Screenwriters

[Audley Strange]

Dialogue should be the last thing you add to a screenplay. In fact you should be able to understand the story without any at all simply from the descriptions. The medium is sight based and lots of excess verbage, especially exposition makes a script feel clunky and unreal.

That's funny because I always pictured a script as being primarily dialogue, with any descriptions and scene settings and such kept to an absolute bare minimum. In fact one of my stories I did was told exclusively through dialogue and I thought, Oh, this one would make a particularly good movie. It's practically a screenplay already.




So Audley. You said you do stuff for your own amusement. Do you have anything for sale, though? Like, that I could buy?

"It's practically a radio-play already." Actually you bring up a brilliant thing, which I can point to directly. Watch Clerks or even Dogma. Everything is dialogue in those movies, to the extent that you can close your eyes to watch them. Then go watch Alien.

Anyway what do you mean buy? As in buy the rights? or "can you show me how you did it?" if it's the latter, if you are looking for sample scripts I'll gladly send you something along or if you are looking for more than that, techniques and stuff, I'll supply some excellent links or you can ask me anything here. I'm always glad to help in whatever way I can.

[tattuchu]

Didn't you say you did comics, Audley? That's what I meant. Are any published or self-published, or in any form that I might purchase and enjoy?

[Bella Fortuna]

I envy you all who can come up with ideas... as with visual art, I can do pretty well with technique and technical aspects but I have zero inspiration.

[SteveB]

I envy you all who can come up with ideas... as with visual art, I can do pretty well with technique and technical aspects but I have zero inspiration.

Here, have some of mine

[Twoflower]

I had to write a play for my high school English class, I filled it with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Got the highest grade out of everyone. Haven't written anything since.

[Bella Fortuna]

I envy you all who can come up with ideas... as with visual art, I can do pretty well with technique and technical aspects but I have zero inspiration.

Here, have some of mine

That will inspire me to love and sleepiness.

[Audley Strange]

Didn't you say you did comics, Audley? That's what I meant. Are any published or self-published, or in any form that I might purchase and enjoy?

umm... http://audleystrange.com/

It's a mess, the site that is, though the comic's not much better. I've got two different things on the go with Aud, Hypocrypha which are single tales, including the very first drawings and The Profane Comedy which is one long ongoing story. If nothing else I think it acts as an example of how practice and effort do pay off because when I started I couldn't draw to save myself. Now I just might be lucky enough to make it to a hospital.

Now let's never speak of it again.

Enjoy.

[tattuchu]

Bookmarked

First page reminds of Sim/Gerhard.

[Jason]

Argh.. finally got Audley's page to load but it didn't load the comic. Now it's back to resetting the connection.
Damn this satellite ISP I don't pay for.

[Audley Strange]

Bookmarked

First page reminds of Sim/Gerhard.

Cheers for that, I wish I had their talent. I'm trying to do something which is a cross between Beano comics Dante's Inferno. Sim/Gerhard's art is a huge influence because it reminds me of Doré's work on the Divine Comedy.

[Seth]

Everything I've been told says not to "direct" the film in the screenplay, that's the job of the Director on set. This is why A is better than B or C, and Pord's example is better yet. Tight, pithy and sets the mood and tone, leaving the details of what shot best conveys the information up to the Cinematographer and Director.

I'd make one small change to Pord's example

The light from the lighthouse scours the dark sky like a baleful searchlight; an unearthly roar sounds in the distance.

George looks at Sarah, sighs and lights a cigarette. "Can you hear it?" he asks.

EXT Lighthouse - NIGHT

The light from the lighthouse scours the dark sky like a baleful searchlight; an unearthly roar sounds in the distance.

George looks at Sarah, sighs and lights a cigarette. A tear runs down his cheek.

GEORGE Can you hear it?

[hadespussercats]

I envy you all who can come up with ideas... as with visual art, I can do pretty well with technique and technical aspects but I have zero inspiration.

Oh, I doubt that!

YOU can DOOO it! [/Bela Karolyi]


I think it's about being willing to reveal thoughts or images that you tell yourself are too stupid or boring to share. But I'm just talking out my ass here.

[Audley Strange]

Everything I've been told says not to "direct" the film in the screenplay, that's the job of the Director on set. This is why A is better than B or C, and Pord's example is better yet. Tight, pithy and sets the mood and tone, leaving the details of what shot best conveys the information up to the Cinematographer and Director.

I'd make one small change to Pord's example

The light from the lighthouse scours the dark sky like a baleful searchlight; an unearthly roar sounds in the distance.

George looks at Sarah, sighs and lights a cigarette. "Can you hear it?" he asks.

EXT Lighthouse - NIGHT

The light from the lighthouse scours the dark sky like a baleful searchlight; an unearthly roar sounds in the distance.

George looks at Sarah, sighs and lights a cigarette. A tear runs down his cheek.

GEORGE Can you hear it?

If you are writing a script it's certainly not mandatory, however again, there is a difference between writing a script and writing the screenplay. This is why films often have Story by a single or couple of people and then Screenplay by anywhere between one and four people. I'm not sure how it's done in the U.S. I know the American Writers Guild has different rules than here and it depends on studios etc as well as teleplays that different Networks expect different things. Here I was expected to write a synopsis, then write it out as a script, then write it out as a screenplay. As far as I was away a fleshed out screenplay though was the way to go because it shows you have an eye for the material.

A lot of screenwriters are just guys who sit there on set waiting for the director producer or anyone to change his mind on something in the story and they have to write on spec the directions, change the dialogue to "you know something like..." and make sure it doesn't lead to plot anomalies.