Screenwriting Tips: Getting Started in Film & TV

"I've got an idea ..."

We often get enquiries which say roughly, "I've got a great idea for a script, but have no idea what to do next.". Our answer: read this page, then take it away ...

Step 1: Software

Scripts must be written in the right format, where one page of script equals one minute (approx) of screen-time. The only easy way to get this right is to use software designed for the job.

Your best bet is to purchase one of the excellent commercial packages available. These don't just help with the formatting issues, they offer a lot of functionality in terms of helping you understand the structureof your screenplay. If you are serious about selling your work, we strongly recommend that you invest in a properly professional package. The best options are Final Draft, MovieMagic, or (if you want a freebie) BBC Scriptsmart. Many of these packages allow for a free download, so you can try before you buy.

Don't even think about not using such software. First, you won't look like a scriptwriter when you send your work out. Second, you won't be able to think like a screenwriter unless you have the layout sorted. So do it. Now. No excuses.

Step 2: Read some scripts!

Far too often, we receive scripts by people who have clearly never studied any professionally produced film scripts. In this day and age, there are simply no excuses for that - particularly as amateurish screenplays almost always give themselves away on the first page.

The advice is simple: read as many screenplays as you can; read ones in the same kind of genre; read the oldies as well as newer scripts. And always read quality work!

The Writers Guild of America has drawn up a list of the 100 best screenplays of all time. Feel free to disagree with the list, but use it as a checklist to make sure that you've read the stuff you ought to read.

Many of these screenplays are available either in book form or online. The best resource for screenplays online is the IMSDB website. It's a treasure trove. It's free. Use it. Any halfway serious scriptwriter should have read literally dozens of scripts. Most good scriptwriters will have read 100s.

Of course, it's also worth watching those great movies, but don't be lazy. You need to read as well as watch. It's how you learn. One further resource for the truly hungry: a CD containing some 800 scripts for film & TV. Plough through that lot, and we're impressed.

Step 3: Read some books

There are loads of books on writing screenplays. Some of these do tend to be very formulaic, and the truth is that great screenplays are never written to a formula.

So while it is a good idea to get stuck into an assortment of screenwriting books, don't ever be fooled into thinking that you simply need to follow a recipe. It ain't like that - luckily!

As for our top tips for reading matter, please see Pauline Kiernan's selection. All these books are available through Amazon.

Step 4: Get some help

Write your script. When you've reached the final "FADE OUT" - congratulations! You're about one third of the way through, maybe less. All scripts, even professional ones, need to be redrafted literally dozens of times. As a first-timer, you will almost certainly need professional help to develop your script - that is, to work out what's working, what isn't, what needs to change.

That's the service we offer, and it comes to you directly from film industry pros who are all successful writers themselves. We have never once seen a script by a first time writer which is good to market as it stands. Writing any type of fiction is hard enough. Writing fiction for the screen is hard and technical. If you don't have a background in TV writing and you haven't been to film school or worked in the industry, then you'd be nuts to think that you could write a perfect draft without some serious help. We are here to offer that help. Use it.