Screenplay Page Count Guide: How Long Should Your Script Be?
Quick answer: A feature screenplay should be 90 to 120 pages. Comedies run shorter (90-105), dramas sit in the middle (100-115), and action films can reach 120. One formatted page equals roughly one minute of screen time. Going over 120 pages signals a script that needs editing.
In This Guide
The One-Page-Per-Minute Rule
In a properly formatted screenplay — 12-point Courier, standard margins — one page of script equals approximately one minute of screen time. This is not a perfect science. Dialogue-heavy pages play faster because people speak quickly. Action-heavy pages with dense description may run slower on screen. A car chase written in three lines of action might play as a five-minute sequence. Despite these variations, the rule holds as an average across a full screenplay. A 110-page script will produce a roughly 110-minute film. This relationship between page count and runtime is why screenplay formatting is standardized — it is not an aesthetic choice but a production planning tool that allows producers, directors, and department heads to estimate resources from page count alone.
Feature Film Page Counts by Genre
Comedy: 90 to 105 pages. Comedies move fast. Audiences do not want a two-hour comedy — the energy cannot sustain that long. Most successful comedies land between 95 and 100 pages. Drama: 100 to 115 pages. Dramas earn their length through character depth and emotional complexity but still need to justify every scene. Aim for 105-110. Action/Adventure: 100 to 120 pages. Set pieces take screen time. Action scripts can run longer but need relentless pacing to earn it. Horror: 85 to 100 pages. Short and sharp. Horror is about tension, and bloated scripts dilute fear. Thriller: 95 to 115 pages. Tight enough to maintain suspense, long enough for complex plots. Animation: 75 to 95 pages. Animated features run shorter because visual storytelling compresses what live-action scripts describe in action lines.
TV Pilot Page Counts
One-hour drama pilot: 55 to 65 pages. Network hour-long shows run closer to 55 pages to accommodate commercial breaks. Cable and streaming dramas can run up to 65 pages. Half-hour comedy pilot: 28 to 35 pages. Multi-camera sitcoms (shot on a stage with multiple cameras, like a play) use a specific double-spaced format that inflates page count — 45 to 55 pages in that format. Single-camera comedies use standard screenplay format and run 28-35 pages. Limited series pilot: 55 to 70 pages. Limited series have more latitude because the story has a defined ending. These pilots can run slightly longer to establish complex premises. Always check the specific requirements of any contest, fellowship, or production company you are submitting to — some have strict page count limits.
Short Film Page Counts
Short films follow the same one-page-per-minute rule. Most film festivals define a short film as under 40 minutes, but the most competitive festival slots are 7 to 15 minutes — meaning 7 to 15 pages. Many fellowships and contests specifically request shorts under 10 pages. Writing short is harder than writing long. Every scene, every line of dialogue, every action must earn its space. There is no room for subplots, extended character introductions, or leisurely pacing. A great short film has one clear character, one central conflict, and one defining choice that resolves it. If your short script exceeds 15 pages, you likely have a feature premise compressed into a short format — which means either expanding to a feature or cutting to the core conflict.
What Happens If Your Script Is Too Long
A script over 120 pages sends a specific message to readers: this writer does not edit. In a competitive landscape where readers evaluate hundreds of scripts, length is a filter. A 135-page script needs to be exceptional to survive that bias. Beyond perception, long scripts create real production problems. More pages mean more shooting days, more locations, more costs. A producer reading a 130-page spec mentally adds budget line items with every extra page. If your script runs long, the fix is almost never tightening dialogue — it is cutting scenes. Identify scenes that do not advance the plot or reveal character, and remove them. If a scene does both but the same information appears elsewhere, cut the weaker version. A lean script at 105 pages will always outcompete a bloated one at 125.
Page Count Is a Rewriting Tool
Use page count diagnostically throughout your writing process. If your first act break hits at page 40 instead of page 25-30, your setup is too slow. If your midpoint falls on page 75 instead of 55-60, your second act is front-loaded. If your climax starts at page 115, you have built a two-hour-plus film that will need significant cutting. Check these structural landmarks against their target pages regularly as you write. Free Screenwriter's structure tools let you see act and sequence boundaries alongside your page count, making it easy to identify where your pacing drifts from target. The goal is not rigid adherence to specific page numbers — it is using page count as a lens to spot structural problems before they become deeply embedded in your draft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 80 pages too short for a feature screenplay?
Generally yes. 80 pages translates to roughly an 80-minute film, which is short for theatrical features. Most distributors and festivals expect 90 minutes minimum. If your script is 80 pages, look for places to deepen character, add complications, or expand set pieces.
Do readers count pages when evaluating a screenplay?
Yes. The first thing a professional reader checks is page count. A script significantly over or under the expected range raises immediate concerns about pacing. Staying within the standard range for your format and genre avoids this unnecessary barrier.
Does dialogue-heavy writing make a script longer?
Dialogue takes up more vertical space on the page due to the narrow column width, so a dialogue-heavy script will have a higher page count relative to screen time. A 110-page dialogue-heavy script may play as a 95-minute film. Factor this into your page count targets.
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