Pass the salt
Finally, work has begun in earnest on draft #2 of Snafu.
Instead of being written in Word, this version is being written in Final Draft, so margins are not going to be an issue this time. I bought The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley, and it's a great book on formatting. After I get the content written for draft #2 I'm going to go back through it and make sure that the screen direction is correct.
One change I've found myself making on the fly is when Max and Rick get out of town. In the first draft they find the body, and a whole day goes by before they skip town. In this version they make the discovery, freak out, make a plan, and get out of town.
At least, that's how things are going for the moment.
I just finished writing this 4- or 5-page scene where they discuss what to do with the body. Rick is more laid back than in the last version of this scene, and Max is more decisive about what to do. One thing that's bugging me about this scene, though, is that Rick is the one asking all the questions.
RICK: So we can’t bury him.
MAX: I didn’t say that. I just said we can’t do it at my house.
RICK: What do you have in mind?
MAX: I say we bury him in the last place anyone would ever suspect us of putting him.
RICK: Tijuana?
MAX: That’s a bit far. Besides, if we cross state lines and we’re caught, this turns into a federal crime. I was thinking the mountains.
RICK: The mountains? Why would we bury him there?
MAX: Exactly!
Max takes another sip of his drink.
And it's a 6-page scene, apparently. That's 6 minutes of screen time. A long time. However, I'll keep going and see what happens. If it turns out to be too long I'll figure out a way to shorten it.
I really should keep this blog updated a bit more. Then again, between working on the script and writing the blog, I think the script should take precedence.
I've heard that my friend Zack doesn't like to write dialogue. This would explain his huge catalog of silent movies. Click here.
I can see why this is the case. Sometimes it's hard to write believable dialogue. Basically what I do is envision the conversation in my head, and copy down what the characters are saying. Hmm. I just admitted to having imaginary conversations with myself.
The other thing I find difficult is writing mundane dialogue. Let's say there's a scene with two characters eating dinner. One asks the other to pass the salt. The temptation for me is to turn it into a witty exchange.
Man: Would you pass the salt, dear?
Woman: Get it yourself!
Man: Really, dear, surliness does not become you.
Woman: I hate you!
Woman abruptly stands up and flees the room.
Man: I suppose this means I have to get the salt myself.
Okay, so the above exchange wasn't that witty. It's kind of odd. But anyway, the temptation is to make something big and dramatic happen every single time when simply having the character say "pass the salt" is enough.
Check back in a few months for another exciting update!
Instead of being written in Word, this version is being written in Final Draft, so margins are not going to be an issue this time. I bought The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley, and it's a great book on formatting. After I get the content written for draft #2 I'm going to go back through it and make sure that the screen direction is correct.
One change I've found myself making on the fly is when Max and Rick get out of town. In the first draft they find the body, and a whole day goes by before they skip town. In this version they make the discovery, freak out, make a plan, and get out of town.
At least, that's how things are going for the moment.
I just finished writing this 4- or 5-page scene where they discuss what to do with the body. Rick is more laid back than in the last version of this scene, and Max is more decisive about what to do. One thing that's bugging me about this scene, though, is that Rick is the one asking all the questions.
RICK: So we can’t bury him.
MAX: I didn’t say that. I just said we can’t do it at my house.
RICK: What do you have in mind?
MAX: I say we bury him in the last place anyone would ever suspect us of putting him.
RICK: Tijuana?
MAX: That’s a bit far. Besides, if we cross state lines and we’re caught, this turns into a federal crime. I was thinking the mountains.
RICK: The mountains? Why would we bury him there?
MAX: Exactly!
Max takes another sip of his drink.
And it's a 6-page scene, apparently. That's 6 minutes of screen time. A long time. However, I'll keep going and see what happens. If it turns out to be too long I'll figure out a way to shorten it.
I really should keep this blog updated a bit more. Then again, between working on the script and writing the blog, I think the script should take precedence.
I've heard that my friend Zack doesn't like to write dialogue. This would explain his huge catalog of silent movies. Click here.
I can see why this is the case. Sometimes it's hard to write believable dialogue. Basically what I do is envision the conversation in my head, and copy down what the characters are saying. Hmm. I just admitted to having imaginary conversations with myself.
The other thing I find difficult is writing mundane dialogue. Let's say there's a scene with two characters eating dinner. One asks the other to pass the salt. The temptation for me is to turn it into a witty exchange.
Man: Would you pass the salt, dear?
Woman: Get it yourself!
Man: Really, dear, surliness does not become you.
Woman: I hate you!
Woman abruptly stands up and flees the room.
Man: I suppose this means I have to get the salt myself.
Okay, so the above exchange wasn't that witty. It's kind of odd. But anyway, the temptation is to make something big and dramatic happen every single time when simply having the character say "pass the salt" is enough.
Check back in a few months for another exciting update!
posted by Ben at 9:16 AM
1 Comments:
My dear brother, long dialouge scenes are not the problem! You may leave them, have your actors play the scene, and then just keep what you like! This is the power you hold as the director. Use it wisely...
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