Where to Start Your Movie Script From?

There are many places and ways by which a story can take form. Is that the same for a movie script? Yes, it is. Although they are not necessary the same form of the craft. A movie script is a story scripted for a movie. That is to say you need to have your story before you can script it.

Even if the story is in the mind you can write a script. Does the story need to be complete? yes. But it can be in any shape; hazy, sharp, mysterious. But it needs to be there.

A good point to start would be to consider the essence of the story. One single story can be perceived very differently by individuals. if the essence of the story is understood by the script writer he/she can move on to the next level of choosing the tone, pitch, speed. Actually the story usually dictates the tone and other elements but they are interpreted by script writers according to their own perceptions.

Finally to start the movie script you need to make a shortest statement about the story. This is not a description of the story. It is a statement exposing the attributes of the movie. For example, ” Marriages are for lovers, weddings are for covers.”

This becomes your guiding mark you do not want to stray away from. It reminds you of what you are attempting to communicate and in what way. Scene by scene your mark is right there for you to measure against.

Remember things will keep changing. Even your perception of the story might change. As long you are happy with the statement stick to it. If you find a better anchoring statement, you need to be careful with it and check all the work already done. It is not unusual to start all over again if during the scripting phase the perceived essence of the story changes.

So go right ahead and pen that “anchor mark” as close to the subject of the movie as possible. An Anchor mark is a rough tool and not a rule or a formatting element. Its function is to help propel the script and keep it well directed.