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How to Write a Screenplay

When you're writing a screenplay, you have to learn to be tight. Not tight in the Scrooge sense, but in terms of keeping close control of the dramatic structure of your story and script.

There are two cardinal sins of screenplay writing. The first is to forget about structure, to try and make it resemble real life as closely as possible. The result: a screenplay that ends up as uneventful and understructured as, well, real life. The second is an emphasis on style over content. The result: an overstructured, overcomplex plot with no depth. All the script readers I know say that the classic three act linear structure is the path to success. Hey, it's worked since Aristotle!

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE

See your screenplay as a series of breakdowns based around what you consider to be the most dramatic moments. The most obvious breakdown is the most general one, into acts 1, 2 and 3, which are then broken down into sequences and scenes. This structure is your blueprint, the frame around which you can mould your action and dialogue. Don't feel you have to force your baby into this overarching structure - it's just a mechanism to help you tell your story more effectively.

COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN

The first act (which should take up around a quarter of the total screenplay) is the space you have to set the scene. It's where you establish your script's heartbeat. You introduce the main characters and their worlds, you establish what the story will be about and set the tone, you prime the tensions, you set the timescale. Script readers often say that they can gauge a script's quality on the first few pages, so this is your chance to shine. Grab their attention with a hook, pull them into your story. This can be spectacular (think Swordfish), or subtle (Good Will Hunting), but it must pique the reader's interest. This initiating event is what kick-starts the move towards a final climax. At the end of act 1 there should be another climactic event: something that increases the stakes, increases momentum, builds tension and propels the story forwards, keeping the viewer hooked.

WHO'S FOR SECONDS?

The second act (which should take a whopping half of the total screenplay) is your main story. You've kicked things into motion with the events of act 1. Now you show how it all develops. Here's your chance to explore how your characters respond to the inciting incident, the way they progress towards their final goal. It's best to see this act as two halves: to keep things interesting, midway through the second act the character usually faces a setback. This is usually the point of no return, their moment of complete commitment. With more at risk, the tension builds, the focus narrows, and your characters become more clearly defined through their actions. At the end of this act comes the moment of truth, the second climactic event where they meet an obstacle that threatens to defeat them. With a clearer sense of who they are and what they must do, your characters are ready for the final showdown of act 3.

AN EXPLOSIVE CLIMAX

Act 3 (which, as the mathematicians among you will have deduced, should take up the last quarter of the total screenplay) should accelerate towards a strong final climax, where a character faces the biggest obstacle of all. Everything in a screenplay should be pointing towards this final goal, moving the script inexorably towards it - it's for a good reason that people in the business say screenplays are written backwards. Your character may finish successfully, or fail, but whether good or bad, make the ending believable and satisfying.


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