Posts

Showing posts with the label scriptwriting

Scriptwriting 101: How to Write a Killer Suspense

Image
Imagine stepping out of your house for a walk and five minutes later, the sky suddenly becomes cloudy with lightning and thunder dancing across the heavenly canvas. At the same time, the smell of rain hits your nose and your eyes begin to water from the gust of wind.  You look around and there's no shelter; just bushes and not even one uncompleted building in sight. You resign to fate because you can't even think of going back home. That's too far. But just as you bow your head in anticipation of the heavy rain, you see the sun from the corner of your eyes. You raise your head and just like that, the skies have cleared! I can almost feel your sigh of relief as you confidently continue the walk. Sweet stuff!  And then, a few minutes after your miracle, without warning, the heavens open and the rain pours down on you mercilessly. Ah, the sheer horror! That is an analogical explanation for suspense. In this article, you’ll learn how to push your audience to the edge of their s...

A Beginner's Guide to Scriptwriting Pt. 02

Image
A strong film idea requires an equally strong script. Regardless of how great your story might be, a script can make or break it. Scriptwriting is a little tedious and can be daunting if you do not know what to do or where to begin.  In part one of the beginner’s guide to scriptwriting, the processes before the actual scripting were examined and explained in detail. If you missed the post, you can find it here -  A Beginner's Guide to Scriptwriting Pt. 01 Now that you have the pre-scripting phase done, you can now proceed to write the actual script. Like everything, scripts have a standard format used by those in the industry. If you use this format, as provided by Studio Binder, you would have a script that looks very professional in no time. 12-point Courier font size 90-120 pages long 1.5-inch margin on the left of the page 1-inch margin on the right of the page 1 inch on top of the top and bottom of the page Each page should have approximately 55 lines The dialogue block s...

A Beginner's Guide to Scriptwriting Pt. 01

Image
So you have a fantastic film idea that you are certain would take the industry and your audience by storm. All the pieces fall perfectly in your head and you have even made mental notes of the actors that would be great for the characters you have created. As brilliant as your ideas might seem, your film crew cannot climb into your head to know what this masterpiece is, and so comes the scary part. Scriptwriting. A film script is what guides the whole filmmaking process. With a strong script, the director can visualize your film concept and recreate it accordingly, using a crew that is also guided by the script. The actors playing the stipulated characters know what to do, say, and effectively portray the personas you have created. During post-production, the editors are guided by the script and can make decisions that would best depict your story. In other words, your film is nothing without a great script. And while you might want to ignore the proper steps and carry on without prior...