A script doctor is an accomplished screenwriter hired to help a script overcome a few specific, nagging problems, usually just before the movie goes into production. Script doctors almost never rewrite the entire movie, but instead just work on specific issues that need last-minute addressing. Script doctors are not credited on films, and therefore do […]
What does it mean to “break story” on a screenplay?
Breaking story basically means figuring out the screenplay’s blueprint — mapping out a story and coming up with a logically and dramatically consistent beginning, middle, and end, and the major checkpoints therein. ROBIN I finally broke story on that period family-horror-comedy idea I’ve been wrestling with. BRAD Nice! It’s cause for a small celebration. ### […]
What is a treatment?
A treatment is essentially a prose version of your screenplay, although its exact definition can vary from person to person. Usually, treatments differ from outlines in that they look more like short stories where outlines look more like breakdowns or bulleted lists, but this is a bit of a generalization. Most feature treatments are around […]
How do you format two characters talking at once?
When two characters are talking at the same time, it is referred to as “dual dialogue,” and the two speakers’ text blocks go side-by-side. Most screenwriting programs have an option for this. In [Final Draft 8](https://screenwriting.io/what-is-final-draft/), for instance, if you type the dialogues normally with one below the other, highlight both, and select Format –> […]
What is the television writer/producer pecking order?
Television seasons are written by writing staffs, not a single writer. Individual episodes will have a credited writer — the person who actually penned that particular script — but the plot of that episode and the season as a whole are constructed by a room full of a staff of writers (known as the “writers […]
How does TV staffing season work?
Television seasons are written by writing staffs, not a single writer. Shows therefore employ — and, accordingly, need to hire — entire staffs of writers. This is true of new shows as well as returning shows, as often there is turnover from season to season. Staffing season is the period when TV shows hire their […]