Ready to dive into the wild world of screenwriting and make your mark with an eerie found footage film? Perfect! This series is your beginner-friendly map through the scriptwriting labyrinth. Disclaimer: this isn't for everyone. Some found footage writers prefer to create an outline and wing it. But for those who prefer the structure of a script, this series is for you.

In Part One, we’re diving into what it means to write a story, how to use the 3-act structure, why "show, don’t tell" is your new mantra, the essentials of script formatting, and finally, how writing found footage differs from the typical script. Let’s get started!

What It Means to Write a Found Footage Script

At its core, writing a story is all about taking your audience on a journey. It’s like opening a door to a new world—one where anything can happen. Your job as a screenwriter is to guide viewers through that world, sparking emotions and curiosity. In the context of a found footage film, this world is gritty, chaotic, and unnervingly real. Every element—dialogue, character actions, and visuals—needs to work together to pull the audience in and make them believe they’re watching something they shouldn’t be.

When you’re writing a story, think of it in three parts:

1. Beginning: Introduce us to the world and characters.

2. Middle: Build up the tension, creating obstacles and conflicts.

3. End: Resolve (or not) the conflict in a way that’s thrilling, satisfying, or downright terrifying.

But how do we structure this journey? That’s where the 3-act structure comes in.

The 3-Act Structure: The Heart of Your Found Footage Script

The 3-act structure is the backbone of almost every film, found footage or not. It’s like a map that guides your story from start to finish. Here’s the quick breakdown:

1. Act 1 – The Setup: This is where you lay the foundation. Introduce your main characters, set up the world they live in, and drop the inciting incident—the event that propels your characters into the story’s main conflict. In found footage, the setup could be as simple as friends deciding to film their paranormal investigation or a family setting up cameras to catch something strange happening at night. Keep this part engaging, but don’t reveal too much yet. We’re just planting the seeds.

2. Act 2 – The Confrontation: Here’s where the tension ramps up. Your characters face challenges, obstacles, and (in the case of found footage) increasingly creepy events. This act makes up the bulk of your script. The key is to keep building suspense and upping the stakes as your characters try to solve their problems or escape their fate. Maybe they catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure on the tape, or they get lost in the woods with no way out. Whatever happens, make sure each scene escalates the conflict.

3. Act 3 – The Resolution: It’s time for the climax—the big showdown. This is where everything your characters have experienced comes to a head. Maybe they finally face the entity they’ve been running from, or the camera captures a terrifying event in full. After the climax, give us a brief resolution: a haunting final moment that leaves the audience stunned or questioning what they’ve just seen.

Like what you see? In Part Two of this series, we’re tearing open the found footage playbook and breaking down these acts even further with a formula. Stay tuned...

The Golden Rule: "Show, Don’t Tell"

Here’s a pro tip for any screenwriter: Show, don’t tell. This means you should convey emotions, character traits, and plot details through actions and visuals, not dialogue.

Imagine this: instead of a character saying, “I’m scared,” you show them trembling, darting their eyes around the dark room, and clutching a flashlight so tightly their knuckles turn white. That tells the audience they’re terrified without using a single word.

In found footage, this rule is crucial. The whole point is to make the film feel like it was caught on camera in real life. Everything should be conveyed through what the camera captures—the characters’ faces, the shaky movements, the dark corners where something might be lurking. Let the audience see the story unfold, as if they’ve stumbled upon the footage themselves.

Script Formatting 101: The Basics

Now, let’s talk about script formatting. Screenwriting has its own unique format, and while it might seem daunting at first, it’s actually pretty straightforward. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Scene Headings (Sluglines): Each scene starts with a heading that tells us where the action is happening. It looks like this:

   • INT. ABANDONED HOUSE – NIGHT

   • EXT. WOODS – DAY "INT." means interior (inside), and "EXT." means exterior (outside). Next, you name the location, followed by the time of day.

2. Action: This describes what’s happening in the scene. Keep it clear and concise. Example:

   • The camera swings around, catching a brief glimpse of a shadow darting down the hallway.

3. Dialogue: When a character speaks, their name is written in all caps, centered on the page, with the dialogue directly underneath.

4. Camera Directions (for Found Footage): In found footage scripts, you can include brief camera directions to convey the perspective. For example:

   • CAMERA PANS LEFT, capturing the doorway just as it creaks open.

Formatting helps everyone involved in making the film understand the action, dialogue, and flow of each scene. For found footage scripts, keep descriptions raw and realistic, as if they were shot by an amateur with a shaky hand.

Want more info on formatting? Here's a great article.

What Makes Found Footage Scripts Different?

Found footage scripts come with their own set of quirks that set them apart from traditional screenplays:

1. First-Person POV: You’re writing from the perspective of the camera itself. Always consider who is holding the camera and why. This POV shapes how scenes are framed, what the audience sees, and what’s left to their imagination.

2. Less Polished Dialogue: Characters speak like real people—messy, overlapping, and sometimes awkward. Your dialogue should feel unrehearsed, like snippets of conversation caught on a shaky handheld camera.

3. Improvisation: Found footage films often allow room for improvisation. The script serves as a guide, outlining the main beats of each scene while leaving space for actors to react naturally to their surroundings.

4. Abrupt Endings: Found footage films often end abruptly, leaving viewers with a sense of unease. Your script might have the camera falling, static cutting to black, or the final shot of something horrifying that leaves more questions than answers.

That’s it for the basics! Now you’ve got a handle on what it means to write a story, use the 3-act structure, follow the "show, don’t tell" rule, format your script, and the key differences in writing for found footage. In Part Two, we’ll dive into character development.