Talking Draft Blog

How to Begin Writing a Movie Script

The best way to be begin writing your movie script is by using the Talking Draft Method to quickly produce your first draft. 

It is very important that you first have beat sheet and step outline complete before you begin your scene writing. A scene is defined by location. Write each of these scene descriptions. 

For each of your scenes, you can also enter in a location slug line like “INT. SCHOOL – DAY”

Once you have a short sentence description for each of the scenes that you need in your movie, and you know each of your locations, then your step-outline is done. 

Next, you can begin to create your first draft using the Talking Draft Method.

First, name the character buttons on the Talking Draft App’s transcriber: Click on a button and type in the name. You can do this scene by scene, deciding who is in that scene’s specific location one scene at a time. Talking Draft makes it easy to “reuse” a previous scene’s cast of speaking characters. 

ScriptOutliner & Talking Draft for FREE

Then, as soon as you have an idea for how the scene should start, press the “record” button to talk your draft. An action line will be first thing you usually include.

Dictate the action line while the “0 – Action” button is depressed. 

As soon as a character begins talking, press the number button which corresponds to the character. Then while that number button is depressed, dictate her line of dialogue. You do not need to say, “Jane says.” Simply deliver her line after pressing her button.

It is the pressing of the buttons which labels who-says-what in your conversation. You can act out the scene in realtime, quickly pressing and releasing the appropriate number buttons to change speaker. 

Any time an action happens within a scene, press the 0-Action button and then dictate the action line. 

If you need to pause and think, you can do so by pressing the space bar or clicking the pause button.   

There is no backspace or delete because editing is for your second draft. Your Talking Draft is to get the idea out of your head and onto the page, warts-and-all. 

Always Move Forward

Pro-tip: If you want to leave yourself a note-to-self for an edit that you want to remember when it comes time for your first revision, you can press an unassigned number, like #9, and then dictate your script note. 

When the scene is over, click the “Next >” button to move to the next scene in your step-outline. 

On average, it takes about 2 minutes to dictate a page of a screenplay. If you run out of free transcription minutes, refer up to 10 friends for 100 extra minutes. Each friend who you refer will also get 10 free minutes of transcription time.

When you have talked your way through your step-outline, press the “export” button. Our app will download a file onto your computer that you can then import into a screenplay word processor. It’s there that you begin your revisions. 

In your word processor you can add camera transitions, parentheticals, and reformat your “shot” actions. 

Buy The Book Today

Inside This Practical Guide to The Talking Draft Method:
Hollywood’s Secret for a Fast First Draft
Scroll to Top