Here's a brief article on how some screenwriters are successfully breaking the rules of writing scripts. And, don't get hung up on formatting. I'm talking things like exposition and the fourth wall.
What say you?
Screenwriting : What are the rules of screenwriting? Should there be any? by Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique
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Sure you can do about anything on the page - but you better know how to make movies.
"A quiet place" screenplay has pictures, one word per page spacing, illustrations, big fonts. 67 pages.
Beck/Woods' end game is making movies.
I read there should be one rule: The story is entertaining to watch. I don't mean mindless action with no story. I mean just show us things we normally never see. We normally don't see giant spaceships exchanging laser fire above a huge city that goes down in flames.
I'm not an expert, but I think that's one of the ideas about watching movies vs. going to a play(theatre) or opera.
I'd rather watch a movie about an undead sorcerer who must slay hordes of his former boss' evil minions and stop the fantasy kingdom from getting destroyed(with huge magic effects, large clashing armies, etc.), than a movie about a student who struggles with depression after he caught his girlfriend cheating with his best friend and we see how he goes to therapy and tries to rebuild his life, but it's just me...:)
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I follow the basic rules like using scene headings and all capping names when they appear on film. I don’t read what the gurus say you need to do because most of them are ex-screenwriters who failed. Realistically only about one in 5,000 screenwriters make any money writing screenplays so I don't think anyone knows what will work for anyone. All I really want to do is write screenplay that reads fast.
Damn, Victor. The logline to the script I'm currently crafting, "The Extremely Long and Talky Summer of Pain and Depression Where Not Much Else Happens."
After he catches his girlfriend cheating with his best friend, a student who struggles with depression seeks a therapist in an effort to rebuild his shattered life.
I'd agree with Aray: Don't Bore.
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If you gain more than you lose by breaking the rule, break the rule.
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Rules are for amateurs. :)
Yeah, I've never believed there are rules in this game
I agree with Laura. Most aspiring screenwriters confuse "rules" with structure and what the gurus are calling rules so they can sell their books.
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There are no "rules"; there are however a plethora of long standing (time tested) customs and traditions associated with screenwriting. My advice; when in Rome, do as the Romans - wanna be a screenwriter, do as professional screenwriters do.
There are formatting rules - other than that - it's all about the story! Keep up the writing!
At age 22, an unknown Shane Black rewrote the rules of modern screenwriting (presentation).
He didn't break rules of story drama or film narrative.