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How to Write a Good Screenplay
For many people that enjoy writing, creating a screen play is much more than a hobby, it is an obsession that is worked on each and everyday. If you would like to break into Hollywood either creating screenplays for movie or TV shows, here are some tips.
Writing screenplays in today’s environment is a dual edge sword. It is now easier than ever to create a well formatted screenplay as well as harder to break into Hollywood due to the increase in competition. For most people that had a hard time figuring out formatting and creating a professional looking document, you can easily create a screenplay giving you more time and energy to think about the story that you are writing and focusing on character development and plot structure.
Screenwriting is obviously an art form on par with writing novels except you are contributing to a larger production instead of creating everything that goes on within the story. For instance, in a novel you can share what the character thinks, feels and reacts to, screenplays are usually geared to the dialogue, the sounds, the plot and what the character sees. Actors take care of conveying emotion and the special effects team takes care of what the viewer sees. Screenplays or scripts are a much different beast than novel writing.
It is extremely important to be aware that you are contributing to the story and creating everything. Your script will be one part of many and it needs to be malleable and flexible so that the director, actors and artists can contribute to make it into one vision.
Besides the basic outline and format of what a screenplay should look like it also needs some other integral parts. Usually a good script has great dialogue and character development, it is also important for a script to have a plot that is interesting and inviting. One of the other factors that needs to be present to create a good screenplay is called the high concept. High concept is a term for a “what if” scenario. What if you take a professional hit man and make him take care of a small, sweet girl, or what if you take a priest and make him into a wrestler. These are some of the high concepts that can potentially make an interesting screenplay.
If you are just starting out writing a screenplay, it may be beneficial to read other screenplays or to purchase resources that can help you get the hang of the lingo or Hollywood culture. Remember, you will be trying to break into an industry, so the more you look like an insider, the higher your chances of success.
Once your screenplay is complete you can shop around for an agent or send it out to major studios. If you have a script that fits in a certain niche such as comedy, horror or drama, you might want to contact an agent or studio that deals with specific types of genres. While writing a good screenplay is not easy, with lots of hard work and tremendous dedication, your screenplay can be up on the silver screen.
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