Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay

-Is surprising, yet feels INEVITABLE.

Even if your characters don't know a certain thing yet, it's usually a waste of time to show them being told the information, so try to find a way to imply they know it or show them learning it in a way that does not rely on dialogue.

a scene must advance the story by bringing about some sort of change.

It’s important to structure your logline around an active protagonist.

Margins should be at least 1.25 inches on the left and at least 1 inch on top, bottom and right. Smaller margins will look you're "cheating" to fit more on the page. 7) Your dialogue blocks and the character name above them should be tabbed in, not centered. The dialogue block should be 3 - 3.5 inches wide.

If you’re going the indie route, my advice is to end on what is most true to your story.

There's nothing a reader likes more than a tight script -- with a lot of white space that’s easy to breeze through!

COMBAT (optional) (page 45):

The Logline’s goal is to get someone to read the script.