| The very first thing you must have in your head | | | | to one hundred and twenty pages. A screenplay |
| before you get started is a story. It can be about | | | | by first time screenwriter should be between |
| anything, but the concept must be attention | | | | ninety and one hundred and twenty pages. A rule |
| getting or emotional, or action-packed. It can be | | | | of thumb for a screenplay is one minute per page |
| fiction or non-fiction. After you have your story, | | | | (as opposed to play scripts or musicals which are |
| write it down. Expand on it until it feels like the | | | | two minutes a page). If produced in Courier New |
| people in your screenplay are real. If your story is | | | | 12 point type, producers can then judge the |
| about an actual event or real people or celebrities, | | | | length of the screenplay, hence ninety pages is |
| copyright must be cleared. For a new | | | | ninety minutes and one hundred and twenty |
| screenwriter, perhaps the best thing is to create | | | | pages is one hundred and twenty minutes. And |
| an entirely fictional story. Get your title if you can. | | | | the margins for a screenplay are 1.5 inches on the |
| Now you will have your synopsis or small | | | | left and all others 1 inch. There is a very specific |
| treatment. This is not set in stone and will surely | | | | format for a screenplay and this is easy to find if |
| evolve as you get going. | | | | you search around for a few minutes on the |
| Secondly, pick a genre. This is important to | | | | WWW. |
| producers and directors. A genre is a story that is | | | | Fourthly, you may find scenes popping into your |
| mainly drama, or comedy, or Sci-Fi, etc. There | | | | head at the oddest moments, so keep an easy |
| are standard combo genres such as Romantic | | | | to use voice recorder handy and use it safely to |
| Comedies, known as RomComs. Decide right | | | | record notes. It's also a good idea to carry a |
| away what rating your screenplay will be -- G, PG, | | | | notebook and pen around or a small computer |
| PG-13 or R. The pool of buyers for your | | | | that you can jot down ideas on. |
| screenplay will be the largest for a PG-13, so a | | | | Lastly, when the bulk of your screenplay is done |
| first time screenwriter may choose that one. A | | | | be sure and register it (you can do it online) at |
| genre and rating have to be picked before a | | | | the Writers' Guild of America website. When you |
| writer puts a word onto the computer. You can | | | | have completed it to your satisfaction, write a |
| change scenes as you go along put the general | | | | one page synopsis of the story, topped by a one |
| theme and genre cannot be changed, or else | | | | sentence logline. If you feel that you have a |
| you've put yourself through a heck of a lot of | | | | wonderful story but are lacking in some areas of |
| work. Look up what the ratings mean and what | | | | screenwriting such as scene structure etc., there |
| can be included in a screenplay with a certain | | | | are a lot of writers out there who may be able |
| rating. | | | | to help bring your "baby" to life. And after putting |
| Thirdly, decide on your length. A drama or | | | | your heart and soul into it, you will truly feel like |
| comedy are usually ninety pages to one hundred | | | | it's your baby. |
| pages. A period piece or action/dramas can be up | | | | |