Scripts studios are posting for award consideration.

We are now at sixteen...

- Don

I opened up The Lost City of Z. The second-third sentence was - WE HEAR WIND. Dude used - We.

Clearly this James Gray doesn't know what he's doing. I immediately closed the script.

OMG I opened, THE BIG SICK. Second sentence uses WE HEAR.

Then I opened, THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS. The second sentence in the script uses WE HEAR.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has a six line action paragraph. LOL.

Don't these pros know anything?

I suppose that once you are working in the business and you get a specific job, especially for a big film, you have some leeway, and I'm sure the film-makers would have given the screenwriter specifics that they want to see and that would be the writer's primary focus.

I was just joking. It's been shown time and time again that no one cares about most of these things, sans amateur writers online. I mean 3 out of the 6 scripts posted open with WE HEAR...

You will likely get criticized here for doing that.

Quoted from Demento I was just joking. It's been shown time and time again that no one cares about most of these things, sans amateur writers online. I mean 3 out of the 6 scripts posted open with WE HEAR... You will likely get criticized here for doing that.

Obviously, none of these scripts are going to win any awards...

To the point, tho it is used very sparingly.  And these are shooting drafts, rather than screenplays, so you are going to get camera angles and such in there.  I'm at the point now if I read, "Camera over to..." in a well written script it makes perfect sense and keeps me in the story.  

Where folks go wrong is that EVERY action slug has "We see..."  

I was very surprised that The Big Sick was so light on action slugs.  The dialogue, I thought, was snappy, but that is what one would expect from Kumail.  

- Don

I think if you understand filmmaking to a higher degree, like understand editing and shooting principles, camera angles, using camera moves can actually enhance the script because they can be used to better visually convey the story.

Now, someone is gonna say - but that's the director's job. That doesn't mean you as the writer can't convey how you see your story on screen. He may not use your idea, but sometimes the visual set-up, progression, aesthetic of the scene could be the point of the scene itself. I don't see why a writer can't express visual ideas on paper he thinks might enhance a scene or explain why he wrote it.

Later on a DP, director, VFX person and storyboard artist could hash out if it makes sense or if they should approach it another way.

Why be boring if you have an interesting idea on how a scene should play out on screen?

Of course you shouldn't go overboard with this like with anything but I don't think anyone would put your script down if you do.

Quoted from Don Obviously, none of these scripts are going to win any awards... To the point, tho it is used very sparingly.  And these are shooting drafts, rather than screenplays, so you are going to get camera angles and such in there.  I'm at the point now if I read, "Camera over to..." in a well written script it makes perfect sense and keeps me in the story.   Where folks go wrong is that EVERY action slug has "We see..."   I was very surprised that The Big Sick was so light on action slugs.  The dialogue, I thought, was snappy, but that is what one would expect from Kumail.   - Don

I quite liked the Big Sick.  

It is obvious (at least to me) from the script it was written from a perspective of a story already sold, characters already known, etc - and therefore format and other nitty things ignored: Just from page 1.

No FADE IN

Unneeded page numbers in left

The "We Hear" - which ain't needed btw. Could just have easily wrote  - Audience LAUGHTER.

No proper character intro for Andy Dodd - or age or description.

Same issue for KUMAIL

Same issue for CHRIS

A SLUG wasted on Credits

etc.

Basically stuff that you are only getting a way with if concept, characters etc have already been pitched and sold and now you're just writing a script and taking advantage of the short cuts now available.  I would never recommend someone write a spec script like this.

I don't crap my pants when I see a "We see". Only issue to me is when a better way of doing is available and not used.

Quoted from eldave1 Only issue to me is when a better way of doing is available and not used.

But isn't that subjective and most of these things can be debated to death.

Instance, why use FADE IN, when most movies don't really fade in? Why waste a line on something that isn't practical and doesn't serve any purpose? To mark the start of the story? We're at page one, we know it's starting. Technically a fade in is a transition. Why use a transition at the end and start and not in-between? Why use something archaic when most archaic things have been left behind? Fades and dissolves as transitions in feature films went out of style in the 60s.

Most working writers don't care about these things and philosophies differ. Billy Ray (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0712753/) says - use more parenthesis. The tone of your story could live in the parenthesis. Most screenplay gurus say - don't use parenthesis, it's a sign of an amateur.

People say, the script is the blueprint of the film. Tarantino says - the script is NOT a blueprint to your film.

There are really no right answers here, most of the time. Are we really gonna lose sleep over these things? If we do, then so will others and people will focus on pointing out technicalities and not what's wrong with the story.

Quoted from Demento But isn't that subjective and most of these things can be debated to death. Instance, why use FADE IN, when most movies don't really fade in? Why waste a line on something that isn't practical and doesn't serve any purpose? To mark the start of the story? We're at page one, we know it's starting. Technically a fade in is a transition. Why use a transition at the end and start and not in-between? Why use something archaic when most archaic things have been left behind? Fades and dissolves as transitions in feature films went out of style in the 60s. Most working writers don't care about these things and philosophies differ. Billy Ray (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0712753/) says - use more parenthesis. The tone of your story could live in the parenthesis. Most screenplay gurus say - don't use parenthesis, it's a sign of an amateur. People say, the script is the blueprint of the film. Tarantino says - the script is NOT a blueprint to your film. There are really no right answers here, most of the time. Are we really gonna lose sleep over these things? If we do, then so will others and people will focus on pointing out technicalities and not what's wrong with the story.

We are not that far apart.

On the We

As I said, it doesn't violate my senses when I spot a We See or We Hear. However, I often feel that the writer didn't take the best approach. I think it is far more exciting to read : BANG -  a Gunshot echoes in the air. Then it is to read We hear a Gunshot. Again - not a huge deal.

On Fade In

Think you have a point.

Parentheses

Agree with you here - as I would on asides and unfilmables. If any of them are used to improve the pace or tone of the story - go for it. If they don't - nuke them.

I think my problem was the script you selected was such a bad example - it is obviously a short cut script - just look at the character intros. A spec writer would never get away with that and shouldn't.

But philosophically, we are not that far apart.

Pretty sure the FADE IN is left over from very early film making days, back when film makers played with the aperture position as a method of transition, probably their only method back then in the silent-film days or a handful of limited ones.

People carried it over all this time to legitimatize their writings. Tradition, I suppose.

As far as WE SEE, I ask: who's we, anyways? It's kinda like when someone is proving a point and says: THEY SAY...  

Why not say, THEY SEE in the action blocks of the script? I maintain, I'd rather not read WE SEE.

Funny thing is, the WE SEE term seems to be used mostly in the opening of a script, and kinda vanishes as the script continues. Fine with me.

I personally don't like WE SEE. It doesn't read well to me and comes off a bit lazy.

However, a lot of "pro" writers seem to use it.

Will check some of these out as I've just started a new feature based on my recent trek to Nepal. Its gonna be a horror/comedy with zombies at Base Camp as the theme lol.

And I had planned to go full on on this with unfilmables, asides, WE SEE etc to keep in the wacky comedic vein of it. Sort of like the Beatles film 'Help'. The main chars will all be based on me and the 4 other people I trekked with to the letter, as we had a fine time with jokes and snappy banter during the trip as we all become lifelong friends. Hopefully i can nail it - looking to get it done by Xmas

Sounds cool

mother! and I, Tonya are up on the scripts studios are posting for award consideration page.

- Don

Okja, Mudbound, First They Killed My Father, and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) screenplays - For Your Consideration

http://www.simplyscripts.com/oscar-screenplays-90.html

I can't help but read the Big Sick in an Indian voice...

Quoted from BSaunders I can't help but read the Big Sick in an Indian voice...

Pretty good movie IMO

Quoted from eldave1 Pretty good movie IMO

I loved it. Easily top 5 in 2017 for me.

Battle of the Sexes - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Simon Beaufoy - hosted by: Fox Searchlight - in pdf format

In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women's movement, the 1973 tennis match between women's world champion Billie Jean King and ex-men's-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs was billed as the BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla. Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms ...

Information courtesy of imdb.com

The Shape of Water - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor (Story by Guillermo del Toro) - hosted by: Fox Searchlight - in pdf format

An other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda discover a secret classified experiment.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Martin McDonagh - hosted by: Fox Searchlight - in pdf format

After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby, the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon, an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbated.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Quoted from BSaunders I can't help but read the Big Sick in an Indian voice...

He's Pakistani, I believe.

Haven't read the script, but the movie was one of my favorites this year.

Quoted from BSaunders I loved it. Easily top 5 in 2017 for me.

Cool - glad I wasn't the only one

Two more up.  Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2. and Elizabeth Blue

On http://www.simplyscripts.com/oscar-screenplays-90.html

Thanks to "Barksid" for the heads up on this...

...bit of news.

Marvel Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Mr. [James] Mangold have chosen Cinephilia & Beyond as the stage for the online premiere of Logan’s screenplay.

Read the entire article ‘Be Inspired to Try Things, Miracles Happen When Someone Takes a Chance’: A Conversation with James Mangold

@Don
Why haven't you made Wonder Woman  available?

The Shape of Water link seems to be broken.

Quoted from WritingScripts @Don Why haven't you made Wonder Woman  available?

Warner Bros has yet to post it. Unless you've seen the link and I haven't.

Quoted from James McClung The Shape of Water link seems to be broken.

The studios pulled it.  It should be back up after the movie is releasedy.


Three more scripts up:

The Beguiled

Wonderstruck

Last Flag Flying

Find these and more on the Scripts studios are posting for award consideration page at http://www.simplyscripts.com/oscar-screenplays-90.html

Thanks to "Barksid" for the heads up.

20th Century Fox releases...

War for Planet of the Apes - November 30, 215 final shooting draft  script by Mark Bomback & Matt Reeves (based on Characters created by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver) - hosted by: 20th Century Fox - in pdf format

Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet. 

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Thanks "Barksid" for the heads up. And, of course there are move Scripts Studios are posting for award consideration

Sony Classics did a script dump.  We're at 32 scripts on the Scripts Studios are posting for award consideration

A Fantastic Woman - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Sebastián Lelio & Gonzalo Maza  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Brigsby Bear - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Call Me By Your Name - Undated, unspecified draft  script by James Ivory (Based on the novel by André Aciman) - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Happy End - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Loveless - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Maudie - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Novitiate - Undated, unspecified draft  script  - hosted by: Sony Classics - in pdf format

Paramount has come out with with...

Downsizing - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor - hosted by: Paramount - in pdf format

"Downsizing" follows a kindly occupational therapist who undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.




Information courtesy of imdb.com


Thanks Janet and Barksid for the H.U..  Find it and more on the Scripts Studios are posting for Award Consideration

Focus Features has a couple more out.  Thanks Barksid for the heads up.

Victoria & Abdul - Undated, final shooting draft  script by Lee Hall (Based on the book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Zshrabani Basu) - hosted by: Focus Features - in pdf format

Abdul Karim arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The young clerk is surprised to find favor with the queen herself. As Victoria questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance that her household and inner circle try to destroy. As their friendship deepens, the queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes, joyfully reclaiming her humanity.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

Darkest Hour - Undated, final shooting draft  script by Anthony McCarten - hosted by: Focus Features - in pdf format

During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.

Information courtesy of imdb.com

A24 has finally unleashed three scripts, who of which have been highly anticipted.

The Disaster Artist - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (Based on the book by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell) - hosted by: A24 - in pdf format

When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.



Information courtesy of imdb.com

Lady Bird - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Greta Gerwig - hosted by: A24 - in pdf format

Christina "Lady Bird" MacPherson is a high school senior from the "wrong side of the tracks." She longs for adventure, sophistication, and opportunity, but finds none of that in her Sacramento Catholic high school. LADY BIRD follows the title character's senior year in high school, including her first romance, her participation in the school play, and most importantly, her applying for college. 

Information courtesy of imdb.com

The Florida Project - July 31, 2016 final production draft  script by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch - hosted by: A24 - in pdf format

Set over one summer, the film follows precocious 6-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World.

Information courtesy of imdb.com


Find these and more on the Scripts Studios are posting for your consideration.

Disney has release Thor! Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok - Undated, unspecified draft  script  by Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost - hosted by: Disney - in pdf format

Imprisoned, the almighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.

Information courtesy of imdb.com



Thanks Barksid for being several steps ahead of me.  Check out all FYC scripts.

The Shape of Water is back up. Disney has posted Coco screenplay. The more from Sony Classics.

http://www.simplyscripts.com/oscar-screenplays-90.html

Thanks Dean for the heads up.  Universal has finally released...

Get Out - Undated, unspecified draft  script by Jordan Peele - hosted by: Universal - in pdf format

It's time for a young African American to meet with his white girlfriend's parents for a weekend in their secluded estate in the woods, but before long, the friendly and polite ambience will give way to a nightmare.


Information courtesy of imdb.com

Read The Disaster Artist this morning. Not a bad story I find, and especially interesting for people like us who know/get in contact with that whole selling/living the cinema dream. Pretty self-ironic flick it seems, the script at least indicates that. It also works well as a light comedy I think. Definitely it's not the standard garbage this specific genre constantly pushes, rather it's focused and straight material, I'd even say honest to a degree, which is a rare characteristic I believe. In the script you won't find the usual beat sheet plotting where everything is dramatized to raise stakes and produce a certain amount of twists.

The writing itself is pretty focused as well. The authors have a distinct style in emphasizing the dramatic moments, emotional asides, that many rightfully critisize in scripts. But here they do it very quick in the flow of things. One, two lines, in a sense like

Dialogue

Greg taps Tommy's shoulder, squeezes it. A neat moment between them. They turn back to the big screen.

and on it goes

They constantly weave those emphasizing moments in, superfast and unobtrusive, most times in the middle of two active sentences as in my example above, so that it really helps them to transfer the emotional beats as they want it.