Words-per-page

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Words-per-page

    Well, I guess it doesn't get any more anal than this, but just humor me for a second or two. Recently, someone made a comment about one of my scripts being "overwritten" or "having too much description" but I looked it over and it seems fairly standard in terms of adhering to various do's and don'ts.

    I checked my last five scripts (all varying between 115-120 pages) and a total word count of around 20,000 (give or take). And words-per-page around 180.

    So I was just curious if anyone had stumbled across some Johnny-come-lately screenwriting guru or new industry mantra regarding total word count or acceptable words-per-page. Ridiciulous, I know, but the comment has made me paranoid and self-conscious.

    By the way, the script in question was a Disney Fellowship finalist and ScreamFest winner, not that there's anything wrong with that -- or that it necessarily means anything. Oh, bother.

  • #2
    Re: Words-per-page

    Aqua - over written has nothing to do with the number of words per page, but rather, is a comment referring to a tendency to over describe, be slightly redundant, over explanatory or otherwise write too densely.

    Maybe the reverse is a good jumping off point: you need to write in a more spare, simple style. Think haiku. Think clear and simple. Look at your pages, specifically your action lines and ask yourself if you can cut them down by 50%. This is a good exercise to do in any event.

    The fact that your script was a finalist at Disney is definitely a good reflection of the quality of your work in general. The good news is that over writing is a bad habit that is relatively simple to cure. You're working too hard too say too much.

    Julie Gray



    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Words-per-page

      I agree that counting words is a waste of time.

      If you've placed well a couple times and have gotten back good coverage, then most likely you just have an occasional over-described scene or a few too many long speeches.

      Hard to say without reading it.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Words-per-page

        Words per page seems meaningless, imo.

        You want plenty of white space, you want a smooth fun read, you want to avoid obvious killers like thinking you can use few words to describe things the reader knows will eat up a ton of screen time (I think the classic example is, don't write "And then ten thousand Indians come over the hill. Custer fights for two hours then is massacred.")

        The script format is so odd, how could anyone go by words per page?
        sigpic
        "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -
        that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
        -Mahatma Gandhi.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Words-per-page

          Thanks everyone.

          I'll admit that simple description comes easy to me, but like the Custer example, when it comes to something that I'll refer to as "choreographed" or a bit more involved action or scene description, I find it challenging to strike the right balance.

          That being said, I think I've gotten better and being more self-aware can only be a good thing. I've even learned that it's okay to use the occasional sentence fragment, though the ghost of a former schoolmarmish English teacher is always inside my head, tempting me with the evil of her ways.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Words-per-page

            Embrace brevity.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Words-per-page

              Originally posted by Charli View Post
              Embrace brevity.

              Why?
              -------

              I didn't have time to write a short script so I wrote a long one instead.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Words-per-page

                ...because brevity is fundamental to good screenwriting. I also say embrace levity but that's another conversation

                Julie Gray



                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Words-per-page

                  My last script's word count was 225 per page. That being said, none of the people involved in the project said it read long.

                  As far as brevity goes, I agree that it's important to be economical with words. But it's the writer's job to not only tell the story efficiently but to evoke mood and direct the action and the characters. It's not necessary to write "ANGLE ON" and "DOLLY SHOT ON" but at the same time, the writer needs to tell the story as if the reader is experiencing a movie rather than reading a bare script.

                  Brevity is not fundamental to good screenwriting. Good storytelling is. Sorkin's Charlie Wilson's War clocked in at 168 pages.
                  -------

                  I didn't have time to write a short script so I wrote a long one instead.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Words-per-page

                    I've always heard that a vertical script with lots of white space is a good rule of thumb.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Words-per-page

                      In Hollywood, they may read the black lines ... but their eyes really light up over the white lines.
                      sigpic
                      "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -
                      that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
                      -Mahatma Gandhi.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Words-per-page

                        Originally posted by tabula rasa View Post
                        In Hollywood, they may read the black lines ... but their eyes really light up over the white lines.
                        Good way to put it.

                        I agree that good storytelling is the point, but it should be good storytelling that moves sufficiently quickly that when you read it, you're watching the movie unspool in your head without needing to stop for detours. Describing things that don't need describing counts as a detour.

                        Sure, sometimes you have to choreograph action. Just aim for the fewest, punchiest, most precise words to communicate your message, and don't go more than four lines without skipping a line. Don't listen to your inner grammar teacher -- listen to your inner visceral reaction meter.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Words-per-page

                          La Femm - levity, hmm, first thing that came to mind, wouldn't it be nice to be weightless? I could embrace that...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Words-per-page

                            That's why I'm such a fan of lap swimming, Charli - good exercise but totally weightless...it's wonderful!

                            Julie Gray



                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Words-per-page

                              If there can be:
                              - general standard margins,
                              - average number of lines per page,
                              - an average ratio of dialogue to action,
                              - recommended number of lines of action,
                              - recommended number of lines of dialogue,
                              why can't that be all be represented as an average number of words per page?
                              "I am the story itself; its source, its voice, its music."
                              - Clive Barker, Galilee

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X