what is more important, an over polished draft, or just a polished writing with good and depth in scene and dialogues which are good not maybe best one.
as i am very early time writer, I am very much learning things too. That's why my scenes are not maybe much polished with poetic writing, like I used somewhere like "a person gets off from the car with formal dress and walking in usual pace" or do I need to use like "A young man in formal attire steps out, walking with a calm, deliberate pace...".
My first draft is kinda messy, but I can assure u that my dialogues are good, and I know that. Please tell me I am worried, because I am writing my scenes like I am creating the house and whole a new universe maybe with crack voice.
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It's a first draft, DJ Gautam. Don't worry about it being messy. You can clean up the script during rewrites. Stage 32 has feedback services if you want to get feedback on your script when you're done rewriting it (www.stage32.com/scriptservices).
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Hi DJ, it's an exciting time for you. Being a writer early in their career means there are so many possibilities ahead of you. I would recommend you focus on just writing and finishing your script. DO NOT get caught up in the "Poetry" of the words as yet. Once you have finished your first messy draft that we like to call a "Vomit" draft, then the actual writing begins. Writing is rewriting.
The examples you gave, the second one is definitely better. You want us as the reader to not only see what you are describing in our heads, but you also have to set us in the emotional mood and pacing of the scene with how short or long your sentences are and how descriptive. DO NOT get overly descriptive, but DO NOT be sparce either. I would add that id the man has an age and a name it would be good to put that. "A Young man, JAMES (23), steps out of a red sports car wearing a form fitting black tux. He walks toward the front door, calm, deliberate, scanning the surroundings diligently. He observes two surveillance cameras panning with him."
Paint the picture that will pull us in but ignore details that are not relevant. You don't necessary need to describe the sports car, you don't need to describe details on the suit, you don't need to describe the building he is entering unless the building's aesthetic is significant to the story. In a horror movie, sci fi movie or in situations where you want to emphasize how rich the house looks, it might be. Otherwise just say mansion, or corporate building or apartment.
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Kevin Jackson Thank you so much for your words. These words are mean more than just some advice. I will definitely work on my vomit to give it an aesthetic look, thank you for the guidance.
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Maurice Vaughan thank you so much.
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Read professional screenplays and you'll find a wide spectrum of voices. Some are minimalist, some are flowery. There's no right or wrong. It's like the way colour photography isn't better than black or white, or how a watercolour isn't better than an oil painting. Craft is craft. Talent is talent.
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You're welcome, DJ Gautam. Stage 32 has an on-demand webinar called "How to Better Rewrite and Polish Your Feature Screenplay or Pilot" (www.stage32.com/education/products/how-to-better-rewrite-and-polish-your...). It's taught by Steve Desmond. He co-wrote M. Night Shyamalan's movie Knock at the Cabin.
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A strong, active structure is more important than polish for making a good film, and this is where most writers fail, but the polish might be more important as a sales tool when getting reads and trying to market the script.
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DJ Gautam That happened to me, maybe all of us, when we first started, generalized descriptions and connectors as I call them. Don't worry, your voice is still shaping it sounds like. Finish the drafts fully without judgement, and to me, focus on typos and grammar mistakes at first, to be polished in that way, and let your own voice grow and stretch as it sees and feels like it, depending on the story and emotion. Trust your imagination, and focus on proper grammar and spelling, especially in those final drafts. Execs, producers, etc.. really expect that, spelling, grammar, polish, but they want to hear and see you, your world, and your unique point of view. Hope this helps.
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CJ Walley great advice and excellent analogies. Reading scripts definitely is one of the best ways to help hone your writing. I remember a writing mentor once told me, "Books are great to learn the rules and frameworks, but to truly understand how to be a great writer, read scripts and watch movies. Read good, great and bad scripts so that you can know what makes them tick or not tick."
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Totally agree Juliana Philippi focus on finishing and ensuring grammar and spelling are polished first. Many reviewers have said, when the grammar, spelling or format is off, it makes it hard to read which messes up the pacing for them and almost always automatically fails the script, because they have been so pulled out of the story, that they cannot focus on what the film is trying to say.
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Thank you everyone for the guidance, yeah, it means a lot. and oh my god love these people, how much they support people like me, thank you so much again. lots love and respect to every single one. wish you a very good day.