chase scenes ??

That's a bad example, it's lazy writing, with no imagery to help the script reader or exec visualize the scene. Best if you write the action out in full, using punchy action verbs and dramatic moments, e.g. and just for fun's sake, "The getaway car screeches round the corner on two wheels and swipes a Budweiser truck, losing a side mirror and hubcaps. The cop car on their tail plows into the truck and smashes a million beer bottles to pieces." You can liven this up with a quip from the getaway driver: "Man, that's gotta be the crime of the century!" and/or a droll observation included after the action, "Oh, the humanity." and/or a last comic shot of the cop car, "The cop car's siren slowly fades, then gives a drunken burp." Crap example, I just mean something the reader can see, that will help them imagine this scene playing out in a film.

-Derek

Especially if the script is action orientated.
Otherwise, who's going to buy a script with ACTION SCENE written every other page?

No-one, that's who.

We can do this? Oh thank God... I've been having a hell of a time with a scene where my hero and villain face off in the final showdown. Now I can just put...

INT COURTROOM - DAY

Jack approaches the witness on the stand. Mike eyes him confidently starting our final

DIRECTOR/DIALOGUE SORKIN-STYLE COURTOOM SEQUENCE

which ends with Jack the victor.

Fade Out
The End.


Maybe the writer thought it pointless because it's a Bruckheimer film and they're probably not going to use his suggestions anyway but even so, there's no way I could do that. Even if I wrote some cool sequence using the LA storm drains and all that ended up in the film was that it took place at that location, I'd be happy because that's what people would call it - that neat storm drain chase.

Unless of course the writer was told to keep his action sequences stripped down because they were going to be worked out later and what we're actually seeing here is one of the coolest examples of writer-stung, director-targeted, inter-script sarcasm ever.

Or he's lazy.

I went straight to the car chase scene and what I found was not what I expected

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that's why i said you have to read more than one or two. read 10 or more car chase scenes before you write your own. yeah, it's hard work but no one... absolutely no one said it was easy. you have to do the work.

you need to write out the action scene the way you want it to go. if they change it later then, so be it. there are many reasons why they would. ie - they sign a contract with the mini cooper and everyone drives a mini cooper through the tiny streets and alleyways in some tiny european town.

avid-dreamer said:

Ok, I've been doing some reading like you all suggested, starting with Gone In 60 Seconds. I went straight to the car chase scene and what I found was not what I expected. Here, take a look:

Nope. The Sphinx drives on... Into yet another

DIRECTOR'S CHASE SCENE

This one even cooler than the last ... And once they've eluded all
of the police, The Sphinx pulls over to the side of a DARKENED
STREET...

MIRROR MAN
What are you doing? I'm gonna die!
Is this the norm? I mean, should writers leave the chase scenes to the director or map them out?

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You have to understand the difference between a spec and an assignment. In this case, the writer who wrote this draft was probably brought on after the director had already been attached and was involved in the planning of the production and he may even have been told -- look, we've laid out the broad outlines of this thing -- we know that there are going to be X car chase scenes in this thing -- they're going to be like this, like that, like this, like that -- we're working on them now with our stunt team -- don't even bother describing them.

The rules, obviously, are going to be completely different for a spec script.

NMS

Exactly, this was written on hire. Totally different rules.