warrenP
09-23-2005, 11:16 AM
Hey all. In the research section we had a good discussion on the level of detail in a script. I thought others might want to chime in on this subject, so I copied the last post to here. The discussion is regarding the level of detail required in the screenplay when describing things, such as a gun. Here is as good a post as any to get right into the flow....
I say details and research are the signs of a good writer. I read a Grisham novel set in the early 1970s. Grisham had a PI shoot a Glock pistol. The problem is that Glocks were not made or sold in the USA until the mid 1980s. This is an eample of what I mean. How many of you have read a script or novel where a revolver shot 12 times or had a safety. I know of many authors/writers who use a lot of details.
Example:
He pulled his big HK USP .45 from a black Galco shoulder holster. He racked the slide and loaded a Black Hills 230 grain JHP.
This is better than;
He pulled a large black .45 pistol from a leather shoulder holster and racked the slide.
A novel is totally different from a screenplay in regards to these things. Your above example line one is perfect for a novel, and your above line two is perfect for a script.
Unless the actual gun is part of the story, then the type/make/model means nothing in the actual screenplay. No reader, other than a gun fan, will know: HK, USP, Galco, Black Hills 230 grain JHP. All that looks like to the reader is bragging. It means zero to moving the screenplay forward. Especially if is it used in description.
The prop guys, and the weapons advisor for the movie, will ensure that the character is using the proper weapon, to avoid the problem of the example you wrote above regarding the age of the Glock.
The only time that type of thing (the brand/model/etc) should be in the screenplay is in the event that a character is speaking it, just as during a forensic investigation, when it does become part of the story...
I say details and research are the signs of a good writer. I read a Grisham novel set in the early 1970s. Grisham had a PI shoot a Glock pistol. The problem is that Glocks were not made or sold in the USA until the mid 1980s. This is an eample of what I mean. How many of you have read a script or novel where a revolver shot 12 times or had a safety. I know of many authors/writers who use a lot of details.
Example:
He pulled his big HK USP .45 from a black Galco shoulder holster. He racked the slide and loaded a Black Hills 230 grain JHP.
This is better than;
He pulled a large black .45 pistol from a leather shoulder holster and racked the slide.
A novel is totally different from a screenplay in regards to these things. Your above example line one is perfect for a novel, and your above line two is perfect for a script.
Unless the actual gun is part of the story, then the type/make/model means nothing in the actual screenplay. No reader, other than a gun fan, will know: HK, USP, Galco, Black Hills 230 grain JHP. All that looks like to the reader is bragging. It means zero to moving the screenplay forward. Especially if is it used in description.
The prop guys, and the weapons advisor for the movie, will ensure that the character is using the proper weapon, to avoid the problem of the example you wrote above regarding the age of the Glock.
The only time that type of thing (the brand/model/etc) should be in the screenplay is in the event that a character is speaking it, just as during a forensic investigation, when it does become part of the story...