The first several pages of your screenplay are critical. Most execs, or Readers (people who want to become execs) will only give you about 10 pages to catch their interest. That is why you must have a great beginning.
Here are some of the best, time-tested screenwriting techniques to begin your story.
ACTION, ACTION, ACTION – All of the James Bond pictures start with action, which might or might not be related to the main plot.
A police officer tries to arrest a couple of drug dealers. A gun battle erupts. One bad guy is killed, the other drives off. The detective chases him in his own car, driving fast, dodging obstacles and shooting his gun. You get the picture.
A REAL BEGINNING – The hero or heroine arrives at the airport or train station in a new town. They begin their first day of work at a new company. A creepy person moves in next door. The protagonist meets someone who will be very influential – a love interest, mentor or nemesis.
A DAY IN THE LIFE – Show us the main character going about their daily routine. A single mother makes breakfast before sending the kids off to school and then going to work. An attorney might argue a case before a judge.
A doctor in an emergency room saves the life of a traffic accident victim. But the main plot may be about stopping a deadly epidemic. You might then choose to begin with that same doctor treating someone who has a strange, unknown disease that turns out to be related to the epidemic.
A teacher helps a child to learn how to read. Then we learn that she will fight an uncaring bureaucracy that wants to shut down a youth center. Or we may discover that her marriage might break up because she has given birth to a learning-disabled child.
The trick to making this opening work is to keep it from getting boring. Quickly give us a reason to care for the main character. Perhaps show them as an underdog in some way or introduce some conflict in their life. It can be related to the main story or not, but quickly give the reader a reason to care.
These are a few of the screenwriting techniques to get your story off to a great start. Consider using them when you begin your next screenplay or perhaps do a rewrite on an existing one to give it a stronger beginning.
Danek S. Kaus is a produced screenwriter with two more films in development, one of them based on a book. Several of his original screenplays have been optioned by film companies. He can adapt your book into a screenplay and also do a Professional Screenplay Analysis


