Most beginning screenwriters include too much description in their action. While many screenwriting books will tell you about writing for the reader (or the audience), I find it more helpful to write for the other professionals who will turn my script into a movie.

By keeping in mind not only the director and the actors but also the casting director, the set designers, the costume designers, etc., I include just enough description to allow them to do their magic. I give them the bare necessity in my script because I know they are well versed in their field and can do a much better job of bringing a scene alive than I can with too much description.

I am concerned only with keeping the action moving forward. Paragraphs of description will bog a script down, no matter how well written the description is. That kind of stuff belongs in a novel.

The color of a character’s hair, the make and model of a car, the details of a room are only included if they are critical to the story. If I can’t justify it, I leave it out. Don’t limit the options of the other professionals who will bring your script to life. If you can’t describe it with action, don’t spend more than a few words on it.

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