How To Write A Movie Script And Sell It

Let's discuss how to write a movie script and sell it.

After writing a script and hearing it come out of my mouth as a screenplay, I found that it can be hard to sell it, as I had to learn the tricks to sell my own script and others that I would write in the future.

1. Be 100% in your current market

I know there is a huge market of sales agents and filmmakers out there, but that doesn't mean it is the best route for you to go.

Don't become the girl who is constantly trying to branch out and write different things, you won't succeed. When I wrote Iron Man 3, it was easy for me to not look at it as a "theme park" type film.

2. Stop stealing ideas from all your celebrity friends

I hear these rumors all the time, I know that every "big name" actor has read every screenplay. How is that possible? When you write for a living, it's hard to completely isolate yourself from a few hundred thousands of other screenplays and remember what a screenplay is.

Let's say I'm writing a screenplay for Thor and I pull a David Ayer/Sylvester Stallone and send it to all my celebrity friends. Who ends up reading it and saying, "Hey, let's go for this!"

First of all, you're going to wind up with something close, but it won't be perfect. Your friends will tell you what's wrong, but they won't tell you what's good, or what's right.

Before you have to write another screenplay, get it 100% in your own world and write it from there. They will get it from you eventually, but how can they know what you are trying to say?

How can they understand your vision unless you are actively writing it for them?

They may say they want it, but it's just for their own personal pleasure. Even if they say they want it, how often are they going to actually follow through? Your ideas are for you to share, not for you to hoard and show only to your friends.

3. Don't take everything personally

After reading over my own screenplays and stories, I find that I have been doing a few things wrong.

I have spent too much time judging what is bad and what is good, because when you read the dailies from a shoot, don't be the director saying "this is great, but he is shooting it really fast" or "we could have done this here." It's so easy to say this stuff and do it in your own head.

Go back to your script and look for why you wrote it. Who is the main character and why? What does it tell us about him or her?

If you put it down on paper, it becomes easier to sell.

I have to remember that I am writing for myself, and that I make mistakes, but that's also part of the learning process.

You are only going to be successful by writing good scripts that people want to see, so you have to make sure you don't waste time on terrible ones. I have had great feedback on my scripts, but I have had much more constructive feedback.

4. If you don't get a "No," don't take it personal

After I wrote Iron Man 3 and got the call, it was only by getting that "no" that I discovered a part of the process that I didn't want to understand. I was too caught up in writing it for myself and had too many ideas on the table to know what would work and what wouldn't.

If you don't get a "no," I think it's better to push on anyway. You are only going to end up wasting time doing something wrong.

You don't have time to waste, as there is no time to learn.

If I hadn't gotten the "no" and been forced to write something else, I don't think I would have had a movie that was as successful as it was. Sometimes the "no" can be the best thing for you.

There are two ways to write a screenplay, one is to read books that describe how to write a screenplay, and the other way is to write a screenplay based on your research.

I do not recommend that anyone does both, and I am currently not offering my services as a screenwriter, which you can check here: Screenwriting Service or Why I Might Not Be The One To Help You Write Your Screenplay.

So, here’s how you should write a screenplay

Conclude the main plot in the first 10 pages. The main plot should be done in the first 10 pages to be successful with a reader.

If the movie gets worse from page 10, then this project isn’t viable. The main plot shouldn’t be vague or open to interpretation.

A reader should be able to understand what the movie is about from the first page of the script. Save the complicated subplot for the second draft, as it will usually be made obvious in the first 10 pages and will be hard for a reader to follow.

Don’t make the movie “surreal”, don’t make the reader fall into the fantasy, and be careful with the amount of characters. Usually, one or two characters is sufficient, but it is necessary to avoid the wordiness of a hundred characters.

The less characters, the more impactful the story is, but don’t write a love story. Avoid telling a story from the point of view of one character to another, as it might be a mistake, because you might get an outline wrong. You can, however, introduce a second character and then show that character’s point of view.

Don’t give away important plot points early on, if you have a plot twist, be sure to have it near the end. But remember that it should make sense at the end and not a throwaway, as it should add depth to your story.

When you put a twist in, it will be more impactful to the audience, however don’t reveal the mystery early in the film. Make your story clear by the first ten pages, because when you know what the story is about, you will write the script much faster.