Too many returns!

[ScriptNurse]

Perhaps I'm confused. When you say you inserted returns for dramatic effect, did you mean ...

Action descriptions were broken up into 2-3 paragraphs instead of one? There are more than one blank line between action description paragraphs?

Can you post one page that shows what you're talking about?

[ElPolloDiablo]

Actually, I was very mindful of overdescribing. Having read several of the screenplays online, I noticed a lot of them use a sort of pseudo-shorthand.

As I was writing, I was inserting returns for dramtic effect. It wasn't until a read it back that I realised I didn't need to space it out so much and that some things read fine if they're on the same line.

Still, that's what rewrites are for

[ScriptNurse]

I'm willing to bet you've "over-described" the action a bit. Choosing just the right words adds impact and shortens the script at the same time.

[ElPolloDiablo]

Hi all, happy new year and all that.

I've just looked at the number of pages in my screenplay and discovered that I'm about 10 pages over the accepted limit of 120. "Urrgghh" I thought. However, as I went through for the umpteenth rewrite, something struck me... I've been pressing return too many times!

Let me explain...

It's generally accepted that one page of a screenplay equates to one minute of screentime. However, for dramatic effect, I've spaced a lot of the action lines out a bit. So, roughly speaking, pressing return a couple of times relates to about 5-10 seconds screentime.

I'm currently going my SP, looking at everything I've wrote, and deciding if the number of lines something takes up is proportionate to the amount of time it should take up on screen.

Just thought I'd share that with you.