Good films are made up of visual ideas and many filmmakers (and aspiring filmmakers) would rather be shooting than writing. Writing takes so long and is often hard to do. Nevertheless, the hours spent with your word processor will pay of in the long run.
So take a moment and imagine that glorious, happy day when your movie is aired on national TV. You open the TV Guide and flip to the right page and there is the title of your movie, followed by the "TV Guide Blurb". That sentence or two which will get viewers to tune in to your movie. What does it say? Take the time to figure that out and you'll know what to say when people ask, "What's it about?"
Also, you'll inspire more confidence and find more willing participants if you can answer that question succintly and confidently.
Kimberly Pierce, director of "Boys Don't Cry", said in an interview that each time she pitched the film to investors she made a mental note of what she said and in that way brought herself to a better understanding of what she wanted the film to be. Although you may not be pitching your film to studios, you will be pitching it to someone -- whether that someone is an investor, an actor, or the guy who's camera you want to borrow, you'll need to pitch the film. Taking the time to find the right pitch will help you define your idea and persuade people to help you realize your dream.
Even if your plan is to film your actors as they improvise through a basic storyline (and some excellent films have been made this way), you should have something on paper. Make an outline of the scenes, at least. The more you have on paper, the more seriously people will tend to take you and your project.
For myself, I like to write a full script in the standard Hollywood screenplay format. I describe the action as briefly as I can, using short sentences and active verbs. I leave out all camera instructions. The reason I use this Hollywood standard is that it's easy to read. Anyone, whether they know movies or not, can read it and get a feel for the story. Camera instructions, background music, and the like are distracting and will take your reader out of the story. Movies are made to express what words alone can't, so why try to cram all your stunning visuals into a script? Save it for the movie.
The point of the screenplay, at this stage, is threefold: to convince the world that you have a story worth telling, to get people to help you tell it, and to provide a blueprint for everyone involved in making the movie. Take the time to put together a good script, and you've taken the first step toward a successful film.
How Not to Write a Screenplay is as good a guide as I've seen for writing a good, readable screenplay. Click on the title below for more information or to order it.