Top 5 Most Important Aspects of A Script

If you’ve ever thought about writing a script for television or a movie, first, you should go check out some of our previous blogs that address those doubts and worries you might have.

Then come on back here and join this new discussion about what we believe to be the top 5 most important aspects of a script that every screenwriter should know.

Let’s go!

1.  Being able to identify the overall concept and/or theme of your script in a single sentence

Being able to identify the key theme and concept of the story you want to tell in a single sentence might not seem that important but trust us, it is.

If you ever find yourself with the chance to pitch your screenplay to potential talent, producers and investors, they aren’t going to want to hear you explain every minute detail of character development, story arcs, etc. they simply want to hear if it’s a project that resonates with them and holds potential to be something worth their time and investment.

2.  The Story Itself

Once you can nail down the concept and theme of your screenplay in a sentence, the next important thing is being able to write out the story itself within 2-5 pages respectfully. This shouldn’t include any dialogue.

It will introduce your characters, the setting, and the plot as a whole. It is essentially an extended synopsis to encourage excitement about your project.

3.  The Synopsis

Now you should be able to take that 2-5 page narrative and make a short one-paragraph synopsis of your screenplay. The synopsis is usually what it used as the exciting selling pitch that will be made to potential partners. If they are curious and want more, you can show them the 2-5 page narrative of your script after that.

4.  Your Screenplay

It might be a bit obvious, but this is probably your script's most important aspect (actually having it). The screenplay or script is essentially the step-by-step guide that holds all the information of the story as it will be seen on a screen.

It holds all the dialogue, the settings, the gestures, etc. When your eventual actors read your script they should be able to understand and feel the direction of the scene and their character.

5.  Dialogue, Dialogue, Dialogue

A script is telling a story about people. People that have interactions and conversations. This means that the dialogue between these people should be considered the most important part of your script as a screenwriter. The dialogue in your script needs to feel that every conversation and interaction feels as if it is real-life people are talking and interacting throughout your writing.

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We’re here to build a place where experienced and new-to-the-scene screenwriters can get their projects noticed by a larger audience. And if the audience loves the story - that’s a whole different story.