Script Quality over Quantity?

[ILikePie]

I have completed a comedy script that I would like to enter into competition. After 2 months of rewrites, the script flows beautifully (in my opinion), but it runs a little long. Right now it is 120 pages exactly.

I like the story the way it is. Omitting a scene would hinder the flow. As a matter of fact, I removed one scene that I really liked, just to get it down to 120 pages.

I know the debate on script length seems never ending, but I want my BEST WORK out there, even if it is a little long.

Should I leave it like it is, or maybe even include the deleted scene (making it 123 pages). Did I mention I really like that scene;) . Any suggestions would help.

[PurpleCurtain]

123 pages is a bit long for a comedy, but it's not oppressively long for a script. My guess is you could easily get the script below 120 just by tightening descriptions, cutting spurious dialogue here and there, etc.

Better to have a fleshed-out 123-page script than cut a crucial (and I do mean crucial--not merely funny) scene simply to get the page count down.

[scripter1]

Has someone else read it? If you've been the only reviewer and critic then you have no idea how it's working or flowing.
You have one opinion and it's biased.

IF you've gotten favorable reviews or detailed, constructive help and the rewrites have been done accordingly, you've cut, trimmed and weeded till it looks like the Garden of Eden and you're 110% sure that it's perfect at the current length-
Then take the plunge.
If it's a great story, well told, then a little length won't matter.

[RatWriter]

There a very few rules but a variety of guidelines.

No specific "screenplay" rules on length, though most contests have a min/max page count.

So... You're free to leave it as is.

But... It's unlikely that a 20% trim is unrealistic. Adaptations of novels start with 300 densely packed pages. They manage to trim those down to a 100 air filled pages.

My Experience... Making premium scenes disappear are never missed. It's hard to miss what is never read. When I'm at 80 pages and only 50% complete; it's time to remove a subplot or two.

My advise... The script is clearly too long. Rewrite it to 100 pages, no more than 105. If it works submit it. It not, submit the original.

[Cyfress]

If your does does flow beautifully and it comes in at 120, you have nothing to worry about. If...

[Deus Ex Machine]

there are certain length expectations for scripts in HW. currently comedy script are expected to come in around the 90-105 range and non comedy is expected to come in around the 100-115 range. If your script varies significantly from these expectations the initial reaction will be that if you are short the script is underdeveloped and missing important dramatic beats. If the script is significantly longer than expectations it will be assumed to be bloated, unfocused, and encumbered excessively encumbered with beats that are not necessary to advancing the story. Of course these are only the initial reaction to the script but these reactions will taint the reader's pinion before they even start reading the script so if your length does vary significantly from the norm you better have an exceptionally well written tight script that justifies its length, which is true of any script really but even more so for those that come in significantly long or short.

Chances are that if your comedy script is 120 pages that you have yet to properly edit it, removing redundant scenes, combining scenes and characters, tightening scenes so you enter and exit as close to the dramatic high point as possible, using images to replace words and combining/compressing dialogue, etc...

[unwell36]

Wow, Just had this dilemma myself....

I took someone's advice (you know who you are) and trimmed my first act, which was 41 pages (too long) down to 30 pages. I lost one scene that was great character builder (god i hated to cut it) but after the I read the cut version, I realized it worked with out it. I deleted un-necessary dialog, lost ing's/and's and got it cut down and still managed to move the story forward. hah!

***Which by the way are all tricks I picked up from here***

Anyhoo, now that I know how, I would trim yours down. It's better to have it fit the perimeters than not. Once your famous you'll have more freedom to do as you will.

Just my two cents...good luck.

[Deus Ex Machine]

Someone here turned me onto Wittgenstein and the basis for his thesis was that there is a direct relationship to what is being said and how it is said. In other words, the content of any statement determines the length of that statement. He also said that anything important can be said in three words. William Goldman has said something similar when he said that it is easy to overwrite a script but impossible to underwrite one.

Food for thought.

[nickj]

If you cut a scene and didn't change the story, I wonder if there aren't more scenes where you could do the same.

A great script contains all great scenes. If you started with 40 great scenes, you now have 39, which is plenty.

[filmcarver]

As usual, I agree with Deus comments above. Especially Goldman's very pointed point.

Until you learn to cut scenes (and even characters) you think are important but can't say why, you'll never learn how unimportant they were to begin with. By the time you finish it, you won't even remember they existed until you look back at early drafts and just shake your head and laugh.

I will ask the broken record question.....Who has read and given you notes on your script?

Never submit a script without quality feedback first.

There are plenty of inexpensive sources to get this.

Good luck. Comedy is a tough genre. I tremendously respect anyone who can write a good one.