A little background, I'm working on my third feature and have hit a snag in my writing process. I've gotten to all the emotional points I hoped to and have reached page 75 and my script is done . I don't want to just go back and add filler for no reason but am having trouble finding more story in an already emotionally packed screenplay. The genre is thriller. It's in a way a slow burn thriller so I don't want it to drag. Any advice would be amazing.
Thanks in advance!
ps am I crazy to think I need to be in the 90-95 range?
There are three parts to your question, so I'll try to tease them apart.
1. "I've gotten to all the emotional points I hoped to and have reached page 75 and my script is done. I don't want to just go back and add filler for no reason but am having trouble finding more story in an already emotionally packed screenplay." Now what?
Filler would be good. Most writers don't appreciate that the audience needs breaks or lulls between emotional scenes. They need time to 'unpack' what they're feeling. I've seen films (and read scripts) where it's a non-stop emotional rollercoaster. In the end, the audience simply shuts off emotionally. So, one make sure you're not jumping from one intense scene to another without some short respite. I'm not saying to add irrelevant content, but emotionally neutral content that helps transition between scenes.
2. "The genre is thriller. It's in a way a slow burn thriller so I don't want it to drag." How can I make sure that the pacing stays brisk given the emotional content?
Be careful not to mix genres. Thrillers tend to have low key emotions for that reason. The aloof detective, adventurous heroine, etc. who may develop strong feelings but rarely show it openly. I'm not saying it can't be done, just be careful that your story is following the 'genre guidelines'. Romance and thrillers can work but you need to know which is driving the story and plots. If you want it to be a thriller, then make it have thriller beats and plot points then add the romance elements back in gradually.
I'm not trying to make it sound mechanical, but trying to emphasize that not having a clear genre in mind when writing can make pacing difficult. Adding back in the emotional content may shift elements naturally, but the central structure of your story is intact. A "gothic horror" is essentially a thriller/mystery with romantic undertones. Classic "film noir" is police procedural that's been sexualized. My sense is that starting with a romance genre and trying to add thriller components is less successful. Recent films have tried ("Tree of Life", "Time Traveler's Wife", etc.) with mixed success.
3. "ps am I crazy to think I need to be in the 90-95 range?"
No, if you plan to shoot this yourself. However, a 75 page script is in a difficult position. It's too long to be a short if you want to submit it for festivals. If you are trying to sell this, you would want to really look at the structure and pacing. While it's true that length should follow story, many production companies question screenplays that are less than 85 pages. The "no man's land" of 65-80 pages is hard
to market. You'd need to attract an indie producer with a great script.
--------------------
Being able to add pacing material is an important skill. While it's important to be able to remove redundant and non-action advancing elements, it is equally useful to know when to insert
relevant neutral content. Just as a well placed beat of silence can add to effect, the shift to another scene can add to a scene's effect. Hitchcock understood that well by showing the ticking bomb and then shifting to the nonchalant conversation. Or after a brutal attack, allowing the camera to focus on the blood going down the drain. The last instance it allows the impact to be absorbed.
Consider a situation, a man and woman have had an intense fight and he leaves. You could simply shift to the next scene. However, if you know the next scene is also emotionally tense, you may want to put in a buffer.
We see him outside. He pauses, glances up, then storms to his car, slamming the car door. Inside, she watches, lights up a cigarette, clearly distraught, a nervous puff as she glances outside to see him pull off, then she pounds it out in the ashtray. It's a pause that allows the audience to digest the feelings they just witnessed in the fight. The scenes give some sense of the impact on the characters, basically relevant but neutral. You can put in some follow up of the impact. Don't linger but give some down time to the audience.
In a large part, recognize that it's a game. If you sell the script, it will probably be changed by the director and/or producer anyway. So nitpicking over details should not be the central focus. As Maz suggested, it would be worth having someone read the script to look for issues that aren't always obvious to you as the writer. Often we have so much backstory and detail in our own heads that we project into the script, we overlook key elements of development and pacing. What's 75 pages on paper is playing out as 95 pages in our head.
