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How to Find Weaknesses in Your Script

The new screenwriter tends to have a3. Read yours again: OUT LOUD.
love affair with is/her "baby." He's
married to every word and nuance he'sIsaac Asimov: "Either it sounds right
carefully scripted onto each page.or it doesn't sound right."
Often, it reads more like a novel than a
screenplay and usually it needs aYou might be amazed at how you'll spot
serious rewrite. It's time to get athose things you know need a little
divorce.extra attention. They're those things
that seem "odd" or don't feel "right" to
You must not be afraid to hack, chiselyou when you read it out loud. You might
or cut-out ANYTHING that does not servefind yourself thinking that certain
to push the story forward. Sooner orcharacters say and do things that don't
later, you'll write a scene that is justseem to "fit" their backstory. You
plain good. You're in love again and alllikely find this especially true of
is right with the world. Finally, youdialogue. Circle these dialogue passages
conclude that it doesn't serve the storyso you can come back to them later.
as it should. You must get a divorce and
hack it out of the script.4. Act it out.
Remember: not every story is movieThis is also an opportunity to get
material. Not every story is asactor friends to read your script. If
fascinating on the screen as it is inscenes are awkward or don't come across
our heads. This is especially true ofas you intended, they need work. Stage a
biographical stories. As interesting asreading of the script. Make sure all of
someone's true-life experiences are,the actors get a list of the characters
they rarely translate well to thethey will portray and have someone
screen. However, it often makes anassigned to all of the lesser,
excellent bestsellingincidental characters. Don't prep them!
book.Let the actor get the information about
the character only from the script. If
In screenwriting, you only have TWOhe doesn't get it, neither will an
TOOLS to work with in a screenplay:agent, reader or producer; and you need
to go back the set-up the character so
DIALOGUE: that characters sayhe DOES get it. During the reading, mark
ACTION: a visual description of what isscenes that don't work or have the
seen on the movie screenintended impact and come back to
them later.
This does NOT include:
5. Read it through out loud again, but
* Anything anyone "knows" (i.e. "Edonly the ACTION DESCRIPTION.
heard about Jennifer's problem at
school.")Movies are a visual medium. If your
* Anything that cannot be photographedstory isn't visual, maybe it shouldn't
(i.e. "Mary loves chocolate ice cream.")be a movie. Did you get lost? Are things
* Anything the audience "knows" (i.e.vague? Are the scenes not visual? Can
"This is the same woman we saw earlieryou tell what's going by the visual
at the bar.")clues? Mark those scenes and come back
* Any background information (i.e.and flush them out a little more.
"John is Tom's best friend.")
* Any action description that uses6. One more time out loud, but this
'-ing' words. (i.e. "Sue is reading thetime only the DIALOGUE.
newspaper." should be "Sue reads the
newspaper.")Do characters seem to drone on and on?
Can't tell WHAT they're talking about?
Here's a common sense approach toDo they talk about things not essential
self-analysis of your own screenplay:to the scene? Mark these scenes and come
back and rewrite them later.
1. Read some FIRST-RATE scripts!
Rule of Thumb: Scenes and dialogue
You need outstanding examples ofshould start at the point where, if you
well-written screenplays against whichcut out the start of the scene, what
you can compare your work objectively. Ifollows doesn't make sense any more.
recommend you read at least three,This also applies to movies. Many
preferably nine, screenplays. Here's thescreenplays really start around pages
catch: You MUST read them ALL in the30-50, which means the writer spent way
same week. Agents and developmenttoo much time setting up the story. How
executives read 35-50 a week on theirdo you tell? As you read, it suddenly
own time so I know you can read at leastseems as though you've started a "movie
three. Don't look at a single page ofin a movie" and you like it better than
your script until you've finishedthe one you started. Time to get
reading the scripts you downloaded. Readdivorced. Unsure? Write a second script
one (or more) in each of the followingand see which version you like best.
categories:
Writing is Rewriting
* One in the same genre as yours,
* One that's been made into anErnest Hemingway: "Don't get
OSCAR-winning or nominated movie, anddiscouraged because there's a lot of
* One that's an all-time favorite moviemechanical work to writing...I rewrote
of yours.the first part of Farewell to Arms at
least fifty times."
2. Now: read your script.
Paddy Chayefsky: "I'm not a great
It might seem a little different now,writer, I'm a great rewriter."
but that's GOOD. You're becoming a
little more objective.Good advice from two guys who ought to
know.



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