What Makes a Great Screenplay
- Vedika Sud
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 10
You ever read a script and get lost in it, as if you’re watching a movie in your head? That’s what separates a good screenplay from a great one.
In this article, we’re going to unpack 7 core elements that elevate a script; the heartbeat of storytelling. Whether you’re writing your first short film script or planning a feature, these principles will help your writing feel cinematic, crisp, and memorable.
1. A Magnetic Concept & Logline
Every great screenplay starts with a central idea that’s both simple and intriguing. You should be able to pitch it in one sentence: that’s your logline.
Example logline: “A washed-up musician impersonates his twin to escape debt, only to find himself entangled in the twin’s dark secret.”
Why it matters:
Helps you filter unnecessary scenes.
Gives clarity to agents, producers, festival curators.
Anchors your story around conflict from page 1.
Tips:
Keep the logline under 30 words.
Include: protagonist, goal, antagonist or obstacle.
Test it: if you can’t explain it in a café in 15 seconds, it’s not tight enough.
2. Three-Act Structure + Escalating Conflict
Hollywood loves the three-act structure for a reason. It works.
Act I (Setup): Introduce your world, characters, the inciting incident.
Act II (Confrontation): The protagonist faces challenges, complications, midpoints.
Act III (Resolution): Climax, payoff, emotional wrap.
But structure alone isn’t enough. What turns a decent script into a great one is how you escalate conflict, you raise the stakes, put your characters under pressure, force them to make decisions.
If your story doesn’t intensify, audiences drift. If every scene moves forward, momentum builds.
3. Multi-dimensional Characters & Clear Arcs
A screenplay can survive weak dialogue, but it won’t survive weak characters.
What great characters do:
They want something (goal)
They’re flawed / human
They change (arc) : they fail, learn, transform
Avoid one-dimensional “good guy vs bad guy” models. The most memorable characters often blur lines: they’re heroes and antiheroes, full of contradiction but grounded in motive.
Arc tip:
Write your character’s “before and after.” What will they learn? What weakness will they confront?
4. Dialogue That Speaks & Echoes
Great dialogue does more than speak. It reveals character, tension, subtext, and sometimes even theme.
Make your dialogue concise and lean. If a line can be shorter, cut it.
Use subtext: characters rarely say exactly what they feel.
Let silence or pauses carry weight (a “beat”).
Avoid on-the-nose exposition: show through action when possible.
If your dialogue feels too “writerly,” read it out loud. If actors’ voices don’t match it, revise.
5. Scene Structure & Purpose
A scene isn’t just “a piece of your story.” Each scene needs to be a micro-drama with:
A goal
Conflict
A turning point or change (big or small)
Stakes (emotional, physical, relational)
If a scene doesn’t move the story or the character, it doesn’t belong. Even small scenes must push tension or revelation.
6. Visual Writing: Show, Don’t Tell
Screenwriting is about images. The strength of a great screenplay is how easily it can become a film in your mind.
Use action lines to describe what we see, what moves, what matters.
Avoid internal thoughts : everything must be externalizable.
Use metaphors, visual motifs, symbols (sparingly) to reinforce theme.
Write in present tense, in a neutral “camera’s eye” voice.
When you read your own script and visualize the film; you’re winning.
7. Format, Clarity & Economy
Yes, formatting matters. If your screenplay looks messy or unprofessional, it will distract readers. Clean, standard formatting signals respect for readers’ time.
Formatting & clarity basics:
Use screenwriting software (Final Draft, Celtx, Highland, Trelby).
Stick to 12-point Courier (or default script font).
One page ≈ one minute of screen time.
Use sluglines (INT./EXT.), scene headings, transitions (CUT TO:, FADE IN/OUT).
Avoid over-description — lean scripts are stronger.
Proofread for grammar, spelling, punctuation.
According to Boords, screenwriters list “correct formatting, gripping storyline, strong characters, escalating conflict, and snappy dialogue” as essentials.
Also, scripts should be easy to visualize and free of clumsy phrasing.
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