5 Steps to Writing a Film Script for Beginners

Do you want to be a film or video script writer?

I will share what the right steps in writing a good screenplay are, in order to produce films with good stories like famous filmmakers. Here are the steps.

1. Determine The Theme Of The Film

Theme is an important element in a story, whether in the form of films, novels, short stories and manga. One of the functions of the theme is as an input to determine ideas for other elements in the story such as plot, characters and setting. In determining the theme of the film, an author of books, novels and short stories can determine the theme through the core discussion in his writing.

It is easier for someone who likes to write novels and short stories to formulate a theme that he will adopt into a film, because they already have their own source of stories. But for those who don't like writing, that doesn't mean you can't be a screenwriter, because building a story doesn't only use diction but also a strong imagination.

2. Making Premise And Logline As The Essence Of The Story Through Short Words

Premises and loglines can be said to be the essence of the story that describes the whole story in a nutshell. In determining the premise and logline are usually formulated with (Character + has a purpose + has a hitch). In premise writing, the whole story is described in one sentence.

However, in the review logline the story is longer and can reach one paragraph. Premises and loglines can also serve as story references, which can limit the writer so that when entering the plot preparation stage, so as not to get out of the focus of the story.

3. Develop A Storyline/Plot That Is Adjusted To The Duration Of The Film

This stage is one of the most difficult stages in the Pre-production phase. Just like the process of making an explainer video, it can take a very long time. In this process, plotting is done by adjusting the type of film to be made. In the production of long films and short films, usually the storyline will be made based on three story chapters consisting of character introductions, character adventures and conclusions.

In one plot arrangement, the story will be divided into several sequences. Where the adventure round has a sequence that is longer than the other rounds, then the introduction round and conclusion round usually have the same length of time.

So if there are eight sequences in one storyline, the character introduction and conclusion rounds have two sequences, and the adventure round has four sequences. The next stage is followed by giving a beat or story content that contains the character's activities which will later be described into a story that fills every sequence in the storyline.

4. Make A List Of Scenes As The Contents Of The Story From The Sequence In The Plot That Has Been Compiled

This fourth step is actually still one part in the preparation of the plot of the story. The story beats (beats) that will fill the sequence of the plots that have been prepared, are better recorded on paper or digital notes, in order to make it easier to write the plot and not get lost, and can be used as a reference again to fill in the story in the script.

5. Write A Script That Contains The Entire Film Story Until It Becomes The Final Draft

In Indonesian lessons at school, usually the dialogue script is only written in the format of the name and speech of the character. However, in both long and short film scripts, the script writing format will become more complex.

The script will consist of a detailed description of the time, place, condition of the character, and even the type of shoot will be carried out during the production process. So a reliable script writer is not enough just to have good writing skills. Imagination, understanding of shooting techniques, and field conditions are also very important to have a good script writer.

Therefore, the final stage in the script writing phase is also not an easy matter to complete, because the script must be in accordance with what the producer wants.

The script writer must also have patience and strong determination, because the revision of script drafts is definitely something that will be felt bitterly in the work, in order to achieve the sweetness of the final draft which indicates that the script has been allowed to be produced into a film.

Well, those are the steps and tips from me in writing a film script, it's a bit difficult and takes a long time, but don't hesitate because effort will never betray the results! So, let's start making movies.