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Writing a screenplay in prose form first.

A

Aspiring Mogul

Hello everyone,

I just came back from LA, where I met several people who are knowledgeable in the industry. Anyway, someone has suggested that I do a treatment instead of a script. I have a script editor helping me, so this may be a good idea.

I want to flesh out my own stories, and I'm thinking of writing out a story in short-story or novel form. I am, quite honestly, not that interested in learning how to be a screen writer or script editor, but I do want to be a story teller and, perhaps a film producer.

I am therefore wondering, one page of script is one minute of screen time, as a rule of thumb. Is there a rule of thumb for how many pages, in prose or novel form, would equal one minute of screen time? Any other comments would be appreciated, thanks.
 
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Aspiring Mogul said:
Hello everyone,

I just came back from LA, where I met several people who are knowledgeable in the industry. Anyway, someone has suggested that I do a treatment instead of a script. I have a script editor helping me, so this may be a good idea.

I want to flesh out my own stories, and I'm thinking of writing out a story in short-story or novel form. I am, quite honestly, not that interested in learning how to be a screen writer or script editor, but I do want to be a story teller and, perhaps a film producer.

I am therefore wondering, one page of script is one minute of screen time, as a rule of thumb. Is there a rule of thumb for how many pages, in prose or novel form, would equal one minute of screen time? Any other comments would be appreciated, thanks.
Click to expand...

As a novelist (allegedly) and screenwriter (allegedly), I would say there is no similarly applicable rule of thumb, as a prose depiction of a certain scenario can be anything from a sentence to multiple pages (if you've ever read Les Miserables...) So a lot depends on your writing style, and also the purpose of the exercise. If you want to produce a prose work that others might enjoy, the style would arguably need to differ from if you were writing just to work out your story beats in a less restrictive and less structured medium than scriptwriting.

I've been considering the same idea, and my plan to get a handle on what it might involve:
- Choose a few scenes from favourite films, and write them out in prose, making sure to try to capture all the nuances that make you enjoy them so much. (It's harder than it sounds...:))
- Find a few films/TV shows based on books you've read, and see how specific scenes translate from the page to the screen. This might be interesting (but I haven't seen the movie, so can't really comment...)

In summary, I have no real idea what I'm talking about :)
 
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For proze you can't make a rule of thumb like that. It is a different medium that doesn't have the inate purpose of being translated in a movie. It's a medium that supposed to stand on it's own, regardless of adoptation to other media like movie, theater, radio show or opera.

Don't worry too much about that, btw.
Get your story on paper, make it as exiting, emotional and original as you can.
The adoptation will probably contain little changes to better fit the medium it is adopted to.
That happens all the time. The Lord of the Rings movies differ from the books. Same with Game of Thrones or The Name of the Rose.

This reply is based on my own observations of different media. Not on first hand experience, so it is more or less a philosophical reply about the nature of media. :P
 
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WalterB said:
For proze you can't make a rule of thumb like that. It is a different medium that doesn't have the inate purpose of being translated in a movie. It's a medium that supposed to stand on it's own, regardless of adoptation to other media like movie, theater, radio show or opera.

Don't worry too much about that, btw.
Get your story on paper, make it as exiting, emotional and original as you can.
The adoptation will probably contain little changes to better fit the medium it is adopted to.
That happens all the time. The Lord of the Rings movies differ from the books. Same with Game of Thrones or The Name of the Rose.

This reply is based on my own observations of different media. Not on first hand experience, so it is more or less a philosophical reply about the nature of media. :P
Click to expand...


I agree that a different medium will require different story-telling techniques. I think I'll just write the stories out in novella form and have a professional script editor revise it. Mara, any thoughts? :)
 
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Aspiring Mogul said:
I am therefore wondering, one page of script is one minute of screen time, as a rule of thumb. Is there a rule of thumb for how many pages, in prose or novel form, would equal one minute of screen time?
Click to expand...

Writing a treatment is a great way to flesh out your story. As everyone
has already said there is no equivalent to the “one page, one minute”
rule of thumb. The treatment should not be written with screen time in
mind. Be creative, explore the story and characters, get it all down in
YOUR way.

You might want to read some short stories that have been adapted into
screenplays. When reading those stories you are not thinking about
screen time (the author wasn't thinking about screen time as they were
writing) you are engaged in the story. Do the same thing with your treatment.
Write it as you would a short story or even a novel. Later, as the producer,
you can hire a writer to adapt it into a screenplay.

But to start you need to write your story.
 
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Mara, any thoughts?
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I think it's a great idea. I recently did exactly this with a short story that I adapted into a screenplay for another writer for the same reason; he's planning to produce the short movie next year.

FYI (and keeping in mind this is a sample of one) the 4 1/2 page story became a 15 page screenplay.
 
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directorik said:
Writing a treatment is a great way to flesh out your story. As everyone
has already said there is no equivalent to the “one page, one minute”
rule of thumb. The treatment should not be written with screen time in
mind. Be creative, explore the story and characters, get it all down in
YOUR way.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

directorik said:
You might want to read some short stories that have been adapted into
screenplays. When reading those stories you are not thinking about
screen time (the author wasn't thinking about screen time as they were
writing) you are engaged in the story. Do the same thing with your treatment.
Write it as you would a short story or even a novel. Later, as the producer,
you can hire a writer to adapt it into a screenplay.
Click to expand...

Over my life, I've read
1) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2) The Red Pony by John Steinbeck, and
3) Enemy Mine by Barry Longyear.

I've also read the novelizations of various novels, and, of course, I've read the Godfather. I'll write the treatment as a novel or short story, then have a screenwriter adapt it, then maybe, if I have enough money, a screen editor to edit it.

I have various treatments, and I have published some works, primarily non-fiction. I think that would be my approach. Thanks, Rik, Mara, and everyone else. :)
 
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