Reader Question: How to cut 10 pages from a script (when I don’t want to)?

Question via email from Dylan D:

Hey Scott,

I wanted to know what you feel is the best way to cut from a script. I am doing my final revisions and am trying to cut around ten pages but the more I read it, the more I feel it’s all needed. What’s your take on it?

Trust me, you can always cut.

Here are three things you can do that have nothing to do of substance with actual content.

1. Eliminate all parentheticals. Two or three words = one line space. Not worth it. I reviewed somebody’s script once that had over 100 parentheticals. Take all those out, you ‘save’ 2 pages right there.

2. Eliminate most transitions. Transitions between scenes like CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO. If you use a primary slugline every time you begin a new scene, you can almost always cut out the transition from one scene to the next. But you must only use primary sluglines for scene-headings. Once inside the scene and you want to move the action around inside the primary scene location, use secondary slugs (aka shots) to do that. A transition uses up 2 line spaces. If your script has 75 scenes, you can save 150 lines or 3 pages — just like that.

3. Eliminate ‘orphans’: Go through your script with a highlighter and find every sentence in scene description or dialogue that has one or two words in it. For example, this line of SD from Zombieland:

It lands on its STOMACH, then scrambles up to its hands and
knees.

The word “knees” is an orphan, sitting there all by itself — and wasting an entire line-space. Instead why not this:

It lands on it STOMACH, scrambles up to its hands and knees.

No difference to the content whatsoever. I would bet that the average screenplay has between 100–150 orphans in scene description and dialogue. That’s 2–3 pages.

Just those three changes can save you between 5–10 pages.

Of course, it’s more important to read your script aloud. You’d be amazed at how how many words, sides of dialogue, or even scenes that felt like they were “all needed” when you were writing, don’t feel necessary when you read them.

Any other suggestions on cutting pages?

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