How is word count determined in a screenplay

JimABassPlayer said:

Thank you. Yes, I understand that. The producers to whom I would be submitting would have first seen the log-line and a synopsis, revealing the essence of the story and the hook which I think distinguishes it from others of its ilk.

Seven (whom having seen such, over the past 3 years) were interested enough to request the screenplay, however, upon receipt of such, six of the seven never responded at all.

Given that they liked the premise (three actually found the premise quite interesting and intriguing -- their words), that they did not respond at all after getting the script leads me to think that...

A) The screenplay sucked. Progression, pace, dialogue, whatever.

B) The screenplay didn't suck, but upon further review of the execution of the premise, it wasn't what they were expecting, and not so interesting/intriguing after all.

C) The screenplay didn't suck but upon further review, it wasn't found to be practically executable. (As I wrote in my introduction to the AW last week, I fully realize that I "boxed myself into a corner... as, while I believe it would appeal to a very wide audience (of all ages), its production would most definitely fall within a certain niche, one with which many in the industry would not have experience."

As I have not received a single comment, I cannot ascertain which of the above reasons (or others I have not considered) it might be.



Given what I've written above, I suppose whether or not point A is correct -- particularly as I don't see how anyone could comment regarding points B or C, as neither could be readily ascertained from a single, 6-page sequence.



In hindsight I wish I waited to submit to producers. Having completed the revisitation of my decades-old screenplay in Dec. 2010, I was anxious, upon completion to submit it.

Big mistake.

I have subsequently rewritten it 43 times (considering any single revision which altered 5% or more as a new version). Most of the producers to whom I sent the script received earlier, inferior versions. While, at the time, I thought they were good, in hindsight (having improved upon them), I know they were not.

Incidentally, there was an eighth producer who requested the script (between producers #4 and #5), but actually got back to me on more than one occasion, apologizing that he hasn't had the time to read it -- other projects and distractions consuming his time. I thanked him for his consideration and politely requested that should the opportunity and inclination for him to ever review it at some point down the road avail itself, that he might consider doing so.

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Some of you may have figured this out yourselves, but I'll say it again:
There is no strict standard format for feature screenplays.
Despite all of the self-proclaimed "experts" you've talked to in the film schools, on the Internet and elsewhere, the ones who stubbornly insist that every screenplay must have exact margin settings, or that such and such should always be capitalized and that you must never-never-never use parenthetical stage directions in your dialog captions... the real truth is:
There is NO strict standard format for feature screenplays. The so-called formatting "standard"
varies from script to script, writer to writer.
Take a quick look at a few "selling draft" screenplays (real screenplays, mind you, not the kind published in book form) and you'll see that the evidence bears me out. The differences in format may not be huge, but there are differences nonetheless.
So what does this mean?
For one thing, it means we can now free ourselves of some of the worry about margins and capitalization and get on with what's really important in screenwriting: telling a story. It also means that learning proper format is an extremely simple task. All we need to concern ourselves with now is looking at what all of these selling draft scripts have in common. The common ground upon which they meet is where we'll find a very loose set of rules to guide us.
Close Is Good Enough
Many people will shudder when they read the above statement. But when it comes to formatting a screenplay, close is definitely good enough, because producers, agents and readers aren't about to read your script with a rule book in hand.
If your story is killer (and they all want killer stories), then it won't matter that you may have strayed a bit with your format -- as long as it looks close enough to what they're used to seeing. I've had scripts turned down for any number of reasons, but I've never had one rejected because I deviated from proper format.
But let me be clear. When I say deviate, I don't mean using red ink on violet paper. Industry readers may not use a ruler, but they will shy away from the script that "looks" funny. If it's obvious on first glance that the margins are far too narrow, or there aren't any scene captions visible, or that your font of choice is "crayon," your script will be regarded with suspicion.
The trick to formatting without headaches is to simply approximate the look of the average screenplay.
And by following the few loose rules that all professional screenplays have in common, you'll never have to worry about the format police again.
Before we get into the actual nuts and bolts of screenplay formatting, let me tell you about one important thing that will endear you to every agent, producer or reader who happens to have a close encounter with your script:
White Space
Leaving lots of white space on the page is extremely important. Keep the paragraphs short and surrounded by healthy margins. Instead of crowding words on the page, allow them to breathe. Readers like that breathing room.

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JimABassPlayer said:

Thanks, both. I was just curious whether screenplays were measured the same way as novels when considering how much (if any) to post here in SYW.

I haven't really determined yet whether I want to go that route, but should I opt to do so, I would want my submission to fall within the parameters established by AW.

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JimABassPlayer said:

On a second, somewhat related question...

I see that most persons who post to SYW submit the beginning of their stories. My personal preference would be to submit something from the middle of the screenplay (for various reasons). Would such be permissible? If not, I understand.

BTW, the current, most recent revision of my screenplay is exactly 110 pages.

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