Reader Question: Are shorter feature spec scripts a trend?

Are spec scripts shrinking in terms of page count?

Stephen, there’s always a danger when making general comments about trends relative to screenplay format, style, etc. I know in talking with my writing friends in the business, there’s a general sense the target is around 105 pages nowadays, whereas when I broke into the business in 1987, we pretty much talked about scripts as being 120 pages.

Personally, I’ve always aimed for 112 pages because that’s how long my spec script K-9 was when it sold.

But that’s just anecdotal. I went back and checked the original copies of the first five screenplays I ever read. Here are those dates and page counts:

Back to the Future (11/13/84) — 132 pages
Breaking Away (8/12/78) — 97 pages
Risky Business(11/30/81) — 119 pages
Romancing the Stone (6/23/83) — 106 pages
Witness (6/15/84) — 102 pages

Granted, those are revised shooting drafts, not spec scripts, but still you can see from even these few examples, page counts had a pretty wide range.

By way of comparison, I just checked out the top 5 scripts on the 2017 Black List. Here are those page counts:

#1 Ruin — 95 pages
#2 Let Her Speak — 133 pages
#3 Daddio — 112 pages
#4 Keeper of the Diary — 107 pages
#5 Where I End — 119 pages

Strange, isn’t it, how the page counts of these five scripts align so closely with the first five I ever read with a range of 97 to 132 pages / 95 to 133 pages.

Which is to suggest that I don’t know if there’s been an actual decrease in script pages counts or whether it’s merely the perception they’ve gotten shorter over the years.

A more relevant point would be the relationship of page count expectations and genres. Again with the caveat about making generalizations, let me say this about spec scripts:

You can get away with scripts less than 100 pages if you’re writing Action, Comedy, Horror, and Thriller. However, if you’re writing Drama, Fantasy, or Science Fiction, just based on the perception these require more depth and/or world-building, it’s probably advisable to aim for 100+ pages.

Will there be Action, Comedy, Horror, or Thriller specs that clock in at over 100 pages long? Sure. Will there be Drama, Fantasy, or Science Fiction scripts under 100 pages in length? Certainly. I’m simply talking about the perception of people working in Hollywood development circles.

Honestly, the only thing that matters is this: Tell your story the way your story needs to be told. If it’s 90 pages, it’s 90 pages. If it’s 135 pages, it’s a 135 pages. If you have a 90 page script, does it make sense to step back and reflect on any additional content you can explore? Or if your script is 135 pages, should you go through it one last time to see if there are any scenes you can cut? In both cases, yes, but only make changes… IF IT MAKES YOUR STORY BETTER. Don’t get hung up on page count. Rather, just focus on writing the best damn story the best damn way possible.

Readers, if you’ve got your own opinions on the subject, click on RESPONSE and let me hear what you have to say.