Are you someone who loves writing? Are you passionate about film and eventually someday wish to write the NEXT BIG MOVIE?! Do you ever wonder how the prominent writers in Hollywood do everything? Well, guess what? You are about to find out for yours...
Sometimes, when writing a script, do you struggle with who your characters are and why they're even present in your writing? I do too.
When creating a character, it is easier to work out those details beforehand with a Sketch setup. No. That isn't an actual sketch with a drawing pad, but a brief description of your characters and their existing reasons.
If you struggle with your character's reason for existence, try asking yourself some questions, such as:
What is your character's goal?
What does your character want to achieve in your script?
What are their relationships with all the other characters?
So, why does your character exist? Plot out their goals, the reasoning behind their actions, and their relationships with other characters.
With all that information, decide if your character is fitting and relevant to the story.
It can be pretty tricky to come up with characters. There should be a lot of planning and editing to ensure your style fits the script. Make sure that your principal character(s) has a goal in place. Without a purpose, there is no reason to involve them in your script.
You should create a beat sheet, storyboard, longline, and synopsis outlines along with the character sketch. Along with all of that information, make an elevator pitch.
A beat sheet summarizes the script and what angles you wish to see your scenes filmed.
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A storyboard is a brief, still drawing of your scenes.
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A longline is a one to two-sentence description of your story.
A synopsis summarizes your script. The length of the outline differs from your script length. Sometimes, it can extend into the entire story range and be in the third person.
An elevator pitch is what you use when sharing your film idea with a producer. It should be brief and straight to the point. DO-NOT-OVERDO-THE-PITCH. I cannot stress that enough.
Your script should be the most exciting and essential part of your packet, along with all of this.
When writing a script, your first five pages should be your focus. It should be what catches the eyes of a producer. Your last five pages should also find the eyes of the producer. Pack those ten pages with as much excitement as possible without going overboard. Again, you don't want to overdo your script.
If you focus on those components when setting up your script, you will have a better chance of getting noticed.
