Archive for the ‘Script Tips’ Category
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Don't use "WE OPEN, anything like it.
"We open on a beautiful desert dune..."
"We follow the car through the tunnel..."
It's too ornamental. Adds too many words.
FADE UP:
EXT. DESERT DUNES - DAY
The sun is rising. Larry and Jane are still walking.
That there tells us all we need to know. ...
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Monday, April 28th, 2008
If you set up your character as a scientist, don't have her later on in the script bogged down by a basic math problem, or talking like she's a high school cheerleader. Even experienced writers run into this glitch, when writing a script over many months or even ...
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Sunday, April 27th, 2008
When describing the character on the page, give us just enough to take a memorable mental snapshot of him, and then move on. We just need enough to have the mental image of him; we don't need his life story or two lines of description. Don't bog down ...
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Saturday, April 26th, 2008
Keep your action and descriptions in the present tense. e.g. "Larry walks into the yard." rather than "Larry walked into the yard" or "Larry is walking into the yard." It's more active and flows better.
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Friday, April 25th, 2008
When describing your protagonist the first time we meet him/her, resist the temptation to refer to him as "Our main main" or "Our Hero." It's cute, yeah, but it's the mark of a beginner. Reveal who he/she is by showing what he/she does and says.
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Thursday, April 24th, 2008
We've all done it. We've written sluglines like this:
INT. WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS
instead of
INT. WAREHOUSE - DAY
And there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. Most writers just type CONTINUOUS in order to clearly specify that the scene is a continuation of the last scene, whether DAY or NIGHT. ...
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
"Movies are movies and books are books, and never the twain shall meet." - Confucious
Look at these two examples.
(a) "Hello, Delilah. Are you going to the parade this afternoon? I am bringing my pet rock, Alfred."
(b) "Hey Delilah. You goin to the parade this ...
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
How much time did you spend today in traffic? Browsing the internet? Watching television? If you consider yourself a writer, there's no excuse for you to not spend at least 60 solid minutes writing. Every day. Get into the habit and don't deviate. Writers write. Or at least stare out ...
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Remember the rule of thumb: 1 page = approximately one minute of screen time. So 120 pages = approximately 120 minutes. What agent, producer, actor, or script reader wants to read more than that? They're busy people! Don't come off as an unprofessional hack. ...
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Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
You might be a 30 year veteran of the Army, with three tours under your belt, or you might be the most devoted fan of a major science fiction book series, but when using highly-specific lingo or vocabulary, you need to recognize the fine line between a colorful script and ...
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