The Art of the Screenplay by MaryJayne

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The Art of the Screenplay

09/20/2007 03:45 PM

Screenplays

The screenplay: the blueprint for cinematic magic and an art form that facilitates expedited literary pleasure.

On average, scripts run from 95 to 125 pages in length, are in Courier 12pt font, and embrace white space. This makes them quick and easy reads. Spec scripts (i.e. scripts not written by big shots like Scorsese or Shyamalan) conjure a sense of creativity- description has to be careful not to step on the toes of directors or designers, so it often leaves quite a bit to the imagination. Your imagination, that is.

A general rule in screenwriting is that everything in the script has to be there for a reason. If you say there’s an axe on a wall in the beginning it better fall off and kill someone in the end or else you’d better take it out all together. Screenplays guarantee bookends- if everything is there for a reason, everything finds conclusion and the whole thing ties up nicely.

The screenplay is a skeletal structure- the bare essence, the backbone of the story. Every line of description should be important to the story itself, there is no background noise, no extras, no music, no unnecessary detail- just story. A good story is good without these additions, and a great story is artistically enhanced by its skeletal minimalism.

If you like your stories fast paced and to the point, or if you’re just a die hard movie buff, screen plays may be just the thing for you. Screenplays can be difficult to come by though. It can take years for them to come out in print, and even then they often times have to be special ordered. The best place I have found for screenplays is online. Many movies don’t have published screenplays, and never will, so the only place to get them is online. Screen Plays For You ( http://sfy.ru/) is an especially useful site. This source collects those screenplays into one site where you can search by year or movie title. Bear in mind that screenplays are different than shooting scripts and this site has both. Enjoy.

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