Screenwriting

Inspiration & Exploration

Every movie or TV show you love started as words on a page. Screenwriting is the blueprint — it tells the story, describes what we see, and captures every line of dialogue before a single camera rolls. Start by watching a few short films from the Utah Film Center (utahfilmcenter.org) — they screen free films year-round in SLC. Then pull up a real script at the Internet Movie Script Database (imsdb.com) and read 10 pages of a movie you know. Notice how different it looks from a novel. Scripts use white space, scene headings, and action lines to paint pictures with words. Ask yourself: what makes this scene work? You're ready for the next step when you can identify a scene heading, action line, and dialogue block in any script.

Tools & Techniques

Screenwriters use a specific format — not because Hollywood is picky, but because format tells everyone on set exactly what to do. Learn the basics: INT./EXT. scene headings, action paragraphs written in present tense, character names centered above dialogue, and parentheticals used sparingly. Download the free app WriterDuet (writerduet.com) — it auto-formats everything so you can focus on story. Explore Script Magazine's free articles at scriptmag.com and join r/screenwriting on Reddit, where working writers share feedback daily. The three-act structure (setup, confrontation, resolution) is the backbone of most films — sketch it out for a story idea you already have. You're ready for the next step when you can explain what goes in each act and format a scene heading correctly.

First Creations

Time to write your first scene. Pick a moment — two friends arguing over a decision, someone discovering something unexpected, a character making a choice they can't take back. Open WriterDuet and write a single scene: one location, two to three characters, one clear conflict. Aim for two to three pages (one page equals roughly one minute of screen time). Don't worry about perfect dialogue yet — just get the scene moving. Read it out loud when you finish. Does it sound like something real people would say? Rewrite any line that makes you cringe. Utah has its own film scene — the Sundance Film Festival happens just an hour away in Park City every January, and local shorts often start exactly like this. You're ready for the next step when you have a complete two-page scene with a beginning, middle, and end.

Style Development

Great screenwriters have a recognizable voice — a way of describing action, building tension, or landing a joke that feels like them. Study a writer whose style you like: Aaron Sorkin writes fast-talking dialogue, Ava DuVernay builds quiet emotional moments, and Jordan Peele hides clues in every scene. Pick one technique and copy it deliberately in a new scene. Try writing the same scene two different ways: once as a comedy, once as a thriller. Notice how word choice, pacing, and what you leave out completely change the feel. Start developing your own habits — maybe you love writing dialogue first, or maybe you outline every beat before typing a word. You're ready for the next step when you can describe two distinct stylistic choices you make as a writer.

Refine Your Craft

Now you push deeper. Learn about subtext — what characters mean but don't say. In the best scripts, the dialogue and the real emotion are two different things. Study how conflict escalates: every scene should end with something changed, a question asked, or a door closed. Research the "save the cat" beat sheet (blakesnyder.com has free resources) — it breaks a feature film into 15 key moments. Apply it to a movie you know, then sketch it for your own short film idea. Practice writing action lines that create mood: "A single light flickers. She doesn't move." gets a different response than "The light is on. She stands there." Precision matters. You're ready for the next step when you have a full beat sheet for an original short film (5–10 minutes).

Portfolio Piece

Write a complete short film script — five to ten pages, your original idea, formatted properly. This is your portfolio piece. Build a protagonist with a clear want and a hidden need. Give them an obstacle that forces a choice. End with a scene that shows whether they got what they needed (not necessarily what they wanted). When the draft is done, share it on r/screenwriting for feedback or find a local reader — the Utah Film Center sometimes runs youth programs where you can get notes. Polish your script through at least two revision passes. Consider submitting to a student film competition — Utah High School Activities Association and local film festivals actively look for young writers. You're ready for the next step when your script has a polished first page, a clear three-act structure, and you've gotten feedback from at least one other person.