How long does it take you to write the first draft for the full feature film? How many pages do you end up with on the first draft?
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Banging out the first draft
- Thread starter dlevanchuk
- Start date
Depends. If I'm not completely focused on it- working on pieces every other week- then it can take as long as half a year. However, if I dedicate myself to work on it I've seen myself belt out 90 pages in two weeks.
Of course, first drafts are first drafts. Many mistakes. I can't really handle mistakes at all- I get nervous when I see stains/smudges on anything- so progressing and going "Fix it later" is a difficult skill I've had to conform to. But on average, my first draft is way shorter than what it ends up being: I've had a 102-page turn into a 139-page final draft.
Of course, first drafts are first drafts. Many mistakes. I can't really handle mistakes at all- I get nervous when I see stains/smudges on anything- so progressing and going "Fix it later" is a difficult skill I've had to conform to. But on average, my first draft is way shorter than what it ends up being: I've had a 102-page turn into a 139-page final draft.
Drafts, etc....
It all depends if I'm writing on assignment or on spec. If it's an assignment, and if I have to develop a script from scratch, I'll typically ask for 3-4 months, which also includes time to outline (which, in my opinion, is one of the most important aspects of writing a screenplay).
If I'm writing on spec, it takes as long as it takes. Sometimes I'll start a spec and a paid assignment will come along and I'll have to put the spec aside for a while. But I tend to write fairly quickly so stuff doesn't sit around untouched for very long. (At the moment I'm working on my first novel -- which I've really enjoyed working on -- and it's been sitting on my desk for several months untouched due to other commitments.)
I wrote one particular first draft in exactly 3 weeks (the resultant movie was produced but not yet released). I think outlining time was a couple weeks. I actually fought the producer to do a few more drafts, but he said, "No, this draft is great, don't worry about it." I was permitted to do a minor tweak just prior to production, but it was basically my first draft that was shot. Once we had the the first cut of the movie, they realized I was right and we had to do some minor re-shoots. ugh, what a nightmare.
I write pretty tight scripts, so my page count usually never goes much beyond about 105 pages.
It all depends if I'm writing on assignment or on spec. If it's an assignment, and if I have to develop a script from scratch, I'll typically ask for 3-4 months, which also includes time to outline (which, in my opinion, is one of the most important aspects of writing a screenplay).
If I'm writing on spec, it takes as long as it takes. Sometimes I'll start a spec and a paid assignment will come along and I'll have to put the spec aside for a while. But I tend to write fairly quickly so stuff doesn't sit around untouched for very long. (At the moment I'm working on my first novel -- which I've really enjoyed working on -- and it's been sitting on my desk for several months untouched due to other commitments.)
I wrote one particular first draft in exactly 3 weeks (the resultant movie was produced but not yet released). I think outlining time was a couple weeks. I actually fought the producer to do a few more drafts, but he said, "No, this draft is great, don't worry about it." I was permitted to do a minor tweak just prior to production, but it was basically my first draft that was shot. Once we had the the first cut of the movie, they realized I was right and we had to do some minor re-shoots. ugh, what a nightmare.
I write pretty tight scripts, so my page count usually never goes much beyond about 105 pages.
Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for me. My first feature, which was around 100 pages, took 4 days. My most recent took about a month for the first draft, though to get to a "finished" draft (which will still probably change) took 15 months total (though I set it aside for months at a time).
For me the most important thing is to have a rigorous outline of the entire script before you start. After that, take your time. There's no prize for finishing a script in a few days. Yes, we can all bash out a script in a week or two but that's really not the point.
I hear people, supposedly writing 'novels', celebrating the fact that they've written 5,000 words in a day. Totally misses the point of writing and I'd bet that 4,500 of the words could've been written better if it'd been done more slowly.
Plot well, write sensibly, produce good script.
I hear people, supposedly writing 'novels', celebrating the fact that they've written 5,000 words in a day. Totally misses the point of writing and I'd bet that 4,500 of the words could've been written better if it'd been done more slowly.
Plot well, write sensibly, produce good script.
Thorough. Detailed. Written and revised several times. Often over a lengthy period of time. With pretty much everything written except the dialogue.
That's what it is for me, personally. And that is what i do before even starting to write a script. I think it takes me 20% of the time to write the script and 80% of the time mapping out all the key and little points in the story.
But remember, do what works for you. The method that makes you produce your best quality is the the "right" method for you.
These kinds of questions are nice to share our answers with each other, but it's going to be personal for everybody.
I like having an outline, but it's not very detailed (actually, I don't have an outline, but the board). I also know that a lot of people prefer to just start writing, no outline whatsoever.
The one major lesson I took from writing my first (and only) feature screenplay is that I should leave PLENTY of time for revisions. So, maybe the strategy that I like best for my 2nd feature is to just bang that first draft out as quickly as possible, leaving as much time as possible for as many revisions as necessary.
I like having an outline, but it's not very detailed (actually, I don't have an outline, but the board). I also know that a lot of people prefer to just start writing, no outline whatsoever.
The one major lesson I took from writing my first (and only) feature screenplay is that I should leave PLENTY of time for revisions. So, maybe the strategy that I like best for my 2nd feature is to just bang that first draft out as quickly as possible, leaving as much time as possible for as many revisions as necessary.
I think people should aim to know each significant plot event before they start.
So, instead of:
'Four men travel to Las Vegas and wake up in the debris of a crazy bachelor party. They spend the next day trying to find their lost friend...'
try:
Celebrating his impending marriage to Tracy Garner, Doug Billings and his friends Phil Wenneck, Stu Price, and Tracy's brother Alan travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, staying at Caesars Palace.
The next morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken to find they have no memory of the previous night and Doug is nowhere to be found. Stu is missing a tooth, their hotel suite is in disarray, a tiger is in their bathroom, and a baby is in the closet. They find Doug's mattress impaled on a statue outside of their hotel and when they ask for their Mercedes, the valet delivers a police cruiser.
Following clues to their steps, the trio travel to a hospital where they discover they were drugged with rohypnol, causing their memory loss, and that they came to the hospital from a chapel. At the chapel they learn that Stu married a stripper, Jade, despite having a long-term relationship with his mean-spirited girlfriend, Melissa. Outside the chapel, the trio are attacked by gangsters saying they are looking for someone. They flee and visit Jade, discovering that she is the mother of the baby, before being arrested by the police.
Having been told that the Mercedes has been impounded, the trio is released when they volunteer to be targets for a taser demonstration. While driving the Mercedes, they discover a naked man in the trunk who attacks them and flees. Alan confesses that he drugged their drinks to ensure they had a good night, thinking the drug to be ecstasy.
Returning to their villa, they find Mike Tyson, who orders the trio to return the tiger to his mansion immediately. Stu drugs the tiger with the remaining roofies and they drive towards Tyson's home in the Mercedes, but the tiger attacks them and damages the car's interior. After pushing the car the rest of the way to avoid the tiger, Tyson shows the trio footage of them stealing the tiger to help them locate Doug. While driving, their car is struck by another vehicle intentionally; the passengers are revealed to be the gangsters from the chapel and their boss, Leslie Chow – the naked man from their trunk – who accuses the trio of stealing $80,000 of his money and kidnapping him. Chow says he has their "friend", threatening to kill him if his money is not returned. Unaware of the location of Chow's $80,000, Alan, with help from Stu and Jade, uses his knowledge of card counting to win $82,400 playing Blackjack. They meet with Chow and exchange the money, only to find that "Doug" is the drug dealer who inadvertently sold Alan the roofies.
With the wedding occurring in hours, Phil tells Tracy they cannot find Doug. Following a conversation with "Black Doug", Stu realizes where Doug is. The trio travel back to their hotel where they find Doug on the roof, moved there on his mattress while he was asleep, as a practical joke by Stu, Phil and Alan. Before leaving, Stu makes arrangements to go on a date with Jade the following week. With less than four hours before the wedding and with no flights available, the foursome race home, with Doug revealing he has possession of Chow's original $80,000. Despite their late arrival, Doug and Tracy are married and Stu breaks up with Melissa after having grown tired of her controlling his life. As the reception ends, Alan finds Stu's digital camera detailing the events they cannot remember and the four agree to look at the pictures together before deleting the evidence of their exploits.
The next morning, Phil, Stu and Alan awaken to find they have no memory of the previous night and Doug is nowhere to be found. Stu is missing a tooth, their hotel suite is in disarray, a tiger is in their bathroom, and a baby is in the closet. They find Doug's mattress impaled on a statue outside of their hotel and when they ask for their Mercedes, the valet delivers a police cruiser.
Following clues to their steps, the trio travel to a hospital where they discover they were drugged with rohypnol, causing their memory loss, and that they came to the hospital from a chapel. At the chapel they learn that Stu married a stripper, Jade, despite having a long-term relationship with his mean-spirited girlfriend, Melissa. Outside the chapel, the trio are attacked by gangsters saying they are looking for someone. They flee and visit Jade, discovering that she is the mother of the baby, before being arrested by the police.
Having been told that the Mercedes has been impounded, the trio is released when they volunteer to be targets for a taser demonstration. While driving the Mercedes, they discover a naked man in the trunk who attacks them and flees. Alan confesses that he drugged their drinks to ensure they had a good night, thinking the drug to be ecstasy.
Returning to their villa, they find Mike Tyson, who orders the trio to return the tiger to his mansion immediately. Stu drugs the tiger with the remaining roofies and they drive towards Tyson's home in the Mercedes, but the tiger attacks them and damages the car's interior. After pushing the car the rest of the way to avoid the tiger, Tyson shows the trio footage of them stealing the tiger to help them locate Doug. While driving, their car is struck by another vehicle intentionally; the passengers are revealed to be the gangsters from the chapel and their boss, Leslie Chow – the naked man from their trunk – who accuses the trio of stealing $80,000 of his money and kidnapping him. Chow says he has their "friend", threatening to kill him if his money is not returned. Unaware of the location of Chow's $80,000, Alan, with help from Stu and Jade, uses his knowledge of card counting to win $82,400 playing Blackjack. They meet with Chow and exchange the money, only to find that "Doug" is the drug dealer who inadvertently sold Alan the roofies.
With the wedding occurring in hours, Phil tells Tracy they cannot find Doug. Following a conversation with "Black Doug", Stu realizes where Doug is. The trio travel back to their hotel where they find Doug on the roof, moved there on his mattress while he was asleep, as a practical joke by Stu, Phil and Alan. Before leaving, Stu makes arrangements to go on a date with Jade the following week. With less than four hours before the wedding and with no flights available, the foursome race home, with Doug revealing he has possession of Chow's original $80,000. Despite their late arrival, Doug and Tracy are married and Stu breaks up with Melissa after having grown tired of her controlling his life. As the reception ends, Alan finds Stu's digital camera detailing the events they cannot remember and the four agree to look at the pictures together before deleting the evidence of their exploits.
Obviously this is still less detail than you need, but the point is that you don't simply need to now where the story is going but you also need to know how it gets there.
I have to disagree wholeheartedly with this. I write novels and novellas and I have to say that some of my best writing comes on the rare days when I write 10k+ words (my highest day ever was about 15k words). Why? Because to write at that volume means you have to be into what you're writing 110%. Not to say that you can't be that involved and only write 1k words. Of course you can.
But seriously, this whole idea that writing fast = writing crap just pisses me off to no end. Some days I might agonize over a paragraph's worth of writing only to delete it the next day because it's so bad, and rewrite the "perfect" paragraph in a minute the same day.
I should start by saying that this is a matter of opinion and it's interesting to look at the different writing methods that people apply.
The fact that you remember what your 'highest word count' in day was probably indicates that your priorities are in the wrong place. The fact that you say 'not to say that you can't be that involved and only write 1k words' shows that you're not really understanding the process of writing literature; 1k words in a day would represent a staggering word count in a day for someone who is writing novels professionally (except airport writers who are contractually obliged to churn out books at certain intervals).
Writing quickly is only a worthwhile discipline because it forces you to finish work. There's a reason why authors can spend days agonising over the the placement of a semi-colon and that's because writing is a craft and if you rush and neglect the craftsmanship, then it'll be bad.
I'm a writer and editor by trade. So because I keep track of word count and remember my top days I'm not serious about writing or I'm writing crap? I'm gonna call bullshit on that one. Editing and revising is where I stress about word usage, continuity, grammar, etc. The first draft is about getting the story on the page and developing the characters. Most professional writers are turning out 1000 or more words per day, every day. Sure, they may delete 90% of them during editing, but they're still writing them.
Pretty much my entire life my first draft was the only draft. I did not rewrite or revise. I corrected as I wrote. In school, the goal was to get an A on whatever I was writing. If my first (only) draft was good enough to secure the desired outcome (an A), I did not see the point in making the paper/report/story/etc any better. To me, good enough was just that. My father was a Professor of Creative Writing and wrote plays and novels as well as poetry. To him, the first draft was just the beginning of a very long road to crafting a great story. I am beginning to understand where my dad was coming from. As I look back at anything that I've written, I almost always see something that could be better. Emily Zola is quoted as having said, "There are two men inside the artist, the poet and the craftsman. One is born a poet. One becomes a craftsman." I believe that my father was a craftsman whereas I am simply a poet, albeit a poor one. I think that I should like to aspire to craftsman status.