The Unwritten Rules of Script Format

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[@TylerMowery]

Get Practical Tools to Write Your Great Screenplay: www.practicalscreenwriting.com

[@pablorodriguez6266]

Can you do a video on the fundamentals of how to write a character study story?

[@tezzag818]

You are an amazing young man. I have been asked to write a screenplay of my novel. The style of writing is so different and I really needed to hear this today. Thank you so much!

[@HollywoodCharityAuctioncom]

Hope you are getting paid to do this. Don’t do for free.

[@IlyasMussin]

Thanks Tyler, you’re the best! I’ll go rewrite the whole thing haha

[@dimitryanyanwu7681]

🤣🤣 You're not alone

[@goodwaffleproductions8341]

Some of these tips are exactly what my English teacher said to me my senior year. I'm glad to hear his advice was correct. Thank you!

[@BreyonnaMorgan18]

I knew you would post the answer eventually. This is the question I asked when I decided to subscribe.

[@diemes5463]

You're videos have been extremely helpful for me as a hoppyist writer, thanks!

[@ArtistCreationsPicturesInc]

Thank you Tyler! This is really helpful to keep the sentences basic and clear without learning the pros even though they are helpful to visualize as well.

[@walteranurantha5014]

This is so helpful, Tyler! I've been writing useful writing tips in my notebooks based from your fundamentals of storytelling videos for a long time, especially the script format. Keep up the good teaching👍and I'm going to try writing my first screenplay as my hobby someday.

[@Jo_SW]

This guide can't be more helpful and insightful. Superb!

[@TheCoward383]

Great videos as always!!! Keep up the great work!!

[@Avarn388]

These are great rules that fit writing as a whole. Good writing conveys the essentials without any fluff. Correct me if I am wrong, but that seems to be the goal of screenplay writing. The purpose is to keep the person reading your script engaged.

[@ekudrums]

Fantastic video, thanks so much Tyler❤️

[@markslovik4115]

Great video but… with verbs you need to be careful, because there are many verbs that can’t be seen in action, for example: investigate. Investigate could mean a lot of things. It would be better to put leaves through papers, stares at the board, writes down… Something many scripts have wrong is that they give ambiguous actions, with no real translation to screen

[@misterwhyte]

It's not necessarily a problem, as long as the general intention of the character is clear, this gives the director and actors a bit of freedom to craft the scene how they see it. It's better to be precise but don't sweat it too much either. Basically, the why is more important than the how.

[@KEP1983]

@@misterwhyte yeah... I'm thinking "investigate" is more succinct /economic than "writes down," "stares at the board," etc. I'm sure it depends upon the situation.

[@mohammaddehbashi4624]

What a Great Video Essay As Always!!!

[@deandreallen1471]

love ur content bro, keep up the good work

[@beautyreaccaped5579]

thanks it's really helpful i appreciate your work ❤️

[@elm889]

This was fantastic!

[@chrionite]

This is extremely helpful. Thanks!!

[@DippedInInk]

This is perfect. The goal is to not bore yourself and the reader.

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

This was a good video, loved the pointers.

[@corporaterobotslave400]

Nobody actually ever sees my scripts but me and a few voice actors and model makers. Mine are description heavy because I put in notes on how the special effects will be done and the subject is about aliens in alien environments so it has to be that way or the reader would be lost. I don't think I would ever hand over a script to any Hollywood agents or execs; they will only see the final show for distribution or sale. I would never write for other ppl, just my own shows.

[@TinyPrettyNini]

This was extremely HELPFUL for me💗

[@adulthumanfemale8666]

Amazing advice!

[@filmtorres]

Very valuable insight.

[@SAN-mi3ms]

Well explained Tyler.

[@ElliottNest39]

Well done video. Thank you.

[@NickNintendo1985]

Great Tips!!

[@elinapiller3313]

Thank you for a brilliant information

[@albertmailyan9680]

Thank you Tyler

[@AliceisonLSD]

Thank you, Tyler

[@yrshvsky]

Thank you so much. Right now, today, I gonna write my first feature movie script

[@noahrichter7096]

perfect video

[@santiagorojaspiaggio]

Shit... this is all the opposite they taught me at film college. Beautiful explanation and edit.

[@KEP1983]

Really? Wow 😮

[@xChikyx]

It's so extremely different to novel writing

[@alexandredesouza3692]

How so?

[@Nerf_Jeez]

I'd argue it's the very same. All of these could be applied to novel writing, specifically because they adress issues common to both mediums.

[@ritamacwan5351]

Nothing is difficult, just do one thing be clear!

[@HollywoodCharityAuctioncom]

Yes it is. I switched from screenwriting to novels 11 years ago and it was hard to expound when I was used to short and sweet. Now I’m back to screenwriting and need several drafts to catch new issues.

[@creativeoj]

Sure, they are different mediums, but I'd argue there are a _lot_ of similarities between novels and screenplays when it comes to this discussion. I read quite a few self-published novels for work, and I see the mistakes mentioned in this video cropping up all the time: unnecessary descriptions of mundane activities, repeating information that we already know, sentence structures that are difficult to read. You do have to include more description with prose, and you can get away with writing that's less utilitarian, but you still have to keep the audience engaged! The lessons of readability and making every word count apply to all writers

[@michaelweigl6174]

Very cool channel, super helpful content easy to understand, subscribed! I have a question regarding two stories in one script (volume 3 of a comic series), hope you got the time to answer some day :) I don't know what's better: Telling both stories one after another, or switching back and forth between both stories. What would be the benefits and drawbacks of those variants? Thank you in advance and keep up the good work! ( Only 4 lines max ;) )

[@anothercastle17]

Very helpful

[@sergeybagrov8624]

Great 👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥 Thanks 🤝

[@rajsingharora26]

Thanx.

[@mateorojas9912]

Hey man I love your work I had a questions. I follow your outline of 8 step circle. On which step should act 1 end and act 2 start. The when should act 2 end and act 3 start.

[@ericgoku2432]

Bro maybe you won't get to read this but can you please make a video about TV commercial script writing? Keep up the good work 👍🏿

[@misterwhyte]

Great video Tyler! I'd add a ninth rule: remove any instruction from your script. It's a mistake I see constantly with beginners, they mention camera movements, wardrobe details, etc. As a screenwriter, your job is only to tell the story. That's it. Everything else is someone else's job. Remember: filmmaking is a collaborative effort. You're an expert at telling stories just like the cinematographer, costume designer, etc. are experts at their job. They'll do a far better work figuring out how to make your story come to life than you ever can.

[@Ousvec]

I disagree. Sometimes it can help, also if you are directing your own film, you can write whatever notes you want so it gives you the right idea how you imagine it.

[@misterwhyte]

@@Ousvec When you're adding directions, all you're doing is cluttering your script with unnecessary information and making it harder to read for the people who aren't concerned by these directions. If you're directing it yourself, make notes on the side but don't include them in your script unless they're essential to the plot.

[@Ousvec]

@@misterwhyte still disagree. Have you read the script of the pilot epizode of Vampire Diaries or Tarzan (2003). Those are well crafted pilots and they have such information in them. Sometimes there are jokes not seen on the screen but their purpose could be to entertain producers or to set the tone of the series. Lot of successfull scripts have that.

[@misterwhyte]

​@@Ousvec Yes, and Tarantino adds plenty of notes inside his scripts, but these are exceptions from people who already made it in the industry. The people following Tyler are not there yet, they're learning the art of screenwriting. It's far better to take the good habits early on, people in the industry will take them far more seriously if they do. Once they've made it they'll have the luxury to break some of these rules if they feel like it. Like Picasso said, you need to learn the rules like a pro before you can break them like an artist.

[@davidstorme8748]

Do you act?

[@RussianMusic0212]

God, I can't believe you exist....

[@TylerMowery]

I do and I’m not going away 😘

[@kilroy1365]

One note: please don't use plops. It's like moist. It'll immediately make people go "why"

[@jmgonzalez4]

"plops"?? Oooh! I just got to that part in the video!

[@thereccher8746]

What's wrong with plops?

[@pabungus]

4:19 jeez bro calm down.

[@alexbarron2876]

There's some okay advice here, but the idea that pro screenwriters get to play by different rules from amateurs writers is nonsense. The truth is that if an unknown writer wrote a script that was as erudite and literate as Moonrise Kingdom, it would get noticed.

[@JustHarryOBrien]

I used the subtitles on this video and saw every single one of these rules written down. This video is a lie.

[@V3NXM]

People actually taken in this crap?