reasonable doubt

crispatu

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How do you know when the director/editor 's work begins ?
When do you stop blasting your screenplay with details?
I've read a considerable amount of screenplays (shooting, drafts) and wrote some very rough drafts but I can't seem to acknowledge where that thin line is.
"Cut to", "fade out", "fade in" , "dolly", "pov", "angle on", "crossfade", "dissolve to". Of all the terms pov seems to be less intrusive - that's why I tend to use it more.
I'd like a sort of guidance on which terms "I am allowed" to insert in my screenplays.
Thank you.
 

WriteKnight

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My approach is to use almost NONE of those terms. Aside from "FADE IN" at the beginning and "FADE OUT" at the end - more as a traditional nod than anything else.

While a case could be made for 'never' using 'never'... I can't think of a place where I'd use 'dolly'. Hell, it might wind up being a craning shot, overlapping dissolves, whatever. It's not your call to direct camera motion. It's your job to DIRECT A READER'S ATTENTION.

You're not on a film set. Your words are on a page. They are being READ by someone. You're not commanding a crew - YOU'RE COMMANDING ATTENTION.

Don't lose it by taking the reader out of the experience of the story in their mind, and making them think - "oh... so he think's I should be using a dolly for this shot?"

I avoid "Cut To" - simply because in today's scripts - it's pretty much a given. Sure, you're going to cut to the next scene. I OCCASIONALLY use "Dissolve" when I specifically want to suggest time passing. - It's a slightly less intrusive way.

"Angle On" - can be useful when you're dealing with multiple characters and actions in a single scene, especially when there are rapid changes - But I find that using the CHARACTER NAME as a slug - works just as well. Some folks call this the William Goldman method - whatever. I prefer it, because it saves me page space. Leaves more white.

And you WANT more nothing on the page.

POV - can sometimes be usefull, again to clarify a specific actor's point of view - if it might otherwise be confusing. But honestly, like ANGLE ON - It's much better to simply WRITE what you want the READER to see in their mind's eye.

Breaking up your action into paragraphs, is probably the best way to suggest a shot.
-----------
Susan set the soap box back on the shelf next to the coffee can. The can RATTLES. She reaches up and grabs the can, pulls it down and looks inside.

It's full of diamonds.

She glances back toward the house, and quickly empties them into her laundry basket.

______


Three paragraphs, each suggesting a specific shot. We don't need to see POV on the line. We know she's looking inside the can, through the keyhole, whatever. We know what's inside the can. The director knows he/she is going to need a closeup or insert there. It's all in the line as a given.

KEEP THE MOVIE IN THE READER'S MIND RUNNING AT ALL TIMES. Don't take them out of it by using camera shots, INSERT or POV - unless it is absolutely necessary to avoid confusion.

LESS IS MORE.

Flashback sequences can be done a number of ways. Some people slug FLASHBACK at the end of the prior sequence. Some put it in the slug of the flashback. RETURN TO PRESENT - can be useful or PRESENT TIME get's us back. Whatever. Your job is to make the reader see what you want them to see - clearly, succinctly and without hesitation. DON'T MAKE THEM READ IT TWICE, or go back and read it again. It might SEEM like using the directions will help - but it can intrude into the cinematic flow of the mind. Same reason most people avoid "WE SEE" or "THE CAMERA PICKS UP THE ACTION" - things like that, make the movie in the head slow down. It's a bad thing.


That's my approach. Other's will have their own style. That's part of who you are as a writer.
 
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crispatu

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Thank you for the elaborate answer - and example. It cleared up a lot of my doubts.