Friday’s Findings: Screenplay Writing with Tony Acree

Last week, I attended a short workshop on screenplay writing. Tony Acree, author and publisher, has turned his novel, The Hand of God, into a screenplay. He talked about what he has learned as he gets it turned into a movie.

With his permission, I’ve summarized his main points:

• Read the book Save the Cat.
• FinalDraft is the software to write screenplays.
• Read screenplays before you get started.
• Come up with a logline, a screenplay theme.
• The title must deliver the meaning of the movie.
• Know your genre’s formula.
• Typically, one page equals one minute of screen time.
• Keep your scene descriptions on point–don’t over describe or under describe.
• Keep budget in mind.
• Have a thick skin when it comes to rewrite requests.

Video of Acree’s presentation.

Here are some links to Tony’s pages:

Tony Acree Author Website

Tony Acree, Publisher, Hydra Publications

Photo by Ron Lach