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Script length

Printed From: NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting
Category: GENERAL DISCUSSION
Forum Name: Screenwriting Bar & Lounge
Forum Description: Discuss NYC Midnight Screenwriting Competitions or Screenwriting in general.
URL: https://forums.nycmidnight.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=67
Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 7:25am
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Topic: Script length
Posted By: ABEAR111
Subject: Script length
Date Posted: 26 Jul 2006 at 9:16am
Once you've finished writing your script, how long was was it?



Replies:
Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2006 at 7:23am
Don't forget to add your page count after you submit!


Posted By: Rainy Night
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2006 at 8:32pm
19 pages.  Just e-mailed it in.


Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2006 at 10:07pm
Wow, looks like a lot of scripts pushing the limit.  Nice.


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 4:56am
Mine clocked in at 7 pages.
 
I was surprised it was so short, but that was all the story needed.
 
Chris


Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 5:24am
Awesome, honestly can't wait to read it.


Posted By: BarbaraFL
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 11:19am
Mine was 11. I think that's what mine was last year, too (but I had the formatting wrong)


Posted By: georgiesgrl3
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 11:24am
Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

Once you've finished writing your script, how long was was it?
 
Finally done!!! I would have never believed that 10 pages could be so satisfying. I don't care if I ever hear the words Sci-fi and divorce mention again in the same sentence. Unless of course it's when the finalists are announced. Then it's all good.Big smile
 
Congrats and luck to all that entered.


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Missy

"Just write something!" Frazier to Niles


Posted By: Willie
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 11:37am
Finished at 20 pages.


Posted By: Kdsc2k6
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 2:04pm
16 pages of pure brilliance... or complete crap.
 
I guess I'll know in a few weeks!
 
Clown


Posted By: Henry
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 4:17pm
17 pages.  Pretty strong thanks to the help of loyal friends who love revising and proofing my work.
 
Henry


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Less talk, more writing!


Posted By: SavageG
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 4:23pm
I think script length is very much dictated by genre. With things like thriller, or Romantic Comedy, or Horror, there's a lot of pages that need to be dedicated to establishing back stories or character relationships. I had enough trouble squeezing my story into 20 pages, I couldn't imagine doing it in less.
 
Even more difficult is the fact that I like to let my characters go off on diatribes. diatribes that go a long way to define the character, but do vitually nothing to advance the plot.


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Not all who wander are lost, not all who wonder without wisdom.


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 6:18pm
Originally posted by SavageG SavageG wrote:

I think script length is very much dictated by genre. With things like thriller, or Romantic Comedy, or Horror, there's a lot of pages that need to be dedicated to establishing back stories or character relationships.
 
I don't know about that.  I think all the genres have their own unique challenges and while it may be hard, they can all work in very short scripts as well as long.
 
Chris


Posted By: f. chong
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 6:49pm
I started yesterday at 11:59pm (wanted to try writing it in 24 hours or less, just to try it). Came out to 12 pages on the nose. I wish I could've gotten it shorter. Fun, if a bit exhausting!


Posted By: keyeski38
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 6:57pm
f. chong,

when did you post?


Posted By: f. chong
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 6:59pm
I sent the screenplay off at 11:48pm tonight and posted here at 11:49pm. Is that what you meant?


Posted By: keyeski38
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 7:13pm
Yes, that's what I meant. Just wanted to know if you finished it in three hours and were toying with us.


Posted By: spiffyvictory
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 7:15pm

Mine clocked in at 7.  Honestly, I'm afraid it could've been longer with more detail.  It's really a first draft or a 1.5 draft.

Too many damn ideas for story, and too much procrastination.

Seriously, I'm the friggin' King of the Procrasti Nation.



Posted By: f. chong
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 7:40pm
Originally posted by keyeski38 keyeski38 wrote:

Yes, that's what I meant. Just wanted to know if you finished it in three hours and were toying with us.


I think it was more like 9 hours on the script (I wrote it in 3 seperate 3 hour shifts). I think that if I would've slept on it a day, might've found some way to streamline it/improve it. I'm sure I'm going to hit my head tomorrow morning and go, "Oh, why didn't you just do THAT instead?"

The hard part was not looking at the heat assignment--when I did, felt a little peach pit in the stomach and then said, "That's what it is, that's what is! Git movin'!" It was fun, I like to write--and the wierd combos the contest comes up with make it a good way to break outside of what you might normally write about.

How about you? How did it go?


Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2006 at 10:50pm
Originally posted by f. chong f. chong wrote:

I started yesterday at 11:59pm (wanted to try writing it in 24 hours or less, just to try it). Came out to 12 pages on the nose. I wish I could've gotten it shorter. Fun, if a bit exhausting!
 
Don't quite get this.  If you wanted  to try and do it in 24 hours, why not let your time begin when the genre/subject announcements were made?  That way, you would know what you had in 24, then could spend the rest of the week polishing it up to get into the next round - or if you didn't want to, just turn it in. 


Posted By: MisterWrite
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 12:59am
Mine clocked in at 19 pages. Dunno how that happened, I thought it was gonna go way over. As I was writing page 10, I was thinking, "Aw man, I've not even got into the story properly yet." But somehow, it tied up nicely at page 19. Mind you, it was one of those start slowly, then sprint to the end type scripts... it sucks...


Posted By: trike
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 3:34am
Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

Originally posted by f. chong f. chong wrote:

I started yesterday at 11:59pm (wanted to try writing it in 24 hours or less, just to try it). Came out to 12 pages on the nose. I wish I could've gotten it shorter. Fun, if a bit exhausting!
 
Don't quite get this.  If you wanted  to try and do it in 24 hours, why not let your time begin when the genre/subject announcements were made?  That way, you would know what you had in 24, then could spend the rest of the week polishing it up to get into the next round - or if you didn't want to, just turn it in. 


Becuase then that wouldn't be a real 24-hour deadline, just a self-imposed one.  "Putting it off 'til the first minute" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. LOL

Doug


Posted By: Henry
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 4:29am

I'm not sure what rellevance page count has.  So if someone can explain it, I'd be much appreciative.  Is short and sweet better than long and drawn out?  I'm a fan of well rounded characters and backstory.  Clearly anyone can do that in 20 pages, but 10, that's sort of pushing it, I think.



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Less talk, more writing!


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 5:07am
Originally posted by spiffyvictory spiffyvictory wrote:

Mine clocked in at 7.  Honestly, I'm afraid it could've been longer with more detail.  It's really a first draft or a 1.5 draft
I think 7 is the best page length. Smile

Chris


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 5:10am
Originally posted by Henry Henry wrote:

I'm not sure what rellevance page count has.  So if someone can explain it, I'd be much appreciative.  Is short and sweet better than long and drawn out?  I'm a fan of well rounded characters and backstory.  Clearly anyone can do that in 20 pages, but 10, that's sort of pushing it, I think.
I used to run a 5 page screenplay competition and I can tell you it is amazing what people can do in such a short space.  It is hard, but entirely possible to tell a full story with characters who have depth.
 
Chris


Posted By: monkaila
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 11:23am
I came in at 9 pages this year.  I pushed the full 20 last year and I think I tried to put too much into the text.  I went into this year with the goal of keeping it to one (hopefully) tight scene. 
 
Of course, keeping it short wasn't hard - nasty week of work (12+ hour days) and then add in the fact that I moved this week.  Probably wouldn't have pulled anything together if it wasn't for the feedback being provided this year - great draw for the contest!


Posted By: f. chong
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 11:55am
Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

Don't quite get this.  If you wanted  to try and do it in 24 hours, why not let your time begin when the genre/subject announcements were made?  That way, you would know what you had in 24, then could spend the rest of the week polishing it up to get into the next round - or if you didn't want to, just turn it in. 


Having the extra time wouldn't make it a 24 hour excercise. I wanted to know what it would feel like if it was the 2nd round--I don't know if I'll ever get to the second round, but I was curious about the deadline pressure. I didn't want to give myself the room for the extra week.

Don't know if I could explain it better than that. I think if the goal is to try and win, giving yourself more time makes sense--but I'm not really 'innit to winnit' so to speak--just did it for fun, for the challenge, to see what I could do with limited resources (in this case, time and outside requirements--ie, the genre and subject).


Posted By: Requiem
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 12:48pm
The second round is hell... pure hell.


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 2:04pm
Originally posted by Requiem Requiem wrote:

The second round is hell... pure hell.
Yes, but it's a quick hell and it sure is nice to say you've been there. Smile

Chris


Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 2:56pm
Originally posted by f. chong f. chong wrote:

Originally posted by ABEAR111 ABEAR111 wrote:

Don't quite get this.  If you wanted  to try and do it in 24 hours, why not let your time begin when the genre/subject announcements were made?  That way, you would know what you had in 24, then could spend the rest of the week polishing it up to get into the next round - or if you didn't want to, just turn it in. 


Having the extra time wouldn't make it a 24 hour excercise. I wanted to know what it would feel like if it was the 2nd round--I don't know if I'll ever get to the second round, but I was curious about the deadline pressure. I didn't want to give myself the room for the extra week.

Don't know if I could explain it better than that. I think if the goal is to try and win, giving yourself more time makes sense--but I'm not really 'innit to winnit' so to speak--just did it for fun, for the challenge, to see what I could do with limited resources (in this case, time and outside requirements--ie, the genre and subject).


Gotcha.  Sounds like you got what you were looking for.  Very good.


Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 2:57pm
Originally posted by Chris Messineo Chris Messineo wrote:

Originally posted by Requiem Requiem wrote:

The second round is hell... pure hell.
Yes, but it's a quick hell and it sure is nice to say you've been there. Smile

Chris


Now who's showing off.


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 3:10pm

Just the opposite.

Just saying, as hard as it is, I would rather go through it, then not.
 
Chris


Posted By: gmercer
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 3:43pm
Originally posted by Henry Henry wrote:

I'm not sure what rellevance page count has.  So if someone can explain it, I'd be much appreciative.  Is short and sweet better than long and drawn out?  I'm a fan of well rounded characters and backstory.  Clearly anyone can do that in 20 pages, but 10, that's sort of pushing it, I think.

 
Some shorts don't require well rounded characters, and backstory equals too much exposition - IMO.
 
glenn


Posted By: ABEAR111
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 5:06pm
Originally posted by Chris Messineo Chris Messineo wrote:

Just the opposite.

Just saying, as hard as it is, I would rather go through it, then not.
 
Chris


I know, just giv'n you a hard time.


Posted By: Henry
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 6:50pm
Chris, what are the requirements for round 2.  Same 20 page limit, but same genre/subject for everyone?  Or, is it shorter script length requirement due to the time frame (24 hours)?

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Less talk, more writing!


Posted By: elblanc0
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 6:56pm
Originally posted by Henry Henry wrote:

Chris, what are the requirements for round 2.  Same 20 page limit, but same genre/subject for everyone?  Or, is it shorter script length requirement due to the time frame (24 hours)?
 
same limit, same genre/subject, same hell


Posted By: Hairy Lime
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2006 at 7:54pm
Clocked in at 12 1/2 pages. Shorter than my 1st round script last year (15 pages). Somehow I managed a 20 pager in the finals last year. I think shorter is better. My last 3 short scripts that I've written on my own have been 6, 10, and 8 pages.


Posted By: tjland
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 8:21am
Mine was 163 pages. Thanks to Chris M's advice last year, I shortened the action/descriptions and got in at 19. Maybe I should write a novel.


Posted By: paulajcwriter
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 8:26am
Originally posted by tjland tjland wrote:

Mine was 163 pages. Thanks to Chris M's advice last year, I shortened the action/descriptions and got in at 19. Maybe I should write a novel.
 
Or a film... and sequel! Big smile
 
My first draft was about 25 pages, got it down to 19 in the end. 


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 11:03am
Originally posted by tjland tjland wrote:

Mine was 163 pages. Thanks to Chris M's advice last year, I shortened the action/descriptions and got in at 19. Maybe I should write a novel.
I hope you weren't in my heat. Smile
 
Chris


Posted By: Kyle Milligan
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 6:38pm
I started out with 18 but by the 4th draft it got to a full 20.


Posted By: woatz
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 6:59pm
Real worried about how long mine is coming at 19 pages, but the conversation kept going. I'll admit i haven't written in a few months, but this contest really got me going again.
also a little nervous about the format.
 
good luck to a 300 or so,
peace
-k


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is this sh*t real?


Posted By: gloriana1999
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 8:16pm
I finished at 19 pages.  But it has the potential, to go a full 90 to 100 pages.
Good luck to everyone.


Posted By: ajracer
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2006 at 11:14pm

Started out at 18 pages, but then, following some advice from friends, filled some parts out a little more, so I ended up running just a little bit onto the 20th page.

Andrew


Posted By: J_Fox
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2006 at 7:34am
Had to cut mine to get it to 20. Which is par for the course. I'm conditioned to write to whatever length I'm given (the joyful side effects of a life in advertising [sarcasm]). Write a little long and then cut to fit. The shorter the script, the less you explain! Can't - and probably shouldn't - answer everything. Like what I'm doing right now? Don't do that in your script.

Fox

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https://bit.ly/2021SSC_CH1GR29" rel="nofollow - 2021 SSC Ch1 G29
https://bit.ly/2021SSC_CH2GR29" rel="nofollow - 2021 SSC Ch2 G29


Posted By: CraftyKnave
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2006 at 9:19am

20 pages here, and pretty much all of page 20. One more word of dialogue would have put me over. And that was without aiming for 20.

I think the second round is going to be more fun. 24 hours for just the script seems like a luxury, having done the 48 hour film project a few times.
 
P.S. - F. Chong, are you the same F. Chong as the TriggerStreet regular with a similar name? Just curious, how many TS folks did this contest.
 
And on that note - anyone else out there a TS regular?


Posted By: Chris Messineo
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2006 at 10:32am
Originally posted by CraftyKnave CraftyKnave wrote:

And on that note - anyone else out there a TS regular?
I have an account on TriggerStree, but I am by no means a regular.

Chris



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