Why Your First Ten Pages Are Your Most Important

As the saying goes, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Although that saying is usually applies to meeting people. It also applies to your script.

That’s why the first ten pages of your script are truly make or break. It can mean the difference between success or pass. The first ten pages not only open your project but also sets the tone, the style, and the promise of what is in store for the reader.

Although film is a visual medium, it is first a written document read by a human. Probably a very busy human with limited time and attention. Most executives, producers, and script readers who will evaluate your project do so quickly. Is this fair? Maybe. Maybe not. But those execs have hundreds of scripts to get through and not enough hours in the day. So, rather than lament the validity of this process, a process that’s not going to change anytime soon, lean into your first ten pages again. Hone them. Streamline them. Every word, every sentence not only introduces your story-it also tells the reader something else. Whether or not to keep reading.

You’ve no doubt worked hard to not only write your story, worked hard to get your script into the right hands. Now you owe yourself and your project to take another look at your first ten pages.