All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
I have a few characters in my screenplay that are not well educated, and have a poor grasp of English grammar. As a rule of thumb, is it acceptable to use incorrect spelling to convey a character's personality?
Here's a sample: "I done got ma' self in a whole mess a trouble fer talkin' to them fellers..."
Or, should it be noted somehow, but use correct spelling: " I done got myself in a whole mess of trouble for talking to them fellas..."?
One other question. What is the proper format for using the scene heading "series of shots" to super-impose photos during a scene? Say for example I want to show crime scene photos while the murderer is being led out of court?
The first line of dialogue. By all means. There is so much character there. Plus look at it this way. In the second line you use fellas. Fellas really isn't a word but it is the right word for that line so you used it. As long as it's misspelled on purpose you'd hear no complaints from me.
"I done got ma' self in a whole mess a trouble fer talkin' to them fellers..."
Concur with TIm on this. This tells me a lot more about the character than just readin' it dry. Not knowin' nuthin' bout this guy, I reckon' he shouldna talked to them fellas in the first place. Fine if he's a hired hand at the Circle K Ranch, not so good if he's going undercover as a Boston Gangster or if he's a New York Cabbie...
Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently - Dove Chocolate Wrapper