How Many Pages Is a Screenplay? Page Count and Runtime Explained

Quick answer: A feature film screenplay is typically 90–120 pages, because one correctly formatted page equals about one minute of screen time. Short film scripts are usually 5–15 pages, half-hour TV episodes 25–35 pages and one-hour dramas 45–65 pages. Indian feature films often run 2 hours 15 minutes or more, so their scripts are commonly 120–150 pages, with songs noted briefly.

Key takeaways

• The one-page-per-minute rule only works with standard format: 12-point Courier and standard margins.

• Spec scripts that are too long signal an unfocused story; aim for the low end of the range.

• Dialogue-heavy pages play faster than a minute; action-heavy pages play slower.

• Production uses eighths of a page to schedule, so length directly affects budget.

Typical screenplay lengths by format

• Feature film (Hollywood/spec): 90–120 pages; comedies and horror often 90–100, dramas and epics up to 120+.

• Indian feature film: commonly 120–150 pages for 2h15–2h45 films, including an interval and songs.

• Short film: 1–15 pages; festivals often prefer under 15 minutes. See how to write a short film script.

• Half-hour comedy/streaming episode: 25–35 pages.

• One-hour drama episode: 45–65 pages.

• Web series episode: 5–25 pages depending on platform.

Why does one page equal one minute?

Courier is a monospaced font, so every character takes the same width, and screenplay margins fix how much text fits on a page. Over decades, the industry found that a standard page averages about a minute on screen. It is an average across the whole script, not a rule for each page — a page of fast dialogue may play in 40 seconds, while one line like "The armies clash" can take three minutes.

How should I handle songs in an Indian screenplay?

Do not write full lyrics into the screenplay draft. Add a short heading and a few lines describing the song's purpose and visuals — for example, a general element: SONG — "MALE BARUTHIDE" — Meera and Ravi fall in love across the monsoon months. Lyrics usually live in a separate document. A song that runs four minutes may take only half a page on paper, so account for song durations when estimating runtime.

My script is too long — how do I cut it?

1. Cut scenes that repeat information the audience already has.

2. Enter scenes late and leave early — start at the conflict, end at the turn.

3. Trim action paragraphs to three or four lines.

4. Remove camera directions and unnecessary parentheticals.

5. Combine minor characters who serve the same function.

6. Check scene lengths in a report to find the slowest sections.

Avoid "cheating" length with smaller fonts or margins — readers notice, and it breaks the page-to-minute estimate production relies on.

How can I estimate my script's runtime?

Use page count as the first estimate, then refine it with scene-level data. Kathe Kaara's reports show page eighths per scene, scene length histograms, act balance, dialogue-versus-action ratio and estimated shoot time per scene, so you can see where a draft is heavy before cutting.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 130-page screenplay too long?

For a Hollywood spec script, usually yes. For an Indian commercial feature with songs and an interval, 130 pages is normal.

Does the title page count as a page?

No. Page numbering starts after the title page, and the first page of the script is usually not numbered.

How many pages is a 10-minute short film?

About 10 pages, though action-heavy shorts can be shorter on paper.

What is the minimum length for a feature?

Most festivals and academies define a feature as over 40 minutes, but commercial features are rarely under 80 minutes, so plan for at least 80–90 pages.

Cover photo: Stacks of printed script pages — by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash.