Comments on: Ten Format Mistakes

By: The Ultimate Guide To Screenwriting Mistakes | Screenwriting Tips | The Screenwriting Spark

Thu, 02 Jan 2014 16:20:41 +0000

[…] 10 Format Mistakes | The Story Department […]

By: Amy Suto

Amy Suto — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Good article, but I disagree with the unfilmmables. Sure, there is definitely a case for keeping a script lean and mean (especially in the thriller genre), but if an unfilmmable or two helps the reader SEE the scene in their mind’s eye, than it should stay in. Clarity trumps all else.

Anyone looking for a great example of unfilmmables should look no further than Cristo, which was just purchased by Warner Brothers. The complex sci-fi setting benefited from unfilmmables that made the script leaner and more powerful.

Tip #7 is also debatable in certain situations. Have you read the script, “RED”? An excellent script that does not waste time. It opens with several choppy lines that all read “Frank does push ups. Frank opens the mail.” all in rapid succession. The repetition of his name and the choppiness of the syntax helps insinuate the cuts while keeping the pace brisk. If the opening had read: “Frank does push ups, opens the mail…” in a lackadaisical list, the scene would be nowhere near as powerful.

But, as they say, you have to know the rules to break them.

By: Jack Brislee

Jack Brislee — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:37:26 +0000

What’s wrong with “we see” and “we hear” etc? These phrases suggest the writer is sitting in the audience, sharing the movie. In other words, the writer is doing just what he is supposed to be doing – showing the audience exactly what it is seeing and hearing and probably sharing the emotional reaction.

Many professionals write as if they are in a world of their own, completely divorced from the audience. That is a much worse sin and one you, MM, might like to point out to the pro readers and college professors with whom you “interact heavily”.