How to write a script outline that will save you months of rewrites.

Writing a script outline is probably the most important preparatory step you can take as a writer.

It can save you from having to go back and fix things in a screenplay that could’ve been fixed much earlier—fundamental things like a basic problem with Act 2. Or a missing character flaw. Or a faulty three-way triangle of conflict between protagonist and antagonist and stakes character.

In this post we’re going to show you how to write a screenplay outline and figure out all your character motivations and plot points before writing the script.

In other words, how to figure out your story first and then transpose it into screenplay form. All of which will potentially save yourself months of rewrites and frustration. So let’s get to it.

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Why writing a script outline is so important.

A movie is essentially a story. The blueprint for that story is a script. But the blueprint for that script is a movie outline. In other words, a breakdown of the story beats in prose that will make up the script.

Hence, the process of writing a script for most professional writers goes something like this:

Story Idea > Notes > Script Outline > Script

(Some writers also like to add a screenplay treatment in there before or after the outline.)

There’s nowhere for the story to hide in a film outline. Without all the distractions of dialogue and formatting, a movie outline either interests the reader, or it doesn’t.

If you read it aloud to someone, they should be able to understand it as a fully realized, comprehensible story. And if your story doesn’t interest people in prose form, it’s unlikely to in a screenplay.

But what about Tarantino? He doesn’t bother writing a script outline.

Some of you may be asking, why do some famous writers such as Quentin Tarantino or the Coen brothers not bother writing a movie script outline?

Granted, some professional writers dive right into writing the script with only the bare bones of a screenplay outline in place. Or none at all. Or a mix of both.

Here’s screenwriter, Judd Apatow, on the subject:

“There’s some simple theories about writing. One of them I read in a book was just the down/up theory: get it down, then fix it up. You can’t do that at the same time. You want to allow yourself to write freely and not judge it, and then pick another time to judge it.”

Apatow famously calls this the “vomit draft.” This amounts to basically having an idea for a movie and rolling with it. The purpose is to “just get it out” and finish it without editing as you go, and without judgement.

We’re not saying this is a “bad” approach because there’s no such thing as the “right” way to go about writing a script. What we are saying is that the writers who use this method are probably in the minority.

More than anything, we recommend forgetting what Quentin Tarantino or Judd Apatow or any other writer does. You’re not them. You’re you. So find what works best for you—whether that’s banging out a screenplay in three days, or taking six months to perfect a movie outline.

How to write a script outline.

The very best way to learn how to write a screenplay outline is to write them for existing movies. By writing script outlines for a ton of movies as you watch them, you’ll learn a great deal about story, structure, scenes, beats, etc.

The process involves simply writing a script outline of a film as you watch it—scene by scene—and then breaking it down into acts, sequences and segments.

This is an invaluable exercise and we can’t stress enough the benefits it can bring to your sense of what makes a good story. Here’s how you do it:

Step #1. Choose a movie to outline.

We suggest sticking to movies in your favored genre, so you get to really familiarize yourself with its conventions. Also, pick a Hollywood film post-1990, as these will generally be easier to break down.

Filmmaking mores have changed, such as the length of time taken to set up Act 1, and so it’s generally best to stay as current as possible.

Step #2. Write down only the essentials of each scene.

As you watch the film, simply write down on your laptop what you see. This should be a simple summary of each scene as it unfolds on screen.

Sentences should be short and to-the-point, describing only the basics of what happens and avoiding extraneous details. You may find it hard to keep up at first, but your speed will improve the more you do.

Here’s a script outline example:

Let’s take a look at the classic comedy, There’s Something About Mary, as a script outline example. Watch this scene in which Ted is questioned by the police over the highway murders, and then read our movie outline of the scene.

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Here’s how you could write this scene in a script outline:

At a police station, Ted is interrogated by two cops. They think he’s a serial killer, but Ted thinks he’s been arrested for picking up the hitch-hiker. One of the cops smashes his head against the table.

It’s always a good idea to start with a location, as in “at the police station” in order to establish the scene. Only the major beats of the scene need recording, so you should never write anything about how someone’s dressed, for example, unless it’s important to the story.

Write out what happens in each scene and by the end of the movie you should end up with a script outline that’s three to five pages long.

Below you’ll find a full script outline template pdf of The Bourne Identity you can download. This will give you an idea of what the finished product should look like before it’s broken down into acts and sequences.

Download The Bourne Identity script outline template >>

Step #3. Break down your script outline.

The next stage is to examine exactly how the story works and is pieced together. This means breaking down your outline, noting the major plot points along the way.

Start by breaking it down into three acts. Then break the three acts down into seven or eight sequences. Then break each sequence into three segments—or “mini acts.” You can also add the major plot points: inciting incident, call to action, midpoint, etc. along the way.

These big plot points should be quite easy to add to your outline as they’re usually pretty obvious in most Hollywood movies. (We go into how to write a screenplay outline in much more detail in our book Master Screenplay Sequences and online screenwriting course, Script Hackr.)

It’s not too hard to see that the midpoint in Raiders of the Lost Ark, for example, is when Indy and Marion get thrown into the Well of Souls and the Nazis steal the ark.

Or that the end of Act 2 in (500) Days of Summer is the “Expectations vs. Reality” montage in which Tom realizes Summer’s engaged.

Read a (500) Days of Summer script outline >>

Script outline practical exercise.

Another great exercise would be to grab a copy of the movie, Greenberg, and then write a screenplay outline of it.

Then break it down into acts, sequences and segments and compare what you have to our screenplay outline template below.

Download Greenberg script outline template >>

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How to write a screenplay outline: conclusion.

Many screenplays we receive need extensive rewriting. But often these problems could’ve been avoided if the writer had spent some time concentrating on the story before penning the script. And writing a script outline that captures the throughline of that story from A to B.

Not only that, but writing script outlines can actually help you write faster. It can help you become a writing machine, capable of churning out three (or more) scripts a year, rather than going backward and forwards fixing basic problems in one.

Yes, any screenplay is going to require a number of rewrites before you know if it’s good enough to send out into the industry. But nail the essentials of story and character first, and you’ll likely avoid having to do more rewriting than you have to.

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Do you write a script outline before starting on the script? Or do you just start writing the script and let your imagination dictate the story as it goes? Let us know in the comments below what your preferred method is.

Enjoyed this post? Read more on how to write a script outline and plot your screenplay.

How to Use a Script Analysis Worksheet to Bulletproof Act 1

How to Write a Logline: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

High Concept: What It Is and How to Apply It to Your Story Idea

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