with a beginning, middle, and end. You may be way over or way under the 90-120 page range, but that’s okay!
Write A Second Draft
After finishing your first draft, you may notice plenty of glaring errors, characters that don’t work, and scenes that aren’t quite coming together. Don’t get discouraged, it’s all a part of the process! Some writers may take a mental break between writing their first draft and approaching their second draft. It may even be beneficial to get some notes from outside sources, as a new perspective on your story can help you find things that do and don’t work. Before you begin writing your first revision, it may be a good idea to go back and revise your outline first. You may need to add, remove, or rework certain scenes or characters. The second draft will allow you to make big and small changes, fine tuning your script at your own pace.
Write A Third Draft
After writing two drafts, you may already be getting a really good sense of your characters and the overall direction of the script. Depending on how you feel about your movie script, another round of notes from others and an outline revision may be in order. If you feel that the structure of your story is in a solid place, you can focus more on small details like dialogue and wording. If your script is over 120 pages, it may be a good idea to go through and find scenes that can be combined or removed. Every scene and action in a movie script will usually serve multiple functions to the story and characters. You may need more than just three revisions to get everything just right. The revision process can go on indefinitely, so you will have to decide when the script is in a good enough place to stop making changes.
Next Steps After Your Script Is Written
Congratulations, you’ve just finished a movie script! You may wonder what you need to do with your script after you finish writing it. The truth is, there is no right or wrong way to try and get your script produced. The strength of your treatment and logline will help if you want to start sending your script to producers or screenwriting contests. If your script looks expensive to produce, maybe try making some revisions to remove any complicated shooting locations or costly special effects. Surrounding yourself with a network of other writers and filmmakers will help you find people interested in your movie script. In the end, the process of getting your script made can feel arduous and seemingly endless. It’s important to never give up on your script, keep improving it, and look at every possible way to get it made.
Choose Boiling Point To Help You With Your Movie Script
The process of trying to get your script produced can sometimes seem impossible. Thankfully, there is a method that is sure to get your script some attention with Boiling Point Media. Our team of industry professionals are always looking for new scripts to workshop and improve. We have plenty of film projects under our belt, and we are excited to welcome new and exciting storytelling opportunities. If you need help with your story, look no further than the filmmaking excellence of Boiling Point Media. You can visit our website to learn more about how we are on the forefront of storytelling with innovative filmmaking technology. We would love to help you with your movie script. Contact us to take the next step in getting your movie script off of the page, and onto the silver screen!
The filmmakers at Boiling Point have extensively studied and completed post production services on numerous film projects. Depending on the goals of the film and of different scenes, our film production team will use AR, VR, XR, or MR to create the visual experience desired by the film director. Between your great ideas and our LED volume wall, we can bring your film to life. Check out our website to learn more about the films we have produced as well as our filmmaking capabilities. If you are looking to produce a film, need VFX, or just need post production work, give Boiling Point a call and bring your film to its boiling point.
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