John August

Search Results for: slugline

Character caps

Formatting, QandA

My question concerns the use
of character names in screenplays, specifically, should they be capitalized
throughout the script wherein they are actually in a scene, or should they
just be capitalized when they are first introduced?

This is really driving me crazy as the screenplays I have
read adhere to the capitalization throughout, the logic being that the actor
can see at a glance
that their character is in a scene if the name of the character is in capitals.
Indeed I was taught this as well in a University Degree in screenwriting. But
I have had feedback from some producers who say this is wrong.

–Brendan

In stage plays, the characters’ names are generally capitalized throughout.
In screenplays, characters’ names in the scene description are capitalized
only when a character first appears in the script. (And by capitalized, I mean
in all caps, like MIKE or BOB.)

Yes, I’ve seen exceptions to both rules, but I think the conventions make
sense and should be followed. Here’s what it looks like:

Bartender BOBBY DENTON is 29, with a mullet haircut and pit stains.
If your drink takes more than two kinds of liquid, Bobby’s not your man.

Subsequent mentions of Bobby, in this scene or later, would not be capitalized.
One possible exception (which came up in BIG FISH) is when a character’s age
changes so much that it obviously involves another actor. In that case, you
might capitalize YOUNG BOBBY the first time the five-year old version is introduced.

I can’t tell you with any certainty how stage plays and screenplays evolved
to do things differently. One theory might be that in a stage play, it’s very
important that an actor enter a scene at exactly the right time, thus the rampant
capitalization to make it more apparent. (In fact, stage plays often use "small
caps," which are a point size smaller than the regular typeface, just
to make it more readable.)

In movies, on the other hand, it’s often very important to know in what scene
a character is first established, particularly because scenes are often filmed
out of sequence. Thus, his or her name is capitalized only that one time.

The Script Police are not going to arrest you if you decide to capitalize
your characters’ names all the time, but it does make for a messier page, considering
the other things that need capitalization: sounds, sluglines, scene headings
and such.

So forget what you learned in university. Leave the caps to Shakespeare.

More camera angles

QandA, Words on the page

Is it possible to put to rest the largest writing controversy
(next to the appropriate number of brads), CAMERA ANGLES?
There are a lot of people who say camera angles don’t belong
in a spec. [But] if you read scripts written by the writers who do sell, they
nearly ALWAYS have camera angles.
What I see all over the net is a large subculture of new
writers excluding camera angles and not selling, while those who have advised
them to take this route ARE using them and selling. One professional writer
who
suggests they be used goes as far as to say that these other pros suggesting
they not be used are doing so to deliberately misguide the younger writers
positioned to take their jobs.

–ZD

You’re uncovered a vast screenwriting conspiracy, ZD. William Goldman and
his crack team of Writer’s Guild assassins will be visiting you shortly.

You actually make a very good point. Most of the classic screenwriting books
and instructors will tell you to never use camera angles, because it hurts
the readability and angers the director. While they have a point, I’d caution
you to be suspicious of anyone who lays down hard-and-fast rules.

Speaking as a member of the pro-angle faction, I’ll make the case that reading
a screenplay should give you the sense of watching the movie. Since camera
position is a crucial element in the cinematic experience, there are times
when it’s appropriate to mention it, just as it can be necessary to point out
costuming, or music, or effects in order to let the reader know what’s what.

That said, I almost never use the words "camera" or "angle" in
my scripts, because I think those words do tend to disrupt the flow. Rather
than write —

ANGLE ON: The truck SLAMS into the gunman.
— I’m more likely to write —

THE TRUCK

SLAMS into the gunman.
— which uses a slugline to indicate that this a new and important shot.

Along the same line, rather than say, "The CAMERA CRANES UP over the field," I
would say, "we RISE OVER the field." Since the camera is the audience’s
eyes, using "we" or "our" makes sense to me.

But I’m not the last word on the subject, nor can it ever really be put to
rest. Although none have said it to my face, some of the directors I’ve worked
with probably hate the way I move the camera on the page and wish I would stop
doing it.

Ultimately, writers have different styles that work for them, and my best
advice is find an approach that suits your taste and the material. There are
no absolute rules.

Except that the appropriate number of brads is always two.

Specs, treatments, and pitches

QandA, Treatments

What’s the difference: spec script, treatment, pitch and
outline?

–Fabio Bueno

These terms deal with different forms or stages of a screenwriter’s work.
A "spec script" is a completed screenplay, probably about 120 pages
long, that a writer wrote on his own. That’s the "spec" part, meaning
that no one paid the writer in advance to write it, just like a house built
on spec doesn’t have a buyer until it’s finished. Most writers’ first screenplays would be considered specs, because it’s rare for someone to hire a writer without
reading his or her work first.

"Treatment" and "outline" mean different things to different
people, and one writer’s treatment might be another’s outline. Regardless,
treatments and outlines map out a movie story, often as a precursor to writing
the full screenplay. An outline might be one page or might be ten; a treatment
could be three pages or could be thirty. James Cameron is known for writing "scriptments" that
are 70 pages or more. Ultimately, the length is less important than the function:
hopefully, an outline or treatment will help a writer spot problems early on,
so that the finished script will be better. Treatments are usually written
in paragraph rather than screenplay form, but there are no hard and fast rules.
Outlines are often more rudimentary, with just sluglines to refer to sequences.

A "pitch" is the oral presentation of a movie idea, where screenwriters
explain to studio executives that their movie is "Ghostbusters meets Titanic." God
knows why screenwriters – who spend most of their days typing in dark rooms
– are supposed to be able to suddenly become eloquent and impassioned hucksters,
but such are the weird realities of Hollywood. Ideally, a pitch should feel
like how you describe a really good movie to a friend who hasn’t seen it yet.
Casual but excited. Truthfully, I usually write every word I’m going to say
ahead of time, then internalize it so it feels like I’m ad-libbing.
There might be situations when you give a "written pitch," but truthfully,
that document would probably be an outline or treatment.

I’ve been on panels dedicated to the topic of pitching, and I’ve come to the
conclusion that it’s not a skill that can really be taught. It’s like stand-up
comedy. You have to learn through practice in front of actual human beings.