Question 1

How do you start your script writing?

Ari Eisner · Accepted Answer

Scripts are begun in a number of ways, and ultimately it comes down to the personal method of the writer behind the work. But in a more general sense, the best way to begin is to have a clear idea of what your story will be (characters, plot, theme, setting), research as much as needed, and then put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard, as the case may be).

Question 2

How do you write a script?

Ari Eisner · Accepted Answer

Scriptwriting requires not just knowledge of story, character, and theme, but also an understanding of the professional screenplay format (more on this in a moment). It helps to read scripts and watch movies you’ve read the scripts for (seeing how one translates into the other can be immeasurably educational).
1. Craft a logline
A logline is a one or two sentence description of a movie that hooks the reader through efficient and careful wording. The trick here is to be descriptive without being too wordhy. You want to give your reader a sense of the movie they’re in for and ideally leave them with a desire to know more about it.
2. Build a beat sheet
A beat sheet identifies a screenplay’s key characters and moments, mapping out events in the order they’ll unfold in the film.
3. Write an outline
An outline is a more detailed version of the beat sheet. Essentially the beats in this iteration will be fleshed out with details, adding weight to the characters and story.
4. Compose a treatment
Once an outline is complete, the document can be converted into a treatment. This is where all the elements that had been delineated in the outline are set in a synopsis form. Here, the story should seem less mechanical and possess its own narrative flow.
5. Write the first draft
This is the first (of many) version of the screenplay. Here, the treatment is turned into a fully formatted screenplay. First drafts (sometimes referred to as “kitchen sink drafts”) tend to run longer than subsequent drafts, as they’re meant to incorporate all the ideas that existed in the prior iterations of the story.
6. Rewrite (and then rewrite some more)
Once the draft is done and the screenwriter is able to take a bit of time away from the piece, it’s time to rewrite. Sometimes writers will give scripts to colleagues for feedback. Screenplays can go through many, many drafts before they’re ready for sale (and then even more before they’re ready for production &#8211; it’s extremely rare for a screenplay to survive the production process with no rewrites).
7. Submit
Whether that be to an Agent, manager, studio head or competition, once a script is ready to go out, a writer should have a strategy in mind for where &#8211; and to whom – they’re sending their work.

Question 3

How much does the average screenplay sell for?

Ari Eisner · Accepted Answer

This answer varies, as writers can raise their rates once they’ve become established names and start generating work that brings in big money, but the WGA minimum for a screenplay with a budget of $5,000 or more is $145,469 while the WGA minimum for a screenplay of less then $5,000 is $77,4951.

Question 4

How can you sell a script without an Agent?

Ari Eisner · Accepted Answer

This is challenging, but not impossible. While agent’s can act as gatekeepers and seekers of potential work, a writer can also sell their own material. The way to do this is through making your own connections and getting your script into the right hands on your own. Of course, should someone want to buy your script, it would be helpful to have an entertainment lawyer vet the purchasing contract.

Question 5

What is the format for script writing?

Ari Eisner · Accepted Answer

As mentioned, screenplays follow a very specific format. Elements such as Scene headings, Action lines, Dialogue, Parenthetical, Transitions all make up a screenplay.
To break these down…

Question 6

What makes a good script?

Ari Eisner · Accepted Answer

Many factors go into making a good script, and ultimately this is a relative term, but well-drawn characters, a clear and compelling story structure, strong conflicts, engaging dialogue, theme, deep emotional impact and a fast moving pace are all factors that can ultimately contribute to creating a good screenplay.
The WGA released a list of the 101 best screenplays of all time. All are worth studying for a variety of reasons. This can be found here.
Here’s an exercise to try. Refer to one of the scripts from the above list (preferably a screenplay/movie you’re familiar with and admire). Now, break down its elements and ask yourself some questions…

What is it exactly about this screenplay that appeals to you so much?
Is it the characters?
If so, what about them?
Are they strongly drawn?
Is the dialogue snappy but real?
Or maybe it’s the plot. What is compelling you to keep turning pages?
How is this script making you feel as you read it?

Keep working your way down the list of what makes a good script and see how your answers play out. There’s always much to learn from the greats.

Question 7

What are the five stages of script writing?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The truth is that every Script Writer will develop their own process of developing and writing a screenplay. But if you’re just starting out, it can help to have a map of how to proceed from one step to the next. The following stages can lead you from idea to completed script:

Stage one: Create a logline. A logline is a single sentence that describes the story of your script.
Stage two: Create an outline. An outline is a document that details the major plot points of your script and allows you to see how the arc of the story unfolds.
Stage three: Write a treatment. A treatment is a prose retelling of your script. While a treatment can be incredibly helpful for Script Writers themselves, they are also often asked for in lieu of a script by Producers and Executives who are interested in the script’s concept.
Stage four: Write the script. With your logline, outline, and treatment in hand, you should have a solid starting point for your script. That’s not to say it won’t be a challenge, but those supporting documents will prove invaluable during the actual screenwriting process.
Stage five: Edit. But first, forget your script. Give yourself some time away from it. Then return to your screenplay with fresh eyes and tighten up what isn’t working. And remember, no first draft should ever be a final draft.

Question 8

How much do Script Writers earn?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The salary of a Script Writer depends on multiple factors, including the nature of the material they’re being asked to write and the production company or studio asking them to write it.
For instance, a Script Writer who is hired to write a feature film – or someone who sells a feature script – will generally make more than someone who is hired for a single season of a streamed television show or web series.
The fees for a Script Writer are just one component of a production budget, but typically the bigger the budget, the bigger the fees. For this reason, a feature film backed by a major production company or studio can afford to pay more than a startup or independent Producer.
Some Script Writers may also belong to the WGA, or Writers Guild of America, a union that sets minimum rates for its members. Often being a member of the WGA means an overall higher payday.
Because Script Writers can be hired for projects big and small, it’s incredibly challenging to determine an annual salary. In some cases, a Script Writer may make nothing in a given year or earn only royalties from a prior project.
However, should they be consistently working, a Script Writer might earn anywhere between $30,000 and $110,000 in a given year.

Question 9

Is it hard to write a screenplay?

Billy Ray · Accepted Answer

It is very hard to write a screenplay. It should be hard to write a screenplay. It’s a wonderful way to make a living–telling stories all day long. It beats digging a ditch. It beats working in an emergency room and getting COVID. It’s a great job and therefore it shouldn’t be available to everybody.
It’s hard because we collectively, as a culture, have seen a lot of movies and a lot of TV shows. We’ve seen many stories play out and so our standards are very tough to beat.
By that, I mean stories that surprise us. We’ve seen just about every twist there is. We’ve seen lots of different characters and lots of different conflicts, so what’s difficult is staying within the rules of good screenwriting and yet breaking them in a way that is unexpected and perhaps paradigm-shifting.
The fact that it’s hard doesn’t mean it cannot be done. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try. You become a writer by writing. You don’t become a writer by thinking. You have to sit down and do it.
What I would say to a 15-year-old wanting to write a screenplay is that a goal without a plan is just a wish. Start applying your plan to your goal, and that plan should involve reading screenplays. They are very easy to get online. Or watching movies that you’ve seen two times. Watch them three more times and see what makes them work.
Ask yourself at what point of the story do you become engaged or at what point in the story do you fall out of that engagement? When do you stop caring and why? It could be that a moment sixty minutes into the movie is supposed to make you cry and it didn’t. Ask yourself why. Chances are it’s because you weren’t engaged enough on page five.
When I was first coming up, I was interning for these two TV Producers when I was still at UCLA. It was a big internship and I read every script that came through that office. And I would ask myself, “This script is working. Why? This script is not working. Why?” And you start to do that kind of analysis and you learn right where you want to be.

Question 10

How do you write a script?

Matt Lieberman · Accepted Answer

I think there’s no right way to write a screenplay. You usually want to have a sense of where you’re going. You probably should read a book or two. Save the Cat! . . . is a good resource for showing beginners how a movie is structured. It doesn’t have to be structured the way he does it, but it’s a good starting-off point to get you thinking.
Some people write their scenes out on notecards or white boards and piece it together like a puzzle before they start. Others like to outline. I like a rough outline, so I know where I’m going–but I like to leave a lot for discovery and surprise along the way. That’s the real fun part for me. Coming up with ideas and scenes that you didn’t even know were in you. Painting characters into a corner and figuring out an interesting way for them to get out of it.
I would advise against charging into the writing process for a beginner, because most of the time you’ll hit a wall and not know why you’re stuck. Then it’s harder to go back and try to untangle why you’ve gotten there.
I would also say, not to let anybody read your script until you’ve hit the end of your first draft. Once you’re done, give it to as many Writers or Teachers or industry people as you can. Everyday friends can’t give you real valuable screenwriting feedback–just because you like movies doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to quantify how a screenplay isn’t working or how to make it better. And when you get feedback, you have to let yourself be open to criticism and know that it’ll only make it better in the end. You need to be thick-skinned to be a Screenwriter and willing to kill your darlings. Writing is rewriting.

Question 11

What is a Screenwriter responsible for?

Billy Ray · Accepted Answer

The Screenwriter is responsible for the story. That means the structure, how the whole thing hangs together, the development of characters, the event choices. The Screenwriter is responsible for thematic material, which is what are we actually trying to say.
That can be something simple like there’s no place like home in The Wizard of Oz or it can be something complicated and dark like the rich get away with murder, which is the theme of Chinatown. It can also be something unbelievably nuanced like Annie Hall where Woody Allen is writing about a woman who’s a mess and then she meets a man who turns her into someone strong enough to leave him. That’s pretty incredible. That’s all writing.
Most people think Screenwriters are responsible for only dialogue. I would say that’s about five percent of it.

Question 12

What makes a screenplay great?

Ashley Avis · Accepted Answer

I think what makes a screenplay great is a Writer’s unique vision coupled with the collaboration of a passionate team. A screenplay is only as good as the other people involved in the process–because unlike a novel, or a poem, a completed screenplay still isn’t in its final form. It longs to take that next step, to metamorphosize, to become a film.
Your vision and hard work at the writing stage, bolstered by great Producers who believe in what you’ve crafted, a wonderful Director to bring the script to life, brilliant Actors to embody your characters, and a dedicated crew to help execute it–that’s what makes a screenplay great, to me.

Question 13

What else should beginner Writers know about screenwriting?

Billy Ray · Accepted Answer

I would add this. Never let anybody outwork you. Never let anybody out-hustle you. I am not more talented than the people I’m competing with, but I outwork them. I work harder at fifty-seven than I did at twenty-seven and it’s not even close–and I worked hard at twenty-seven.
I go into every meeting as if it’s an audition. Even if it’s with someone I’ve worked with for twenty years and written three scripts for, I still pretend it’s the first time they’ve ever met me. I literally do this. This is my chance to make a first impression. That first impression is “you have never worked with anyone who is going to work harder, be more open to notes, be more collegial and be more energetic.” You have to mean that.
I don’t think my first drafts are better than anyone else’s. Where I separate myself as a Writer is when we’re on the fifteenth draft, most Writers would be burned out, pissed off, and out of energy, but I treat it as if it’s the first draft. I approach it with that same level of energy. That’s why I’ve been able to get in the doors I’ve gotten into and that’s why people know they can trust me.
For inexperienced Writers–this is going to sound so much like the old man on the mountain, and I don’t mean it to–but make sure that your scripts don’t have typos. Make sure that it doesn’t have words misspelled. Make sure that it doesn’t have “is” where it should be “are.”
When I read scripts, if the person can’t get their act together enough to even proofread and spell check their script, I don’t feel like I’m in the hands of a caring storyteller. I don’t feel as if I’m in the hands of someone who sweated the details. It may not distract other people, but it really distracts me because I work really hard on that stuff.
And I know that I’m not in the hands of someone who read it five times to make sure it was ready. That script is your calling card. That’s your headshot. You’ve got to make sure it’s bulletproof before it goes out.

Question 14

How can you be a good Script Writer?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

Two of the most important traits that someone must have to be a good Script Writer are consistency and determinedness.
Consistency is important in that you can’t become a good Script Writer if you don’t write scripts. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. (Though no script is ever truly perfect!)
Determinedness is just as important because the world of screenwriting is a highly competitive one filled with many disappointments – even for Screenwriters considered to be highly successful. Though a Script Writer may option or sell a script, or get hired for a film or television show, they will still deal with many rejections over the course of their career.
Outside of these traits, good Script Writers are always reading other scripts to learn what makes for a great story, as well as working on their own shortcomings to become more well-rounded Screenwriters.

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