PART SIX - HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY –SCRIPT-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION
VIII) SCENE NUMBERS
DOCTOR It’s a girl!
HULK lights a cigar with the rest of the Avengers.”
… THE LESS SAID ABOUT THIS SCENE THE BETTER. MOVING ON!
VIII) SCENE NUMBERS
AND THE ONLY OTHER THING YOU NEED TO KNOW IS SCENE NUMBERS.
SCREENWRITING SOFTWARE ADDS THEM IN THE MARGINS ANY TIME YOU TELL IT TO, BUT HULK RECOMMENDS YOU DON’T EVEN DO IT UNTIL THE END. IT WILL JUST
CLUTTER THINGS OTHERWISE. AND ALL IT’S REALLY THERE FOR IS TO GIVE YOUR PRODUCTION A SENSE OF HOW MANY SCENES THEY’LL NEED TO SHOOT. ANYWAY, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS.
1. “INT. HULK’S HOUSE – NIGHT 1
A big giant green monster by the name of HULK is sitting at his computer and writing a book about screenwriting.
HULK
Hulk wants to go to sleep and stop writing about screenplay formatting!
CUT TO:
2. INT. THE LEADER’S HOUSE – NIGHT 2
THE LEADER sits there deep in thought.
THE LEADER
I wonder what that big green asshole is plotting against me now?”
AND THAT’S IT! THAT’S EVERYTHING YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FORMATTING A SCREENPLAY! EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY!
BUT WHAT IS BOTH FAR MORE TRICKY AND FOR MORE NECESSARY TO DISCUSS ARE THE UNSPOKEN RULES OF SCREENPLAY FORMATTING THAT CAN GREATLY IMPROVE YOUR SCRIPT.
WHICH IS MORE DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT LEMON DIFFICULT.
… BOY DOES HULK LOVE THAT MOVIE.
50. SUBMISSION SCRIPTS VS. SHOOTING SCRIPTS (AND HOW IT AFFECTS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING)
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HUGELY IMPORTANT FACTORS WHEN IT COMES TO HOW TO APPROACH WRITING A SCREENPLAY, AND ALMOST NO ONE ON THE PLANET TALKS ABOUT IT.
OUR WORKING DEFINITION OF A “SUBMISSION SCRIPT” IS ANY SCRIPT THAT ISN’T NECEESSARILY GOING TO BE MADE. THIS CAN MEAN A LOT OF THINGS: IT IS EITHER A SCRIPT THAT YOU PLAN TO HAVE STUDIOS READ SO THEY WILL WANT TO MAKE IT, A SCRIPT THAT YOU WANT TO GET YOU A DIFFERENT JOB, A SCRIPT THAT YOU WANT TO LAND YOU AN AGENT / MANAGER, A SCRIPT THAT YOU ARE SUBMITTING FOR A NEW ROUND OF STUDIO NOTES ON A MOVIE IN DEVELOPMENT, OR EVEN A SCRIPT YOU ARE JUST GIVING TO A FRIEND FOR FEEDBACK. THE IDEA BEHIND THIS SCRIPT IS ALWAYS THE SAME: YOU WANT THE PERSON TO ENJOY THEMSELVES. YOU WANT THEM TO BE COMPELLED. YOU WANT THEM TO THINK YOU’RE A GOOD WRITER.
SO SHOULDN’T THE IDEA BE TO MAKE “THE READ” OF YOUR SCRIPT AS COMPELLING AND DRAMATIC AS POSSIBLE? AND SHOULDN’T THAT BE OBVIOUS?
MEANWHILE A SHOOTING SCRIPT IS SOMETHING ALREADY EFFECTIVELY “GREEN-LIT”
AND YOU’VE FINISHED ALL THE DRAFTS THE STUDIO NEEDS, SO YOU CAN INCLUDE ANY INFORMATION YOU WANT LIKE CAMERA NOTATIONS, PRODUCTION DESIGN, AND THE THINGS THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP YOU MAKE THE DAMN THING.
STILL…
IMPORTANT FACT: 95% OF SCRIPTS OUT THERE ARE SUBMISSION SCRIPTS, MEANING THAT’S WHAT 95% OF YOU ARE WRITING.
IMPORTANT QUESTION: SO WHY ARE MOST OF THAT 95% WRITING THEIR SUBMISSION SCRIPTS LIKE THEY ARE SHOOTING SCRIPTS?
SERIOUSLY. IT’S A HUGE PROBLEM. HULK SITS THERE AND READS THE MOST
TECHNICAL, OVER-DESCRIPTIVE, BORING, UTTERLY PARALYZING SCRIPTS ALL THE TIME BECAUSE THE PERSON WRITING IT THINKS THEY HAVE TO CONTROL EVERY SINGLE THING HAPPENING ONSCREEN AND GO OVER THEM IN LABORIOUS DETAIL, RATHER THAN MAKE A GOOD READ. THEY’RE TRYING TO BE THE DIRECTOR, THE
PRODUCTION DESIGNER, THE ACTING COACH, AND EVERYTHING BUT THE WRITER. AND THUS, THEY ARE SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT BECAUSE WHAT THEY ARE
WRITING IS EFFECTIVELY BAD DRAMA FOR THE PERSON READING IT. YOU ARE RECITING THEM A GROCERY LIST INSTEAD OF TELLING YOUR STORY IN THE MOST COMPELLING AND INVOLVING WAY POSSIBLE. AND GUESS WHAT, FOLKS?
THE PERSON READING IS THE PERSON WHO IS TELLING YOU YES OR NO.
ISN’T THIS A HUGE DEAL? YET HULK SEES THOUSANDS OF YOUNG WRITERS PRESS ON WITH THE SHOOTING SCRIPT MODE BECAUSE THEY CAN’T LET GO OF CONTROL OR
JUST BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT’S THE APPROPRIATE THING TO DO… AND IT IS VERY MUCH NOT. BESIDES, THE WORST PART IS YOU CAN JUST ADD ALL THAT STUFF IN
LATER. LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMEONE ACTUALLY WANTS TO MAKE IT AND IT WILL HAVE GONE THROUGH HUNDREDS OF CHANGES ANYWAY.
SO HULK WANTS YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO KINDS OF SCRIPTS VERY CAREFULLY. ASK YOURSELF: “HOLY CRAP, WHO AM I ACTUALLY WRITING THIS FOR?” AND THEN YOU SHOULD TRY AND MAKE IT AS READABLE AS POSSIBLE. THE SCRIPT SHOULD FEEL ALIVE AND VIBRANT, LIKE THEY’RE READING A PLAY. IT SHOULD FEEL LIKE IT IS HAPPENING IN REAL TIME.
IT SHOULD NOT FEEL LIKE A NOVEL.
SO THINK ABOUT THAT. BECAUSE FOR EVERY BIT OF SCREENWRITING ADVICE THAT IS TO FOLLOW, HULK WILL BE GEARING IT AROUND SUBMISSION SCRIPTS. BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT MATTER. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT SELL AND MAKE YOU A
BETTER WRITER. THEY ARE THE ONES TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE… HONESTLY
THOUGH, MOST OF THE FOLLOWING CAN BE APPLIED TO A SHOOTING SCRIPT TOO.
51. KNOW IT IS BEING READ BY EVERY KIND OF PERSON
IF CHARLIE KAUFMAN, AN INCREDIBLE WRITER WHO KNOWS WHAT REALLY MAKES A GREAT SCRIPT, SAT DOWN TO READ YOUR SCRIPT YOU WOULD WANT HIM TO THINK IT'S GREAT. THIS GOES WITHOUT SAYING, RIGHT?
THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR IF YOUR FAVORITE ACTOR SAT DOWN TO READ YOUR SCRIPT. AND THEN IF A STUDIO EXEC SAT DOWN TO READ YOUR SCRIPT, YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO THINK IT'S GREAT TOO. AND IF A SCRIPT READER, WHO READS A
MILLION OF THEM AND WHOSE TIME IS SHORT, SAT DOWN TO READ YOUR SCRIPT YOU WOULD WANT THEM TO THINK IT'S GREAT AND NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN,
WHOLLY FORGETTING THERE'S A NEXT ONE ON THE PILE. AND IF A 21 YEAR OLD
INTERN, WHO REALLY DOESN'T HAVE THE BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE OR PATIENCE FOR THIS JOB, SAT DOWN TO READ YOUR SCRIPT YOU WOULD STILL WANT THEM TO THINK IT'S GREAT TOO.
NOW… GUESS IN WHICH ORDER THE SCRIPT WILL BE READ?
YUP. THE REVERSE OF THAT. AND THAT’S WHY YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR SCRIPTS
ACCESSIBLE TO THE 21 YEAR OLD INTERN. SORRY FOLKS, BUT WHEN YOU'RE STARTING IN THIS GAME AND DON’T HAVE A REPUTATION YET, IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. NOW, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN'T USE BIG WORDS OR TELL A COMPLEX STORY. THAT WOULD BE NONSENSE. BECAUSE THE 21 YEAR OLD INTERN IS ACTUALLY PRETTY SMART ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. BUT IT ALSO MEANS THEY ARE BUSY, EASILY
DISTRACTED, AND NOT ENTIRELY AWARE OF THE SUBTLETY OF NUANCE. ACTUALLY, THE SAME GOES FOR MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE, REALLY. AND THE ONE UNIFYING CHARACTERISTIC IS THAT THEIR TIME IS EXTREMELY VALUABLE.
WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE POINT AND NOT DILLY-DALLY IN THE DAMN DESCRIPTION.
THAT MEANS NO WALLS OF BLACK TEXT. REALLY. HULK IS ONE OF THE MOST PATIENT READERS ON THE PLANET. AND HULK CAN READ FAST. HECK, HULK PICKS UP INFINITE JEST EVERY YEAR TO REVISIT IT. HULK FUCKING LOVES TO READ DENSE AND
INTRICATE TEXT. HULK MEAN, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HULK ESSAY; HOW COULD HULK NOT?
BUT THOSE ARE ESSAYS. THOSE ARE NOVELS. THOSE ARE SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY.
WHEN HULK SEES THAT BIG WALL OF BLACK TEXT IN A SCRIPT, HULK'S HEART JUST SINKS A LITTLE. IT HAS NO REAL FUNCTION IN A SCREENPLAY. BY THE END OF PART SIX YOU'LL FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS, BUT FOR NOW JUST ACCEPT THAT IT IS TRUE. AND THIS PERTINENT REALITY MEANS IT IS NEVER PRODUCTIVE FOR YOU TO OVER-WRITE THE ACTION HAPPENING ONSCREEN. YOU MAY THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, OR RELEVANT, OR INTERESTING, OR CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED.
BUT TO THE READER IT'S JUST NOT LIKE THAT. IT’S UNDRAMATIC. IT SLOWS THINGS DOWN. TRUST HULK ON THIS ONE. WITH SCREENPLAY DETAILS, LESS IS ALWAYS MORE.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE TO OVER-WRITE EVERYTHING YOU ARE MAKING IT CLEAR THAT YOU DON’T TRUST THE READERS OR POTENTIAL FILMMAKERS. IT'S CLEAR YOU'RE WORRYING TOO MUCH ABOUT SOMEONE NOT DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT. YOU ARE MAKING IT CLEAR YOU ARE TRYING TO DIRECT FROM THE PAGE, AND THAT'S NOT GOOD SCREENWRITING.
THE SAME GOES FOR THE DESIRE TO BE LOQUACIOUS OR OSTENTATIOUS. DAVID FOSTER WALLACE ONCE TALKED APTLY ABOUT “THE FEAR” YOUNG WRITERS HAVE WHERE THEY WANT TO BE SEEN AS SMART, SO THEY DRESS UP THEIR LANGUAGE IN WORDS THAT DON’T ACTUALLY MEAN ANYTHING. THEY OVERCOMPENSATE WITH BRAVADO. AND IT’S JUST SO UNNECESSARY IN A SCREENPLAY. TELL A GOOD STORY.
THAT’S HOW HULK WILL KNOW YOU’RE SMART.
AS THE OLD ADAGE OF FILMMAKING GOES: “DON’T IMPRESS ME, CONVINCE ME.”
TO DO THAT, BE AS BRIEF AND CONCISE AS POSSIBLE. IT'S SECRETLY THE SAME THING AS HULK'S LESSON IN NARRATIVE ECONOMY, ONLY IT APPLIES TO THE LITERAL TEXT OF THE SCRIPT. IT’S JUST HOW WE READ SCRIPTS. THE DIALOGUE AND QUICK
SENTENCES PROPEL US. EVEN WITH THE MOST PROFESSIONAL, DILIGENT READERS, THEY WILL START TO TUNE OUT WHEN IT GETS DENSE. EVERY READER WILL TUNE OUT. IT IS AN ABSOLUTELY FIXTURE OF THE BUSINESS. THESE ARE BUSY-AS-SHIT PEOPLE. MOST OF THEM WILL SIMPLY GLANCE AT THE ACTION TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AND THEN JUST GO BACK TO THE DIALOGUE. AND IF THEY’RE REALLY INTO THE STORY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO SLOW DOWN ANYWAY!
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS A BEAT, SO DON’T LET THEM GET LOST IN TEXT!
BE BRIEF AND MOVE ON!
OKAY, OKAY YOU GET IT AND OF COURSE YOU CAN'T HAVE NOTHING EITHER. THAT’S WHY LEAN WRITING DOES NOT MEAN EMPTY WRITING. FILL YOUR LIMITED WORDS WITH PURPOSE AND IMPORT. CONVEY ONLY THE MOST RELEVANT INFORMATION!
AND HERE'S A GOOD WAY TO DO THAT:
52. THE GOLDEN RULE OF DESCRIPTION
WRITE ONLY WHAT WE CAN SEE.
THIS IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT ONE. IF YOU'RE WRITING A CHARACTER’S HISTORY IN YOUR ACTION LINES, STUFF LIKE: "HE GREW UP IN A SMALL TOWN BACK..." THEN YOU ARE TOTALLY DOING IT WRONG. IT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR THE FILMMAKERS IN TRYING TO DECIDE WHO TO CAST, ETC, BUT YOU ARE SECRETLY NOT HELPING YOUR MOVIE.
THINK ABOUT IT: THE ONLY INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE CONVEYED IN ACTION LINES IS WHAT THE AUDIENCE COULD SEE IN THE THEATER.
DOESN’T THAT MAKE SO MUCH SENSE?
FOR ONE, ANY GOOD DIRECTOR WILL SIT DOWN AND LOOK AT A PARAGRAPH IN YOUR SCRIPT THAT HAS NOTHING BUT CHARACTER HISTORY AND SAY "HOW THE FUCK CAN I SHOW THAT ONSCREEN?" AND THEN PROMPTLY TOSS YOUR SCRIPT IN THE GARBAGE.
AND HEY, IF THEY LIKE THE STORY UNDER IT, THEN THEY'LL JUST IGNORE IT ANYWAY AND DO WHAT THEY WANT. SO TRY TO REMEMBER THAT A GOOD SCRIPT CONVEYS ONLY THE INFORMATION THAT CAN BE SEEN. THE DETAILS LIKE: AGE, CLOTHING,
POSTURE, VOICE, AND ACTIONS. DON’T THINK OF THESE DETAILS AS BEING REDUCTIVE OR LIMITING, BUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO CRAFT EVERYTHING VISUALLY. REALLY TRY TO SAY SOMETHING WITH THE CHARACTER’S AGE, CLOTHING, POSTURE, VOICE, AND
ACTIONS. USE THEM TO REALLY SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHARACTER.
MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN INFORMING A DIRECTOR, YOU NEED DO THIS IN THE SCRIPT BECAUSE, FUCKIN HELL, IT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE MOVIE NEEDS TO DO TOO. IT’S NOT LIKE A NOVEL. A VOICE-OVER CAN’T JUST START READING YOUR ACTION LINES AND DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTERS. SO THEY NEED TO CONVEY VISUAL INFORMATION!
SORRY IF HULK SEEMS ANGRY AND SMASHY ABOUT THIS ONE, BUT YOU'D BE AMAZED HOW MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THIS VERY SIMPLE FACET OF SCREENWRITING. A SCRIPT SHOULD BE INFORMING THE MOVIE HOW TO WORK. IF YOU NEED TO ESTABLISH THAT SOMEONE WORKED ON A FARM YEARS AGO? DON'T WRITE "SHE USED TO WORK ON A FARM." THERE'S NOTHING A FILMMAKER CAN DO WITH THAT. INSTEAD WRITE ABOUT HOW SHE HAS PICTURES UP OF HER WITH HER FAMILY ON A FARM OR
SOMETHING VISIBLE LIKE THAT. IT MAY BE LAME, BUT IT'S AT LEAST SOMETHING THAT CAN BE SHOWN.
HULK'S OLD ACTION SCENE COLUMN PARTNER TOM TOWNEND (CINEMATOGRAPHER OF ATTACK THE BLOCK!) BROUGHT UP THE GREAT EXAMPLE OF HANDLING
EXPOSITION WITH SILKWOOD. MERYL STREEP'S CHARACTER IS ON A PLANE AND SHE'S ABOUT TO BE HANDED FOOD. SHE GOES TO GRAB HER WALLET TO PAY, BUT
ATTENDANT INFORMS HER THEY'RE FREE. THE MEANING IS CLEAR: SHE'S NEVER BEEN ON A PLANE BEFORE. ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WAS LONG BEFORE THE AIRLINES WENT BROKE AND YOU HAD TO START PAYING FOR SHIT. BUT AT THE TIME, THE
ATTENTION TO DETAIL SPOKE VOLUMES ABOUT THE CHARACTER.
BUT SINCE YOU CAN'T JUST GO INTO THE DESCRIPTION AND WRITE THE HISTORY OF THE CHARACTER, EMBRACE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO FIT IT IN ELSEWHERE. GOING BACK TO CHARACTER TREES (POINT #10) TRY TO FIT YOUR "FEET" DETAILS INTO THE STORY THROUGH OTHER APPROACHES: GROIN, THROAT, AND CROWN.
IF YOU WRITE SOMETHING WE CAN'T SEE, IT IS NOT JUST MERE FAUX PAS, IT’S NOT JUST A COMPLETELY WASTED OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT IS A WRITING HABIT THAT WILL ACTIVELY MAKE THE MOVIE WORSE. YOU'RE PUTTING AN IDEA INTO THE FILMMAKER’S HEAD THAT WILL MAKE TOTAL SENSE FOR YOUR STORY, AND IT WILL HELP THEM GET IT AND INFORM THEIR EXPERIENCE WHILE READING, BUT IT WON'T HELP THE
AUDIENCE GET IT.
AND GUESS WHO MATTERS THE MOST?
THE GOLDEN RULE OF DESCRIPTION FIXES ALL: WRITE ONLY WHAT WE CAN SEE.
53. OH BY THE WAY, YOU ARE NOT THE DIRECTOR
HULK STATED THIS BEFORE, BUT WE REALLY HAVE TO RAM IT HOME.
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THIS RULE SEEMS TO GO MORE AND MORE BY THE WAYSIDE. BUT HERE'S THE THING: IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING A SCRIPT, CHANCES ARE YOU ARE NOT THE DIRECTOR. CHANCES ARE THE ONES YOU ARE SUBMITTING TO WILL WANT TO HIRE ANOTHER PERSON, WHICH MEANS IF YOUR SCRIPT MENTIONS CAMERA MOVES OR ANYTHING THAT SHOULD BE IN THE SHOOTING SCRIPT ONLY, THEN YOU ARE TOTALLY OVERSTEPPING YOUR BOUNDS. THE DIRECTOR MIGHT EVEN BE PISSED OFF ENOUGH ABOUT IT TO DISREGARD YOUR ADVICE AND ACTIVELY DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WROTE (EVEN IF YOUR IDEA IS GOOD). THIS IS NOT IN RARE CASES EITHER - THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN MOST CASES. HULK'S SEEN IT HAPPEN.
SO AS A WRITER, HOW DO YOU, LIKE, CONVEY WHAT SHOULD BE SEEN? THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE: YOU DON'T ACTIVELY TRY. INSTEAD, YOU USE A FEW TRICKS TO CONVEY
WHAT SHOULD BE SHOWN AND HOW. HERE'S HULK'S BEST EXAMPLE OF HOW TO IMPLY MOVEMENT WITH WORDS. SAY YOU WANT TO SHOW SOMETHING UP CLOSE THEN HAVE THE CAMERA PULL OUT OR CUT FURTHER BACK TO SHOW THE WHOLE THING. TO DO THAT YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
"A delicate hand glides over a 1952 Chevy Bel Air. The hand belongs to Anita Jones (20’s), fresh-faced Midwestern smile, with a bad home-spun blonde dye job and a discount pink dress. She proceeds to wave to the crowd.”
NOW. HULK JUST MADE THIS UP. BUT WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU? IT CONVEYS A CAMERA MOTION WITHOUT AN ACTUAL NOTE OF CAMERA MOTION. THE "BELONGS TO" BIT IS GREAT TRICK FOR IMPLYING WE SHOULD BE UP CLOSE AND THEN BACK OUT. JUST LIKE YOU WANT TO DO WITH ACTION LINES, YOU SHOW DON'T TELL.
BUT GOING BACK TO POINT #52 JUST BEFORE THIS, THE INFORMATION ALSO CONVEYS A GOOD DEAL ABOUT CHARACTER. IT SHOWS SHE'S WORKING A CAR SHOW. THE
"MIDWESTERN" TERM IMPLIES NOT ONLY A LOOK, BUT A PERSONALITY TYPE THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT, WITHOUT JUST SPELLING OUT WHAT HER PERSONALITY TYPE SHOULD BE. YOU SHOW HER D.I.Y. APPROACH TO HER APPEARANCE AND CHEAP
CLOTHING AND THIS IMPLIES SHE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH MONEY.
WRITING THESE SORTS OF LINES, WHICH INHERENTLY CONVEY CHARACTER, MEANING, SETTING, INFORMATION, AND CINEMA, IS EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFICULT AND TAKES A LOT OF TIME. HULK PROBABLY SPENT 20 MINUTES ON THAT ONE LINE AND IT’S JUST AN EXAMPLE IN A BOOK AND NOT AN ACTUAL SCREENPLAY. THIS IS THE LEVEL OF THOUGHT AND EFFORT THAT YOU NEED TO PUT INTO YOUR BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS.
THIS IS ALL PART OF WHAT HULK LIKES TO CALL:
54. THE POETIC ART OF ACTION LINES
SO THIS IS JUST AN OPINION, BUT HULK THINKS PAUL ATTANASIO PROBABLY WRITES THE BEST SCREENPLAYS IN HOLLYWOOD.
THAT IS NOT TO SAY HE WRITES THE BEST STORIES THAT WILL BECOME THE BEST MOVIES (THOUGH HE'S OBVIOUSLY DONE SOME AMAZING WORK). THIS IS TO SAY THAT HE WRITES BEST FOR THE MEDIUM OF SCREENPLAYS. HIS SCRIPTS NOT ONLY MOVE FAST WITH GREAT ECONOMY, BUT HIS ACTION LINES ARE POETIC AND RESONANT.
THEY ALLOW THE DIRECTORS TO MAKE THE BEST POSSIBLE MOVIES. EVEN WHEN HIS CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS GET A LITTLE TOO MUCH IN THE WAY OF THINGS YOU CAN'T SEE, THEY ARE STILL THESE BEAUTIFUL CONCEPTS THAT CAN COME ACROSS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CHARACTER. BUT REALLY IT'S HIS ABILITY TO CONVEY INFORMATION IN LOVELY, SMALL BITS OF ECONOMY THAT MAKES IT WORK. BESIDES, IT’S ALL PART OF THE GREAT “NEGOTIATION” HULK TALKS ABOUT IN REGARDS TO THE CHOICES YOU MAKE TO BREAK GUIDELINES. LIKE TARANTINO, HIS WRITING IS SO
GOOD AND PURPOSEFUL THAT YOU DON'T REALLY MIND HIS RULE-BREAKING.
CHECK THESE FUCKING OUT:
"HERBIE STEMPEL, Herbert the great, early 40s and overweight. Marine haircut and shabby suit. A Job for his generation - - exiled to the Boroughs, flayed by grey-flannel insults, scourged by lowly
status, grudge-laden before God.
"CHARLES VAN DOREN, 30s, handsome, well-born, debonair, self-deprecating, perfect. the lithe build of a man who has never been made to run uphill. An endearing blankness -- the boy availability of a man still in search of himself.
THESE ARE BOTH FROM QUIZ SHOW, ONE OF THE BEST SCRIPTS EVER WRITTEN, BUT