How to Write a Screenplay

7 Steps to Create a Marketable Script

by Screenwriter Simon J. Michael



Proof the 7 Steps Work:



A wise man once said that for a person to believe a fact he must experience it for himself.

What makes a method something you can trust is that it has been proven to work time and time again.

So all you have to do is test my method to see if it really works.

To do this just take any box office hit and look at how the 7 steps I've outlined were used in it.

This is an important exercise because it validates for you that these 7 steps actually work! And that they are worth your time to learn if you really want to write a screenplay that has the potential to become a blockbuster!

Success in terms of box office sales is demonstration that a lot of people felt compelled to pay their hard-earned money to see the movie.

Here's a list of blockbuster hits.

Now answer these questions with any one of those films on the blockbuster list that you HAVE seen. Then take your notes and see if your answers correlate with mine:

1. Does the movie have a main story idea that can be summed up in a few sentences?

My answer: Yes.

2. Does the movie create a world for the characters to express what is happening to them - they are allowed to express their feelings in a way that the audience feels is justifiable?

My answer: Yes

3. Does the movie have the following structure:

Hook, Bonding Event, Locking Event, Escalating Event, Stakes Raised, Unforeseen Obstacle, Climax, End?

See Barry Pearson's Article that describes these events.

My answer: Yes

4. Do the main characters desires lead to the action that takes place in the film? (especially the hero and the villain)

My answer: Yes

5. Does the movie follow more than one storyline?

My answer: Yes

6. Does the dialogue and action of the movie seem to arise out of the character's themselves?

My answer: Yes

7. Does the movie contain many details/things that are not directly related to moving the story forward?

My answer: No


See how I tested this 7 Step process




All material presented on this website is copyrighted and for personal use only.
This Website was Last Updated on: May 27, 2009
You can E-mail Simon at: author@simonjmichael.com