As I've mentioned on this blog before, my main drawback while writing screenplays is that I can 90 pages which is often the preferred length in small indies, but not 110 pages which is the preferred length for major studios. I've asked quite a few people with experience in the business how I should stretch it out to 110. In the rare instance of studios opting for a 90 minute film, it's often either a comedy, a children's film, or something made for TV.
A friend of mine who's a veteran screenwriter and indie producer suggested that either the middle is too thin or the beginning or the end moves too fast. A fellow novelist who was a former Disney employee suggested insted of trying to stretch a screenplay out to 110 pages, use those extra 20 pages to explore the earlier lives of the characters in flashbacks. Another suggestion was to use the extra 20 pages to focus on the little things that hold the film together.
Any other suggestions would be welcome........
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3 comments:
Quite the pickle. It's difficult to say how you might extend it since I know nothing of the script. I would say go back through and see if you can extend some of your narratives. Or perhaps add a scene or two that show a separate plot thread that can be easily resolved.
Fill in 20 minutes of flashbacks? *Shudder*
No way to diagnose without seeing the patient, but try looking at:
Subplots. You probably don't have any.
Structure. You are missing important plot points.
Reversals. The plot goes right through to the end like a bullet-train. Not enough obstacles, and things come too easy for the hero.
I'd start there. Good luck, man!
(and even 100 pages would pass muster)
I've been experimenting with a slower pace and subplot in a current novel I'm writing. But I would need more time to see how such elements would do in screenwriting with detracting from the main story the fast pace often needed for a screenplay.
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