Hollywood Here You Come - Write The Next Blockbuster Movie Script

By Author: Philip Allen
Total Articles: 37
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It's true that all you need to actually write your screenplay is a pencil, paper and your imagination; however, there are tools you will require alongside this, in order to get your screenplay in a readable format. This will ensure those Hollywood directors put your script above the rest.
Tools such as computer software, which will correctly format your script, are necessary and there are a few available. "Final Draft" is a really good product which has professionally formatted templates for films, stage plays and TV, along with a script note section, where you can keep notes as you go along.
Top film directors such as James Cameron use this software to write all their movies, so if it's good enough for him; it's good enough for you.
Another great piece of software is "Movie Magic Screenwriter", again having many templates, and being easy to use. It is also one of the more affordable programs available right now on the market.
There are also a lot of other software programs available such as "Montage", "Movie Outline" and "Scripped Pro", but Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter have proven to be ...
... two of the best.
Right, so now you are sorted with the programs, let's get on with what else you need to know to get that Movie script to perfection.
When writing, Spell check is one of the most important actions to take. There is nothing worse than completing your play, submitting it to directors, having not checked the spelling. You will be surprised how many people do not check their work, and this is just bad form. What is the point putting all your hard work and effort into writing your screenplay, if you aren't even going to proof read it.
Grammar is another one. A lot of people struggle with grammar, so a great easy read to help you is Painless Grammar, by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D. If your grammar is all over the place, your screenplay will not read well, another off-put for those picky directors.
The thing with directors is, they see so many screenplays and scripts every day, the hard truth is, they don't actually read all of them. In fact, they hardly read any of them; the total is around 1 in 25. So you can see how you need to stand out from the crowd, and incorrect spelling and grammar will kick you out of the pile immediately.
So, you may have incredible characters, themes, and plot ideas just ready to be put onto paper, but you need to know how to correctly format these ideas.
Firstly, you need to let your reader know where the scene is: Is it inside or outside. To have this in its correct format, you should state "INT for Interior and EXT for Exterior". You then need to show the location, e.g. a cafe, and then finally, what time of day it is, i.e. morning, afternoon or evening etc.
Next you need a narrative description. This only needs to be brief and needs to show who is in the scene, what is going on in the scene, and who is doing what. The narrative always starts at the farthest margin point on the left side of the page.
Paint a picture in your reader's head of where your characters are and what they are doing, but be careful not to go into too much detail, they don't need to know what medical conditions every character has, or what underwear they are all wearing. Brief is better.
When a character is introduced for the first time, always type their name in capitals, in the middle of the page. This should be carried on throughout the script, every time a new character is presented.
The actual dialogue which your character is speaking will always be placed a little more to the left, from the character's name.
So, the above information shows the correct way to format your scripts, and the computer software programs mentioned will do this all for you automatically, so you don't have to sit there in your Word document, trying to leave spaces and get the alignment correct.
Professional scripts are a MUST if you want them to be read, and quite frankly, you aren't putting all this effort in to your script, for it to just sit in a drawer at home. You want it to be read by the Hollywood directors.
The above information shows only one aspect of writing a screenplay. This creative process includes many other aspects outside of the above.
The path of going from idea to finished product can seem long and daunting. It can seem that the only way to produce an award winning script is to know several Hollywood insiders. This isn't true, and if you start by applying the above to your screenplay, you can be a success and have your script made into that amazing movie you have always dreamt about.
If you want people to quote a line from your movie and if you can imagine being out and hearing your words quoted in conversation by a fan that has been moved by your dialogue, then apply the above and this dream can come true.
Don't just dream about being an award winning screenwriter, take that first step forward. Your screenplay is inside just waiting to come out and be created. Take your ideas and make them into a real work of art.

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