The professor creeps
downstairs into the ancient vault. Layers of dust cover the
stone walls. As the professor inspects the room, he approaches the back wall of
the vault and wipes away the dirt. There, hidden underneath, is a recessed door
handle! He eases the secret door open . . .
Is the previous description a passage from your favorite adventure novel . . . or is
it from a screenplay? The answer is, “It could be either.”
A screenplay is essentially a blueprint for a film. Before an actor utters one
line or the director switches on a camera, someone must write the film’s story
as a screenplay. Screenwriting combines narrative elements of the novel with
clear, concise writing. Simple to read and fairly quick to compose, a screenplay
can give curious students hands-on filmmaking experience—while improving their
writing at the same time!
How to Write a Screenplay
Screenplays rely on plot, character, conflict, and dialogue to move the
narrative forward. Always written in the present tense to convey immediacy,
screenplays tell a story with a strong beginning, middle, and end.
Screenwriters often name these parts Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3, after the
traditional sections of a stage play. In Act 1, the main character decides or
is forced to face a problem. In Act 2, the character fights mounting obstacles
to solve the problem. The dramatic tension rises in Act 3, when the character
conquers (or is conquered by) the original problem.
Let’s use the classic film The Sound of Music as an example. In Act 1, Maria
leaves the security of the convent to bring new life to the strict von Trapp
family. She finds a family broken by grief, and, in Act 2, heals the family
with her music and love. In Act 3, Maria and the von Trapps must sing together
to escape the Nazi regime. Encourage your children to watch their favorite
movie to see how it is organized into the three acts.
Screenplay format can seem daunting at first, but it is fairly easy to master.
Remember, filmmakers use the screenplay as a technical guide, so it must
follow predictable rules. Each line of description or dialogue belongs on a
certain part of the page, while abbreviations tell the director how to create
the scene.
A properly-formatted screenplay names the location, characters, and props that
appear in each scene. While expensive screenwriting software is available, it
is nearly as easy (and cheaper!) to use your computer’s word processor. Just
set the margins to 1 inch for the top and bottom of the page, 1.5 inches for
the left margin, and 1.25 inches for the right. If you use 12-point Courier
font, each page of your screenplay will be roughly equivalent to a minute of
screen time in the final film.
A typical feature-length screenplay is 90-120 pages long. However, a short
film can be much less—five, even three pages is enough. Encourage your
children to dream up imaginative stories. The more fun they have with the
screenplay, the more they will realize that writing can be fun!
What Next?
Most screenwriters add a title page to their finished screenplay. They punch
three holes along the left side of the document and stick a brad through the
top and bottom holes. This makes it easy for filmmakers to copy any part of
the screenplay.
To give your children a complete overview of the filmmaking process, you can
turn the finished script into a family movie. Different family members can be
the director, costume designer, set builder, or actors. Once you are done,
host a “premiere” with popcorn and homemade tickets.
Besides being fun to make, family films create memories. They are especially
fun to watch years later.
If your child becomes particularly interested in screenwriting, many
opportunities are available. Some young people produce and distribute their
own independent films. Festivals such as the San Antonio Independent Christian
Film Festival (SAICFF) include categories for treatments (three-page
screenplay synopses) and youth films. Many independent Christian film
companies seek interns who will help out on film sets.
Whether your children become filmmakers or not, screenwriting is an
educational experience. Screenplays encourage clear, concise writing and can
teach your children about the process of filmmaking. Most of all, they can
become a fun project for your entire family!
Resources
Although the following resources provide helpful information, parents should
preview them to make sure they are age-appropriate.
- The Screenwriters’ Bible by David Trottier. A go-to guide for everything
you need to know about screenwriting.
- Outside Hollywood: The Young
Christian’s Guide to Vocational Filmmaking by
Isaac Botkin. This book describes independent Christian filmmaking.
- www.simplyscripts.com.
Free downloads of thousands of screenplays. You can
study the format of family-friendly screenplays for films like Secretariat, Up!,
and It’s a Wonderful Life.
- Christian Film Connect.
Website for helping Christian filmmakers (found by searching "making Christian films")
Screenplay Sample
The following notes correspond to notes in the screenplay sample below. Notice
where different elements of dialogue and description sit on the page. [To save
space, we have removed blank lines and added quote marks around the dialog,
though they don’t appear in a “real” screenplay.—Ed]
- Every screenplay begins with the transition “FADE IN.” Every screenplay
ends with the transition “FADE OUT,” followed by “THE END.” If your script
changes scenes, skip three lines and write a new slug line (see next note).
- This is a slug line. It tells where the action of a scene takes place.
INT., “interior,” means that the scene should be filmed indoors. EXT., or
“exterior,” is used when the scene must be filmed outdoors.
- Introduce each character by capitalizing his or her name. Include the
character’s age and any necessary description.
- Capitalize each important prop in a screenplay when it is introduced.
- This is an abbreviation for “off screen,” which is when the audience
hears a character’s voice but cannot see the character.
- This is a parenthetical. It describes how a character should deliver a
line.
- FADE IN: (1)
- INT. JACOB’S ROOM – DAY (2)
- By the model cars, airplane posters, and sports gear that fill the room,
anyone can tell that this is a boy’s turf.
- JACOB RILEY, 14, an aspiring screenwriter, rushes in and drops yet another
pair of tennis shoes on the floor. (3) He eagerly plops down in front of his
desktop computer and turns it on.
- On the computer screen, a blank document glares back at him.
- Jacob’s fingers hesitate over the keyboard. What to write?
- He picks up a PENCIL (4) and chews on the eraser.
- JACOB’S MOM (OS) (5)
- “Jacob! You need to get ready for soccer practice in thirty minutes!”
- Now Jacob has a deadline. He nervously checks his watch.
- JACOB
- “Okay, Mom.”
- Jacob reaches to put his pencil back into a cup on the desk . . . but instead, the
pencil slips out of his hand into his GOLDFISH BOWL. Jacob’s goldfish,
alarmed, swims into its decorative cave.
- Jacob notices this—an idea is born. He excitedly hunches over his computer and
types.
- JACOB (reading aloud) (6)
- “Exterior—ocean floor. To avoid the giant shark, Captain Nelson navigates his
submarine into the ominous cave. . . .”
- Jacob smiles to himself. His writing journey has begun.
- FADE OUT: THE END
