A discussion with my dad earlier got me thinking about this. (writing format)

[Naruzeldamaster]

What are the differences between writing for a show/movie when compared to Prose?

I know the basics (Scenes instead of chapters, and further still scenes are broken up a bit differently than chapters) but I don't know enough to actually attempt it myself. Nor do any of my story ideas feel like they would 'fit' as a TV show or movie. (Though I'd be amused if one of my book ideas gets turned into a movie later, but I'm not sure that would happen)

 

[LordFalco]

I benefitted immensely by a book on the cinematic method. There's a good article from Jan-Feb '24 of Writer's Digest.

Writing Blockbuster Fiction: Mastering the Art of Cinematic Storytelling

Author and editor Ryan G. Van Cleave explains how to infuse your novels with Hollywood flair by employing top screenwriting techniques in this article from the Jan/Feb 2024 issue of Writer's Digest.

www.writersdigest.com

Not sure if it copied, but it's easy to find by searching 'cinematic novel writing'.

 

[pmmg]

It copied.

I feel i am a bit beyond this advice, or better to say, I've read so much advice over the years that this is in that 80% I've already immersed my self in.

But i think its a good article even with that.

 

[Prince of Spires]

What are the differences between writing for a show/movie when compared to Prose?

It's a very different way of telling a story.

The most obvious is in how strict movies / shows are with structure. Some guides for writing a movie script go as far as telling you what needs to happen on which page of the script. Like the inciting incident needs to happen between pages 15 and 20.

Also, because it's a visual medium, the script is also mainly dialogue. You'll give some hints about what's seen, but there is no need for details, since you can see them on the screen. And the actors will deal with stuff like how a character moves or behaves.

Length is another big difference. Though movies have been running longer, in general, a novel can run for many more words than a script can. Everything needs to fit into 30-45 minutes or 2 hours of run time.

This also impacts less obvious things, like rarely visiting the same location twice in a movie, because each location is another chance to worldbuild and advance the story.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

It's a very different way of telling a story.

The most obvious is in how strict movies / shows are with structure. Some guides for writing a movie script go as far as telling you what needs to happen on which page of the script. Like the inciting incident needs to happen between pages 15 and 20.

Also, because it's a visual medium, the script is also mainly dialogue. You'll give some hints about what's seen, but there is no need for details, since you can see them on the screen. And the actors will deal with stuff like how a character moves or behaves.

Length is another big difference. Though movies have been running longer, in general, a novel can run for many more words than a script can. Everything needs to fit into 30-45 minutes or 2 hours of run time.

This also impacts less obvious things, like rarely visiting the same location twice in a movie, because each location is another chance to worldbuild and advance the story.

Yeah movies HAVE been running longer, about twice as long as they used to be (3 hrs vs an Hr and a half max) I like it for some movies but man some of them really drag.

I think I've seen a BIT of 'scene' writing, before, but I'm pretty sure that was more for like a stage play and not for movies/film/tv.

 

[Prince of Spires]

If you want to get into screenwriting, then I think Save the Cat! is the go to resource to get started.