THE HISTORY

                    OF SCREENPLAY WRITING

Based on The History Of Script Writing by Jonah Gruber, WGA and 

The Origins and Formatting of Modern Screenplays by John P.Hess

   The process of screenwriting has evolved quite a bit since its simple origins in the silent film industry. 

The Scenario

   The written precursors to screenplays were called "scenarios" and were simple documents written for short silent films. Screenwriters were called "scenarists," and their scripts, mere descriptions of action with little dialog, only vaguely resembled the screenplays of today. These first scripts were really just a technical aid for the directors to notate what was to be shot and in what order.

The Master Scene Format

    By 1903 with Scott Marble’s scenario for Edwin S. Porter’s The Great Train Robbery we started to see the emergence of what was later to be called the “Master Scene Format”. Master Scene format breaks down the film into master scenes (not cuts), each scene having a scene heading followed by a description of the action.


The Continuity Script

    In September of 1911, a small time filmmaker named

Thomas Ince convinced New York Motion Picture Co. to give him the job of setting up a west coast studio to make Westerns. On the west coast, Ince would revolutionize the filmmaking process by applying scientific principles in the way that Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile industry. Using careful planning for the films, Ince pioneered the use of the  “Continuity Script” which contained information on who was in the scene, the action in the scene, notation for interiors and exteriors, camera requirements and cost control. By breaking down the scenes, he could create shooting schedules where he could assign different camera units to produce the scripts simultaneously. 

This continuity script with all the camera direction and production information was the type of script that was used for all of Hollywood’s Golden Age of Cinema – including Casablanca, which many consider one of the best scripts ever written.

The Screenplay Format

    as we know it - was introduced by John Howard Lawson, first President of Writers Guild of America West. Lawson published the first essential guide to writing a screenplay in 1949. The fundamental rules for formatting a script for a film can be traced to his "Theory and Technique of Playwriting and Screenwriting."




The Master Scene Screenplay

    By 1955, the central studio system pretty much died as studios focused mainly on financing and distribution which were far more lucrative than actually making films. A new system of production arose which centered around the producers. Independent producers took projects to studios looking for financing and distribution deals. These producers also assembled the cast and crew that would make the film – essentially creating a whole package for investors. And that’s where we begin to see the style of screenplay we have today coming into use…. the Master Scene Script. The job of the script went from telling a story to selling a story. The Master Scene Screenplay is what we are learning to create here.

New Tools

    While the writing process and the format of the movie screenplay did not change greatly for decades, in the past several years it has changed dramatically with the addition of new software platforms. The screenwriting software allows the writer to focus on the story without being lost in rendering the correct format of the script. At the same time it integrated the screenplay with other aspects of production, from casting, prop management, story-boarding and even post-production. The professional screenplay writer today will write with one of the two main software used by the movie industry: Movie Magic Screenwriting or Final Draft. (for more on software see the Resources & Tools page)

“Anyone can use words – it’s called talking. 

Writers arrange them in a way that            
 they take on beauty in their form. 
Think on words as colors and paper as canvas.”

- Brad Mirman