Anyone pay attention to this? And if so, your thoughts.
Scene To Page Ratio
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
Originally posted by roscoegino View PostAnyone pay attention to this?
And if so, your thoughts.
It may be vaguely interesting as an academic distraction for script nerdists, but I've never heard a professional writer mention it. If anyone wanted a sense of what the standard industry STPR might be I'd suggest looking at 20 of their favorite produced scripts and gauging from that. But the risk with these sorts of discussions, of which there are many, is that they can deceive the unwary into thinking that they matter.
FWIW the current industry standard STPR for scripts using Warner Bros format guildelines is in the range 0.87 to 2.41 with an aggregate typeface contingency discrepancy allowance of 2.6 percent."Friends make the worst enemies." Frank Underwood
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
OP: You're creating an issue or consideration that does not exist. There is no such thing as a "scene to page ratio," nor is there any genuine rule about number of scenes. Just tell a story effectively. That's all that matters. I do, however, concur with David K that the aggregate typeface contingency discrepancy allowance of 2.6 percent must, must be adhered to. According to my sources at WB and the other major studios, that is the single most important differentiator between a real pro and an ignorant hack. Even McKee teaches that now.
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
Originally posted by roscoegino View PostAnyone pay attention to this? And if so, your thoughts.
If we liked math, we wouldn't be working with screenplays.
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
Originally posted by roscoegino View PostAnyone pay attention to this? And if so, your thoughts.
I plan 80 scenes and 120 pages. That's a 1 to 1.5 ratio. But once I actually start writing, I forget all about that. I have never completed a draft that was 80 scenes and/or 120 pages long.
A thought: If you're ever considering that a scene might be too long, aren't you really thinking about the scene/page ratio?"I am the story itself; its source, its voice, its music."
- Clive Barker, Galilee
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
The only metric I consider, that even remotely resembles this, is when I capture my scene heading report (which in MSWord includes the page numbers) and dump it into Excel. I have a formula that shows the number of pages per scene. So, 0 is one page or less. No problem. But if I see 5-6 pages, I check the scene to see if there's too much going on in one location in that part of the script.
I rarely have to fix anything, because sometimes in the course of that story that's just the way it is. Anyway, most of the time during my writing I know when things are slowing down.
(Incidentally, the STPR can get thrown off if the director uses the "jittery camera" technique to simulate intensity or excitement. )
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
Originally posted by TwoBrad Bradley View PostA thought: If you're ever considering that a scene might be too long, aren't you really thinking about the scene/page ratio?
If a scene's too long, it's because it's slow. There are plenty of 8-10 page scenes that whiz by, and plenty of 2 page scenes that drag.
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
I don't worry about my scene to page ratio until I've first done a thorough check of word to line ratio. If there are too few words in a full line, I know I'm using too big of a vocabulary and the readers won't understand. I can't tell you how many times I've had to go back and find a much shorter, simpler word for antidisestablishmentarianism. But it's that extra bit of conscientiousness that results in a sale. At least I think it will if it ever happens."The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
Originally posted by cshel View PostI don't worry about my scene to page ratio until I've first done a thorough check of word to line ratio. If there are too few words in a full line, I know I'm using too big of a vocabulary and the readers won't understand. I can't tell you how many times I've had to go back and find a much shorter, simpler word for antidisestablishmentarianism. But it's that extra bit of conscientiousness that results in a sale. At least I think it will if it ever happens.
Code:[FONT="Courier New"] HOODLUM Listen. You. Put. The. Gems. Down.[/FONT]
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Re: Scene To Page Ratio
Originally posted by Todd Karate View PostNo. There are no Sabermetrics for screenwriting.
If a scene's too long, it's because it's slow. There are plenty of 8-10 page scenes that whiz by, and plenty of 2 page scenes that drag.
I think you're talking about the ratio of the number of scenes to the number of scenes that suck. (s/b be 1:0)"I am the story itself; its source, its voice, its music."
- Clive Barker, Galilee
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