How to Outline Your Screenplay
Learn Screenwriting
Many professional screenwriters recommend creating an outline before you begin writing your screenplay. As your screenwriting career progresses, you may also be asked to provide an outline to producers or production company and studio executives before you commence writing a project for them. A lot of industry professionals will tell you that most of the real work of screenwriting is done in the outline. But what exactly is an outline, and what is the most effective way to create one?
An outline is a scene-by-scene breakdown of the entire story of your screenplay. An outline can be as detailed as the writer needs it to be: it can be a simple breakdown of story elements, or it can be more comprehensive, including action and even lines of dialogue. A general rule of thumb is that the more detailed your outline is, the better it will serve you when it comes time to write your screenplay. If an outline contains a scene breakdown, action and dialogue, it will allow you to focus on making each scene as good as possible, and the actual writing of your screenplay will become an easier, more effective process.
Have you ever started writing a screenplay only to find you’ve written yourself into a corner, or hit some pesky story beat that you don’t know how to resolve? When you outline you can make as many changes as you want to your story without the pressure of writing or rewriting the actual screenplay. You’re free to play with your idea and get your plot points structured correctly without the added stress of writing snappy dialogue or finding an exciting way to describe your car chase. If something doesn’t work in an outline, it is less time and energy to fix it at this point than if you’ve already written the whole screenplay (though rewrites of a screenplay are important – but we’ll get to that later!).
Outlines exist in varying lengths depending on the needs of the writer, the producer, the production company or the studio. When outlining for yourself you may keep your outline a little briefer, say, around 10 pages. However, if you’re outlining a feature film for a studio, the outline could run up to 40 pages as more information is added.
One popular method of outlining a screenplay is to list every scene in the movie and fill in as much detail as possible for each scene. Each scene is given a header just as it would appear in the final screenplay, followed by the scene details.
Here’s an example:
INT. COFFEE SHOP – DAY David, professional screenwriter, works on his latest script in coffee shop. A Wanna-Be screenwriter comes over and asks David to read his script titled GREEN MAN SAVES THE EARTH. The script is 300 pages. David asks the Wanna-Be if he outlined the script before writing it. The Wanna-Be says, “Nah, it just flowed out of me.” David responds, “Well, maybe next time an outline might keep the page count down.”
INT. COFFEE SHOP GARAGE – LATER David whistles as he strolls toward his Ferrari. The Wanna-Be rushes out swinging his un-outlined spec like a club. David unleashes a decade’s worth of Jujitsu lessons on the Wanna-Be. The Wanna-Be limps away, the pages of his spec script in tatters.
INT. FERRARI – MOVING FAST David talks to his agent on the phone while driving. “NO, NO, tell Spielberg I’m too busy outlining Avatar 6. I can’t do—” CRASH! Another car rams the Ferrari. David is shocked to see the crazed Wanna-Be giving chase in a Prius.
One last point about outlines. Your outline is there as a detailed guide but don’t let it become a crutch. As you transform your outline into screenplay form, try to always remain open to inspiration. If you find yourself veering from your original outline, don’t worry! This is a natural part of the creative process, and you should take the story where it tells you it needs to go.
Outlining within Final Draft ensures your outline stays with your screenplay, and is endlessly customizable. Final Draft has many powerful features designed to help you outline your screenplay, including:
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Index Cards
There’s no need for paper Index Cards! Final Draft allows you to create Index Cards within your Final Draft document. -
Beat Board
Limitless space to organize your ideas in a customizable, visual way. Plan set pieces, store character research, and much more. -
Outline Elements + Editor TM
Send your outline to script and see it on the page for easy reference as Outline Elements, then show and hide the outline as needed during your writing process. The Outline Editor gives you a bird’s eye view of your screenplay structure and multiple customizable lanes for high-level outlining.
To explore Final Draft’s powerful outlining tools, click here.