When you're new to screenwriting, one of two things generally happens. You either jump into the writing of the script with the idea that you'll figure everything out as you go, or you find yourself overdeveloping the story, plot, and characters and hesitate to sit down and type FADE IN to begin.
- The first comes out of pure excitement and anticipation. You've had this concept in your head for a long time, and you just want to start getting it onto the page.
- The second comes out of fear, nervousness, or feeling overwhelmed. You want to write your script, but you don't know if you're ready.
Each of these is perfectly natural. Even seasoned screenwriters and professionals go through these phases continually throughout their careers. But:
- If you jump into the screenwriting process too early without doing the proper front-end work, you're going to be creating much more work for yourself in the long run.
- If you get stuck in development hell or continual procrastination, you're never going to see that story come to life.
With that in mind, here are five pro tips for starting your screenplay in the most effective and proactive way.
1. Research Your Concept and World BEFORE You Start Writing
Research is a key part of the development phase of screenwriting.
- If you're writing a legal thriller, you need to understand the logistics and legalities of the subject you're writing about.
- If you're writing about astronauts, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, doctors, or any other specialized profession, you should have enough knowledge about those professions to make that world in your script believable.
- If your script is based on a true story, historical event, or real person, research is even more vital.
But there's also a different type of research that screenwriters forget to do: researching your concept itself.
Before spending months writing a screenplay, find out if someone has already made something similar. Newcomers are especially often surprised when this happens. They come up with what they believe is an original concept or new take on what's been done successfully before, and then write the screenplay, only to later discover that a movie with the exact same premise has already been released. And if it hasn't been released, it's in active development in the studio system.
This happens not because someone stole your idea, but because we're all consuming many of the same movies, television shows, news stories, social media posts, and cultural events. Similar ideas will develop independently. And if major studios, networks, streamers, and production companies already have those similar scripts in development, it's going to be difficult to get yours going as a newcomer.
Do some research on your concept before you start. Put your logline in a Google search and see if anything similar pops up, or ask Google if there are any movies with a similar premise to yours.
Finding something similar doesn't necessarily mean you need to abandon your idea. Instead, ask yourself what makes your version different and better.
If you find something a bit too similar, you could maybe:
- Approach the concept through a different genre
- Change the setting, protagonist, conflict, or point of view
- Blend the concept with another to create something new
Or, you could look for another concept to tackle and keep what you had in mind on the shelf for a future time and need.
2. Find a Great Title
What is the first thing you do when you start a script? You create a title page. Your screenplay's title is a vital part of its identity. Once you name it, it will entice you to do what needs to be done to get working on it, and it will also move from a nagging but intriguing idea in your head to something tangible and concrete because it has a name.
Yes, titles change. If you're lucky enough to sell your script and get it produced, producers, executives, directors, distributors, and marketing departments may want or need to change the title for creative, marketing, or sales needs.
Finding the right title before you start writing the script can help you better connect with the screenplay itself, no different than naming a pet or child. A deeper connection is made.
Don't spend six months trying to come up with a great title, mind you. Just do the front-end work to find one that works best for you. Doing this will get you excited, focused, and locked in.
3. Write the Logline BEFORE You Start the Screenplay
Many screenwriters think writing loglines should be saved for when the screenplay is written and ready to be marketed.
However, the best time to write your logline is before you start writing your screenplay. Why? Because the logline represents the core concept of your screenplay. It's good to have it readily available as you start writing your script so you can avoid drifting too far from your original idea during the writing process.
Here's a basic logline for the high-concept thriller classic, Jaws:
When a killer shark terrorizes the summer resort town of Amity Island, the local police chief must hunt it down with the help of a marine biologist and experienced shark hunter before it kills again.
When you watch the movie, there's obviously much more happening within the movie. There are character relationships, conflicts with the town, the mayor's refusal to shut down the beach, the police chief's fear of water, the shark hunter's backstory, and other character and story elements. But everything centers on that core concept in the logline.
A good logline gives you:
- The Protagonist (Police Chief)
- The Central Conflict (Shark Terrorizing the Island Town)
- The World (Island Town of Amity)
- The Stakes (More Innocent Deaths)
When you know those things beforehand, you have something to return to.
The logline is your screenplay's compass. It will always direct you where to go during the writing process. And it gets you zeroed in on the story you're going to tell, which helps you to get that script started, and started well.
4. Develop Your Characters, Story, and Structure
While you don't want to get caught overdeveloping all of these, which leads to procrastination, you do want to do the necessary front-end work when it comes to character, story, and structure development.
Many new screenwriters believe they should discover their screenplays as they write. This comes from the background of novelists, many of whom discover their stories and characters as they write. The trouble with that approach in screenwriting is that screenplays are blueprints for potential movies. Screenplays have particular format, structure, and page count restrictions because they are meant as documents for future collaboration to make the cinematic stories come to life on the screen.
If you want to start your script right, you should have the proper character, story, and structural development done.
You can accomplish this by writing outlines or beat sheets that detail the general broad strokes of how your story and characters are going to be laid out.
Nearly every professional screenwriting assignment contract stipulates that an outline must be written first, detailing how the screenplay will be structured in terms of scenes and sequences.
Outlines are the best collaborative tools in that respect because the screenwriter, executives, producers, and directors can collaborate before a full screenplay is written. It's much, much easier to alter characters, shift plot points, add twists and turns, and work out other details to create the best possible structure of the script using a beat sheet or outline.
For new screenwriters not working under contract, it's smart to learn how to write outlines and beat sheets early on since you're going to be asked to do them in your screenwriting career. But beyond that, outlines and beat sheets are a great way to lay out your thoughts.
Anything can be changed, yes. But the best way to start a script is having well-developed character arcs, story arcs, and overall screenplay structure in mind.
5. Visualize the Movie BEFORE You Start Writing It
Beginning screenwriters often struggle when they first start to write their screenplays because they haven't taken the time to see what they are going to describe in the scene description for scenes and sequences. How can you possibly describe a cinematic scene when you haven't "seen" it in your imagination first?
To avoid writer's block, false starts, and stalls, take some time to visualize the beginning of your script. See those cinematic moments in your head. Play them over and over and envision them further and further when you're on walks, runs, bike rides, car rides, or daydreaming.
- Close your eyes and see how your movie begins.
- Create a visual trailer for your movie in your head, which showcases the beginning, middle, and end of your cinematic tale.
- Before you sit down to type any scene, see it in your head first.
Screenwriting starts before you type a single word. You're actually writing your script when you're researching it, finding a great title, writing a strong logline, and developing your characters, story, and structure while writing an outline or beat sheet.
It's worth taking a month or so to visualize your outline/beat sheet as a whole, or to focus on specific segments of your story. Watching movies and TV shows in a similar genre can help feed your imagination as well.
How Do You Know When It's Time to Start Writing Your Screenplay?
If you follow these five tips for starting your screenplay, you'll know when the time is right because if you've done that work, you'll find yourself not just wanting to start your script, but needing to start it as soon as possible.
One of the great thresholds to pass as a screenwriter is being able to feel and trust your instincts. If you go into a script blind, without doing the proper front-end work, you'll struggle. But if you go in prepared, you'll feel the need to finally get everything on the page.
There's no greater feeling than the excitement you feel when you start a screenplay knowing you've done the front-end work and are prepared to tell the best possible version of your story.
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