It can take quite a leap to get from the written word to a movie
screen.
A screenplay, for all its clear descriptions of where characters
are and what they say, has to work hard to meet the dramatic
immediacy that we expect from films.
1. Stick To The Present Tense
Writing in the present tense helps, keeping the text direct and
different from the prose you'll find in most novels or short
stories.
2. Add Sound Effects
Sound effects can be effectively replicated on the page, using
onomatopoeia such as BANGS for gunshots and SCREAMS of
characters in danger.
3. Keep It Tight
Keeping the whole script tight is one of the best ways to
capture the in-your-face nature of a modern movie. Concise
dialogue and snappy scene descriptions will help you to avoid a
novel's tone.
4. Write Pictures
Thinking visually is the most important part of the process.
Writers are not always inclined to 'talk in pictures', creating
images on the page.
By cultivating a visual eye, you can create a script that's
written to be SEEN, not just read.
Just as in any form of writing, those images will jump out at
the readers and stay in their minds. Screenplays just happen to
be the most image-driven of all forms of writing.
Start looking, recording dreams, taking notes.
Get hold of a camera - still, video, film, whatever you can get
your hands on - and look through the viewfinder. You don't have
to stop loving words to start thinking in pictures, so get in
the habit of finding appropriate pictures.
When you're writing your script, take every opportunity you can
to tell your story using those kind of images, ones that
resonate with you and your characters. If they're relevant and
contain an element that hasn't been seen before, they'll
resonate with your readers.
After all, movies aren't referred to as "Pictures" for nothing.
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