Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
10 Quick Tips on Basic Spec Screenwriting- with Geno Scala
1. 10 Quick Tips on
Basic Screenwriting Competency
The Script Mentor
www.thescriptmentor.com
2. Scene Headings (a.k.a Master Scene Headings, or slugs):
Include camera location (INT, EXT, INT/EXT),
scene location (BEDROOM, BUSY STREET, etc.)
and time of day (DAY, NIGHT).
3. Camera Directions
(CUT TO’s, etc.):
Limit yourself to
“FADE IN:”, and
“FADE OUT:”
(Exclude all technical camera
directions in your spec script
unless IMPERATIVE to the
IMPACT of the story).
4. Actor Directions (beats):
Do NOT include
(beat) in dialogue.
The actor is trained to
act.
Think of a “beat” as
dialogue speed bump;
it slows the read
considerably.
5. “More white than black”:
• Target 150-180 words per page;
• Long paragraph blocks are deadly.
• Keep scenes short; three pages or less
6. Screenwriting Technique/ Style:
Do not get carried away with parentheticals,
CAPITALIZATIONS, flashbacks, montages, hyphens, ellipses
and exclamation marks.
If you need to use them, use them in moderation (sparingly).
7. DESCRIPTIONS:
• Provide enough scene description to allow reader to imagine scene
• Exclude details that do not add to the story.
• Try to keep all descriptions to two lines or less.
9. DIALOGUE:
• Avoid expositional dialogue (having one character impart
information to another character information that they should
already know).
• Keep dialogue to four lines or less whenever possible.
10. GRAMMAR:
Avoid repeats of words, such as “walks”,” laughs”, “looks”, etc.
Write in the active tense “He knocks”, as opposed the more passive
“He is knocking” (words ending in “-ing”).
12. Geno Scala is a multi-award winning screenwriter,
producer and owner of “The Script Mentor”, where he
and his team of experienced staff offer practical advice
to aspiring screenwriters.
He has more than two decades of experience in the
Hollywood community in a variety of capacities
including serving as the executive director for multiple
award shows such as The Academy Awards,
Grammys, and the Soul Train Awards. Geno is also the
founder and CEO of Shark-Eating Man Productions.
He is currently developing and producing a
docudrama series for television.
www.thescriptmentor.com