When we write scripts, we can get caught out by the length they need to be. In this blog, I’m going to clarify script lengths for the different formats and what you can do to not fall into the problems that catch many a writer out.
Screenplay Length
Screenplays seem simple, right? I mean, being visual’s really easy in this format, isn’t it? For many writers starting out, script length can really catch us out. To understand what we’re looking at, I’m going to start really basic with pages. Roughly one page equals one minute of screentime. Sounds easy to understand. It does fluctuate a little depending on what you’re writing. If you’re creating action scenes, this may well be slightly less.
For a standard script length that won’t get anyone in a tizzy is about 120 pages for a feature film or about fifty to sixty pages for TV episodes or about thirty pages for the half-hour episodes. I know some of you may be screaming at me it’s not long enough. Other filmmakers make films much, much longer. Yes, they do. They’re well-established and have put in the graft to pull it off.
When starting out or trying to become established, going over that page count is likely to make your script a pass to those that read it. They don’t want to read a 300+ page screenplay. You have a tiny bit of the wriggle room with TV episodes because you may or may not have ad breaks too. Pacing your story so that fits in with hooks will set you up well.
Things To Consider
When writing your screenplay, make sure you break up your action. No one wants to see a paragraph ten or so lines long. Break it up to four at a maximum. It’s so tempting to put in camera angles too. Don’t do that. It’ll anger the director as you’re effectively telling them how to do their job.
When you’re writing your action, start a new line for something new we see. It’ll help with pacing and make your script more visual. Below is an example of what I mean:
Theatre Play Length
Theatre plays are very different to screenplays. For theatre you can have a lot more freedom. A lot of the page is taken up by dialogue, such as monologues. Theatre plays love monologues. You can have a bit more leeway with how much time comes from one page. This can often come down to how much set description you give too.
You could read any theatre play and see the differences in length and what they get on a page. This is usually down to how they structure their stories too. All you have to do is look at the Shakespeare plays and how many acts his plays are split into and get how varied it can be.
Things To Consider
When writing your theatre script, remember to plan out where your story hooks are. This will make it easier so you know where you can end acts and directors can use those to plan when they might go to an interval. Having this in mind will allow you to evenly pace out your story so there’s no lumpy middle too. No one wants a lumpy middle of their story.
Keep your audience engaged with the actions and dialogue working in harmony. If you can use the script length to your advantage, do it. Just don’t make it too long that your audience is there for hours and hours. Use the screenplay script length of a minute per page as a guide and it’ll help you not make it too long.
So I hope that this blog has been useful to understand script length for screen and theatre. Writing with a goal in mind of how many pages you want will help with the editing and redrafting later. If you have too much it’s easier to cut down. If you have too little, you’ll be able to see where the gaps are. You can help your work to breathe in those points, making them more dramatic.
Happy writing!