Screenwriting : Tips for New Writers (Page One) by Maurice Vaughan

Just write from the heart

Make sure what's unique about your story is apparent as soon as possible. A particular point of view, time period, story engine, etc.

Don't be boring - hook the reader through emotion and strong visuals.

You can't edit or improve a blank page...just get that first page and then the second and then the first draft down.

First things first: make sure your outline is bulletproof. Page One is the reader's first impression of your work, make each word count.

Convey enthusiasm...let readers know you enjoy writing.

Grab em' by the you know what, right out the gate. Walter White in his tighty whities in Breaking Bad kind of first page. Onward and upward.

I need this. I have written everything but a screenplay, which I am sheepishly tackling right now, so I am definitely a newbie.

Hi Debbie, if you need help, please let us know!

Opening scene: Set time, place & tone. Intro interesting character(s) & set-up conflict. It can be difficult on one page but it ought to be done asap.

This is all such great advice! I started dabbling in screenwriting back in 1997, and the only information I had access to was a single screenwriting book that my grandma gave me. Since then, the independent screenwriting community has grown so large, it's unbelievable. So glad to be on this journey with all of you!

I saw the absolute best advice recently: “Write from the heart. Rewrite from the head!” And trust me, there’s always rewrites!

Can we not give advice so metaphorically and expound lol. "Write from the heart" doesn't mean too much for a writer who's just starting haha. It ends up sounding very unintentionally hollow.

There's no such thing as original. Shoot for compelling.

Start with something visual and high stakes.

Look at The Dark Knight people dresses in clown masked abseiling between buildings.

Hell or High Water a visual on a bank robbery.

This scene must always tell us everything we need to know about the character or the character.

Great tips, everyone. Thanks for posting. These tips can help experienced writers also because sometimes we forget screenwriting tips.

Glad these tips help, Debbie Elicksen.

One tip: Don't be confusing on the first page (or anywhere in the script). Write clearly so the reader understands what's going on. Even if you're foreshadowing a scene on your first page or setting up a mystery.

first page is the most difficult page of all !

If you really know your STORY, it will be easy to get the tone down on the 1st page. Doesn't matter if you introduce characters, show a scene that encapsulates your theme or premise, or just drop us dead in the thick of your story! Visual Tone is of utmost importance.

Now if you're struggling to get your story down, then YES, your 1st page will darn near be impossible to nail down, But I have the answer for you.

First, I'll present a few examples.

Let's start with the Movie "Seven" (my fav)

On the 1st page, Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is brilliantly introduced inside that old house. He's older, vigilant, meticulous. He analyzes everything.

On the flip side Mills (Brad Pitt) is younger, hot-headed, eager, and desperate to prove himself. Perfect Odd couple! But it was Somerset who truly understood in my view the best serial killer antagonist since Hannibal Lector.

How about "Scream?" Who can forget, CASEY BECKER(Drew Barrymore) alone at home stalked and killed via telephone... pure genius.

How about "Jurrasic Park!" who and their Momma can forget the initial scene of the

that bulldozer carrying the crate with a Velociraptor inside and the fear on everyone's face.

Last, but not least, "Titanic" On the 1st page, two submersibles dive deep into the darkness of a vast ocean till they see a bow of a ship like a ghostly apparition!

My point is...Every one of these screenplay's 1st pages sets up the tone, premise, and look of each movie!! And your 1st page should do the same!!

These are all great tips... Here's a thought. Watch a handful of your favorite movies/TV shows. Ask yourself how they grabbed you in the first minute (or first few minutes). If the first minute/first few minutes were on paper, what would it look like... Go a little further: ask yourself what they did right &/or what could have been better... Then study how well the set up is as it relates to the entire screenplay or show, as well as the "ending," & how they relate to each other...

I think a first scene should be visually interesting. Also, if you're introducing your protagonist, it should be more original than the plain wakes-up, brushes teeth. I think the characters should always be introduced at their most characterful and in a creative way.

I love these tips and online camaraderie to help each other! To finish my reply. If your story is about... family vs monster, family in outer space, woman vs nature, Toy vs Toy, humans vs Machines, humans looking for love, animal in the big city. Whether it's a Comedy, Horror, Adventure, Romance, Dystopian, Western, Thriller, or some other Genre mix, your 1st page should VISUALLY set this tone!

In my humble opinion, in this day and age (if you're trying to sell a script), you best open with a bang. Something shocking, reveling, tragic, hilariously funny, controversial, hideously evil, over the top action sequence, etc., depending on your genre, and it better be in proper format with no typos or it will get shit canned immediately. Your first page has to engage to such an extent that it will force the read to turn to page two, and then continue on until the end.

More action less dialogue

Dan, I think you missed my point a tiny bit (lol). I was not advocating that your whole script should be written like any of those great movies! The emphasis was their VISUAL tone on the 1st page. well, let me go with something that was less of a blockbuster. Let's use "Liar, Liar" (Jim Carrey) That 1st page brilliantly set up the tone and premise for the whole movie. The 1st page starts off with the kindergarten kids being asked by their teacher, "What do your parents do for work?" each kid rambled off what their parents do, and when it gets to Max's turn. He stutters, "My Daddy's a LIAR" ... just brilliant!!

Or let's go with a movie that bombed at the box office "Blue Chips" definitely wasn't going to win any Oscars of any kind. BUT, the 1st page again perfectly sets up the tone for the whole movie. Who can forget Nick Nolte entering his basketball team's locker room and started ranting and cussing like a madman about how bad they were as a team (which perfectly set up) the premise of him finally breaking the rules to win at all cost by paying top recruits to come to his college.

Has to leave some impression when writing on spec...If ure doing hired work, just follow the approved outline/treatment...

Tell them to get their lines of dialogue set in three lines each for a beat. Talking, response, counter after they see that format they will have some epic one liners