The Basics of Screenwriting: A Tutorial Series

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The Basics of Screenwriting: A Tutorial Series

Hello, friends! Glad to have you aboard on our journey through the beautiful art of screenwriting. Whether you’re an aspiring writer with a burning story to tell or just curious about how your favorite movies come to life, buckle up. Together, we’re going to tackle the basics of screenwriting. Along the way, I’ll share some personal anecdotes that I believe will make our trip even more fun.

Lesson 1: Understanding what screenwriting is

But first, let’s clear up what screenwriting really is. In its simplest form, screenwriting is the art of writing scripts for visual mediums—think films, television series, video games, and online content. Such a script serves as a blueprint that guides directors, actors, and production crew on how the visual story should look, sound, and feel (MasterClass).

Lesson 2: The key elements of a screenplay

Now, onto something a bit meatier—the core components of a typical screenplay.

  • Action: Also known as ‘direction’, this element describes the physical and visual actions taking place on the screen.
  • Dialogue: As you might guess, this is what the characters say. It’s also a tool to reveal their personalities and emotions.
  • Character: This element provides info about the character who is speaking or the focus of attention.
  • Scene headings: These indicate where and when a particular scene takes place.

Once, I attended a workshop where I had to write a single scene using these key elements. I remember struggling with the dialogue part. I wanted my characters to sound realistic and believable but just couldn’t get it right. It wasn’t until I started eavesdropping (not so covertly) on conversations in coffee shops and parks that I finally found my characters’ voices—a lesson that taught me how crucial real-life inspiration can be in screenwriting.

Lesson 3: The standard screenplay format

Just like any professional document, a screenplay follows a specific format. This not only makes it easier for everyone involved to understand and follow along, but it also allows production teams to estimate timing for the script (Final Draft) .

  • Scene Heading: Written in all caps and usually starts with INT. or EXT., indicating whether the scene is indoors (interior) or outdoors (exterior).
  • Action: Written in the present tense and describes what is happening in a scene.
  • Character: Aligned in the center, written in all caps.
  • Dialogue: The lines spoken by the characters, found beneath the character’s name.

When I penned my first screenplay, I disregarded format. I thought, “Who cares about some arbitrary rules?” Well, those ‘arbitrary rules’ cost me dearly when a producer rejected my script. It was a good lesson though; it taught me the importance of adhering to industry standards.

Conclusion

And there you have it folks—our introductory dive into the world of screenwriting. There’s still a lot to explore, but I hope you found this tutorial informative and engaging. Remember, everyone starts somewhere, so don’t be disheartened if you stumble on your journey. Like I always say, “The only failure in writing is not writing at all.” Stay tuned for our next tutorial where we’ll dig deeper into crafting compelling characters. Until then, happy writing!