There are some amazing movies that have been created that will have a permanent spot in film history, but every great movie started off as a great script. It is amazing to think that one small idea has the potential to turn into an iconic movie. Let’s dive into what a script needs in order to become an enjoyable movie.
So, writing a script is essentially writing a story. There’s a beginning, middle and end, there’s a plot, characters, etc. Someone can take inspiration from anything and turn it into a short or long story. Whatever you write, has to be interesting to the reader. If it isn’t interesting to read, then it won’t be interesting to watch.
Many popular movie screenplays are available online to read for free. Some websites you can use to search for them are IMSDb and Daily Script. Think about some of your favorite movie characters. What do you like about them? What makes them stand out to you? Part of what makes a movie so interesting to watch is learning about the characters. When a person reads a screenplay, they have to be able to clearly visualize everything on the page including the characters. Their personality should be vivid even in writing. Noam Kroll, an LA based filmmaker, said in an Indiewire article, “The audience needs to identify with someone early on, and if your characters are generally unlikeable…it simply won’t be enough to sustain a script.” Let’s use Ferris Bueller from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as an example. Based on watching the movie, he was a likeable character because he was high spirited and funny while also being sneaky. In the beginning movie’s screenplay, after Ferris’ parents leave the room the action lines say, “Ferris’ eyes shift from the door to the CAMERA. A sly little smile crawls across his lips.” Then his line right after is, “They bought it.” If someone who had never seen the movie before was reading this, this would be when they realized that Ferris isn’t a sickly kid that’s suffering in bed alone but he’s actually a trickster that just pretended to be sick to skip school. Not only is this funny but it is also relatable to high school aged viewers.
Lastly, the first draft of any script is guaranteed to be one of many drafts. If someone is writing a script with the intent of it being produced, multiple people will be reading and revising it. Character names can change, lines might be changed or completely removed. Being open to changes will only improve the quality of the script and help bring the story together. A great example of this is the movie Back to the Future. According to its screenwriter Bob Gale, he said that the title for the movie was almost Spaceman from Pluto.
These are some of the many components that make up a great script. As you can see, movies don’t just appear from thin air they have to be written with love and care. It can take weeks for a full feature length screenplay to be written and that’s before the pre-production process even begins. Making a movie is a long journey, and all it takes to start that journey is one good script.
