Have you broken the Fourth Wall with your screenplays? I crafted many scripts before doing this with two of my recent comedies. Not only was it creatively liberating, it was a total blast! I think someone who has done this brilliantly is Woody Allen. Here's a whimsical scene from The Purple Rose Of Cairo, where one of the main characters literally walks through the screen at a movie matinee.
Screenwriting : Breaking The Wall by Phillip E. Hardy, "The Real Deal"
Other topics in Screenwriting:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
3 people like this
Love that film! Woody is certainly a master of his craft.
1 person likes this
Phil: My favorite comedic director/writer. So many great films.
I’ve thought about it, but haven’t found a way it would serve the narrative in anything I’m working on. For one short film I directed, the main actor embraced his love interest, then turned and winked at the camera. It wasn’t scripted but felt natural so I kept it.
I haven't, but I love it when others do.
I actually just used it in my new Horror movie script. When we meet him, we think he's the protagonist but slowly turns into the antagonist... breaks the fourth wall all along. It's great because it helps get around expositional dialogue, a lot.
The final line in my comedy "What's the Big Idea?" is delivered via breaking the 4th wall. The script is a throwback to classic screwball comedies with lots of snappy and hard-boiled dialogue :^}
Phillip, I went ahead and broke the fourth wall with the "Tin Mine" screenplay I'm working on. The lead character (a song plugger named Sue Ellen) will do all the destroying...and the plan is to do it sparingly. (When I originally worked out the script in 1984, the fourth-wall technique was used three times.)