The best way to win over script readers is to know what they’re looking for. Yes, you may have written multiple screenplays and read all the writing gurus, but too often, readers will give you the same notes over and over again. Professional readers work at all different levels in the industry and read stacks of scripts every week. So when you get their notes, remember that they know the challenges you face and want you to beat them with a great script.
If you’re getting the same score over and over again, it can be helpful to know what your readers often encounter so you don’t fall into pitfalls as you write.
Focus on your type
If you’re writing a science fiction story, you should have science fiction scenes, right? Or action movies should have big action scenes. This is the easy part. Too often, writers know to have the big scene moments, but they forget to really dig into the smaller moments.
Things like the tone of your prose, your conversational style, and your world will all influence how much you lean toward your genre. This is where the reader can relax and enjoy your script. So if you’re more into your genre, you probably have a strong script that you can use some tricks to really make it stand out from other scripts in your genre.
Learn more: 101 Story Prompts for Mixing Genres
What is your goal?
Does your character have a clear decision that propels them through Act Two? Often, writers include what the characters want from the beginning of the script, and then use catalytic moments or “inciting incidents” to move the protagonist toward what we already know they want.
But this is not a strong goal. We don’t want the choice to pursue our goals to be easy. The protagonist must be forced to make difficult choices.
Think about it Star Wars: A New Hope. We know Luke wants to be a pilot along with his friends. But when Obi-Wan Kenobi offered him the chance to go on an adventure, he didn’t immediately agree, even though the inciting incident (the discovery of Princess Leia’s information) struck a personal chord in his desire to leave.
It wasn’t until he lost his aunt and uncle and was essentially left with no other options that he left with his new mentor. Luke wants an adventure, he needs to learn more about the world around him (he’s very naive), and his goal of delivering a message to the rebels will accomplish both of those things.
pacing
If your goals aren’t clear, your second act may meander. Writers often fill space with dialogue in an attempt to find answers or explain what the characters are thinking, rather than letting the audience understand things through the characters’ actions.
It’s important to balance the amount of dialogue and action. Too much content will cause readers to scan and miss things—unless what you put in there still advances the plot or is unique enough to grab the reader’s attention.
Wonderful action script, please watch the movie sons of menvery active and constantly tense. The script wisely builds in some lulls between shots where the characters discuss lighter topics, like what to name the characters’ unborn babies, allowing the audience a breather from all the action while also giving us Shows how the characters become closer.
For a dialogue-heavy script, you can read Aaron Sorkin and Amy Sherman-Palladino’s project. Keep in mind that these scripts are significantly longer and have a specific voice for these writers, and not many scribes would have been given permission to do so early in their careers.
Another, probably more practical option is When Harry Met Sally…two people often talk about seemingly insignificant things on various occasions. By changing the setting and having them do different activities while speaking (such as watching a movie and commenting on it), the characters and audience can get to know each other and express more through the way they speak and react to each other What they feel is more accurate than what they say.
Read More: 5 Layers of Amazing Screenplay Rhythm
“When Harry Met Sally” (1989)
no plot
Sometimes you see this in big movie reviews too and wonder, “What the hell do they mean? There was so much going on in that movie!” “Lack of plot” means you introduced a lot of stuff, but they There is no connection or interaction.
A good exercise to ask yourself when viewing a scene comes from the creators of: south parkTrey Parker and Matt Stone, called “But/Therefore.” Essentially, look at the scenes and describe the core action that happens from one scene to the next. You should be able to say “but” or “therefore” between each one.
For example, in recent movies saturday nightstarring Lorne Michael is trying to make the first episode saturday night live (before officially receiving the title). During one scene, the lights fell and crashed during rehearsals, and Lorne got into an argument with his lighting director, causing him to quit. Therefore, they had to find a new lighting director.
But the only one available is another very famous show. So Lorne has to win him over, but… wait… By looking at your story this way, your script will have a clear line of action that keeps the story moving forward and the characters struggling to move forward despite setbacks.
What’s the stakes?
So you have your characters’ goals and your plot is moving. But what happens if your character doesn’t get what they want?
As the story progresses, you need to keep raising the stakes so the audience knows why the characters can’t turn around and go home. It should be grounded in the emotional journey they’re on, so if a character is obsessed with perfection, the worst thing you can do is let everyone know what a mess they are.
But how do you manifest this physically? How do you look through their actions to determine why this is so much more important to them than it is to the average person?
In addition to the inherent emotional risks, there should also be tangible risks. Will they lose money, relationships, a job they love, etc.? You can continue to pressure them financially (do they need to get a specific amount?) and time (achieve goal by X days/time, otherwise). The more pressure your characters are under, the more engaged your readers/viewers will be.
How do they change?
If you hear that your script doesn’t have a strong enough goal, you’re also likely to hear them asking how or why your protagonist changed your script. They don’t have to get better, but storytelling is about taking your characters on a journey and having them experience some kind of transformation, big or small.
So if you have doubts about your protagonist, see if your goal is strong enough and how your script moves the plot forward. Every time you encounter a “therefore” (back to the “plot” question) in a scene, it’s a setback for your character, and how they overcome that setback will tell the reader how they are changing or growing.
One thing to note is that you may have a “passive” character. These protagonists are probably the hardest to write because they don’t want to be active in the story. You have to push them to take action, not give them a choice by showing us their challenges and stakes, with clear goals.
Movie saturday night This is a good version because Lorne Michaels (the character) essentially spends most of the script avoiding his problems rather than making decisions, which is what’s needed to run the show.
“Saturday Night” (2024)
What is your theme?
Whatever your theme is, it will directly relate to how your protagonist changes over the course of the script. This is a lesson they need to learn and a lesson the audience needs to learn along with them. So even if your protagonist doesn’t choose to be a “better person” in the end, there’s a reason for it and that’s part of the lesson.
movie without revealing the content of the story dialogue The story starring Gene Hackman is a good example of a story about an “antihero” (passive, so to speak) who learns his lesson but may not make the choices the audience wants. But for most movies, the theme poses a central thematic question to the protagonist, such as “What does it mean to be a leader? What do you believe?”
As they go through the plot/journey, they will get different answers than what they initially believed.
The key to all or most of these questions is that they are all closely connected. If you receive notes about tiny moments, that’s a really good sign that you’re close to the finish line! But most of the time, readers can look at the script and see an overarching problem.
If you raise one of these issues, solving it will ripple through many others. The more you look at these big areas of your script and see how they tie together, the more cohesive and enjoyable your final script will be.
