The screenplay of a film is the main ingredient of the entire composition that brings everything of the film in order. A film is nothing without proper dialogues right? Well, film school scholars have always shed light on the style of screenplay writing than the screenplay itself. The pre production part of filmmaking is the root of everything and screenplay writing occupies most of the boxes in the pre production unit. If you are focusing hard on your filmmaking career and you are searching to find the right path to be a successful screenplay writer and flourish, well, you have hit the right button here.
Here are 6 most valuable tips that you should follow to be a successful screenplay writer!
Research a lot but also cut it well
To make the outline of a perfect screenplay, make sure you gather useful resources where you can derive your content from. Reach out to outsiders, talk and discuss to gather more ideas. Watch relevant documentaries and films while also trying to reach out their directors. Read a lot of books so you can gather a better sense of sentence construction. But on the other hand you should know the art of keeping it precise and compact. Cutting it out in a proper shape from the whole body of your research and information, is the most effective part sometimes.
Do not only read the character, be the character!
To be a screenplay writer, to read and understand the character is never enough. The character appearing on the screen will be uttering the words that come out of your pen. Hence, just reading the character never helps to give the dialogues a full shape! Rather, the feeling factor has to play the main role here than the understanding mechanism. To write dialogues for the characters, you need intense understanding of the tone of the film as well feeling the characters and their allotted roles!
Make the character complete
The job of a screenplay writer is not only to write the dialogues, but also to develop a full character out of it. Depending on the mood and traits of the character you have to give it a full shape by using the proper lines. Considering all the dimensions of a role, try to write your lines touching all the dimensions (not very directly) to develop a complete character.
Search for better words
Never stop looking for better words. Screenplay is all about the magic of words and the way a sentence is being constructed. So being a screenplay writer you should never stop looking for better and more precise words for your lines. The lines of a screenplay should always carry the dynamic aspect where it satisfies the hunger of the audience while also maintaining its objectivity at the same time. Besides, the words you use should deliver the tone of the scene and tells the characters how to utter it! So choose your words carefully and let the words create its own magic in the screen!
Avoid repeating words
Repeating words in a same sentence / context, may bring up monotony in the scene. Hence, it is always advised by the experts to avoid using same words repeatedly, at least in a particular scene. Repetitive words wont help keeping the audience engaged throughout after all. But again its up to the theme and the plot of the movie and for the writer to decide to give the words its perfect usage.
Mind the interruption
The transition of scenes play an important role deciding the conversation interruptions and voice over cuts. Interruptions are alluring at times and might hurt the expectations of the audience at times as well. In a compromising situation the concertation cuts may make it more sexier to appear on screen. So while using interruption, you should mind the tone and feeling of a scene and then use the right words to give the cuts a proper shape!
Now that you know the basics to survival or as our screenplay writer friends would tell you – ”Screenplay 101”, we hope you start writing the next big thing. And please don’t forget to send us a premier pass.
