Monday Market Watch (aka Behind-the-Curtain Mondays): Weekly insider intel straight from our team's conversations with hundreds of industry executives. For more craft tips and personalized strategies, check out our additional posts in the Writers' Room. Now, let's dive in...
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING SCREENPLAY: WHY LESS IS MORE IN TODAY'S MARKET
We've noticed a fascinating trend while reviewing submissions and speaking with executives this past month: screenplay page counts are getting leaner. Ten years ago, the average spec script clocked in at 110-120 pages. Today, our most requested scripts typically range from 90-105 pages, with executives showing clear preference for tighter storytelling.
For writers, this signals an important shift in industry expectations. Concise storytelling isn't just about saving time (though in an era where executives are juggling more projects than ever, brevity is certainly appreciated). It's about demonstrating your ability to execute a compelling narrative with precision and purpose. Every scene must earn its place.
What many aspiring screenwriters don't realize is that shorter scripts often signal confidence to readers. As one development executive told us last week, "When I see a 130-page spec, I assume there's 25 pages of material the writer couldn't bear to cut. When I see a 95-page script that delivers, I know I'm working with someone who understands the medium."
If you're looking to tighten your screenplay, consider booking a Pitch Session with literary managers. They're specifically looking for writers who can deliver lean, focused scripts with commercial appeal. Remember: in screenwriting, it's not about what you include, it's about what you choose to leave out. Writers are asked to be creative not only with the storyline but also with the layout and format of their script. And of course, for every rule there's an exception. THE SUBSTANCE is 140ish page long. But it was written by the director for herself. Do check it out for the use of font sizes is brilliant.
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Thanks for posting this, Geoffroy Faugerolas. I was just talking with a screenwriter about page count. I'm going to share the link with him. I remember my first scripts were really long, but I aim for 90 pages now. Writing short scripts helped me write leaner scripts.
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I think part of the trend is that by the time we're ten years old, we've already seen most of the storylines writers can come up with. By the time we're twenty, we've seen all of them. So the audience catches the writer's drift a lot faster, and needs less exposition and setup. That's a good thing.
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Really appreciate you sharing this valuable intel Geoffroy Faugerolas and all that you bring to us here!