Reader-clock placement
See whether a page count sits in the typical band, the tighter comfort band, or outside current practice for the format you chose.
Free · private browser tool
Free Screenplay Length Checker
Check a feature, pilot, or short against page-count practice, official contest windows, and a published feature corpus — then export a memo you can send with the draft.
Useful output, not a score
What this tool gives you
Official windows, not sample caps
Compare the same count to contest windows that publish a full-draft range — and skip first-five-page caps that are not length rules.
Redacted handoff memo
Copy a memo that records the verdict, the windows, and optional story-word notes without including screenplay body text.
How to use it
- 1
Choose a format and enter the page count
Pick feature, half-hour, hour, or short, then type the current page count from a laid-out PDF. Optionally open a Final Draft .fdx for story-word context.
- 2
Read the placement against published windows
The checker maps the count onto typical and comfort bands, official contest windows, and — for features — a published narrative-word corpus used as a planning proxy, not a page measurement.
- 3
Export the memo
Copy a redacted memo you can attach to notes or a cover letter. The memo never includes scene text from the opened file.
Questions writers ask
Does this tell me the script is good?
No. Page count is a reader signal — how long the draft feels in the chair — not a quality score. A 98-page feature can still be slack; a 118-page feature can still be tight.
Why is the corpus shown in words instead of pages?
The published MovieSum feature set reports narrative word counts, not formatted pages. The desk uses that distribution as a planning proxy and states the conversion in the open so the number cannot be mistaken for a measured page count.
Which contests actually publish a full-draft page window?
The Submission Center lists one full-draft window: Nicholl at 80–125 pages. Confirm the official page before you send — a listed range is not the same as an open window. Sample-only caps, such as a five-page first-round limit, are not treated as length rules.
Can I open a Final Draft FDX?
Yes. Open a local .fdx for story-word and scene-count context. Page numbers inside Final Draft are not the reader-facing count — confirm the laid-out PDF.
Does the length checker upload my screenplay?
Only if you choose Continue in Plot. The page-count check and optional Final Draft parse run in your browser. Continue in Plot sends a copy of the draft so it opens as a new Plot project, and Inkwell keeps that copy for 24 hours. The file name stays on your device.
Defined in the glossary
Page Count
The number of story pages a reader sees in a laid-out screenplay PDF. It is an early estimate of runtime and writer discipline — a pacing signal, not a stopwatch and not a quality score.
Pilot
A pilot is the first episode of a TV series, written and often filmed to sell the show. It introduces the characters, the world and the kind of story the series can tell week after week.
Spec Script
A screenplay written on speculation — no deal yet — meant to sell the story or showcase craft. Specs usually skip production numbering and camera direction.
Feature Film
A full-length movie, defined by the Academy, the AFI and the BFI as running more than 40 minutes; most run 90 to 120 minutes, from screenplays of about 90 to 120 pages.
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