“I never get to . . . the index cards. I’ve never done that. I should, probably. I start with theme and character and, sometimes, ideas for scenes and dialogue, and I get a sense thematically of what I want to explore and accomplish. Basically I’m too immature to actually work it all out in […]
Let’s talk about the difference between FLASHBACK and FLASH. Traditional flashback plays out over a longer period of time. Put the lead-in in the slugline: INT. JIMMY’S ROOM- DAY (FLASHBACK). Be sure to tell the reader when it’s over with END FLASHBACK. A standard flashback might last a full scene, or even a sequence of […]
“… and God help you if you use voiceover in your work, my friends. God help you! It’s flaccid, sloppy writing. Any idiot can write voice-over narration to explain the thoughts of a character. You must present the internal conflicts of your character in action.” This speech by the Robert McKee character in Adaptation is […]
Remember with screen direction, you want the eye to roll down the page, to make the script a “page turner.” How do you do that? Go vertical. Keep the reader’s eyes moving vertically down the page. For example, from Seven: He reaches to the nightstand, to a wooden, pyramidical metronome. He frees the metronome’s weighted […]
There are two uses for INTERCUT. The first is: THE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION: Establish the first location, establish the second, and then INTERCUT between them: INT. JOHN BOEHNER HOME- NIGHT Boehner looks on as a TV plays his news conference from earlier in the day. The phone rings, he picks up. INT. JOHN MCCAIN HOME- SAME […]
