I haven’t liked all of your films. In fact, I sort of hated your collaborations with Tim Burton, but thank you for The Nines. It’s good enough that I have Netflix’d your entire catalog to give it another shot.

And furthermore, thank you for having one of the most interesting websites on the net.

Carlo

Something along those lines. I’m just spitballing. You can replace ‘team’ with ’side’ if ‘team’ isn’t the sort of mood you’re shooting for. And yes, they implicate different moods. Team implicates more of a small scale war mood, while ’side’ implicates more political and overarching mood to the battle situation.

You can call it ‘directing on the page’. Or simply being picky about words… Haha

I have a question semi-related: I wrote a screenplay where the character’s clothes/costume was important, but my teacher told me not to put that in the action line (or at least not to mention color, only that it was a shirt and pants). Is that a guiding rule? Because I found myself describing another’s clothes in my current screenplay and I wondered whether I should take it out…

It seems comparable to the situation of describing a character’s clothing, or what a location looks like. Obviously, a character is perceived differently if they’re wearing a suit, or jeans with a T-shirt and flannel shirt tied around the waist. Things like that are given to help the reader imagine the movie, not to provide a blueprint for the costume designer to follow.

As for movie references, seems fine for dialogue (and references you want the audience to see/hear), but generally lazy for description.

I think maybe people get confused by the use of movie comparisons in a pitch for a movie (“Speed”…but on a hang-glider…). That’s shorthand, and salesmanship where comparisons to movies that made money can help sell…in a screenplay it can seem tacky.

My least favorite movie reference ever is in Da Vinci Code (the book, hopefully they left it out of the movie) when he describes the main character as “Harrison Ford in Harris tweed”. All at once, a desperate attempt to develop a character through nothing more than name dropping, and a painfully unsubtle hint from the author who he’d like in the movie version. I can’t believe that turd was a hit (book OR movie).

(Isherwood moves the syringe closer to his chest)

ISHERWOOD Oh f(—) oh s(—) oh f(—) THIS IS LIKE F(—)ING PULP FICTION ONLY IT’S REAL.

…. Surprisingly enough, that line didn’t make it into the finished film. Even Michael Bay has his limits.

Diablo Cody’s Juno screenplay is chock full of references – movies and music. Seemed to work out okay for her.

One of those scripts — one which specifies particular songs “far too many” times — has gotten some of the best responses I’ve had on a script so far, including the compliment that at least two readers couldn’t put it down and lost sleep trying to finish it quickly. It has interested someone (who is not an industry professional. mind you) so much they’re talking to me tonight to give notes and talk about about possibly arranging financing for it (he and his friends have capital, enough to do an indie film). However, it didn’t place in any contests, and at least two readers have thought it was boring and slow. Did referencing music copiously have anything to do with the negative reactions? Or the positive ones? Yes, to both. It’s all subjective.

All these guidelines are intended to help prevent you from writing something so full of irritating pieces that readers claw their eyes out or jump off cliffs in order to get away from having to read another one of your dreadful pages. But, ultimately, you need to do what you think is right for the script. Maybe it won’t get made, but that’s the probable outcome anyway. I’ve heard many times that the only hard and fast rule is: “Don’t be boring.” However, I can recall a number of scripts I’ve read — some of which have been produced — which flagrantly violate even that rule. I don’t recommend it, but if boring is your bag, and you can get away with it, more power to you (just warn me so I don’t go see your film).

Unless the music – jumpy, hip-hoppy, swing or otherwise – is pertinent to the story, don’t mention it.

I’ve never been paid to write, so you can throw my advice out the window if you wish. It’s just happens to be my writing style to make every script it’s own complete entity, without relying on hints from other people’s works. Unless it is supposed to be a reference in the story.