Lengths of scripts

[Novice Paul]

I've read that spec scripts should be no longer than 129 pages. I am almost done the rough draft of my first script have a feeling mine might be a little longer. Is that bad? Everything I have in my script is absolutely essential to the plot. How long is everyone else's scripts here? Any suggestions on trimming down the length?

[jimjimgrande]

put it aside for two weeks and then come back and re-examine everything that's so essential.

Then take a red pen and cross out half your prose.

[talesfromthehood]

I wouldn’t worry about page counts at the “rough draft” stage. Rough drafts, first drafts, are supposed to be long and bloated. It’s the only time you’re allowed – and encouraged – to throw in everything including the kitchen sink. Concern yourself for now with character and story. Worry about page counts later. You could be working on this thing for more than a year.

[filmcarver]

Actually, you need to trim it to 115 pages, 110 is even better.

The good news is it is rarely that hard once you learn to enter scenes at last possible second, and leave the earliest.

After that, you should be able to slice your action down in half because you were too wordy to begin with. Describe what you hear and see and cut the rest of the novelistic metaphors.

Cut out all parentheticals but the one or two that may actually serve a purpose. Every parenthetical uses one whole line of mostly blank space, so make them count.

If all that doesn't do the job, count your speaking characters and cut them to seven, outside the nameless one-liners. Watch some films and find the ones that have more than seven that do much of anything in the story and you will get the picture.

I read a script the other day that introduced no less than 23 characters in the first fifteen pages. I had no idea who was who and who was doing what there were so many fricking people.

Do all this, and you may find yourself with a completely new problem, lack of a compelling story that won't make it through three acts.

Welcome to the jungle.

[Hairy Lime]

The first draft of my first script was 146 pages. I put it in a drawer. I spent the next 2 years writing other scripts and studying the craft of screenwriting.

I then did a page one rewrite of my first script that came out at 95 pages and has gotten me a lot of attention from fellow writers, directors, and producers.

The page count of the first draft of your first script is essentially irrelevant.

[filmcarver]

first drafts are definitely irrelevant, but 129 is too heavy for the sendout spec. even with 120, it looks better to be even thinner, showing you got the job done with even a little air.

you are very much correct in it really is process and lots of writing that gets you there

best of luck by the way

[wcmartell]

Put it away, come back in a month or two and just cut it to 110 pages. You may end up *combining* scenes, getting rid of characters or subplots.

One thing I'd do: write a good 1-3 sentence logline then cut every single character, scene, word, that isn't described in that logline.

- Bill

[nickj]

First scripts tend to be long. A script isn't the easiest way to tell a story, so it takes practice. All of the advice here is sound. Shoot for 105, and don't let it creep much over 110.

[TwoBrad Bradley]

Everything I have in my script is absolutely essential to the plot.
That may be true, but I would ask a different question:
Is everything in the script essential for the audience to understand the plot?

Not actually seeing your pages, I would suggest that if you have any of the following that you seriously consider (you don't actually need to do it in all cases) cutting or rewriting:

backstory
flashbacks
voice-over
redundant dialogue (repeating what we already know)
transitional scenes
blocks of dialogue with more than one sentence (okay ... two).

[Novice Paul]

blocks of dialogue with more than one sentence (okay ... two).

When you say this do you mean the dialogue should be short and concise? What if a character is explaining something to another character.

[wcmartell]

That's exposition. Instead of telling what happened, take us there and give us a first hand experience.

Movies are about people *doing things* rather than talking about them.

What recent film is your script like? Okay, now read that script.

- Bill

[Writingfan]

I do have a question...and it concerns length as well as other things. I've just finished the rough draft of my screenplay and it was 111 pages... well 110 1/2 :) Is that okay?

Also, do agents look at dialogue and actions or mainly dialouge and character development? Would appreciate any help.

Writingfan

[wcmartell]

That's a good length....

Agents look at the whole danged story. Everything.

- Bill

[GirlinGray]

Whoever told you 129 pages is typical is not your friend.

The "as long as the script should go count" currently is 120 pages.

The reason for that is the equation, one script page equals approximately one screen minute.

Theaters do not like to show films that run longer than two hours. Cut into theaters' two hour cut off and you are cutting into theaters schedules and profit.

Whover said to you "129 pages works" is either not informed or not your friend.

[ABZ18]

Yes, you will be confronted with page count Nazi! I just recently got chewed out for submitting a 122 page draft (it was actually only 121 1/2 pages...but who's count...aside from the producer, director, co-producer...and their grandmothers!!)

ABZ

[RKBentley]

AK, my "suggestions" (please take with a grain of salt):

1. go through your script and drop all the camera angles, if any.
2. Get rid of "we see", if any.
3. Any large blocks of text describing finite details about the scenes drop them. We're reading your script to get the plot, we're not the set designers.
4. Any large paragraphs (large meaning 4-5 sentences worth of action) aka "black" get rid of them.
5. Read your script outloud. If the gramar sounds bad to your ears then it's probably even worst to read.
6. If after all this your script is still over the 200 page mark it's time to seriously look at the script and figure out what this script is actually about.
7. Remember when you read scripts on-line some of these scripts are shooting scripts, ignore the camera angles. If you saw a favorite writer of yours and his script is full of lengthy descriptions and camera angles, ignore what they've written, only because they are famous and you're not, they can get away with that @#$@ and you can't. Collateral for example was a nice quick easy read for 125.