Day 17 Assignment

[Heather Hood]

Heather’s Description

What I learned doing this assignment is…this whole process is getting easier every time I go through the script. So hopefully I am finally getting to the end.

Since I have been doing literally *nothing* (shattered knee – German Shepard puppy weighs more than me – don’t ask) every day I’ve gone over scripts in endless rotations working on the lessons for Profound screenplays and the Re-write course. The goal has been to cut action down to where everything still makes the clearest visual sense and still evoke the story I see in my head.

Then the next day I do the same thing for dialogue. Holy mackerel. I’ve never worked so hard on any writing I’ve ever done in my life. I swear that EVERY TIME I look at it I can make changes on it. Often it will just be cutting out one of two words. But I cut out a sentence the day before. So I wonder…. Do the rest of you find this happens to you? At what point do we think it’s complete?

I wish there was a forum where we could do a group exchange of feedback on things that have worked for each other.

Heather

[David Mailman]

Shattered knees are very painful. Can you get around? Does it require surgery? What will the puppy weigh when it gets to be an adult?

I suspect it is the same for everyone who takes it seriously. I’ve been doing the same. I work till I find I’ve read the same line 20 times. I suspect a good writer will never think it’s complete. I keep thinking of new scenes, dialogue, or twists. It will be done when I sell it.

I can’t find the place where we exchange on this site. Would you like to do it by email?

I sent a Linked In message. How do you do the course? Don’t you need a computer for it?

I can post my email here, but I’d rather do it selectively. Do you belong to Stage 32 or other writers’ groups?

[Heather Hood]

I’m still searching for the link. I did see you on Linked In and sent you a message.

Sometimes I think it doesn’t matter how good your script is, but simply a matter of what is current or of taste to producers. They don’t have “Wish List” sites where one can see what they’re looking for like agents do. I have heard everything from ” this script will never be produced” with no explanation from one reader, to the same script placing in a contest. It’s very discouraging when you get no explanations as to where you’re going wrong.

That’s why I think being a writer/director might be the way to go. At least your script remains your vision.

[Benito Selim]

Benito Selim’s Description

What I learned doing this assignment is short and to the point can be more effective. Less is more in most cases since it will keep the reader guessing and won’t become predictable or worse, boring.

For my original script, the beginning deals with a protest of a housing development. Aside from the dialogue there is a death scene with the site’s foreman being attacked by two alligators, he fights them until they overpower him and kill him. There is a lot of description since a fight ensues, I have reduced some in the past but need to do more since I felt I kept taking things out that needed to belong. This is still a learning process.

I have moved on the rest of the script. The issues I do run into is cutting down the detail describing the swamp surroundings and the attacks from the alligators and pythons. I am constantly reminding myself less is more but being a horror script, I feel more detail is needed.

This exercise is helping in moving the story along since my re-write has cut down three pages in my first ten pages and getting the story visualized to the reader a lot quicker. I still have some to cut down, but this is a great start.