Writing the Movie or a Story

[FADE IN]

Originally Posted by DavidK

Such astonishing insight, and yet somehow also troubling.

See above. Your best clue is in the word "screenplay", not hyphenated by the way.

I have difficulty understanding posts like this, which contribute nothing to the discourse and appear to only be intended to be generally critical and demeaning yet offer no comprehensive basis for it. I hyphenated "screen-play" for purposes of emphasis, not because I don't know better. Your constantly harping posts have driven me from this site before; keep it up and it'll happen again.

[jonpiper]

FADE IN, I and many others value both your and DavidK's inputs. Let's not get into a pissing match.

Do we agree on the following basics?

A movie is a story story presented with pictures, while a screenplay is a story presented with words.

A screenplay and a novel are both stories presented with words, but a screenplay's sole purpose is to help create a movie. It's the blueprint for a movie.

[TwoBrad Bradley]

What is the difference between a Spec screenplay and a Shooting script?

[JeffLowell]

Zero reason there has to be one. You could take a great spec script, prep and shoot it, and never change a word.

[TwoBrad Bradley]

Originally Posted by JeffLowell

Zero reason there has to be one. You could take a great spec script, prep and shoot it, and never change a word.

So there is nothing wrong or cautionary for a newbie to submit a great shooting script on speculation?

[mariot]

Originally Posted by TwoBrad Bradley

What is the difference between a Spec screenplay and a Shooting script?

Are you trying to win the contest or is there some other reason for posts like this?

[JeffLowell]

A spec script is a script that you write without being hired first.

A shooting script is the draft that's being produced.

The two drafts can be identical. (Okay, almost identical - the scenes need to be numbered in a shooting script. Time in Final Draft to do that: ten seconds.)

If I have an idea for a movie, I can either sell it as a pitch or write it without selling it first. The one I wrote without selling is a "spec script." The two drafts would be identical in format and content.

So a newbie can't write a "shooting script" and try to sell it. No matter how he's written it, it is by definition a spec script until he sells it.

[TwoBrad Bradley]

You know what I mean, but I'll re-phrase:

So there is nothing wrong or cautionary for a newbie to submit a great draft that looks like a shooting script with all the camera directions (even the ones not required for clarity) on speculation?

btw, since you brought it up, why not numbers in a spec? In Final Draft it only takes eight seconds to turn them off. Is it because they are not needed and have nothing to do with the story? If a writer is writing the best "movie" why would the scenes be in any different order?

[mariot]

Originally Posted by TwoBrad Bradley

You know what I mean, but I'll re-phrase:

So there is nothing wrong or cautionary for a newbie to submit a great draft that looks like a shooting script with all the camera directions (even the ones not required for clarity) on speculation?

btw, since you brought it up, why not numbers in a spec? In Final Draft it only takes eight seconds to turn them off. Is it because they are not needed and have nothing to do with the story? If a writer is writing the best "movie" why would the scenes be in any different order?

Why do some dvds include deleted scenes?

[JeffLowell]

My bad, I thought you were being sincere.

Originally Posted by TwoBrad Bradley

So there is nothing wrong or cautionary for a newbie to submit a great draft that looks like a shooting script with all the camera directions (even the ones not required for clarity) on speculation?

Shooting scripts don't have "all the camera directions."

A shooting script isn't a spec script where someone went through and called out all the shots.

Spec scripts and shooting scripts are written the same way.

Do you really want me to explain how a script is shot by a director, or are you just trying to fuck with me?

If you are just fucking with me, let me know, so I can save some time and not bother replying.

btw, since you brought it up, why not numbers in a spec? In Final Draft it only takes eight seconds to turn them off. Is it because they are not needed and have nothing to do with the story?

They add nothing to the read. There's no reason to have them there.

If a writer is writing the best "movie" why would the scenes be in any different order?

All scene numbers are is a shorthand way for the crew to know what scene people are referring to. Instead of saying "the fifth scene in the diner," they can say "scene 18."

They are purely a production concern. Which is why they aren't in non-shooting drafts.