A Fun Little Formula

One of our clients by the name of Kevin Duff, currently a student in the UCLA Professional program in Screenwriting, sent this along to me, and I thought it was great. It's a little formula he's worked out. Check this out:

Formula for successful screenplay =

S + (C – E) + R
----------------
I

Where:

S = Structure
50 points – you nailed it Aristotle
40 points – you read some books, not bad
30 points – where’s the midpoint?
20 points – a one act play?
10 points – we’re not interested in your memoirs

C = Conflict
1 point for every scene with conflict, 30 max

E = Exposition
1 point for every scene with exposition, unlimited

R = Rewrites
5 points for every rewrite, 20 max

I = Idea
1.0 – producers are lining up
1.1 – it’s big, good buzz
1.2 – maybe it will become a cult hit
1.3 – even your mom is confused
1.4 – what else you got?