So Ya Wanna Write A Screenplay?

Do have a great idea for a feature film or a made-for TV movie? How about a TV sitcom or animated feature? Or even a stage production? Great! But there are ways to go about it and ways to NOT go about it.

One of the things that you have to remember about getting started in the screenplay biz is that you will be dealing with people who will expect to see your submitted screenplay in a correct and very specific format - a format that depends on what it is that you are submitting. You can't just mindlessly write the thing in Word and expect people to ooh and ahh over your great idea.

Or even read it at all.

The people who's job it is read submitted screenplays (for feature films or TV they're called "spec scripts") have to sift through hundreds if not thousands of them every week. They will tend not to give even a casual glance to anything that is not submitted in a professional manner - A professional manner that they are accustomed to dealing with in the industry.

Screenplays are divided into specific parts:

Scene Heading - Sometimes called a slug line, this identifies the scene as exterior or interior, the location of the scene and even the time of day.

Action - What it says. A description of the physical goings-on.

Character - This precedes all dialogue and tells the reader who is doing the talking.

Parenthetical - How the dialogue is delivered. This is always shown in parentheses, hence the name.

Dialogue - What the character is saying.

Transition - Marks the end of a scene and gives instructions as to how to go to the next scene.

Shot - Camera angles or movement - always written in CAPS

General - Anything else not included in the above.

Not only that, but these parts are handled and formatted differently depending on the type of screenplay.

So, you can see that you can't approach writing any kind of screenplay or script in a casual manner. You have to follow "the rules".

Even screenplay writers who are known in the entertainment industry use some kind of screenplay writing software instead of trying to mess around with a standard word processor such as Microsoft Word. This is something that you should consider before writing anything.

You will need to think of your screenplay or script "shot by shot" and put it all down on paper as an outline first before you write the thing.

You may also find it helpful to subscribe to an industry publication about screenplay writing for tips and examples.

Be warned. Most production companies do NOT accept unsolicited screenplays or scripts. You will either have to send a query letter to request a channel for submission, or you will need an agent to obtain representation and then let the agency handle it.

You must also make sure that your screenplay or script is free of typos, formatting errors, or copy marks. Scripts containing any of these will be rejected out of hand, and once you've been rejected for this reason it is doubtful that you will get a second chance.

But don't let any of this discourage you from your dream. You simply have to do it the right way. The professional "industry-standard" way.

Good Luck.