Narrative question

[Enigma]

Of those though bloody and bruised left standing, help me with something on point:

From reading dozens of spec scripts, many of them by the best in the business (starting with Oscar winners), it seems as if they all have their own way/style of writing, of saying things, of describing what is going on. Most of the formatting "rules" of screenwriting (excepting the obvious) don't seem to apply to every writer, in every case.

BUT...

The one thing they all seem to have in common, at least in the narrative, is that they read much like a 125 page, or less, well-written short story. e.g. - there's no mistake or misunderstanding about the story the writer is telling.

Should that be a "rule" to go by?

There have been exceptions, scripts that unless you have the synopsis and/or treatment to go by, or the novel, wouldn't make a bit of sense, making the read a job rather than a pleasure. "Braveheart" as an example. I read the script before I saw the end result, and came away wondering where they came up with the descriptions of the scenes and characters because they sure weren't in the script I read. Surely the writer didn't think, "... Screw 'em. Let them figure out what's going on." I liked the pic, hated the script. Go figure. "Cold Mountain" was another one, but there the novel filled in the obvious blanks in the script.

[Joe Calabrese]

First off, don't confuse shooting scripts with specs as they are written differently and for different purposes. Most screenplays available, like Braveheart and Cold Mountain and most oscar films, at the bookstore or free downloads online are shooting scripts unless otherwise stated. Formatting is different with shooting scripts and yes different writer's have different styles with regard to formatting in both specs and shooting scripts but there are some basic, core formatting rules that all follow. As for those who break the rules, most are established writers who learned the older forms and kept writing even though the times and formatting rules have changed. Much like a doctor who prefers to runs certain older tests or prescribes older drugs even though there are new ones that new doctors prefer. If they are new writers, most likely the producer loved the concept and/or story so much that it could have been written on toilet paper and still got sold.

As for your question regarding the narrative differences in various scripts. Specs tends to have more narrative whereas the shooting script has production and design notes to fill in many of those "blanks" you mentioned.

Talking about specs only, the story is the most important element in a script, with characters and all they encompass (dialog, goals and action) being a close second. You want to give the reader as much back-story and depth to make the story clear, yet not so much as to make it exposition and on the nose. In other words, don't hit the header over the head or beat a dead horse.

As for films rich in visual description which are not on the written page, but are in the finished film, there is a fine balance between giving enough narrative so the reader has a feel for the locations, smells, and sights but not so much so that it bogs down or muddles the story.

For the most part, a spec screenplay is only a blueprint, but not a connect-the-dots technical manual for a film. The production designer works with the producer and director to design the look of the film, from everything to costumes to sets and props. Although they try to go by what the writer wrote, more importantly, they go by what the director and/or producer sees and envisions after reading the script.

[Boo_Radley]

I think the style of writing should fit the story. I ran a script by a friend who used to work as a script consultant last year; it was a noir-ish script, set in the fifties, so I wrote it using terms of that period. In hindsight it read quite a bit like a James Ellroy novel (lol) but I got some great response from it.

A character description and bit of action/description from that script:

INT. TAVERN - NIGHT

Enter HARRY CLUTCH. Leg breaker. Palooka. Dig the outline of brass knucks in his coat pocket.

Harry gloms the scene; a seedy dive. Patsy C. crones away on the speakers. A cowboy hatted DUDE swigs Night Train in a booth. Ultra-grime mixed with jig blood on the bar. Rebel flag on the front wall blowing Harry guff. Harry's take: f*** with us, city boy, and we'll feed you to the hogs.

At any rate, I say let the mood and atmosphere set the style of writing. While it's a given you should keep description and dialogue lean, the script should still be a good READ.
:)