"HOW TO WRITE GREAT SCREENPLAYS"

As a writer and writing tutor, I realise how daunting writing a first [or even a fifth script] can be, so my students asked me to write a book to help them. This is an extract from it. 

Here are some important questions that will save you months [ or even years] of frustration if you’re thinking of writing a screenplay.

1.     What is your story about? [In a couple of sentences. Work on the answer for some time as this could become a great log-line and pitch.]
2. What genre is it? [Comedy? Horror? Thriller? Drama? ]
3. What’s the mood of the film? E.g. edgy/ comic/mysterious/poignant/ frightening, etc.
4. What time period does the film cover? I.e. a day, a month, a year, many years or centuries. Would it matter if you changed the time period?
5. Who is the main character? [The protagonist] Who is opposing him/her? [The antagonist.]
6. In what order are you going to tell your story? Sequentially - with one event linked to another in a sequence of time? Or are you going to jump back and fro in time through flashbacks? [Obviously, more complicated.]
7. How many locations do you need to illustrate these time periods? Do you need them all? Why?
8. What conflicts are there in your story? i.e. What do your characters want? What obstacles are you going to give them?
9. How are your major characters going to overcome these obstacles to reach their goal?
10. Do you have a sub-plot? i.e. a minor plot which relates in some way to the main plot. [Some scripts have more than one, but don’t make life too hard for yourself.]
 

“How To Write Great Screenplays And Get Them Into Production”

 can be bought from Waterstones in the UK or from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.    http://amzn.to/p10eeu

If you find these questions helpful, I hope you'll buy my book as it contains masses of great writing techniques, invaluable information on how to write synopses, how to pitch and how to market your scripts.  

Good luck!