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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Western Scripts  /  Rough Riders
Posted by: Don, September 17th, 2009, 9:47pm
Rough Riders by Arthur Martin Jr.  - Western, Family - An Arizona Judge, tired of the revolving doors for young offenders created by the system, develops his own brand of rehab. His solution turns out to be poignant and permanent!  118 pages - pdf, format 8)
Posted by: Ophelia, September 22nd, 2009, 6:49am; Reply: 1
Hey interesting script, stands out on this site.  Not sure I'd describe it as 'family' though.
Notes:
Way over written first couple paragraphs, can't really understand whats going on.
no description of the rough riders ranch when its introduced, makes it hard to make the transition from city to ranch.
"The Blue Roan is trapped in the blind canyon. He turns to attack. Tracker faces him. The Mustang King runs directly at Tracker. Fury drives him. Intelligence stops him.
Wranglers ride in. The helicopter blocks the entrance. The great horse thrashes to and fro."
a lot of the prose goes a little over the top lyrical.  To some extent it works, but you definately go over the line.  In the above passage, whered the helicopter come from?  Where'd the other wranglers come from?  The mustang king is the blue roan?  Take it down a notch and let us see what is going on.
Not sure I've heard demure describe a man before, but I can roll with it.
p15  'tracker amused at garrett', should be 'tracker is amused'
Explaining what a soogan is shows off your knowledge of ranching but doesnt really do anything for the story.
Seems odd that Jason is looking longingly at his mother, then being all defiant a moment later.
Some of the cowboy dialogue is a little much, ie But then, there's more to being a man than just calling yourself one'  and most of joes other dialogue.  I know the stories supposed to be full of life lessons but they get a little much.
A lot of your slugs could use work/expansion. What hay barn?  Also describe the settings.  I live in maricopa county, so i know the area, its pretty starkly beautiful.  But most people wont.
page 27 If a clank covers the last word from Jason, I would write it as an interrupted sentence.  'dog food piles of --'    then paragraph  'a clank covers the last word'
Read up to p35ish.  
Well written, generally good descriptions when they werent over written.  the characters were good, cept a couple that were kinda cliches.
Not sure who the audience would be.  It's kinda grim stuff for kids, and a few too many life lessons and such for adults.  Who were you thinking of?
Posted by: Art (Guest), September 22nd, 2009, 12:17pm; Reply: 2
Thanks for your input. I really appreciate your insights and will take them to heart. I really appreciate you reading the script. I live in Apache Junction. Not too far away from you. If you'd like to talk more (and I would like that) you can get my contact info on IMDB PRO. Arthur Martin Jr. Again, many thanks for giving of your time.

Art
Posted by: jackx, September 26th, 2009, 8:46am; Reply: 3
I agree some of the beginning stuff was a little overwritten, further in it settles down and is pretty even.
Buster and bruiser could use different names, they look a little too similar on the page and can be confusing.
A few typos throughout, I didnt keep a list tho, so theyll just have to turn up.
Some stuff will be pretty hard to film, all the kids breaking horses and such, the horse with slashed tendons.  I'm sure all sorts of people will get their panties in a bunch when it comes to that.
Tracker with Emily at the end seemed a little forced.  Maybe just have them across the pen, smiling at eachother instead of blatantly arms around eachother.
Overall very well done, the pace was steady, the characters believable.  Having the step dad drown seemed a little convenient, but satisfying.  
I also live in the area, Cochise county at the moment, and I agree there could be a little more description of the landscape.  Once you get to the end scenes for the chase, or when jason is hunting for prisoner it seems like you have some good moments and descriptions, but some earlier would be good.
I also agree there might be a bit of a problem finding an audience.  Usually these kinda feel good, kids triumphing stories are for a younger crowd, but your unflinching look at some of these things might be a little much for them.  Not that thats a bad thing.

Anyways, well done, good luck with it.
Posted by: ghost and_ghostie gal, November 7th, 2009, 11:49pm; Reply: 4
Too the writer...

For the good,  you seem to know a lot about the rodeo and horses, that's good because it lends certain credibility to your story.

I noticed you have only one post.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.  You want more people to take a look at this, then you need to make some appearances and return the favor and I'd becareful at what you say too.

Having said all that... I've read the previous comments, unfortunately I'm going to disagree with the comment, your script was well written, because it is not.  Far from it.

Are you planning on filming this yourself-- producing it?  Is this a SPEC script?  Why?  Because of your camera directions.  You don't need them, it only clutters up your script which in it'self already hard to read.

Lets take this big passage...

EXT.  STATE PRISON - DAY

"Maximun security prison with barbed wire walls amidst green fields under cultivation.  "MOVING CLOSER.  Excited SOUNDS of a riot?  CRANE OVER concertina wire.  Discover "riot" is a EXCITED CROWD at a prison rodeo."

REDUNDANT as well, try to avoid this.

Experienced writers can get this point across without trying to be all cute and fancy with the camera angles.  That's when writers like yourself, run into problems.   Unless your a professional, things like this need to be left to them.

The, what I call, "GO AND  STOP" method.  It interrupts your flow too.  In the middle of big bulky paragraphs, these incomplete sentences and that's exactly what they are.  

When you first introduce your characters, all CAPS.  So what happened to Judge John Garrett?

Inconsistency is another problem.  Whether it's your sluglines or all these darn camera angles.  But if you insist on using them, then atleast do it properly.  Which one is it?

ANGLE on

ANGLE - Garrett

ANGLE - CHUTES

ANGLE ON... ANGLE - GARRETT... ANGLE ON GARRETT or better yet just use GARRETT as the heading and go from there.

Your sluglines...

INT.  SOUTHWEST DESERT -- WILD HORSE - DAY page#6, why? -- when all your others have -

INT.  SOUTHWEST DESERT - WILD HORSE - DAY, would be more consistant with the rest of your sluglines, well all the one's I've read, except the very first one.  I'd get rid of the / and replace it with -.

I stopped at page 7 for two reasons, one, I found your story boring and two all the other reasons listed above.

You may have a story here but as you can see from the lack of replies...  something is wrong?  Besides the very fact and there is no other way to put this... westerns aren't a popular genre around here and it's a shame because I like a good western.

Good Luck,

Ghostwriter22
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