This is partially adapted from material in "500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader" by Jennifer Lerch.
1. A clear setting, that should be locked onto the very first slug line
2. Describe that setting, people may not know what you are talking about so describe it in a couple of short, sharp sentences.
3. Introducing characters, throw in a couple of vivid details to make the reader picture the character in their head. Name needs to be in capital letters as it's their first appearance.
4. Naming your characters, make sure each character's name is different, and looks down when written down and spoken. Giving them a surname can make it more professional and is more appealing to actors. One name can come across an an incomplete identity.
5. Conflict, conflict, conflict. Make sure to base your screenplay on a wider conflict of some kind e.g. war. You should also make sure your character has internal conflicts going on that they are dealing with. This can be doubts, insecurities, unfinished business. Your character should not glide through life without stuff boiling away inside.
6. She's filled with secrets. Give your character secrets, whether they happen to be big or small. This enables you to pick away layers and keep your viewer interested along the way.
7. Keep it consistent. Make sure you keep your characters consistent in both background and behaviour. If your character is an ex-con with a violent past, make sure he acts that way when confronted by violence.
8. Dialogue stuff: sentences. People don't speak in complete sentences, nor do all people speak alike. You need to let your characters dictate where the punctuation goes. Gaps, pauses, unfinished sentences.
9. Stay away from the nose! The phrase 'on the nose' refers to dialogue that states too clearly what character is thinking without filtering it through their personality and agenda. If a character tells his friend "I want to be a policeman", the chances are this won't play as well as having the application forms fall out of his gym bag might.
10. Keep it unpredictable. When Princess Leia tells Han Solo 'I love you' in The Empire Strikes Back, the scene is most memorable from his response "I know". You want dialogue to flow, but you need to rethink predictable exchanges. Throw away the first response you think of. Throw away the second one too. Maybe use the third.
11. Keep it varied. Does a character even need to respond verbally to a statement? If a character says 'goodbye' they don't have to respond. They could give a wink for effect.
12. First line. The first line your character speaks should sum up an aspect of their personality. Stifler from American Pie wouldn't have a tedious introduction because that's not what his characters personality represents. Your characters only get one chance to make a first impression, make sure it counts.
13. Language = life. Make sure your characters' dialogue reflects their life experience. A 70 year-old English professor won't speak the same way as a 25 year-old football player. A character born in 1960 will speak differently to one born in 1990. Make their dialogue reflect this.
14. Double hyphen. Has one character stepped on another's line? Cutting them off before they finish speaking? The traditional way to show this in a script is with a double hyphen.
WIFE
You know, I never told you -
HUSBAND
I don't want to hear it!
15. Fresh slang. Why not make up your own slang? Using the latest words, phrases and cultural references will date your script extremely quickly. Writers such as Josh Whedon make up their own phrases and drop those into the script ("What's the sitch." meaning "What's going on?") which originated from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Audiences will work out when a slang phrase is out of date or if they haven't heard it before. So if you make your own up then there is no concern that it will seem out dated.
16. Mix dialogue and action. In real life, stuff happens all at once. People don't stop talking because a bus is about to explode; the bus explodes whilst they're in mid-sentence. Things in real life don't happen in a neat order so do it!
17. Don't tell me what I've seen! If a characters head just exploded, the viewer doesn't need James to tell them. They had already noticed. Eliminate dialogue that narrates the action.
18. No place for closed questions. If you have a question which leads to a "yes"or "no' response in your dialogue, get rid of it. They stop the dialogue dead, and the audience can anticipate the response. Replace these lines of dialogue with open questions, to let your characters personalities shine through.
19. Misunderstandings. Characters should misunderstand and misinterpret each other just as people do in real life. This gives you great opportunities for conflict and comedy, plus it makes the dialogue read as more authentic.
20. Style stuff: present tense. Always keep your action descriptions in the present tense. You need to have the action unfold in the present as it unfolds on the page.
21. What not to include.
The actions in your screenplay shouldn't be included:
- Thoughts
- Hopes
- Back story
- Anything that can't be shown visually
If you want to include these things, you need to show them through events or dialogue.
22. Keep it clear. "The father of the bride, who runs a pizza restaurant" is ambiguous.
Who sells the pizzas?
The father of the bride?
Compare it to "The bride, whose father runs a pizza restaurant"
23. Using AL CAPITALS in your action descriptions signifies something important. It's a way of making the important elements pop when someone reads the script. The whole building EXPLODES. Do not get carried away and end up with half of your action description in capitals. Use it sparingly.
24. Keep it punchy. Break long sentences and keep your descriptions as vivid as you can. Jennie trying to keep her breathing under control as she walks across a tightrope? Sometimes fewer words work better.
Inhale. Exhale. Jennie steps out.
25. Write it first, then edit. This script won't be as punchy, exciting and engaging as possible on the first draft. Your mission on the first draft is just to get the thing written. Second, third, fourth and fifth drafts are the opportunity to make your screenplay everything it can be.
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