Script Writing Film Books

Learn how to write a film script from basic to professional

Screenwriting is a visually appealing form of writing known for its distinctive format which is typed in the 12-point Courier typeface. While essays and other academic papers require an author to follow a certain structure, this is the complete opposite of script when it comes to screenwriting! Unlike essays or novels, when writing a script for a motion picture, everything must be written with specific visuals so that the Film Director, Photography Director, and Film Editor can easily translate the words into motion pictures. It's all about visual translation!

When writing a screenplay, a writer must first plan the characters and solidify the key story (events) beats before writing. And once the story outline is prepared, the writer must remember that all components of the script must follow the traditional script format.

The Script Writing Film application will make it easy for you to learn how to write a good, interesting film script. Learn how to write a script with the same basic steps professional screenwriters use to draft, polish, and format their scripts for maximum industry impact.

How to Write a Script

Writing a feature spec script—or even the script for a short film—can seem overwhelming, but it's manageable if you break it down into methodical steps. Here's a step-by-step guide to creating your movie script:

1. Write Your Logline

Answer the following questions to help create a logline:

How does your protagonist get involved in the story?

What conflict arises to challenge your main character and move the story forward?

What is the world of your story? What makes this story different, interesting, or suspenseful?

2. Create an Outline

Begin creating an outline by writing down the main events of your script in order. You can do this in a traditional outline format over one or two pages, or if you have the space, you can write your sentences on index cards and post them on a wall to make it easier to view and manipulate the parts. Each event should be a single, short sentence (e.g. “Danny gets shot in the leg”). Your sole dramatic question is the force that will shape the main plotline of your story. Screenwriters calls this the throughline.

3. Build a Treatment

Consider your treatment a beefed-up prose version of your outline, one that reads more like a short story. If you're shopping your script around, a treatment is what you might use to gauge interest; it can also be a good exercise to see if the story works the way you're hoping it does in your head. Your personal artistic vision comes into play with the treatment, so build out your world and your characters as lush as you'd like.

Learn more about writing treatments in our how-to guide here.

4. Write Your Screenplay

Happy with your treatment? Here's where the hard work comes in. Try to remember all the rules you've heard before: Show, don't tell. Write in the present tense. Adhere to proper formatting. Try not to do too much editing while you write. Let your ideas flow and then structure them once you've got everything on the page.

5. Format Your Screenplay

Script templates are easy to find online, and there's plenty of screenwriting software that will automatically arrange your writing into a screenplay format. Final Draft is the tool of choice for most professional screenwriters. industry stand