SCRIPT DEVELOPING

Oftentimes, to begin writing a screenplay is harder than following through with it until the end. And while it's true that there is no concrete method for starting, writing a good logline is key to understanding what story you want to tell.

Because this is, after all, based on a short story, this task is very easy to achieve. Here's the logline for our short:

A longtime married couple invite their friends over for dinner. When the topic of the husband's new story idea emerges, tensions rise between them both as the wife begins to read between the lines and finds a dark truth.

​

After you're done with the logline, you should have gathered enough of a sense of where your story is heading in the long run. Maybe there's a scene that's popped up in your head or a line of dialogue you really want a specific character to say. Write all of those thoughts in a separate document that you will then pick and choose from.

​

Next, the hardest part of all: facing the blank page. Taking into account that each scene has to serve a purpose in moving the story forward, outline the beginning and the back end of each scene. The middle should be dedicated to exposition or moving the plot forward.

​

Formatting a script is very easy, and nowadays with screenwriting softwares such as Fade In or Studiobinder, they automatically do it for you. Go slowly. Be realistic. Don't overuse a specific storytelling tool (such as dialogues or heavy exposition).

​

It doesn't have to come out perfect the first run-through: go with your gut and then you'll rewrite as much as you want (or can). Narratives are usually divided into three acts.