In my final review of classmates scripts. I just read a script where it was practically pages of descriptions. I don't mean 1 or 2 sentence descriptions. I mean a huge paragraph of description. Now when I wrote my very first script years ago and had it reviewed and also in my readings. One thing I learned was to give descriptions as briefly as possible. In all my development notes and critiques I have never had a professional say you have too little description. Are paragraphs full of descriptions acceptable and if so in what genre? Any insight on scene description writing? what's your thoughts on writing descriptions?
Screenwriting : Scene Descriptions??? by Shaunda Young
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I try to break up paragraphs. So I'll describe part of the scene with one to three lines, press 'Enter', and describe another part of the scene, lather rinse repeat.
As long as it is visual and good. I have some action running through the description the same way it would be filmed. The best version of this is James Cameron's Aliens script. I try to hint at colour and tone. "The overcast sky paints the forest blue and grey".
paragraphs of description are not necessary and actually lower the chances of the script being picked up because of the 1 page = 1-minute rule
whatever works. some do 1-line , 1- word descriptions. Others write full paragraphs. Just don't be boring on paper.
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There is no right or wrong way. There are just good and bad stories.
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No offense all, but there IS a right and wrong way to write descriptions depending on what type of genre youre writing. and depending where you are in your career. Dont write more than 4 lines without a line break. you gotta keep it moving and easy to read on the page. dont over describe production design or wardrobe unkess its important or tells us something we need to know. if youre writing an action film, there will be much more action lines than in a comedy. the 2/3 to 1/3 guide is certainly not a rule or applicable in every script. but if youre an aspiring writer still looking to break in, you cant write 80 pages of description or action. or dialogue for that matter. It depends what the script requires but never forget the readers' experience.
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I agree with Danny. Describe only the relevant information and only what you can see on screen. Briefly describe the action as it is happening in the present tense. Try to keep descriptions under 3 lines and 4 at the maximum. Don’t try describe every single detail in the scene. Paint your scene with broad strokes and let the Reader’s imagination fill in the rest. Avoid describing a character’s every movement. Extraneous character movement is distracting. Do not write thoughts or anything intangible such as emotions. You should only write the physical manifestation of their emotions. Keep a single event, shot or sequence within one description. Have the sentences that compose your description all related to one another then if the action changes you should start a new paragraph.
I agree with Danny. I'm going stick to the less is more mentality. Even with an action movie I keep it short and simple. I want the reader to be able to have their own image of what they can do with it not just mine. Plus I'm new I want them to get past the first 10 pages. lol
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More white space on the page is preferred. That's what I hear often.
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As a screenwriter, it is your job to tell the story. That being said, you do not need to include things in the script that do not somehow feel important to note. If it isn't relevant to character or plot, you should be questioning why it is in your script in the first place. Generally, when writing screenplays, 3/4 lines into a description you need a line break. No one wants giant walls of texts in anything they read, it feels taxing. Just remember your role as the screenwriter, and let the other people working on their movie have their creativity in their role aswell.
kay- I was just telling from my experience
I dont know what they teach in classes but I read the Black List Industry Un-produced scripts and some of em are heavy descriptions, page count heavy (120+). They are written by Repped Writers of big and small agencies. Nobody seems to stress over "dense" descriptions on the page. Just make your words interesting to read.
Check out Tom Ford's screenwriting style. Dense like concrete and nobody told him to rewrite into 3 line paragraphs. Opening paragraph- first 2 or 3 sentences- grabbed my attention. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49bAscvFVQ6S3R6cXVlLVlaemc/view Wish I could afford his suits :(
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Dan - because when youre a rep'd, produced screenwriter - especially when youre directing your own script like Tom Ford or Tarantino - then it doesn't matter. But for new writers just trying to get read, theres a diff set of rules youre playing by.
What Danny said - Tom Ford isn't selling a screenplay, he's looking for financing for a film that has stars attached. Nobody is even reading that script - they just look at the stars. You want to compare your screenplay to screenplays that take a similar path to the screen as you want yours to take. That said - if your writing is freakin' amazing, people often look past things like that. The big problem is most people think their writing is freakin' amazing... and it's not even close.
Iv'e been dealing with this too. If it's not needed it should be deleted.