The Screenwriter App Screenplay Test
You've finished the test! Here's how you scored:
Your script is 58% good.
Before you submit it to any readers, take some time to review the report below and amend your script accordingly. Then retake the test...
Your screenplay report
I've read my script backwards, as well as forwards.This is a great way to weed out plot inconsistencies. By starting with the last scene and then working backwards, your linear story-telling functions are befuddled, and quite often mistakes in plotting jump out at you.
My action sections are littered with expletives.
This is really just a call-out to be sensitive to all the other people that will read your script. Most would accept bad language from characters, but a lot of swearing in your action sequences just makes you look potty-mouthed. Others may find that offensive.
I used a professional screenwriting tool, such as the Screenwriter app, Final Draft, Celtx or Movie Magic Screenwriter, to format my script
What?! Download the Screenwriter app right now! It's a fraction of the cost of the big screenwriting packages and will format your script professionally. There should be no reason to use a standard word processor.
My script has the words 'CUT TO:' at the end of every scene.
Putting CUT TO: at the end of the scene is redundant. It's the end of the scene, of course you are going to cut to something else. All you've done is add an extra page to your screenplay of useless information. Get rid of them!
I try to put one shot per paragraph of action.
By breaking up your action paragraphs so each line/paragraph is one single shot, you can tell the visual story in a clear and concise way.
Multiple actions or shots within one paragraph make it harder for the reader to understand what's going on and for the crew to decide what needs to be shot.
My script has a lot of action paragraphs that are more than three lines long.
The screenplay is a blueprint. If you have lots of dense paragraphs of action, it makes life difficult for readers, the crew, and director to figure out what's going on.
Stick to the 'one shot per line' rule. It will make the script far more readable, and force you to think in terms of what both what the viewer will see on the screen, and what the crew have to shoot to achieve that.