Is a page REALLY a minute?

[FJ and G]

I know it is a good rule of thumb. Secondly, I know that it is a standard metric that is needed.

However, I can't help but wonder, as I read through my script (draft #2), that some scenes, battle for example, might actually be a lot longer.

Yes, I know that some pages will probably be longer than a minute and some shorter and that they will average out to approx. 1 minute. And yes, I know it's not really my problem or worry--it is the director's.

Yet, I still ponder the 1 page= 1 minute rule.

And yes, I know I'm thinking way too much into this (pls don't bash this newbee too hard).

[evanaharris]

You've answered your own "question":

good rule of thumb ... a standard metric

some scenes, battle for example, might actually be a lot longer.

some pages will probably be longer than a minute and some shorter and that they will average out to approx. 1 minute. And yes, I know it's not really my problem or worry--it is the director's.

I'm thinking way too much into this

[FJ and G]

I was told once in the Marine Corps never to ask questions, without first formulating solutions.

Thx

[captain bligh]

yeah, it's a rule of thumb and that's it.

action tends to run longer; dialogue tends to run shorter. and in the end it's not quite right anyway, even when averaged, because so much depends on the direction and the editing.

[certified instigator]

Okay FJ,

For the sake of discussion let's say that the rule of thumb is wrong.

Let's say that your 120 page script turns into a 98 minute film.

So?

If you knew, KNEW, for sure, that the final product would be slightly less than the rule of thumb would you change your script?

How does the one minute rule affect your writing or your story?

[joecalabre]

In the good ole days when (cont.) and (more.) and transitions were put in and also because of the writing styles back then, the page a minute rule was pretty accurate, but not any longer.

Currently, the page a minute average for straight dramas is about right still with a 10% margin of error.

Scripts heavily laden with action like horror, action, scifi, etc... tend to run about about 20% - 30% longer than written.

Mostly it's a device still used and promoted by the studios to keep page counts down. They don't want to read more than 120 pages. Actually they don't want to read at all unless they have to -- that's why they use readers to sum it up in a page or two with score sheets.

But that's another topic.

[evanaharris]

How does the one minute rule affect your writing or your story?

If it's a teleplay, I can see it mattering a great deal.

[Manilow in Blue]

Show runners can tell if a teleplay is too light or going to run long.

[certified instigator]

If it's a teleplay, I can see it mattering a great deal.
Show runners can tell if a teleplay is too light or going to run long.
Agreed and agreed.

My comments were in regard to a screenplay. If the original poster was asking about writing for TV then page count matters a great deal.

[dchapma123]

Most TV shows are pretty heavy on dialogue. So I'd assume the 1:1 ratio is more or less accurate if that's what you're writing.

But even then, if you're writing a teleplay it's probably a sample. If that's the case, you should probably take a look at actual scripts for the show you're writing for and see how long they are.

If you're writing a teleplay on commission, you probably received instructions already.

My 100-page screenplay came out to 88 minutes when I directed it. It was dialogue-heavy, though, and I cut about four pages from the film. So that's one result for you.

[A Pathetic Writer]

Friends scripts are 40 pages or so for a 30 minute show, so...