The first ten pages of a script...

... They gotta be GOOD to get you noticed!

The Red Planet Prize has just launched its 2011 competition. Entrants must upload the first ten pages of an original 60-minute script for TV along with a short synopsis. This can be a single play or a pilot for a series.

So, your script will be judged initially by its first ten pages! It is essential that you craft them well in order to get through to the next round; a request to read your whole script. You'll also need to send in a logline and synopsis with your ten pages.

Whilst it's tempting to write just the first ten pages, it is advisable to have a whole script ready; not only will you have a decent whole script (so often the remainder of a script is nowhere near as good as its first ten pages) but you will be able to make sure that the opening sets up the rest of the screenplay successfully.

The checklist:

• Are we introduced to the world/setting? What do we learn about the setting from the opening which informs the story (era, country, rich/poor, social status etc)?
• Are we introduced to the protagonist/main characters? What do we learn about them from their description/dialogue/behaviour (age, family status, personality)? 
• Are we introduced to the need/want/problem?
• Is there a hook? What happens (of significance) in the first ten pages? Will the reader be left wanting to know more? 

Do:

• Craft the scenes well. read my advice on treating scenes with respect
• Be subtle; less is more. We don't need to know everything in the first ten pages
• Think about how the opening will translate on screen. Read my blog on good opening film scenes
• Intrigue the reader; leave them wanting to know more

Don't: 

• Insert a high-octane action scene/shock factor scene right at the beginning just for the sake of it; assess whether it serves the introduction to the plot well and whether your screenplay will continue in the same vein
• Start with a cliché or a flashback. If you must use flashback make sure to set up the now first
• Be misleading; especially in the sysnopsis. Don't keep things from the reader just because there is a twist at the end of the script
• Use expositional dialogue to explain back story, setting, situations and so forth. It can be very off-putting to a reader and doesn't do you any favours given that you are trying to promote your skills as a writer. Read my tips on avoiding expositional dialogue.

The Red Planet Prize will award the winner a £5,000 cash prize and entry to a mentoring scheme, which currently hosts more than 40 new writers found through the initiative. Will YOU be one of these writers?

The deadline for entries is 16th January 2012, so get writing!

I'll be available to give feedback on your loglines, synopsis' and first ten pages. I may even do a special offer! Be sure to "like" my Writesofluid page over on Facebook for all the latest news. You can also see my script reading and editing services page on either of my websites, here and here.