Finishing a Feature Script

Competitions is the best unless you look for script doctoring. Seems to me that the quality of the feedback is surprisingly high in general. Plus your script is up against other scripts. That also gives you a sense of how your movie could potentially do at the movie market if you were to produce it.

TheJasperCo said:

Hey guys,

I joined this forum a month ago to look for tips and advice when it comes to writing my own feature films. This forum has been better than most blogs and even some books, because a) your opinions are more current and up-to-date, and b) discussion promotes debate and consensus, whereas blogs and books often contradict one another. I'm approaching the end of my first script, which is for a psycho-thriller feature. It is relatively short for this type of film - at only 95 pages, but I'm hoping the quality is there to impress some people.

Click to expand...

Anything more than 90 pages is not "short," so long as it's long enough to tell the story well.

However, I have yet to do a treatment or synopsis. Can anyone give me pointers on how to perfect the perfect treatment (generic points, of course). What kind of format should they take, and how long should they be?

Click to expand...

I'd do a one-page synopsis and a three-page synopsis. That's generally the range asked for. I'd hold off on doing a detailed treatment unless asked. In my experience (others may have a different opinion), detailed treatments aren't asked for as often as they used to be. There's plenty of examples online of good synopses. Remember, a synopsis is a snapshot of your script, so it needs to be well-written, and written in the style of the subject matter. Exciting and cliff-hanging if it's a thriller, etc.

Also, does anyone know any reputable places / people who can review my script and offer feedback? Does this forum have a facility for people to critically review sreenplays - even if it means me having to pay a subscription?

Click to expand...

Contests work, but could take a while to get feedback from. You could post a link here if you like. There's some great writing talent here and a few may take you up on doing a read and giving feedback. You could try other forums as well. Done Deal Pro Forums is one: donedealpro.com. Word of warning: industry pros (as well as wannabe's) haunt its corridors. They can be vicious in their criticism, but also extremely helpful. If you want feedback on how a reader at a prodco or studio will judge your script, you could hire a professional cover reader. There's lots of good options online, but they can be expensive: anywhere from $100 to $500 (and higher) for a read, depending on how in-depth you want them to go in their analysis. You can also post it on The Black List and pay for a rating there. But that's expensive, too. $25/month to host your script and $50 for each rating you buy. Lots of scripts have been sold by people using the Blacklist, however, so it's the hot new place for producers to go to who are looking for new material.

Congratulations on completing your script, and good luck!

Fantastic, thanks for your help both of you! There are so many options out there now for once I've finished the script.

Adeimantus: what's your background? You seem to know your stuff, and maybe if you have a spare minute this weekend (or whenever suits you), would you consider having a quick read through of my work - or even just a sample of it?

One of the best pieces of advice for a treatment is to have a good tagline. I cant remember where I read it , probably a Blake snyder book, but it said to make sure that the tagline includes irony. If theres no irony in the tagline then its best to take a look at the overall story.