HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (SCRIPT) PT. 16

YOUR SCRIPT TRAILER
One of the points to our readers guide, actually the first and maybe most important one, is whether the reader can vision the movie trailer. There are a lot of movie trailers posted online and it pays to take a look at what the studios like to pack into a minute or so of clips.

Take a look at the trailer for "DEVIL WEARS PRADA", which clocks in at two minutes, ten seconds.

As I mentioned before, I love the movie as well as the script, and the trailer is even more exciting than the movie itself.

The main conflict throughout the movie is between struggling journalist Andy, and her very hard to please boss, Miranda, who is a fashion industry icon.

The trailer opens an introduction of the antagonist, who plays a very central role throughout the film. She is a true villain in every sense, and the clip gives us a great feel for that.

Andy's transformation from frump to glam is shown at approximately midpoint in the trailer, and although it's not the actual ACT IIa to IIb transition that takes place in the film and script, it shows the biggest change in the shortest amount of time. It lets the audience know where the film is going.

Many of the iconic moments of the film, like when Andy chucks her cell phone in the trash, are left out, probably because this gives away part of the ending.

They have a targeted audience in the trailer, which in my guess would be primarily women from sixteen to seventy, gay guys, and men who will go to the movie with their wife. I fit into none of the above, my wife and I both really wanted to see this for its touch on fashion, and Anne Hathaway, of course. Meryl Streep is well respected too, this was a smash at the box office.

A few jokes are inserted into the clip, like when her boyfriend asks if she got the job through a phone interview (pointing out that she is in no way fashionable, at that phase).

All in all, it's fast moving, intriguing, and fun, and so is the film, so it's a very good representation of what the viewer can expect.

Does your script have moments that will make an intriguing trailer, without giving away the ending? Will the audience get the premise and plot within a two minute clip?

If not, you might have to go back to your outline and build these elements into the script, even if it has already been completed. Your screenplay would be like a puzzle, one of, let's say ten pieces, not five-hundred, and not just two.
The audience, or reader, has to have the desire to make the pieces fit, or at least watch that process. Your script has to contain interesting twists and sub-plots, unexpected to the viewer, but within the context of the film.

An interesting example from mentor TERRY ROSSIO is a scene where a main character is being chased by villains, looking to escape an island. In a cliché, the protagonist runs to the beach, and there, of course, is a boat. He speeds away.

(check out Terry speaking from an event at his house in LA from his name link. I like how he encourages people to do their thing).

But this has no reason, why are there always boats and cars available for the hero's escape, conveniently docked or parked where he needs them?

Instead, our mentor suggests giving a reason, to make the scene believable. Perhaps the enemy arrived on this boat, or in a prior scene we see a village fisherman pull up and dock the boat, having just arrived with his catch. Will that make the trailer? No, but the boat chase scene will definitely be part of the clip, so give it a reason for ever having the right to exist.

Think about your trailer and check your puzzle pieces, if a scene could have more interest or reason, edit it, and add to it where necessary.

Have a good write!