Are they necessary or don't even bother because that's the director's job?  


EXT: FOREST CLEARING –DAY

Lily and Law come out of the forest.  She waves at…Zay who waits by a BLUE SCALE DRAGON petting it.

               LILY
             (turns to Law)
     You will learn to ride a dragon
     today.

He squints and shakes his head.

               LAW
     No way.

Lily approaches the creature, and pets it.  The dragon greets her with what seems like a smile.

Law drops back a few yards away.  Not moving an inch.  Both hands up in the air.

               LAW
     No way Lily.  I’m not going onto
     that thing.
-----------------

If I've said that his hands up in the air.  Do i have to write a line saying he has put the hands down, or it's automatically accepted by the reader that his hands are already down.

After all, should I avoid the gestures and postures at all cost?

If it's essential to the scene and how you want to play out,include it. If it's just nitpicking and unnecessary, don't.

I saw forget about that parenthetical you have there. It's already implied in the dialogue and even if it wasn't, you need to put that in the action line.

Thanks.  I always wanted to know if I use action in the parenthesis.  So, I have to add a line for the action.  Such as, Lily turns to Law.  But, that's too much.  I just leave it to the director lol

I think it boils down to your writing style.  I'm a firm believer in facial and body language as it's a great way of expressing emotion in characters.  It's also a great way of detecting lies and underlying motives so I support the use of body language in action lines.

I wouldn't write that he drops his hands.  There is definitely a line and I feel that that is crossing it.  I think you have to leave it to common sense a lot of times.  I seriously doubt that a reader would picture Law with his hands up throughout the script if you forgot to write that he drops them.  Hope this helped.  Best of luck.

-Johnny

Quoted from RegularJohn I seriously doubt that a reader would picture Law with his hands up throughout the script if you forgot to write that he drops them. -Johnny

Thanks.  That is what I thought.  

Colldbug,

I don't think you should avoid gestures or postures at all but they have to be there for a reason - the gestures/postures have to mean something within the scene, it can't just be filler. I tend to use them if they can be used instead of dialogue like a raised eyebrow, a shrug or whatever.

Iro. your example, I would say the both hands in the air thing is somewhat redundant considering the dialogue that follows. Or you could flip it around and make Law's body language even clearer and then lose the dialogue.

You can actually put actions in parentheticals if the action happens in the middle of the line of if it is absolutely imperative that it happens as the line is being said. If putting it in the last action line works, that's probably how it should be done. I wouldn't give something like that its own action line unless you want that action to stand out.

I'll second most of what's already been said.  Keep gestures to a minimum - but there's nothing wrong with using them for subtle (necessary) character touches and subtext.

*Another* thing to use them for, in moderation?  A way to chop up long dialogue blocks.  In many circles, dialogue over 3-4 lines is a no-no.  So you can sometimes throw in a gesture to break it up when it's needed.

EG,

LAW: Yada, yada - three line monologue.

He turns to Lily, eyes wide like saucers.

LAW: And while I'm at it, here's another thing...

My all-time favorite gesture is that woman inPugumentary covering up he Pugs eyes when the great Dane walks by. your hubby is brilliant at those little gestures that make a script feel quality because it shows character!  

  Ah, Pugumentary!  I'd love to have seen that one get more attention...

And Pia's right.  Little touches to add character are a great thing for a script.  

Though do *too* much, and the director and actors will accuse a writer of doing their jobs for them...  

Quoted from Grandma Bear My all-time favorite gesture is that woman inPugumentary covering up he Pugs eyes when the great Dane walks by. your hubby is brilliant at those little gestures that make a script feel quality because it shows character!

Thank you Pia.  I'm flattered.

If you (not Pia, specifically, but a general 'you') plan to include gestures or actions in parentheticals, keep them extremely short.

Quoted Text                GINA          (rolls eyes) Seriously, Bobby?

is okay.

Quoted Text                GINA          (rolls eyes in disbelief and shrugs shoulders) Seriously, Bobby?

is not.



Phil

Okay..I will not avoid postures and gestures, but I will only use them to tell the action of the character to save some lines in dialouge.  

I love screenwriting more and more.  There's so much crafting in it, and I love to craft.