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Just Murdered by Sean Elwood (Zombie Sean) and Gabriel Moronta (Mr. Ripley) - (Dark Comedy, Horror) All is fair in love and war. A hopeless romantic gay man resorts to bloodshed to win the coveted position of Bridesmaid. 99 pages. https://www.simplyscripts.net/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?b-comedy/m-1624410571/
Jeff, this has nothing to do with emulating anyone. In fact, that isn't even possible. Even a quick look at all 4 of the scripts I randomly picked shows they each have quite different styles.
Let me turn your argument on its head, because this is what I think is really happening anyway. People that have been writing a few years and are still outside the gates wondering what the secret alchemy is that will get them in seem to think if they just master the "rules" they will have a better chance. And script gurus and film courses only encourage this. It's a lot easier to teach rules of "proper" screenwriting than it is to teach how to write a great story, which is far more subjective and elusive.
Balt's example at most teaches us that in that instance the writing might improved without the "is". It does not imply that every single "is" in a script should be removed. Which was my point to begin with.
Rick makes an excellent point, and that's why it's really hard to take these examples out of their context. These writers know how to craft. They know how to make the reader see the story the way they want it seen.
True, their scripts were optioned for their stories, not the writing. But the fact that this kind of writing is in literally every single pro script does suggest something.
All I am saying is that the way certain writers in this field are breaking this craft down into absolute rules leads to less clear or graceful writing. I've seen writers, and have done this myself, perform cartwheels to avoid saying "sitting at the bar" when not only is sitting at the bar perfectly clear and visual, but in some contexts is the most effective use of the language. And they perform these cartwheels simply because they've been taught these "rules".
The only rule that matters is clear, effective writing. Rules of thumb are very helpful as a guide towards that end. Absolute proclamations of universal laws are not.
If there's one thing you should recognize about me, Jeff, it's that I go with what I think works best, whether it's my own idea, something I learned from you, or something I've seen in pro scripts. I reason out what works best, IMO, and I go with that.
Unless it's a comedy -- I wouldn't break it. And with comedies comes a whole new ball of questions about formatting. Why? Because they do not adhere to the same rules as other genre's do.
When you're writing a comedy it's written to entertain for laughter and be consistent at being funny. The tropes of doing such a thing are vastly different than writing a horror or a drama script. There are much more liberties with the genre and, from the one comedy I've written and had professionally critiqued -- consultants, agents and directors are much more accepting of things like:
"we see" and a gaggle of "LY-adverbs".
There is a rule book they all follow. It's just the vast majority of us don't know the name, haven't read it or even looked upon it. The best some of us can do is spend the money, get some feedback and spread the info around.
It's, in the end, trial and error... It's best to try on someone else's dime than your own. Screenwriting, that's why we're all here, shouldn't be a warring community. It should be a community for people to toss out what they know and then let others mill over if they want to use the knowledge themselves. Screenwriting is like a beta version of software. It's forever changing and getting better or, in most cases, getting worse.
And just because you haven't sold a script or even talked to someone about selling your script -- doesn't mean it can't sell. It just means you're not talking to the right people just yet. Just remember when you do have a bite on the line, don't run around blathering about it all over town... Keep your work close to your chest and any deals in the vault until "THEY" are ready to move on with them.
Take the advise... don't take it... It's not up for discussion -- Rather up for grabs.
People are continually saying, "do this, do that" without really explaining why
...and if you do ever meet with anyone who wants to produce any of your work - I think it pays to know, at least to some extent, why you are doing what you are doing - not just from a formatting point of view, but also from a story - the structure of the story - point of view.
I like to think that I need to learn the rules, and then deploy them where I think best. If I get that wrong, then I pay the penalty of never getting anything produced - that's a private risk.
I'm of the opinion that this all comes down to the privacy of the contract really. Of them all, if any, a very limited number of persons or companies will produce your work. I think it's best to keep them happy with whatever style suits that now private, not public deal.
Stevie turns toward us, naked from the waste down, looking more pathetic than expected.
STEVIE Sorry, guys, I know...I know. What can I say? Everything's smaller here down under. (beat) Which still makes it much bigger than anything from Arizona or Wisconsin...
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