Welcome to Script E.R.
The premier destination for scriptwriting in Los Angeles
Download this FREE pdf now, to immediately learn the key insider phrases that amateurs do not have access to.
Welcome to Script E.R.
The premier destination for scriptwriting in Los Angeles
Download this FREE pdf now, to immediately learn the key insider phrases that amateurs do not have access to.
“One rule of screenwriting: does the reader want to turn the page?”
LESLIE DIXON
As a thriving community of professional screenwriters based in Hollywood, CA, we are dedicated to helping you become a master of the craft without wasting a single moment of your valuable time.
If you’re serious about mastering the script writing process, encompassing outlining, writing, and pitching for both film and television, then it only makes sense to learn from a working writer in Hollywood, rather than an academic instructor.
What sets us apart from the rest is that all our teachers and consultants are working script writers represented by the Writers Guild of America, with ongoing studio and network deals. This distinction is paramount for your success!
Having studied at the top film schools in Los Angeles and being accepted into the esteemed WGA, we have experienced numerous script writing classes and workshops. However, it was through launching our own screenwriting careers that we discovered the most effective script writing process in the real world, which differs greatly from what is typically taught in group settings.
Script E.R. offers a variety of services to meet your screenwriting needs, either in Los Angeles or online.
Screenplay Writing Basics
If the idea of formatting a script page brings you out in a cold sweat, this basics program is for you! In just three hour-long classes with your mentor you will come to clearly understand the conventions for writing a screenplay page and be able to apply them. Not only that, during this program you’ll undertake scene writing exercises to ensure you have all the skills to proceed to writing the first draft of your screenplay or TV pilot.
Screenplay Idea To First Draft
If you already feel confident in the basic formatting of a screenplay and have a script idea that you’re dying to bring to life, this one on one personal scriptwriting program packs the punch of an entire year of film school into as little as eight weeks part time study. The timeline is all up to you. We guarantee that you’ll end up with a well structured and carefully plotted first draft.
Script Draft Analysis and Feedback
If you’ve written a draft of a screenplay or tv pilot and require an honest and positive assessment of its strengths and failings from an impartial professional, this is the program for you! You’ll meet your consultant either in person or online after their script analysis to go through your work with a meticulous eye. You won’t just receive simple criticism, but specific and actionable rewrite suggestions to help your next draft truly soar.
Screenplay Rewriting Masterclass
If you didn’t have the benefit of a professional helping you master your first screenplay draft, don’t worry! We’re here to make your second draft soar. Whether your script page format is perfect but your plot didn’t connect, or whether you feel you need to master some more structural concepts before reworking your idea, we are here to do the hard work with you.
Screenwriting Mentorship
If you’re the kind of person who wants a script consultant on hand to call whenever you’re stuck, this is the no commitment screenwriting program for you! After your instructor becomes familiar with your project or developing ideas you can simply schedule an hour with them to catch up whenever you wish.
Script Pitch Masterclass
If you’re lucky enough to have been invited to pitch a film or tv script idea to a studio or network, you’ll need to structure your presentation with a WGA professional who has successfully sold a pitch. Take our script pitch masterclass and let us help you turn that movie or show idea into a clear and effective verbal presentation that will impress buyers.
Mission statement: ‘One Student. One Professional. One Great Screenplay.’
Check out our blog and articles dedicated to the captivating world of screenwriting.
November 2023
How to become a screenwriter
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September 2023
How do I format a screenplay?
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August 2023
How do I write a screenplay?
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FAQ’s
If you want to meet screenwriters you can attend networking zooms online hosted by many key institutions including the WGA, join social media screenwriting groups, and attend conferences and pitch fests as well as talking to your Script E.R. mentors.
The Writers Guild of America can be joined if you are hired to write a project by a signatory company. Anyone can become a signatory of the WGA if they fill out paperwork online and pay employer and pension contributions on your script. In addition they must pay you current guild minimums for your work.
Screenwriters originate their ideas anywhere from in old notebooks to iphone notes but when it comes to creating a correctly formatted screenplay, all Hollywood professionals work in Final Draft and 99 percent of writers room staff will be working and sharing documents on a Mac.
Film and Television writers in the USA are compensated differently. A film writer works in ‘steps’ – usually a treatment, first draft, rewrite and polish. The minimum amounts for a WGA represented film writer can be found here. However, agents, managers and lawyers must be paid up to 25% out of this fee. A television writer is paid weekly if they are an entry level staff writer and by the episode as they advance up the ladder. However, these amounts are also commissioned and season lengths vary wildly.
A screenwriter has a number of career paths. Some create original film and television content for sale. Others are hired to adapt novels or graphic novels into screenplays. Some prefer to write and shoot independent movies in the hope of making it into a major film festival.
When rewriting a screenplay you should determine if the core concept of the project is clear and viable and if the main character is compelling and with clear motives If these elements are intact or can be fixed then you should be able to rewrite specific scenes in your screenplay to support your overall project rewrite.
The standard format for a screenplay is in Final Draft. If you download any screenplays you will see that they are divided into scenes with slug lines, present tense action description, economical dialogue and vivid characters.
After writing a screenplay you should seek script analysis from a professional who you trust will honor your vision, at the same time as clearly assessing your script’s structure, characters, dialogue and overall place in the market.
Screenplay writing is the art of economically expressing a story for the visual medium of the screen, with compelling characters and a story that with satisfy an audience’s need for adventure, tension, emotion and a satisfying resolution.
To start writing a screenplay first become familiar with screenplay formatting. Then ask yourself if your idea is best suited to a visual medium. If it is, then you must work out the major beats of your story and decide which characters will express your story and themes.
To turn an idea into a screenplay you must learn screenwriting conventions and format, invent the rules and mythology for your story world, decide which characters are taking you through the journey and decide on their narrative arcs within the story.
If you want to turn an idea into a narrative screenplay you must ensure your story functions within the standard conventions of the form. This means that you must master screenplay format and fundamentals including scene work, act breaks, character journeys and the subtle expression of your themes. Working with a professional mentor is the easiest path.
Documents such as outlines, treatments and screenplays can be registered with the Writers Guild of America by visiting their website and paying a small fee.
Creating a pitch for a film script or television series is an art form in itself. It involves being able to verbally present the main story, themes, characters and arcs of the script as well as having an idea of how the narrative progresses in the franchise or the episodic television series.
A screenplay idea must be a concept that can be clearly visually rendered and which in most cases is a story that benefits from the presence of a camera as opposed to a traditional play. The main concept should be simple enough to understand in a few sentences and the story should be driven by a strong character or set of characters.
Writers either sell a completed screenplay they have already written, known as a ‘spec’ screenplay via an agent, or they can take original ideas to market as a pitch and then get hired to write the screenplay. However without a solid knowledge of screenplay format and fundamentals a writer cannot get hired.
A parenthetical is literally a pair of parentheses placed underneath a character’s name before their dialogue in a film or tv script, and comments in no more than about five words on some vital aspect of how the line is to be said, or how the actor looks, feels or behaves while saying it. It can enhance or contradict the dialogue. For example –
JOHN (so hating this) I love kids parties! or MARIA (cocking the gun) I said back off!
A logline is a couple of sentences that simply define the main concept and journey of a film or television show, without spoiling any plot points. A simple method is to use the When, Must, Until paradigm. When a certain character finds themselves in such and such situation, they must take a certain action until such and such an outcome is reached.
For example – When a group of travelers find themselves lost in a haunted forest they face tough decisions about who to sacrifice to the God of Night before first light.
It is rare for a first time writer to create a perfect screenplay without any kind of guidance. Script analysis examines what you have already created and helps you to see how you could rewrite scenes, alter your dialogue and work on character in order to make your second draft ready for market or shooting yourself.
Many first screenplays do not adhere to screenwriting conventions and the writers key ideas get lost in not understanding the technique. A script analyst should help the writer identify their original goals in writing the screenplay and explain what is currently supporting and undermining these goals in the first draft.
What stands out to anyone analyzing a script is if the writer has a clear grasp of the fundamentals of screenwriting. Do they understand formatting, structure and scene work? Are their characters vivid? Does the story have clear plot points? A professional writer will be able to give you answers and tips as to how to better your script.
A script analyst will ask themselves if the script has a viable concept that is well rendered, if the characters are clearly drawn and vibrant, if the journey of the movie is clear, if the structure is present and if the dialogue is convincing. A Script E.R. analyst will work with their student to help clarify all of these.
Script analysis is when a professional writer assesses the screenplay you have written and gives you feedback on the concept, the structure, the characters, the dialogue and narrative tension plus observations on format and style. Those who actually work in the business can also comment on the script’s marketability.
Pitching a TV show requires that you introduce the tone and world of the show, take the listener through the major beats of your pilot story, digressing where appropriate to introduce your characters, and then give a general overview of where the first season story is headed and any big ideas for future seasons.
Most legitimate production companies seek writer introductions from agents. Some will also consider meeting with screenplay competition winners. Some will also send their most junior executives to pitch tests. In any case, having a completed existing feature screenplay is a requirement as a demonstration of talent.
Pitching a script to a studio or network relies on an introduction from an agent or producer plus an existing sample screenplay which speaks to your talent and abilities. Some screenplay competitions promise these introductions but the material must be top quality.
If you want to pitch a film to a movie studio you will need an existing well regarded feature screenplay sample and an introduction from an agent or producer. You will need to present the tone, world and three acts of your film verbally in fifteen to twenty minutes and then take questions.
If you want to pitch to an established film or TV company you will need an introduction from your agent or a producer, which is based on you already having created an excellent spec screenplay which will serve as your writing sample.
If verbally pitching a script idea you will need to present for about fifteen to twenty minutes and be able to walk the buyer through the tone, world, characters, story and possible future stories of your project.
If verbally pitching a script idea you will need to present for about fifteen to twenty minutes and be able to walk the buyer through the tone, world, characters, story and possible future stories of your project.
How you choose to get into script writing depends on the career path you want. Those who want to work professionally on film and television assignments will need to write a spec screenplay that an agent or manager wishes to try to market. Others will want to write an independent short film or feature film, shoot it themselves and attempt to get it into film festivals.
A play script is intended for the theater and its locations will be limited by what can be built and observed on a stage. Traditionally a play is more dialogue heavy than a movie, in which camera captures different points of view. The narrative in a screenplay or tv script tends to be more visual, both describing what an audience sees (action description) as well as what they hear (character dialogue)
To start scriptwriting you will need to learn how a screenplay is formatted and structured. Then you will apply what you have learned to the original story you are trying to create. You will need to create emotional journeys known as arcs for your characters and craft narrative obstacles for them to successfully overcome on their journey.
The best method for learning script writing is to take one on one classes with a professional mentor who will teach you the conventions of script formatting, story beats, character arcs, screenplay structure and dialogue
Script writing is the process of taking an idea for a film or television show and crafting it as a story in a properly formatted screenplay. A script will include location headings known a slug lines, action description, characters and dialogue.