Page Count?

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  • Page Count?

    Why all the fuss about page count? Take any two spec scripts with the same 110 page count. Won't their film lengths differ depending upon how much action or description is written in each?

    If that's the case, won't a reader take that into account?

  • #2
    Re: Page Count?

    But the problem seems to be that the reader checks the page count and draws a conclusion BEFORE they read the script.
    A lovely being, scarcely formed or moulded,
    A rose with all its sweetest leaves yet folded.

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    • #3
      Re: Page Count?

      Originally posted by jonpiper View Post
      Why all the fuss about page count? Take any two spec scripts with the same 110 page count. Won't their film lengths differ depending upon how much action or description is written in each?

      If that's the case, won't a reader take that into account?
      No, their film lengths will differ more from various rewrites, editing of the film, deletion of scenes, reshoots, etc.

      Of course, even ignoring all that and assuming all films were shot and released exactly as written, almost all 110 page scripts would have reasonable runtimes (unless the screenwriter has really cheated the formatting). On the other hand, only a handful of 80 page scripts would have a long enough runtime, and only a handful of 140 page scripts would come in under two hours.

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      • #4
        Re: Page Count?

        Devil's Advocado: imagine you're a script reader. You have another 10 scripts to read tonight. 9 of them are around 110 pages long. 1 is 140 pages long. Let's play spot the amateur newbie who can't read guidelines and/or overwrites everything to death and/or has written "a fantastic story that's never been done before" and which can't possibly be made any shorter. All together now,

        -Derek

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        • #5
          Re: Page Count?

          I won't fight the system. One ten plus or minus a few it will be.

          HOWEVER, any readers out there who bend the page count rule when deciding whether or not to read a spec script by an unknown?

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