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We See The Rules (The Debate Rages On) (currently 6550 views) |
Adam S |
Posted: June 26th, 2005, 8:10pm |
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New God loves you, everyone else thinks your an idiot
LocationIowa Posts6 Posts Per Day 0.00 |
what does *beat* mean??? |
| Tension - working title - (thriller, drama) "what will you do when you go past your boiling point!"
Going Under - working title (horror, suspense) "I have an unkown disease, and I want you to feel my pain!" |
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dogglebe |
Posted: June 26th, 2005, 9:06pm |
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(beat) is used to show a pause before someone talks. Here's an example:
MARY John, I have some news for you.
JOHN What is it?
MARY I'm pregnant.
JOHN (beat) Pregnant?
Here, John paused before saying 'pregnant.' (beat) is only used when there's a pause before a character talks. If someone pauses in the middle of talking, you use three periods, as seen below.
JOHN I can't believe you're pregnant... When did this happen?
Here, there's a pause after 'pregnant.'
Phil |
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Adam S |
Posted: June 26th, 2005, 9:27pm |
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New God loves you, everyone else thinks your an idiot
LocationIowa Posts6 Posts Per Day 0.00 |
Thanks alot! |
| Tension - working title - (thriller, drama) "what will you do when you go past your boiling point!"
Going Under - working title (horror, suspense) "I have an unkown disease, and I want you to feel my pain!" |
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sfpunk |
Posted: January 23rd, 2006, 11:23pm |
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LocationUS Posts102 Posts Per Day 0.01 |
I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered and if it has, then I guess an administrator can feel free to delete this thread. Anyway, what I have a question on is the usage of we see's and beats in a screenplay. I know that both are frowned upon but is it really that bad to use them? I have just read the sixth sense and signs and both are early drafts and not shooting scripts and they contain an abundance of we see's and beats. Is that becase he directs his own scripts and has such creative control over the projects then studios let it slide, or can they be used as long as they don't detract from the story. Sometimes it seems alot easier to put things in we see terms especially for setting the atmopshere and settings.
Related to that I read it was okay to write we see if it was implying something the audience will see but the character does not. Am I correct in thinking that? Also, beats seem to work well in action paragraphs to imply pauses and they keep the words down and are precise. Anyway, what I'm asking is are we see's and beats a definete no no or can they be used somewhat sparingly in a script of good quality? If the script is good enough would people in a good position read it anyway or be turned off by those things? just something I'm curious about so responses would be appreciated thanks -Matt |
| My Scripts 'Trail Of Ashes' - (Drama/Horror)
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George Willson |
Posted: January 23rd, 2006, 11:28pm |
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Of The Ancients Doctor who? Yes, quite right.
LocationBroken Arrow Posts3591 Posts Per Day 0.51 |
M. Night writes what can be considered shooting scripts and no one cares because a) they're going to be produced and b) he's going to direct them. What we write on here are called spec scripts. To write something on spec means you're writing it without being asked to or being paid to do it. You also don't know who's going to read it, produce it, direct it, or act in it. Therefore, the script must read as close to a pure story as possible. Books do not have beats or we sees. The author relies purely on his ability as a wordsmith to tell the story. The difference between using these and not using them is the difference between telling a story and teling about a movie. We don't want to be reminded we're reading a screenplay, so you don't use these directing devices. Readers are the first line of defense before you get to a producer. They have the job of weeding out the riff-raff and they would die for an interesting story. If you keep pulling them out by telling them what they see (and even think in one case I read), they're going to toss it. |
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guyjackson |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 12:04am |
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Yeah my first script that I wrote had a ridiculous amount of we see's in it. When someone alerted it to my attention I went back and read it over and it truly looks like it's an amateur piece of writing. Any sentence that contains we see can be reformatted to look ten times better.
Beats I do use though. I have people constantly telling me to stay away from them but I like using it. It has more of a punch do it then "pauses". Of course I don't butcher my screenplays with beats but I do use them sparingly.
I don't know I guess it just depends how much pull you have in the business and who is reading your work. |
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James McClung |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 12:14am |
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Of The Ancients
LocationWashington, D.C. Posts3293 Posts Per Day 0.49 |
This is the first I've learned of beats being frowned upon. I use them often as they really enhance scenes of dialogue. It makes me feel like what has been said has had an emotional impact on the characters and that feelings are alive within them. I'm disappointed to learn they're discouraged. They seem so inconsequential. What's the harm in using a beat or two... or three? |
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guyjackson |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 12:19am |
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My thoughts exactly, James.
My favorite writer and mentor Richard Kelly uses them in his screenplays and I think it is well known how accomplished of a writer he is.
I just think producers and execs are just getting lazier and don't want to have to read more than they want to. |
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sfpunk |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 12:41am |
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New
LocationUS Posts102 Posts Per Day 0.01 |
Yeah, which is why I think beats are better. Instead of writing "he pauses" or something alone those lines you can just write "beat". Seems to make sense to me but I have a few books that say that you shouldn't use them too often if at all. |
| My Scripts 'Trail Of Ashes' - (Drama/Horror)
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George Willson |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 2:17am |
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Of The Ancients Doctor who? Yes, quite right.
LocationBroken Arrow Posts3591 Posts Per Day 0.51 |
You could also use something like ... ellipses. They tend to ... how you say ... create that feeling of ... oh ... beats and yet they really don't clutter up the page with unnecessary ... oh what are they? ... parentheticals. |
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Martin |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 7:14am |
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Been Around
LocationFrankfurt, Germany Posts607 Posts Per Day 0.09 |
George is right. I tend to use ellipses to denote a pause in dialogue and action "..." If a longer beat is required, I'll use a short description rather than the word beat. |
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Andy Petrou |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 7:31am |
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Been Around
Posts697 Posts Per Day 0.10 |
Therefore, the script must read as close to a pure story as possible. Books do not have beats or we sees. The author relies purely on his ability as a wordsmith to tell the story. The difference between using these and not using them is the difference between telling a story and teling about a movie. We don't want to be reminded we're reading a screenplay, so you don't use these directing devices. |
I had no idea about beats being frowned upon. Or CUT TO: or CONTINUOUS either. Hmmm... at least I'm learning now! Dammit, now I have to re-do all my stuff. I'll see if I have time before I go to Canada. Thanks for the tips. |
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dogglebe |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 8:13am |
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Beats and ellypses are frowned upon as you;'re telling the writer how to act. He or she will read the script his own way and ecided if a pause is needed.
(beat), when used, is used to give a pause before a character speaks. It's not used to split up his dialogue. To split up someone's dialogue, you use the ellipses... like this.
examples can be seen below:
BOBBY Dad? Where Champ?
DAD Bobby, I have some bad news... Champ was run over by the mailman.
BOBBY (beat) Champ?
Phil |
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Mr.Z |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 8:27am |
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Been Around
LocationBuenos Aires - Argentina Posts743 Posts Per Day 0.11 |
I also use elipses instead of beats in dialogue lines, but very sparingly. You can spend a lot of time thinking and setting the beats of your dialogue lines, but itīs useless; the actor will interpret those lines in the way he wants (or the director wants) anyways.
Concerning beats in action lines... try not to use them. Nothing is more annoying than to be forced to read... nothing. Itīs better to hit the enter key to hint a beat between two action lines, than force the reader to read "beat" again and again.
As far as format goes, be careful when reading scripts from the big boys; rules donīt apply to them the way they apply to us. |
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James McClung |
Posted: January 24th, 2006, 10:52am |
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Of The Ancients
LocationWashington, D.C. Posts3293 Posts Per Day 0.49 |
Yeah, I use elipses too but in different contexts. For once, I don't care that such things our frowned up. Removing them can make a scene feel hollow. It's almost like punctuating a sentence differently to give it a new meaning. |
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