There are about a million things that make a student film a daunting thing to undertake. There is the matter of balancing time with school and the movie. A basicly zero dollar budget. Lack of talent in every possible arena. Having to take on multiple responsiblities. Crew or actors not being dependable. Little to no control over on location shoots. etc... etc... This is why when you hear "student film" you most likely expect to see "total crap" or at least have greatly lowered expecations, and this is fine becuse after all they are just learning the craft.
Well as a student film maker I try my hardest to work with my limitations to the best of my ability and, if I'm lucky, create something that works with out excuses. And as well as being director I am the screenwriter for these movies I do. At first from mere need, but then finding I loved it as another form of writing. When I write my scripts I am always aware of what I will be able to pull off and what I can't do.
With the latest script I'm working on I'm very concerend with keeping it a short length (20-25 pages) because of this I needed to move things along quickly, I choose to tell the first act in flashback form with the main character narrating the events. But at some points in that flashback I still have the need to cram as much as I can into as little space as I can, not only because of length restraints but also, to use less actors, and less location shooting, factors that could lead to the project never getting done.
What my real question is, is that in parts of this narrated flashback sequence I feel like I get a bit too talky. Sometimes I am forced to tell and not show some important events, for the above reasons. I know it's rule one of screenwriting to show and not tell, and I'm very concerend that things will be preceived as too talky. I'm just wondering if you think I can get away with this in some places and if there are movies that you thought had a lot of "talkiness" in V.O. but ended up working really well. I'd like some reccomendations on scripts like that so I can learn from them and perhaps not feel to guilty for being a bit talky. Thanks.
Well as a student film maker I try my hardest to work with my limitations to the best of my ability and, if I'm lucky, create something that works with out excuses. And as well as being director I am the screenwriter for these movies I do. At first from mere need, but then finding I loved it as another form of writing. When I write my scripts I am always aware of what I will be able to pull off and what I can't do.
With the latest script I'm working on I'm very concerend with keeping it a short length (20-25 pages) because of this I needed to move things along quickly, I choose to tell the first act in flashback form with the main character narrating the events. But at some points in that flashback I still have the need to cram as much as I can into as little space as I can, not only because of length restraints but also, to use less actors, and less location shooting, factors that could lead to the project never getting done.
What my real question is, is that in parts of this narrated flashback sequence I feel like I get a bit too talky. Sometimes I am forced to tell and not show some important events, for the above reasons. I know it's rule one of screenwriting to show and not tell, and I'm very concerend that things will be preceived as too talky. I'm just wondering if you think I can get away with this in some places and if there are movies that you thought had a lot of "talkiness" in V.O. but ended up working really well. I'd like some reccomendations on scripts like that so I can learn from them and perhaps not feel to guilty for being a bit talky. Thanks.
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