Apr 5, 2016
Geno Scala discusses the history of television and its current rise as a medium comparable and even preferable (to some) to film.
seen from Portugal
seen from Pakistan
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Pakistan
seen from Tunisia
seen from Belgium
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Norway
seen from China
seen from China
Geno Scala discusses the history of television and its current rise as a medium comparable and even preferable (to some) to film.
Geno Scala shares very important steps, which determine success or failure, that each scriptwriter must consider before sending their work to a given studio.
Check out Geno Scala’s advice about submitting scripts and the process to follow before doing so.
WRITERS ON THE VERGE: A Guide to Screenwriting Partnerships – Part 2
Lee Jessup explores how screenwriting partnerships play out with representation, fallouts, and recommendations for anyone who is considering entering such a writing relationship.
The post WRITERS ON THE VERGE: A Guide to Screenwriting Partnerships – Part 2 appeared first on Script Magazine.
from Script Magazine http://ift.tt/1NunExP Geno Scala
IMPROVISING SCREENPLAYS: Writing Compelling but Unlikable Characters
Writer and theatrical improviser Brett Wean shares how improv shows us how to create compelling but unlikable characters.
The post IMPROVISING SCREENPLAYS: Writing Compelling but Unlikable Characters appeared first on Script Magazine.
from Script Magazine http://ift.tt/1NkIIYs Geno Scala
LEGALLY SPEAKING, IT DEPENDS: Rumors
It's an inescapable fact that rumors fuel the rise and fall of certain reputations in this industry. Christopher Schiller discusses the complexities of the rumor mill in Hollywood.
The post LEGALLY SPEAKING, IT DEPENDS: Rumors appeared first on Script Magazine.
from Script Magazine http://ift.tt/1WClUqg Geno Scala
The International Episode
Craig and John look at how movies are translated, including an interview with a guy who does subtitles for a living. Plus, how Pixar and other companies are localizing movies for international audiences, and what happens when China becomes the largest film market.
The USB drives are back in the store, and we’re close to announcing our picks for the next Scriptnotes t-shirt. (You can see some of the entries on our Facebook page.)
Links:
A limited number of 200 episode USB drives are back in the John August Store
Scriptnotes on Facebook
Scriptnotes, 208: How descriptive audio works
Emmanuel Denizot, and his First Person entry on johnaugust.com
Inside Out Director Pete Docter Explains Why Pixar Remade Certain Scenes for Foreign Viewers on Slate
China becomes world’s second-biggest movie market on BBC
Hollywood Pays Attention As China’s Movie Box Office Grows By 50%; Nation Adds Nearly 30 Screens A Day on IBT
WGAw Announces Candidates for 2015 Officers and Board of Directors Election
3rd & Fairfax: The WGAw Podcast, hosted by Aaron Fullerton & Steve Trautmann
Microsoft Translator for iOS and Apple Watch
XMarks Bookmark Sync
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is now streaming on NetFlix
Outro by Jonah Bech Vestergard (send us yours!)
You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.
from johnaugust.com http://ift.tt/1K3LOhy Geno Scala
Short cut-aways, and the value of BACK TO:
The script I’m writing has a character who is reconstructing past events. In several scenes, we cut away to these memories, always returning to the current scene.
There are several ways to do this on the page.
The first technique is to simply use full scene headers. (This example is made up just for this blog post.)
Roger squints in the glare of light.
CUT TO:
INT. EXAMINATION ROOM – NIGHT [FLASHBACK]
ORDERLIES strap Roger’s forehead to the table. A DRILL WHIRRS as a BRIGHT LIGHT swings overhead.
BACK TO:
INT. COPY ROOM – DAY
Roger squats down, suddenly reeling.
That BACK TO: is your friend. It’s a reminder to the reader that you were in the middle of another scene, and it’s still happening. Yes, you could just use CUT TO. But it’s ambiguous. Are you still in the same scene, or is this a different place/time?
BACK TO: is also a huge help if the cutaway involves multiple locations — the finale of Big Fish, for example. It’s a signal to the reader that all of the cutting is done.
Doing less
If you’re cutting away to the same thing often, using the full scene header gets annoying. It’s like that guy at a party who keeps introducing himself.
We know who you are, Dave. You can stop.
In the example above, if we’ve been to that examination room scene before, I’m more likely to write it like this:
As Roger squints in the glare of light --
ORDERLIES strap Roger’s forehead to the table. A DRILL WHIRRS as a BRIGHT LIGHT swings overhead.
BACK TO SCENE.
Roger squats down, suddenly reeling.
Removing the location and the transitions feels like cheating, but it better reflects my intention with the scene. This cutaway is meant to be a nibble, not a meal.
Setting it off with italics isn’t required, but it signals to the reader to pay attention — we’re doing something special here. Bold or underline would also work. (If you use special formatting for flashbacks like this, don’t use it for any other narrative device.)
That BACK TO SCENE is also optional, but here I like it as a tiny speed bump to make sure the reader understands that we’re out of flashback mode.
Is it weird to have BACK TO SCENE without a CUT TO? Kind of. You could use a CUT TO: and even skip the italics. But it’s extra lines, and I don’t think the reader is likely to get lost.
In production
When it comes time to make the movie, everything needs a scene number. We generally think of scene numbers going with scene headers, but the reality is that anything can have a number attached, including the italicized action lines above.
There are different philosophies for how to number flashback scenes, but my preference would be to keep the copy room scene as a single scene number (e.g. 34) and group together all of the examination room scenes as a sequence (e.g. A900, B900, C900). This way, the copy room scene doesn’t get divided across a few strips, potentially confusing everyone.
Numbering scenes is a conversation to have with the director, A.D. and line producer. It’s a luxury problem, because it means your movie is getting made.
from johnaugust.com http://ift.tt/1LhGrgs Geno Scala
BEHIND THE LINES WITH DR: Rules of Attaching Actors
Think attaching actors will get your script greenlit? Not so fast. Doug Richardson, writer of 'Die Hard 2,' gives insights on how attachments really work.
The post BEHIND THE LINES WITH DR: Rules of Attaching Actors appeared first on Script Magazine.
from Script Magazine http://ift.tt/1TP5zzE Geno Scala