Flagpop Filmmakers, Destin & Lowell, share insight into the writing process of their new feature-length screenplay.

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Learn how to write screenplay action lines with expert tips on screenplay and script writing in this free video series. Expert: Tony Ramirez Bio: Electronics and media guru Tony Ramirez is known among his friends, family, and clients as “Inspector Gadget. Filmmaker: Adolph Ramirez

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Article by Clark Ransom

What is Proper Screenplay Formatting?

So, Just How Do You Format a Telephone Conversation? What About Camera Angles and Voice Overs? when Do I Use Them? and Don’t Get Me Started on Wrylies!

I know, you may read screenplays all the time that don’t follow the normal conventions of screenwriting, but those guys are usually produced writers or they work in-house for that particular production company and they have their own rules.

Follow the formatting rules and focus on the story. Some people get obsessed with formatting so much that they lose their voice in the story. If you have a great story, many readers will overlook little formatting errors. Not big ones mind you, but little ones. Most of the popular software out there will keep your screenplay properly formatted, but you still have to understand the basics.

There are some basic rules for SPEC writing as of the posting of this blog, but they tend to change every year or so. These all come from Dave Trottier’s book.

1. A Spec Screenplay is 90-100 pages. (I know, 120 pages is what you may see, but 90-100 is the current trend in Hollywood).2. Use the Three-Act Structure.3. The Title page should have the Title, “written by” your name, your contact info.4. Don’t put the WGA or Copyright info on the title page. Readers assume you have protected your work and it says “amateur” if you you do.5. Spell check, spell check and spell check. Then read your script backwards to catch what it misses.6. Avoid Flashbacks and Dream Sequences if you can. Only use them if they ADVANCE the story in some important manner.

So my advice is to stick with known authors and industry pros like Dave Trottier, Christopher Riley and John August to name a few. Dave is the KING of formatting and he has THE BOOK on the subject entitled “The Screenwriter’s Bible.” The fifth edition came out recently, and you can find it on Amazon, bn.com or at the Writer’s Store.

Dave also publishes a secondary book called “Dr. Format Answers your Questions.” This book is a compilation of his online columns over the years that drill down even further in detailed formatting of very difficult scenes. It’s also available at Dave’s website. Those are just some of the rules and tips you will find as your progress, and every script you write will teach you something new about formatting. Just keep writing, keep getting better at it.

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Article by Sara L. Gordon

I have read many screenplays and while its not my favorite thing to do (personally I would rather watch a film than read a screenplay any day) I have put together some tips and ideas for screenwriters based on what I have seen over the years.

I remember back when I was in college and took creative writing courses, my professors (like many throughout the world) were of the

Article by Danek S. Kaus

Okay, you’ve finished your book, novel or true story, and you’d like to have it made into a movie.

Perhaps you’ve read some books on screenwriting or taken some classes and you’re thinking about writing the screenplay based on the book.

If so, there is something you must keep in mind. You will have to remove much of the content of your book that took you months, perhaps years to write. You may balk at the concept but you must do it.

A book can average 200 – 500 pages and contain 60,000 – 200,000 words. An average screenplay runs 90 – 120 pages, much of it white space, and has about 20,000 – 25,000 words. That’s quite a vast difference.

How do you manage to get all of your story into a screenplay? In most cases, you don’t. It’s a sad but true fact.

That said, what do you cut out?

One step is to keep most of the major scenes and cut those smaller, less important ones. Go through your book and look at it with an eye to what is critical and what is less important.

Do the same thing with dialogue. Keep only what moves the story forward.

Eliminate some or all of the subplots.

You can eliminate some of the characters or combine several of them into one person and let that person serve in the role of what those varying characters did in your book.

And while you’re at it, get rid of any lengthy character descriptions. In a screenplay they are not only unnecessary, they are counterproductive. In screenplays, character descriptions should be purposely vague to give more casting options.

Don’t describe someone’s height, unless it is critical to the story, hair color, eye color, flesh tones, etc. The more specific the description is in a screenplay, the harder it will be to find a leading acting to fit the role.

And finally, don’t mention the race of the character, unless it is an essential part of the story. For example, a police detective can be of any race, unless the detective’s race is an essential part of the story. For true stories, of course, casting directors need to know the race of each person to make it closer to reality.

If you do these things, the more successful you will be when you decide to turn a book into a move.

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