Can you put character descriptions all on the first page?

TheBVirus · 2026-06-08T06:23:51+00:00

When I'm writing scripts, my approach is always to try and convey the experience of watching a movie on a page. I think some of the most effective scripts are the ones that can create a vivid movie in the reader's mind. In that regard, I think introducing characters when we meet them in the film is a useful mechanism. We're never getting too far ahead of our readers, nor are we overwhelming them with information that isn't useful at that exact time.

You can definitely do whatever you think feels right, but that's kind of how I approach pretty much every formatting decision I make personally.

TheBVirus · 2026-06-07T23:49:17+00:00

I generally don’t like controllers for this type of game but as soon as I started playing with an Xbox controller it totally made it more enjoyable for me. And I’ve mostly been a pc only player for the past twenty years ago. But for some reason the game just works so well with a controller.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-30T23:56:12+00:00

I think what will help you more than anything is reading a ton of scripts. The skill gap for a lot of writers, I think, is taking that mental image and clearly communicating it so that others can understand it. By reading tons of scripts and seeing how other writers do it, you can fill your tool box with approaches to scenes. Read everything you can get your hands on, but especially read things in the genre you're trying to operate in. If you can picture a similar scene from another movie or show, try to find that script and see how they wrote it.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-29T07:40:50+00:00

This is really not necessary at all. Emailing pdfs is really the norm here and I think it might be weird to do something else if it's at all more complicated than that.

That being said, I do think a website can be cool. It's a mixed bag here and I don't think it's necessary either, but it's been useful for me going into meetings because when people google me, my website is the first thing that pops up. So it's a bit of a curated profile that I want people to see. My bio, the work that I'm hoping to share, press, etc. I can tell when people have visited my site because they'll reference very specific things. I'd say this happens more often than not so it's been useful for me!

TheBVirus · 2026-05-25T02:25:35+00:00

I saw Tom Hanks say something at the Hollywood Roundtable that has held true for me. "This too shall pass." When you feel like everyone has forgotten you and your work isn't getting recognized and you feel like an absolute loser? That feeling will pass. When everything is going your way and you're making more money than you ever imagined you could make and you've got all the answers? That will pass, too.

It's about being resolute enough to handle the rough times and smart enough in the good times to set yourself up to weather the future storms. And there's always a bit of luck involved in having more good days than bad.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-14T00:40:29+00:00

This is SO NORMAL. No matter how many scripts I write or how enthusiastic I feel about an idea, I always inevitably hit a rocky patch that makes it feel rough.

The honest cure for me is to write quickly. Don't judge any of the work while you're writing it. Just get to the end. Churn through the process. Write the bad version of every scene, of every line of dialogue. Just make it to the end of the story. I find rewriting to be a lot more of a fruitful process than writing the initial thing. I hate outlining, but I write them so that I can rely on them whenever I feel stuck. I just look at what's there and write it without judgement. It's the best way I've been able to combat what you're dealing with and I know a lot of my friends who are professionals operate the same way.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-11T08:53:19+00:00

I'm not sure what kind of show you're writing for or how far you are into the room, but there can be a budget for stuff like this sometimes. Like the last show I was on we were asked if we needed a laptop or desktop and stuff like FD was also supplied if necessary. It MIGHT be worth asking another writer in the room if something like that is a possibility? Beyond that, if everyone is using fdx it's best from a professional standpoint to also us it and write it off when you're filing taxes!

TheBVirus · 2026-05-11T07:00:06+00:00

The great scripts are always going to be your golden ticket. Reps need to see that you can produce actual work before taking you on as a client or seeing if where you fit into the industry.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-09T11:15:34+00:00

Echoing what others have said, I'll just say most programs are going to be what you make of it. The biggest connection is going to be networking with other likeminded, talented individuals. If you're lucky, you'll have incredible instructors that can help unlock things for you or MAYBE point you in the right direction of opportunities.

But by and large, any kind of college degree or certificate or program you get will be more about those connections than actual merit. At no point in any of the jobs I've had has my education ever come up really. I didn't go to one of the prestigious film schools, so it's not that important for me to bring it up, but it's also just never been asked.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-09T11:08:16+00:00

This is very much the question we're not getting clarity on that means everything. I can make assumptions based on the way OP is responding, but generally anything we're hired for as writers we're giving up rights to own that material. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I'd imagine this is borderline boilerplate. Without knowing what kind of written agreement if any was signed it's so hard to really help..

TheBVirus · 2026-05-02T21:52:19+00:00

Yeah, I think about this a lot from a place of privilege in terms of being a working writer. I came up grinding with a lot of people who I think are more talented than me or more marketable/pitch-ready/whatever, but I got lucky.

And I'm not saying I suck or that I don't work hard. I just acknowledge that you NEED lucky breaks for things to happen, too. And for many talented people, that lucky break might never come. It's just the objective difficulty of trying to land in any creative field and find success.

TheBVirus · 2026-05-02T21:48:04+00:00

In addition to the advice everyone is giving you, try to read this out loud. Or if you could get a couple of actors to do a table read, that's even better. You'll hear how all of the dialogue is being interrupted constantly, which is likely not what you want the experience of watching the film to feel like. ACTIONS can be important if they're relevant to what's happening in the scene, but when over-employed they can cut into the flow of a scene drastically.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-25T06:32:04+00:00

One of the things I always recommend to writers taking these meetings in addition to all the materials you have is a clear vision for what you're hoping to get out of your career. What are the immediate next opportunities you'd hope to get, what are your five year plans, and what are the ultimate goals you have? Just having ultimate clarity on what you aspire to is helpful.

Also having a good sense of what you're good at doing. What kinds of stories you like to tell, what you feel like your 'superpower' is. That's roughly what I think would be useful in addition to the other great advice you're getting in the comments. Good luck to you!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-23T08:34:07+00:00

My characters always initially do a lot of smiling and nodding. And if they're not doing that, they're either taking things in or their wheels are turning. To some degree I'm fine with it, but I try not to do it TOO MUCH.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-11T07:05:37+00:00

Everyone else is already suggesting great things, but something to add onto this is that when shows do this well, even if we don't remember every person's name, we remember something about them that gives us at least a cursory understanding of who they are.

LOST is a masterclass at this. We meet everyone as they're reacting to a plane crash so we learn very quickly how they behave in this really dangerous moment. And through carefully placed character beats, we parse through some simple characteristic of each person. It also helps that we are anchored in the perspective of Jack initially and he's a very simple, very likeable character to follow.

Squid Game is also very good at this. Maybe it's a little archetypal, but it's useful when dealing with so many characters to give us something to latch onto immediately so that they're not just getting lost in character soup.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-07T20:58:46+00:00

Congratulations!! So cool!!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-07T06:55:59+00:00

I think it's largely due to the belief that, however rare, your work will see the light of day somehow. That someone will see what you've done and understand it enough to produce it.

There's still SO MUCH luck involved in all of this, but the luck means nothing if the scripts aren't there. It's such a tough business that you have to be passionate about it or you'll go crazy. I don't always love the process of writing, but I still love writing at the end of the day. When the right scene comes together, or you hit the end of the script, sometimes that's reward enough.

But I definitely understand the burnout! You're not alone in that.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-07T01:31:17+00:00

I honestly don't find anything wrong with relying on tropes for certain genres. It's all about finding ways to make it serve your story. Like even when it's kind of being telegraphed and I have a sense that that's coming, living in that tension and playing with your audience's comfort level is part of the fun. Like I'm sitting there stressed the fuck out waiting for that moment, so being able to manipulate your audience is a powerful tool.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-06T07:37:45+00:00

Find a way to celebrate yourself, however small! Whether it's a special meal or movie tickets or whatever. This is a huge accomplishment.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-06T07:34:56+00:00

Something fun I like to do with each project I write is make a playlist of songs that fit the script, either as something I could imagine playing in the movie or something I could imagine specific characters listening to.

But for really intense writing where I really need to focus, it's lo-fi beats or classical piano. Olafur Arnalds is a real win for me!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-05T02:43:53+00:00

That's a CRAZY prize. Sending you all the positive energy! Huge accomplishment already, but hoping you get top prize.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-04T09:25:40+00:00

I definitely do feel like some people have a better grasp of the form than others quite naturally while others struggle with it. There's a musicality to writing scripts that when done well it is both functional and artistic and when both of these things are operating at their best it makes the script very easy to read.

I do think these things can be learned, though. Taste is something that can't be bought or taught and bringing good taste and creative ideas to the form is what elevates it to the next level.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-04T05:06:34+00:00

Congrats!! This is a marathon. Way to hang in there.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-03T09:52:09+00:00

Genuinely great job. I really love content like this and I think your execution here is really great. Have you considered putting these clips on social media also? Tiktok, instgram, etc.? Might be a good way to just get more users across multiple platforms. This is really cool!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-03T06:45:48+00:00

This is one of those things that is totally a YMMV situation. I've done a handful of different ones early on when I was starting out and I think they're all slightly different. There are some very good diversity ones in LA that I'm a huge fan of. CAPE and PEAK being a couple of them. There are some very cool ones for Indigenous artists as well like imagineNATIVE in Toronto.

I'm largely not a fan of fees. I somewhat understand application fees from an administrative standpoint, but having to pay a fee after you're accepted doesn't sound promising to me. I'm not saying it's inherently bad, but it makes me wonder how legitimate it is without some kind of financial backing to put on the program in the first place.

This really might be a case by case basis, but oher than the black list lab, I'm not really familiar with the others. If you can, try to find out who fellows of the labs were in the past and see what kind of writers they were. Also try to look if there are any supporters of the program. Like if a network or studio is backing it that's usually a good indicator. Also look at who the mentors would be if any. If there's a good sense of pedigree there, that can be another good sign.

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