Screenwriting

Most films end up doing away with substantial portions of their script’s dialogue. The director eventually finds that lots of the story’s meaning is communicated or implied visually. The dialogue has become extraneous, unnecessary.

Consider:

From TALES FROM THE SCRIPT, Edited by Peter Hanson and Pau...

Expand post

Consider:

From TALES FROM THE SCRIPT, Edited by Peter Hanson and Paul Robert Herman, HarperCollins, 2010, p. 170, screenwriter Andrew W. Marlowe described an example of how the script differs from the movie:

"There was this experience on AIR FORCE ONE, where I’d written this little speech. Harrison came up to me and he said,

"'It’s a great speech.'

"'I said, 'Oh, thank you.'

"He said, 'I’m not gonna do it. All this, I can do with a look.'

"And he could."

And there’s this from Alex Garland in SCREENWRITERS’ MASTERCLASS, Edited by Kevin Conroy Scott, Faber & Faber Ltd. 2005, p. 164:

"One of the things I definitely learned (from drawing cartoons) was how redundant dialogue can be at times. What you can do is rely on the image; (successful) comic books and films do this the whole time."

And later, on p. 165:

"There’s a terrific urge to overstate because you’re afraid that people will miss something, and when I look at 28 DAYS LATER, for example, which is the only screenplay I have ever written that went straight through to being made into a film, one of the things I think is tonally wrong about it is that it spells stuff out at times when it really doesn’t need to."

The problem is, screenplays, in their pre-film state, can’t rely on Harrison Ford’s “look.” They can’t always get things across that the eventual film, with ease, will do from within its visual, directorial, and performance arsenals. Worse, “spec” scripts from unproven screenwriters must get their stories across to an agency or studio reader already biased by the writer’s lack of experience. Yet those specs are held to the same standard.

Screenplays must communicate their meaning fully and clearly or risk losing their reader and the sale because of the potential casting of somebody like George Spelvin (non-actor extraordinaire), rather than Harrison Ford, not to mention other deficiencies like insufficient information, critical logic lapses, or merely a lack of emphasis. It may look like a duck, it may walk like a duck, but on the page, until it talks like a duck, it ain't a duck!

It recalls that old story about the blind men and the elephant: each man identified a different object as he touched some part of the beast. None “saw” the elephant. At least in the movie version of the fable, until they get Harrison Ford or Steven Spielberg, they’ll have to rely on the script. And, to all the spec writers out there, if that doesn't work, may the Ford be with you!

Stage 32’s founder and CEO, Richard “RB” Botto, shares two videos in today’s blog.

In the first video, FilmStack explores McConaughey’s professional reinvention, also known as “The McConaissance”.

In the second video, RB dives into why networking isn’t just important—it’s essential to success in this...

Expand post

Maurice Vaughan

5
5 people like this
3 weeks ago

Great advice, Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal"! I plan on entering this contest. I want to go over my script one more time first. Hope your script does well in the contest!...

Expand comment

Howard Koor

4
4 people like this
3 weeks ago

Good luck.........

Pat Alexander

2
2 people like this
- Jim Boston
- Maurice Vaughan
3 weeks ago

Stage 32 contest winners all take a full slate of meetings with the judges listed on the contest pages, which regularly include multiple lit managers and producers/development executives of recent mov...

View all All comments

2
2 people like this
- Abdusamad Shafiev
- Benjamin Elliott
3 weeks ago

Thanks, Howard Koor.

3
3 people like this
3 weeks ago

Great point, Mike Boas. Screenwriters can be actors too. I act out the dialogue and scenes in my scripts.

Zee Risek

Haha, reminds me of the time Dave Foley was on a late night talk show, I don't remember which one, Letterman or Conan or Leno. They were going to show a clip from one of his projects, so to set up the...

Also reminds me of the Simpson's episode, "You Only Move Twice", where the Simpsons move to another town because Homer get a job working for a James Bond Supervillain, Hank Scorpio. The Simpsons are t...

1
1 person likes this
- Jim Boston
3 weeks ago

Haha Thanks for sharing the story, Zee Risek. "A grocery store worker sweeping the aisle." Someone could definitely make a script out of that. A superspy working at a grocery store, an undercover cop...

Rossi Kaufman

2
2 people like this
- Abdusamad Shafiev
- Maurice Vaughan
3 weeks ago

Mike Childress you gotta watch Withnail & I (think it's on Max right now). High-key an amazing movie, one of those diamonds in the rough not nearly enough people have seen. Random but pretty sure it's one of Jonah Hill's favorite movies which is why I watched it back in the day

Pamela De Nicolo

I agree. It's always been less is more. I love the amount of interpretations I can give to silence instead of words. They're words, most of the time didascalic. I don't want that at all. Unfortunately, storytellers are losing touch with it

Philip David Lee

I think it depends on the content of what the character is saying. You couldn't have made Talk Radio with just looks or have the the comedy genius of When Harry Met Sally without setting up the punchl...

1
1 person likes this
- Abdusamad Shafiev
3 weeks ago

Drongo Bum Back then, I'm sure you're right, but if Ford can't be professional enough to do the job he's being paid for, who's fault is that? He became a primadonna because everyone allowed him to bec...

Robert Bruinewoud

i've heard experienced screenwriters share the fact that they often write dialogue knowing full well it will be cut – either on the day or in the edit – but write it any way so that the scene functions on the page

1
1 person likes this
- Benjamin Elliott
3 weeks ago

Thanks for sharing the character arc template, Dami | Screenwriter. What screenwriting software is that?

I use FD 12, Mike Childress, but I can track characters and words by going to "Edit" and "Find."

FD 12 also has character reports and cast reports that tell me how many scenes the characters are in and...

You're welcome, Mike Childress. Hope you can get Navigator 2.0 to work. It might be more work, but you could download your script and track a character with the Find tool in a pdf program if you can't get Navigator to work.

I shut down FD when I'm not using it, Mike Childress, but that's just so I don't have too many things running at once. The same thing for Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, browser tabs, etc. Running too...

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

2
2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Abdusamad Shafiev
3 weeks ago

Absolutely. Even if it’s a very small arc it’s great to make even your most minor characters look like they’re growing.

I’m planning on greatly expanding a minor character from RoP in TER, there’s so much I can do with him still :D

Chase Cysco

Philip David Lee That’s a great point—books give you full creative control, while screenplays rely on so many moving parts (and a lot of $$$). Definitely makes me think about writing more books. Do yo...

Stefano Pavone i agree ! i cant stop thinking about my story in my head and how it will look on screen and also make people feel

Mark Deuce your on your pokemon go shyttttt lol

2
2 people like this
- Benjamin Elliott
- Maurice Vaughan
3 weeks ago

Eric Christopherson That makes a lot of sense—if an idea sticks with you, it’s probably worth chasing. I love that Coppola insight too; the best stories always seem to spark strong reactions. Do you h...

Howard Koor agree !! i notice when i write stuff for people and help ghost write i dont get as motivated ! it feels like work and then i just get turned off

3 weeks ago

Hi, D A Stenard. I think you're talking about Your Library. Click the gear symbol in the top right-hand corner of Stage 32's homepage and select "My Library" to see the Education you bought....