How do you write a screenplay?

Question

Any websites that will give me the info on how to or something like that? Thanks!
ps - please don't tell me to buy a book about it
Thanks!

Answer 1

http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/artweb/playwriting/screenformat.html

That shows the basic format.

There are OTHER aspects you have to understand. Budgeting, for one.

A production manager is going to go over the script and find WASTE and what they will do is take lines away from one actor and give them to another to keep costs down.

Everything in a screenplay MUST serve a budgetary purpose first and a literary purpose second.

If you don't do this, the PRODUCER will and they will ASSIGN the script to another writer who UNDERSTANDS budget.

Then you get second, third or just STORY credit.

Write your script as you see fit

Then GROUP by common location (area) Day or Night. Then group your actors and props.

Remember if you have an actor there for one line you MUST pay them $500 for the day. That's $500 for one line.

Take that line away from one actor and give it to another, you save $500

Grouping ACTORS into sucessive days is profitable. There are ONE DAY fees, THREE days fees and WEEKLY fees

If you group an actor into 3 shoot days you get that actor for $1400 instead of $1500. If you group that actor in a full week of work, you get $2300 instead of $2500.

Rule of thumb in a feature screenplay is you are expecting to get 2 - 3 minutes of screen time PER DAY. That means 2 or 3 pages of script shot per day, average.

Each page is a minute

They like scripts that are between 90 and 100 pages long for most films as this fits a 2 hour TV time slot.

The script has to build. You introduce the basic plot, the characters, build the charachters, build the intrigue and action, reach a cresendo, then rapidly come down to a conclusion.

A twist is a nice asset in a script.

Take a look at successful scripts like Seven or The Usual Suspects.

A script can go as far as 140 pages, but it better be a GREAT script or they will knock down to 95 pages.

I would envision my characters as a "type" and a generic type can easily work.

A type is the following group:

Mel Gibson
Ray Liota
Will Smith


That's a group

Another group would be

Harrison Ford
Kevin Costner
Sean Connery

Another group would be

Brian Denahey
Michael Madson
Morgan Freeman

What you might call the "Wise guy" "The Anti-Hero" and the "Agressive Type A personality"

JAck Nicholson
Humprhy Bogart
LAwrence Fishburn

THe IN your face, abrsive type

Answer 2

I have not heard of any websites but your community college or even an adult education learning center should have courses teaching this. Sometimes Barnes and Noble have classes but not usually on a regular basis