Free screenwriting tool
Screenplay Pages to Minutes Calculator
A screenplay page runs about one minute of screen time, so a 90 page script plays for about an hour and a half and a 120 page script for about two hours. Type a page count, or drop your script and we count the pages, and this calculator turns them into minutes.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
In short
One screenplay page runs about one minute of screen time, so a 90 page script plays for about 90 minutes and a 120 page script for about two hours. Type a page count or drop your script and this calculator turns the pages into minutes.
Estimated screen time
1 h 50 min
Inside the usual range for a feature film (90 to 120 pages).
By format
- Feature film90 to 120 pages · 1 h 30 min to 2 h
- One-hour TV drama43 to 65 pages · 43 min to 1 h 5 min
- Half-hour single camera30 to 35 pages · 30 min to 35 min
- Half-hour multi-camera52 to 58 pages · 52 min to 58 min
- Short film7 to 15 pages · 7 min to 15 min
Features by genre
- Horror90 to 105 pages · 1 h 30 min to 1 h 45 min
- Comedy105 to 110 pages · 1 h 45 min to 1 h 50 min
- Action100 to 120 pages · 1 h 40 min to 2 h
- Thriller90 to 110 pages · 1 h 30 min to 1 h 50 min
- Faith100 to 115 pages · 1 h 40 min to 1 h 55 min
Ranges follow Stephen Follows’ research on produced screenplays, the same figures ScriptLix Studio checks drafts against.
How to use it
- 1
Type your page count, or tap one of the common lengths.
- 2
Drop your script anywhere on the page if you want the real count instead of a guess.
- 3
Nudge the minutes per page if your script is very talky or very action heavy, then share the result.
How many pages is each screenplay format?
| Format | Typical pages | Screen time |
|---|---|---|
| Feature film | 90 to 120 | About 90 to 120 minutes |
| One hour TV drama | 43 to 65 | Under an hour, before ads |
| Half hour single camera | 30 to 35 | About 22 to 30 minutes |
| Half hour multi camera | 52 to 58 | About 22 to 30 minutes (double spaced) |
| Short film | 7 to 15 | About 7 to 15 minutes |
Why is a screenplay page about a minute?
Standard screenplay format, Courier 12 point on a letter page with fixed margins, was built so each page averages close to a minute of screen time. It is an average, not a law. A page of rapid fire dialogue can play in forty seconds, and a single line like “The armies clash” can take three minutes.
Across a whole feature those swings mostly cancel out, which is why producers, readers and contests all use page count as the first read on length. If your number looks off, the format is usually the reason: shrunken margins or a smaller font make a script look shorter than it will play.
How long is a feature screenplay or a TV script?
The calculator uses these bands. Features usually run 90 to 120 pages. One hour TV dramas run roughly 43 to 65 pages, single camera half hours 30 to 35, and multi camera sitcoms 52 to 58, because they are double spaced. Short films are anything up to about 40 pages, with many festival shorts between 7 and 15.
Genre moves the target. Horror and comedy tend to come in shorter, while action and big dramas run longer. The genre table above shows where most produced features in each genre land.
Does one page always equal one minute?
No. It is a rule of thumb for a whole script, not a promise for every page. A page of quick dialogue can play in well under a minute, while a single line such as they fight their way out of the burning hangar can run for several minutes on screen. Across a full script those differences tend to balance out, which is why the estimate is still useful.
Treat the calculator as a planning tool. Directors, editors and actors all change the final running time, and nobody times a spec script with a stopwatch.
How do you cut pages from a screenplay?
Start with entries and exits. Most scenes can begin later and end sooner than the first draft allows. Then trim action: cut adjectives, merge short paragraphs, and remove camera directions a reader does not need.
Look for scenes that repeat a beat the audience already understands, and for two minor characters who could become one. Avoid cheating the format with smaller margins or fonts; readers notice, and the page count stops meaning anything.
How long should a short film script be?
Use the same rule: a ten page script is about a ten minute film. Festivals set their own maximum running times for shorts, so check the rules of the ones you want to enter before you write.
Shorter shorts are easier to make well and easier for programmers to fit into a schedule. If your short is creeping toward twenty pages, ask whether it is really the first act of a feature.
Questions writers ask
How many pages is a 90 minute screenplay?
About 90 pages. At the standard minute a page, a 90 minute film is a 90 page script, give or take five.
How long is a 120 page screenplay?
About two hours on screen. Most readers see 120 pages as the top of the usual range for a spec feature.
How many pages is a 30 minute TV script?
Around 30 to 35 pages for a single camera half hour. Multi camera sitcoms run longer on the page, about 52 to 58, because their dialogue is double spaced.
How many pages is a one hour TV pilot?
Usually 50 to 65 pages for a network or streaming drama, which plays to roughly 42 to 60 minutes.
Does the calculator count pages in Final Draft files?
Yes, but Final Draft and Fountain files carry no fixed pages, so we estimate from the word count. Export a PDF for the exact count.
How long is a 100 page screenplay?
About 100 minutes, using the page per minute rule. The final film may run shorter or longer depending on the action and the edit.
Does the title page count toward the page count?
No. The title page is not numbered and is not counted. Page one is the first page of the story.
How many pages is a 10 minute short film?
About 10 pages. Dialogue heavy shorts can run a little longer on the page, action heavy shorts a little shorter.
Embed this tool
Run a screenwriting blog, a class page or a writers group site? Paste this code and the runtime calculator works right on your page, free, with a small link back to ScriptLix. Preview the embed.
<iframe src="https://scriptlix.com/embed/screenplay-runtime-calculator" title="Runtime calculator by ScriptLix" width="100%" height="760" style="border:0;max-width:760px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Further reading
- From the blogWhat Script Readers Look For in the First 5 PagesScript readers form a near final verdict by page five. Here is what they grade, what each of your first five pages must prove, and a checklist to survive coverage.
- From the blogHow Long Does It Take to Sell a Screenplay? The Honest TimelineOvernight screenplay sales almost always had years of unpaid work behind them. Here is the realistic timeline, stage by stage, with 2026 WGA figures and what you simply cannot rush.