cutting pages?

pest22o

pest22o

Well-known member
any advice? it's 168 pages long and perfectly set up like dominos you need each page. what do I do!!!!!!! everybody says 120 is the max that sucks!
 
welcome to writing

if you can't trim out the unnecessary wordage, pay someone else to do it for you. but if you want someone to pick it up, it needs trimming.

not that a 168 page screenplay can't get made, but if you're not A) making it yourself, B) a well-known writer or C) already doing this as a commission, you're going to have to cut it.
 
Do you tend to be long-winded in your narrative? My writing partner and I do. We just got it together and realized that it was time to tighten up our 125-page script. With very little effort we got it down to 108.

Scenes deleted: 0

I know this is well shy of the 48 pages you need to consider cutting, but nevertheless, if you could do the same, the additional 30 pages would seem less daunting.
 
It doesn't HAVE to be 120 page but yes, 168 is long.

Are you absolutely sure there's no 'filler' side-plots in there? It's amazing that sometime a complete plotline can be erased and not affect the way the story plays (in fact usually always done to help pace).

Are there any characters that could be condensed into one?

How clean is your description? Don't take two sentences to say what you can in one. This is probably the area where I cut down my scripts the most on successive drafts.

Just as a side note - you're using standard screenplay formatting, right?
 
If you're filming it yourself, just film all of it.

But I would highly suggest a series a rewrites. Give the script to well trusted friends and ask them to sit down with you or write out critiques. Make sure you get a jist of what their favorite aspects were. See if they felt teased about some things and didnt get the proper payoff, likewise ask if there were scenes that dragged on or felt condescending.

Telling the audience things they already know, or dragging them along like small children. CUT THOSE SCENES TO THE MINIMAL!!!
 
Scene descriptions and actions are prime areas for cutting. If it reads like you're directing the film on the page (and it's not completely crucial to the plot), rewrite it. I think if you can get it down to 130-135, that's not too bad. Of course, I say that because the script I'm trying to finish now is going to clock in at that length. But remember, pages with snappy dialogue and punchy descriptions read shorter than paragraphs of exposition.
 
how bad is it really 168,my first script was 215. and Im using some final draft 12'' font. and cut one of my charecters are you insane! no I cant do that.
 
There's no way to just say '168 page is too long'. There's a bunch of variables. (generally) A romantic comedy for example, will be nowhere near as long as your average, run of the mill war epic.

In regard to cutting a character... sometime directors have to cut their favorite scene, so...
 
If your prose is lean and mean, then go back to the outline and cut scenes that way.

Even in your planning stages - you should've seen this coming.

EJ
 
No, it's actually sound advice. Take a look at each character, how do they drive the story forward and what part do they play to the overall theme and tone of the script? Believe it or not, one or two (or more) of those characters can go, as well as entire scenes because I'm betting not each scene is driving the story forward.

Your ideal script count is 90-110. Best count is 100-110 in my opinion. Every new
writer writes too long. It's just the way it is.
 
pest22o said:
how bad is it really 168,my first script was 215. and Im using some final draft 12'' font. and cut one of my charecters are you insane! no I cant do that.
Click to expand...

If you haven't learned how to kill your darlings, then you're not yet a real writer. It's an unfortunate skill you have no choice but to learn.

To answer your question, if you want anyone who knows anything about movies to look at your script, 168 is pretty bad. Maybe, possibly, if it's written really well and the opening pages scream "this is epic", then 168 is acceptable. But from a freshman writer... not likely.

I'll make you a deal, though... I wrote a screenplay last year that's pretty solid. It's tight, focused, and every scene flows perfectly into the next. Unfortunately it's only 88 pages and I haven't had time to rewrite it. So just give me 30 of your pages and I'll put them in my script, somewhere towards the end. I'm sure no one will notice.
 
Been there, fixed that.

I'll ask again ... one page.

168 pages will end up in the trash before it is ever read UNLESS you are filming this yourself, or you were hired to write a 168 page screenplay.

I'm guessing you are long-winded in your action blockes. 168 can hit 120 easily if you master brevity.

One page, and I will give a free analysis of your writing!

alexwhitmer@yahoo.com

Alex
 
Can't modify

Can't modify

Ever since this site did some kind of update, I cannot go back and modify my post. I get error in page every time.

Anyways, I was going to add that there needs to be a willingness on your part to make the changes needed. 168 pages reveals you have not mastered script formatting and effecient writing.

As you stated earlier, you have the best scripts ever. The world will never know unless you present them s the rules dictate (with room for personal style): wether you think it sucks or not wont improve your chances.

remember, every year you have around 49,999 other screenplay writers looking for that one chance. I'm guessing better than half are written in proper format, which means 25, 499 screenplays have a better chance than yours, no matter the brilliance hidden on the pages.

One page!

alex
 
Many people that have never produced have no clue why you cannot go over a certain page length. In a word, economy. Theaters are set up for 90 minute movies, and can then move that audience out and throw in another one for the next ninety mintues. Make your movie a half hour longer and you disrupt the theater schedule which cuts now the number of show times, which suts down the revenue. It's simple.

There are exceptions, obviously. Lord of the rings, for one. But these are relatively few and far between.

Movies cost money to make. More pages = more money. I'm going to gou out on a limb here and say that 120 pages is even too much. I feel that a feature script really ought to be between 100 and 105 pages, max. If you as an amateur cannot tell your story in 100 minutes or so, you either need to refine your writing or write a novel instead.
 
The script for a 90 minute movie is 100-120 pages in large part because invariably there are scenes that simply don't make it to the screen, and sometimes those that don't even make it to the lens.
 
Doug, That's what I meant. Get yourself a solid 105 pages and by the time the movie is edited it will be about 90 minutes long.
 
While I think a 168-page script would stop some screeners from reading it just based on page count, I don't think anyone's going to toss a 120-130 pager onto the heap for length alone. Readers can tell in the first couple of pages if a script has potential or not and will keep reading (or not) accordingly.
 
My last just clocked in around 110 pages, that's about what I aim for unless it's a drama that works better as a longer piece. Typically I do comedies or hybrid-comedy genres, so you generally don't want to go over 90 minutes (the audience doesn't have that long of an attention span ;) ) but if you're doing an epic, you want to go for length.

one thing you've gotta keep in mind is that the audience is used to certain lengths of time as well. if you're looking at a film as a product, compare it to TV. Dramas are typically an hour while comedies generally run about half an hour. If you're in the mood for something serious, you can generally expect it to run longer.

These guys in TV are very strict on screenplay lengths because they can't adjust the whole production schedule of the channel, so they need to work with what exists. but what i'm getting at is the relationship between the audience, the material and its runtime. The audience expects certain things, which includes a time length.

The length of your screenplay (and thus of your story) isn't just for the filmmakers and the producers, it's for the audience as well. If you imagine about a page a minute, you *really* need to figure out how long you want this whole thing to run and what deserves screen time. that requires budgeting your story time and making your priorities more efficient.
 
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