Screenplay

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

A Screenplay is "blueprint" for a filmed presentation, usually a theatrical movie, which consists of stage directions, characterization, character dialogue, and plot.

1 Format and page count
2 Structure
3 Fandom
4 Related Terms and Articles
5 External Links

Format and page count

Screenplays for feature length movies usually run 90 to 120 pages in length, as the general "rule of thumb" is that one page of a screenplay will translate into one minute of screen time, though this varies, especially when the writer uses only a paragraph or two to describe a battle which may, when realized by the director, extend to several minutes. Many screenplays run longer, very few run shorter than 90 pages.

Structure

Screenplays are normally divided into the classic three act storytelling structure:

Act one, roughly the first thirty pages, consists of character and situation introduction. It usually ends with a complication, which sets a new plotline in motion.

Act two, roughly the next sixty pages, consists of the major plot complications and the characters' story arcs as they work to achieve a goal despite setbacks, a significant one of which usually occurs at or about page 60, the hour mark in films. The second act ends around page 90 when the lead character is confronted with his greatest obstacle, one whose choice of resolution will change his life and possibly that of other characters.

Act three, normally the last fifteen to thirty pages, of a screenplay concerns the result of the decisions the characters must make and the resolution of the plot set up thus far. A denouement, a wrap-up, sometimes occurs in the last two or three minutes, though many films end on a sudden note, a downbeat note or as a cliffhanger.