Even the slightly complicated storyline of The Hangover didn’t affect the page count that much, as the screenplay came in at 111 pages. And since most comedy plots are bare bones, you don’t need to spend a lot of time plotting. If you move over to comedies, these tend to work best in the 105-110 page range. Final page count for the script: 101 pages. Tiny character count (only two main characters – the father and the daughter). But these movies have a few more locations and characters, which should put them closer to 100 pages. The word “thrill” implies a fast pace which means you’re still keeping the page count low. If you prefer to write non-contained thrillers, you’re going to need more page space. So 90 pages is usually where you’re going to be when writing a 1-3 character movie in 1-3 locations. And, for those who don’t know, one page of screenplay equals one minute of screen time (this is why screenplays are written in that weird spaced out manner – to match out page time to screen time). The horror movie I reviewed at the beginning of the month, Deadstream, about a single character live-streaming inside a haunted house… that movie was 90 minutes long.
Simple plots = less explaining = less pages Less locations = less situations to set up = less pages Less characters = less characters to develop = less pages There are also additional variables that affect page length, all of which make up a complicated picture, one that seems to change depending on which angle you view it from.Ĭharacter Count + Location Count + Plot Complexity = Page Count There are certain genres that have low page counts and other genres that have high page counts. Over time, I’ve learned that the script length question is a nuanced one. How does a young and confused newbie screenwriter reconcile this? They’re told their scripts have to be 110 pages as they watch Avengers Endgame arrogantly clock in at 150 pages. As time went on, that number dropped to 110 pages.ĭespite this unofficial or official (depending on who you talk to) page rubicon, the newbie screenwriter receives mixed messages every time they go to the theater. When I first got into screenwriting, I was told (and promptly ignored) that your script should never extend beyond 120 pages.
This got me thinking about the age old question of script length. And we’ve got Avatar 2, which is somewhere north of 3 hours. We’ve got Black Panther 2, clocking in at over 2 hours and 45 minutes. We are about to be hit with two of the longest studio releases of the decade.
Why do Ryan Coogler and James Cameron get to write mega-scripts while you’re obnoxiously constrained by the script-length Gods?
0 kommentar(er)
