by William Cobbs

Created on: May 19, 2008

As one who has written and sold a number of screenplays some time ago, I can give a few ideas about going about that work successfully.

First, classify yourself.

Are you being ASKED by a filmmaker to write a screenplay?

Are you writing a screenplay and hope to sell it blind?

Are you ORIGINATING a screenplay?

Are you adapting a book of yours or someone else to s screenplay?

Any one of these categories will have a great effect upon how and in what form you present the materials. Most of all you MUST have the ability to visualize each scene that you write as it would appear on the big or little screen...in other words, write a script that could be shot.(It won't...producers and directors will change things and alter them but if it is shootable when it gets to them, they may buy it.)

What kind of story are you making a screenplay from?

In any case, lets pick a love affair of note between a very rich heiress just out of college and a poor but decent young man two years older than she who has bumped into her, and managed to get her attention, a banal but often used device.

Use the following form:

SYNOPSIS

Give the entire screen-story in paragraphs in your synopsis and in the correct order. Examples:

Gorgeous young girl graduates from college.
Home background mother, father, showing wealthy home.
Girl is bored, not happy on big estate doing nothing after college.
Girl gets minor job as secretary.
Handsome young man is stock clerk.
Their eyes meet. MAGIC!

and so on.

Then after a complete synopsis, break down your scenes by camera shots, with complete descriptions in great detail of each set for each shot:

(Scene 10..boy meets girl first time)

Opening shot of Linda sitting at her receptionist typewriter in 49th floor office in Manhattan. She is typing away. C.E.O. enters, older man highly dressed, picks up mail, says hello, and zips through to his office, back shot as he disappears. DIALOGUE boss worker.

Linda back to typewriter. Medium closeup.

Phone rings.

Linda answers. tight close-up

Harry the stock boy(male lead) enters with pile of mail and is followed by camera from door to Linda's desk. He and she have never met. It is her first day.

Shot, she looking up from phone to ear.

Shot, closeup, his face, mouth slightly open, seeing her first time.

She, holding phone, very close of mouth and face, she seeing his interest, responding, coy.

He fumbles, drops mail on floor, she comes round and head to head, helps him.

That is only a small sample, and you are going to supply

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