Question about screenplay page count?
- Thread starter AnetJet
- Start date
combatentropy
Veteran
Instead of making your script have unconventional timing, add line breaks to your descriptions to keep it to about one page a minute.
Ted Spencer
Veteran
All methods of time estimation are more or less inaccurate. The no-dialog first 15 minutes (or so) of "There Will Be Blood" took many fewer pages than that in the script. There are also one-sentence descriptions in films that take minutes or more of screen time. Also, the shorter the film, the less accurate (percentage-wise) the page-a-minute-rule is. So 'buyer beware' as they say...
Robert Rodriguez mentions in "Rebel Without A Crew" that he mentally played the film in his head and timed it to get an idea of screen time. I've dome this too, and if you're careful and honest about pacing it can be pretty accurate. For shorter, and less conventional scripts where black-to-dialog is concerned (like yours), that might be a good thing to try.
Robert Rodriguez mentions in "Rebel Without A Crew" that he mentally played the film in his head and timed it to get an idea of screen time. I've dome this too, and if you're careful and honest about pacing it can be pretty accurate. For shorter, and less conventional scripts where black-to-dialog is concerned (like yours), that might be a good thing to try.
Eric Boellner
Well-known member
+1
Nobody wants to read giant blocks of text, but a page of 2-3 sentence lines is perfect for a script.
vcassel
Veteran
As a former reader, I know with certainty that scripts that obviously try to cheat length are seen with a certain level of scrutiny. There's "what he/she trying to pull here" mindset established. If the OP plans on filming his script himself and wants to plan his script in this fashion for logistical reasons, then this is a good idea; otherwise I suggest not.
combatentropy
Veteran
Wow, you interpreted this whole thread exactly the opposite of what is meant.
vcassel
Veteran
No, I didn't. If the OP is trying to sell the script, the reader won't have the benefit of reading this thread and knowing what he's up to if there are only 3 to 4 sentences per page. Most readers are really bright, but they have a pile of scripts to read in order to meet quota, are writing their own scripts, and probably have another job just to get by. Trust me, they most likely won't figure out what the writer is up to and will look at the script with suspicion. They'll interpret the flow of the script exactly the opposite of what is meant.
Script readers don't hold as adamant an attitude towards formatting as writers tend to think. Formatting is just one part of an overall scoring process and it's even left out all together in some studios' coverage forms. If I, as a reader, ever passed a sure-thing script because of formatting issues, I'd be fired. But cheating script length is something that most readers tend to look out for and will pop up in the coverage if perceived to be an issue.
My suggestion if the OP is looking to sell this? Write the action as exciting and readable as possible. The reader has to read it regardless of whether it has lots of white space or not. If it's a good and saleable idea, it will come through. Readers don't just read a couple of pages and then junk it if it's boring or doesn't meet a certain expectation. Everyone acts as if that's the case.
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Ted Spencer
Veteran
I'm not sure the OP is looking to sell it; it was my initial impression at least that he was just looking for a more accurate way to guesstimate how many minutes of screen time he'd have with his script, which he'd presumably be shooting by some means or another. That's where I think most of the replies were coming from, and perhaps why yours was met with some disparagement...
vcassel
Veteran
Right, and that's why I clearly qualified my statement accordingly.