Craig Vann
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Lights! Camera! Action!

6/3/2023

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On April 15th at the book launch, I'll have a copy of the screenplay (or script) I've been developing.
A screenplay includes everything seen or heard on screen: locations, dialogue and action. It tells the story but is also a technical document that contains all the info needed to film the movie.
One page of a screenplay equates to about one minute of screen time. So generally, screenplays are typically 100 to 120 pages long.
For now, I've split Book 1 (A Tale of Two Time Travellers) into two parts: Episode 1 is now a two hour movie (127 pages) and Episode 2 is about 82 pages (one hour 22 minutes). I'm currently writing Episode 3, where the chrononauts travel to Southumbria. The book will likely be divided into 3 episodes.
To me, the screenwriting process is more challenging than writing a book. The industry adheres to strict standards that ensure quality productions. Where a book is, by nature, descriptive, the screenplay must be succinct, providing just a glimpse of what the director and actors will portray on-screen. 

Screenplays use seven line types in a defined format:
  1. Scene/Slugline -- Left aligned, all caps: INTerior/EXTerior, location, time of day
  2. Action — Left aligned, maximum of five lines, but four is way better
  3. Character — Centered, all caps
  4. Parenthetical — If required, below a character line. A parenthetical clarifies a character’s action or gesture as they deliver the dialogue.
  5. Dialogue — block formatted below character
  6. Shot — Left aligned, all caps
  7. Transition — Right aligned, all caps, like "Fade out"
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    Craig retired in 2015 and has been writing ever since. And boy, is his hand tired. 

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