Studios and Literary Agents across the world receive hundreds of queries every year. Most studios will not purchase any more than twelve scripts per year. Of the twelve purchased, three or four of them will be put into pre-production. The following tips can help the aspiring writer break into this industry.
The Look of The Script
First and Foremost, a script must have the right look. The writer should present their work as if they are already an insider, even if they aren’t. The massive amount of script submissions means that anything that looks strange or off about a script will most likely seal its demise.
Most agents and studios in the USA will only accept scripts with a font of Courier 12. There are also rules regarding number of pages and heading information. These rules will often times vary between studios. The writer should take care to find these rules before their submission.
All great scripts feature something that is at stake. This is more than just something someone wants. It’s more correctly something that must be acquired at all costs no matter what the risk. A great example is the small statue in The Maltese Falcon, or the 87 carat diamond in Snatch. Often times the thing to be acquired is not tangible. This is true of Braveheart where the element at stake is simply freedom. It could be romance like most romantic comedies, or saving the world as in Independence Day.
No matter what the film is the thing at stake should get more desperate as the story unfolds. The writer should have several characters willing to do literally anything to get what they want.
The Obstacles In The Story
Along with something at stake there should also exist obstacles in the way. The obstacles provide the conflict for the story. Conflict is arguably the most important factor of the story, so be sure it’s significant enough to drive the entire story. The most famous movies tend to come from scripts where the protagonist has two conflicts, one inner and the other outward. The inner conflict is usually an emotional or spiritual problem that the character has dealt with by the time they reach the conclusion of the outward conflict.
Move makers thrive on genres. Most studios and agents tend to focus on one or two genres only. The writer should be able to easily express what genre their work fits under. This way the writer can approach the filmmakers with something they can understand and relate to. Every so often a writer will brag that their work fits no genre at all. This will hinder the writer rather than help them.
Remember that screenplays are visual. The writer can tell the story through visual cues as well as dialogue.
What an Attractive Hook Looks Like
Lastly, every story needs a hook. A hook is the aspect of the film that catches the public’s attention. Another way to describe the hook is the what if question. An example would be the film Juno, in this film the hook would be expressed this way. What if a high school girl gets pregnant and decides to tell her family she’s going to have the child and give it up for adoption?
Convincing people to leave their homes and give their hard earned money to watch a story is not the easiest thing. However if the aspiring writer follows these rules they will put themselves on the short track to seeing their story on the silver screen.
Nathan Collier - Nathan Joseph Collier grew up on Lake Erie in the town of Sheffield, Ohio. He spent his college years at Harding University in Searcy ...
