#Filmmaking #Screenwriting #Scriptwriting tips 5 MISTAKES MADE BY ARMATURE WRITERS Writing a professional script is not just a bonus but the right way to do stuff if you want your script to be considered by any #Producer or #Actor. There are a couple of things to consider when writing because even the smallest of things could let down your script for example the professional script font is Courier so a script written in any other font will be viewed as "armature" any may not be considered. Below are some of the common mistakes you may want to avoid as a writer. 1-SCRIPT FORMAT Script format is the first thing a producer or anybody you give your script to will first notice and consider. Below are some of the points considered in script format. (a)FONT 12 point Courier or 12 point Courier New (b)MARGINS Left - 1.5inches or 3.8cm Right - 0.5 - 1.25 inches or 1.3 cm - 3.2 cm Top - 1.0 inch or 2.5 cm Bottom - 1.0inch or 2.5 cm Dialogue: 2.5 inches (or 1.0 inch from the left margin) Actors instructions: 3.1 inches (or 1.6 inches from left margin) Character cues: 3.7 inches (or 2.2 inches from left margin) Scene transitions: flushed right if you use it - FADE IN: left margin, FADE OUT: flushed right dialogue must not exceed 3.5 inches in width, that means it must not extend more than 6.0 inches from the left side of the page. (C) NUMBERING Counting starts with 1 The cover page is not counted a page number is followed by a dot (example:57.) no page number appears on the first page of a script (the one following the cover page).Thus, numbers start with2.on the second page More to what and how a script should be written follow this link for an article i wrote earlier nesmotionmedia/how-to-write-a-professional-script/ . 2-WORDY A script should be balanced between the action and dialogue on a ratio of 6:4 respectively. 60% should be action/story of what the actor does in a particular scene and the 40% should be what he says. In most cases, amateur writers tend to have more dialogues and less action in the end making the script so wordy and less visual. For the producer you are selling the script too, he needs to read the script as if he is already watching the movie not as if he’s reading a storybook. Chances are high that your script will not be given priority if its not balanced. 3-LACK OF PLOT In most cases, first time writers tend to think so broad when writing their scripts and want to congest all they think into one script. There is a problem with this. If you try to tell many stories at a go, you end up losing the whole story as it keeps going on and on and on but one can’t tell where its heading or what its all about. When writing a story, first create a simple outline which will later become the backbone of your script. This helps you stay on track the entire time you are writing and keep the storyline going. Now in your script you should have the where, what, who and why if you have to tell a good story. 4-WEAK CHARACTERS Two things make a good character. Motive and Motivation. While watching a movie, the only reason you follow or pick interest in a character is because you think he is up to something and its either you want him to finally get it or not to get it and that’s the bond between the movie and the viewer. A good and balanced script is on where there is conflict of interest over an issue. This may not necessarily mean a fight but motive. If a character lacks those two, all you will have is a script where the characters go back and forth about what is happening but is not engaging in any way. You don’t want a audience sleeping at your movie premier or throwing bottles around as they feel cheated. 5-SOFTWARE Now you may be wondering how software used to write the script may matter. This takes us back all the way to our first point. Film producers and directors want a movie in a particular format. Regardless of how your script may be, there is no way a producer will give you his time for work done in Microsoft Word (real talk). A professional software helps you write your scripts in the right format and guidelines as any other professional. There are many professional software out there and only choice would determine what you use. I use Final Draft because its what im comfortable but you can use any other like Celtx,Adobe story etc. IN CONCLUSION,YOU NEED YOUR SCRIPT CONSIDERED BY A PRODUCER,WORK ON SOME OF THESE MISTAKES AND BE ONE STEP CLOSER.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 06:38:07 +0000
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