How to Hook a Reader with Your Screenplay — The First 10 Pages Explained

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First Ten Pages of a Script — We break down how to write the most important pages of a screenplay.

How to Write the First 10 Pages of a Screenplay ►►
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Starting your Screenplay
00:31 - The Importance of the First 10 Pages Explained
01:19 - Tone
03:52 - Character
06:42 - Setting
08:50 - Theme
11:39 - Stakes
13:45 - Deep Dive: Sideways
17:56 - Takeaways

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THE FIRST TEN PAGES

There are a lot of screenplays out there waiting to be made, so getting a potential producer or financier to read your script is a big accomplishment. But getting them to finish your script is a whole other animal.

Scripts that get noticed are typically scripts that have strong openings, openings which tell a reader why they should keep reading. Within the first 10 pages, a screenplay should already have delivered a lot of information. In this video, we look at some of the strongest opening ten pages from famous screenplays, and see what they can teach us about writing a great hook.

HOW TO WRITE A SCRIPT’S OPENING

When screenwriting, it is important to know your tone. Are you writing a comedy? If so, what kind of comedy? A satire? Black comedy? Dramedy? Once you’ve answered this question, make sure you infuse your opening with that tone. Think of some of the best comedies out there. Nearly all of them establish their humor right off the bat, and certainly within the first ten pages. The same goes for other genres. A horror will typically have a scare right up front.

Of course, it’s also a good idea to introduce your primary characters in the first ten pages of a script. There are more exceptions to this rule than with tone setting, but by and large, screenplays will establish important character within their opening pages. This is more than just having a character appear. It is also showing the reader who this character is– how they act, think, and inhabit their setting.

HOW TO START A MOVIE SCRIPT

Speaking of setting, most great screenplay opening pages will establish a sense of place. If it’s a sci-fi, a screenwriter may introduce us to the rules of the alien world. If it’s a grounded drama, the screenwriter might note details in familiar settings that feel both real and telling.

Some first ten pages will also set up themes that will be investigated in the rest of a script. If one theme is the value of community, the first ten pages might have a character deliberately eschewing his comrades and going it alone.

In this vein, setting the stakes is also crucial. What will happen if a character doesn’t succeed? In Jurassic Park, for example, David Koepp opens on a worker getting eaten by a dinosaur. The stakes are clear: fail, and get eaten.

SCREENWRITING ADVICE

Your first ten pages may not include all of these elements. It may even only incorporate a few of them. But no matter what, the first ten pages of a screenplay should be intriguing. The reader should want to know more. If you don’t accomplish this goal, the stakes are as stark as Jurassic Park’s: your script might get put down.


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♬ SONGS USED:

“A Glowing Light, A Promise” - Makeup and Vanity Set
“War Drums “- Kyle Preston
“The Claw” - Richard Reed Parry
“Into The Unknown” - Mark Orton
“Main Title / Trinity Infinity” - Don Davis
“Pool” - Disasterpeace
“The Basement / The Magician” - Jed Kurzel
“What I love About Nicole” - Randy Newman
“The Ozone” - Carter Burwell
“The Little Dead Boy” - Carter Burrell
“Bubble Wrap” - Thomas Newman
‘“2-2815 AD” - Thomas Newman
“Turning Panda” - Ludwig Goransson
“Study Up” - Tune-Yards
“Regalview Theme” - Tune-Yards
“Powercallers Suite” - Tune-Yards
“Boston, MA” - Laura Karpman
“Drips” - Laura Karpman
“Rage” - John Murphy
“North” - Rolfe Kent
“Asphalt Groovin” - Rolfe Kent
“Constantine Snaps His Fingers” - Rolfe Kent
“Drive” - Rolfe Kent
“Lonely Day” - Rolfe Kent
“Miles Theme” - Rolfe Kent
“I’m Not Drinking Any Merlot” - Rolfe Kent
“Slipping Away As Mum Sleeps” - Rolfe Kent
“Title Credits” - Jon Brion
“Bus Rider” - John Swihart

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