Came across this in a script and was curious what your thoughts are.

"A female voice, excited, answers. This is Stacey. She’s not
in the pod, and we’re not leaving the pod unless something
really bad happens, so let’s leave the “O.S” to your
imagination and give my fingers a break."

Personally, it cracked me up. Jeff?  

Feel free to offer up other samples that "break" the rules and discuss if it's a good idea or not.

Absolutely TERRIBLE!

I'd close the script right at that point.

I don't like it. Not so much breaking the rules as it is flat-out trolling. Not that I don't enjoy a good troll, but the target's gotta be worthwhile. The whole "rules" debate is so played out, it's almost too tedious to make light of. The people who don't give a shit harp on it just as much as the people who do, so the whole thing is sort of a joke at this point (not a funny one, of course).

The passage is corny anyway and doesn't even make sense. Clearly writing O.S. would give their fingers more of a break. I'm a big downer, though, and I just wrote a shitty comedy barely two months ago. What do I know?

On a more positive note, I just took a look at the script for Green Room. Lots of asides, including references that would be lost on people who aren't into punk/metal (Saulnier didn't have to write ALL the Dead Kennedys lyrics as dialogue among other things), but they were well-written and gave the script richness and character, which ultimately translated into the film. Never felt excessive either, although they weren't exactly uncommon.

I know James.


That passage, btw, is from Max Landis Deeper and appears on the first page. Great script, IMO.


When I first started this screenwriting thing 10 years ago, there were rules and pretty much everyone followed them, but things have changed and the market is saturated with scripts nowadays. I honestly do believe that everyone is looking for a great script/story regardless of how it is written. The rules have become more loose for sure.

This pic here is a screenshot from a script that was on last year's Bloodlist. It's in the middle of the script!!! And, that is all that is on that page. I almost choked on my sardine sandwich when I reached that page.  

Quoted from Grandma Bear That passage, btw, is from Max Landis Deeper and appears on the first page. Great script, IMO.

Ah, I thought it might be him for a second (or at the very least, the passage made me think of him). Seems like something he would write. And why wouldn't he? He's like 80% of the entire spec market at this point. He can get away with it.

On the subject at large, my stance on the "rules" has changed the past few years, but my writing has remained more or less conservative. When I started writing, being a format Nazi wasn't a thing (or at least I didn't encounter many); a lot of what I learned, I learned here, and the bulk of it was how to write clearly and succinctly. I'm trying new things to make my writing more immersive, as I think I've hit the ceiling with absolute formality, but otherwise I don't really have the inclination to "break the rules." I'm generally not "zany" (my sense of humor was described not two weeks ago as "dry like rubbing sandpaper together"), so you probably wouldn't see passages like the above in my scripts any time soon, for example.

I keep hearing comedians everywhere.

Maybe s'me. Fallon. There's one. Always on. Where's Williams when u need 'im? A lickle bird told me he's resting. Redbrested cheeky little fing it was. It's crystal to me how good they all are. They spent their time and money and lives over there. In the US of A. Why?

Questions questions. They also travelled. But they always went back. The mighty USA was and is boss to them. The comedians, I mean. They know how to laugh and keep it amusing, When I need one, a laugh that is, it is to to them I turn. Leary, Hicks, jeez, even er, no. Maybe not so Bill now. Oops.

Anyway, I'm laughing and it is the Yanks makin' me do it. They know the score. Do you?

Rv

Sometimes, when I parse through your posts, Rv, I think my head's stuck in a wormhole. Just sometimes, though.

I didn't care for it a bit - nothing to do with the "rules" - it just wasn't especially solid writing IMO.