Length

[ReferedByChrist]

Hey, Hello there. First off I'm not a professional writer, although I have been writing for the majority of my life, nor am I in the business. I don't even have my foot in the door. Hasn't stopped me from writing.

Anyway, the point is, I had an idea and I wrote a script. I did some research though, and the script certainly isn't feature movie length. By that I don't mean I'm shy of the mark, I'm completely missing it by some 70 pages, at least.

That's not the problem though. I'd have no problem lengthening it, apart from the fact there's nothing left to write about. I fell like the story has been told, and there's nothing else that needs to be said. At 30 pages, the story is told and complete. Surely adding 70 pages worth of unnecessary scenes would bog it down and overshadow the story, no?

So, yeah I guess, I'm really just curious if this is a common problem, and how it's usually dealt with?

 

[antiarte]

Hey, Hello there. First off I'm not a professional writer, although I have been writing for the majority of my life, nor am I in the business. I don't even have my foot in the door. Hasn't stopped me from writing.

Anyway, the point is, I had an idea and I wrote a script. I did some research though, and the script certainly isn't feature movie length. By that I don't mean I'm shy of the mark, I'm completely missing it by some 70 pages, at least.

That's not the problem though. I'd have no problem lengthening it, apart from the fact there's nothing left to write about. I fell like the story has been told, and there's nothing else that needs to be said. At 30 pages, the story is told and complete. Surely adding 70 pages worth of unnecessary scenes would bog it down and overshadow the story, no?

So, yeah I guess, I'm really just curious if this is a common problem, and how it's usually dealt with?

The "standard" length is 90 pages minimum for dramas, 80 for comedies...I think.

30 pages is a short film. If you feel the story is finished, then leave it at that. Trying to add stuff to fill 70 pages will surely muck it up. Also, what's the pace of the story? Is it fast, or is it paint drying like Panahi's films lol?

Did you try writing a treatment before writing in format? It gives you an idea how long it will be. Plus it will help you flesh out the story better. I never care how long any script I'm working on is, seriously. Maybe try working on the story, maybe it's not really finished. I don't know.

 

[Proud Christian 2]

Dude, just try to lengthen the actual plotline. Maybe make a side-story branch off from it. I don't know. I deal with books, not movies, but I'll try to help, I guess.

 

[trt]

I know this is an old thread, but it's been bumped so the answer to your inquiry, in what has helped me to write longer pages is just be more descriptive, but of course not overly descriptive, because you want to to give your reader their imagination to work with. It's fun for us to be able to imagine how a character or place may look, without the Author going into all the depthness of the characters attire, surroundings etc. But you could go into descriptiveness with various other small things that normally your reader/or a reader of the story normally would not of thought of on their own. Such as- when He/She was talking her voice was shaky and his/her lips quivered uncontrollably as his/her hand grasped her pants tightly from fear. Or another is Jake's mouth formed in the shape of an "o" as he saw his girlfriend Lisa kissing another man. Things in that nature ReferedbyChrist.

I hope that has helped you
Have a good one today

TRT

 

[antiarte]

just be more descriptive, but of course not overly descriptive, because you want to to give your reader their imagination to work with.

no. it's a script. basically, a blueprint. it's not meant for a reader.

read non-shooting scripts to get a better idea.

 

[AMOG]

First, every script has to be written for a "reader". How do you intend to sell it if it's not "reader friendly". Or even if you plan to shoot it yourself, you have to get people interested in acting in it and they MUST be able to visualize your story from the script. It must be readable without you sitting over them explaining all the things that didn't make it to the page.

That said. If you story is 30 pages and it's complete, then don't ad stuff to it. Just call it a short film and shoot it or market it that way. In fact, try to tighten it up a bit. Be ruthless. If it doesn't move the story forward, cut it out.