Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

    I've read and heard countless times before that in a spec script, any use of the word "we" is wrong, incorrect and should be taken out immediately (the whole "show, don't tell" potential factor). I understand this as it can potentially take a potential reader out of the story and emerge them in thoughts of camera movements, but it seems somewhat difficult to me in instances to not resort to use the word "we" in scene description. It sometimes seems like the best and only choice for a sentence. Are there any helpful tips or suggestions to help avoid this grammatical screenwriting pitfall and come up with better and more descriptive/story/script-friendly words?

  • #2
    Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

    Write it if you need to and quit worrying about it. Aside from the two brads or three conundrum, this is the most debilitating non issue in screenwriting.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

      I've now completed 7 feature scripts and have never once resorted to 'we' in action description. I think it's lazy writing. There is always a more elegant way to write the description. That's just my personal opinion. But I doubt it makes much of a difference when compared to story, character, and dialogue.
      http://confoundedfilms.com

      http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

        *We see Ava through her bedroom window*, *we now know that he is a spy*, yadda, yadda, yadda, lazy indeed!

        AUTHORS NOTE: How curious, for a moment there I thought these European keyboards were lacking the letter *z*! Too much *fromage*!
        ~* Kelsey *~

        http://kelseytalksaboutmovies.blog.com/

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

          I've read and heard countless times before that in a spec script, any use of the word "we" is wrong, incorrect and should be taken out immediately (the whole "show, don't tell" potential factor).
          You heard wrong, as any number of sold and/or produced specs will show. Don't worry about it; nobody in Hollywood does.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

            refried's only saying that because he's a lazy we usin' bastard.
            http://confoundedfilms.com

            http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

              Seriously, you couldn't look for older threads on this? Thought you were the first to ask this question?

              This question illustrates the problem of becoming overwhelmed with the technical theory of screenwriting. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE A STRONG OPINION ON THE USE OF "WE" ARE SCREENWRITERS. In the real world, IT DOESN'T MATTER. And most importantly, if you are doing THE MOST ESSENTIAL THING NEEDED TO LEARN ABOUT SCREENWRITING, YOU'D KNOW THE ANSWER. READ PROFESSIONAL SCREENPLAYS!!!! You'll see that some use we see, and some do not, and it doesn't make a whit of difference.

              You should not be focusing on this. Is your story really going to be effected if you use "we see" a half dozen times? Is your story really so good that this is the thing you need to worry about? Trust me, if you haven't done the work to already know the answer to this, and if you're so unsure of your style that this really bothers you, your screenplay has bigger problems than whether to use "we see."
              "Witticism"
              -Some Guy

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

                refried's only saying that because he's a lazy we usin' bastard.
                Well, yeah -- that and because no one in Hollywood cares, as proven by any number of sold and/or produced specs.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

                  Instead of being so lazy and writing

                  WE SEE Joe walk down the street.

                  use instead

                  Y'ALL SEE Joe walk down the street. Y'ALL see Joe run into his girlfriend. Y'ALL see them kiss passionately. Y'ALL love it.
                  Y'all buy the rights.
                  Y'all make a millions.

                  This is much better. Trust me.

                  PS. The first 4 Y'ALLs must be CAPPED the rest can be lower case with first word capped.

                  The 29th y'all should be Pink.

                  The Last "y'all" should be followed by "come back now"
                  Last edited by JoeWriter; 06-20-2005, 10:05 AM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

                    I don't use "We see" all that often. Maybe once or twice in a script. But I tend to use stuff like "We follow..." or "We turn around..." or "We sneak up on..."

                    I tend to use the We as a way to hide camera direction.

                    I hate reading stuff like CLOSE ON, ANGLE ON, WHIP PAN TO because I don't really know what they mean and because I those techical terms take me out of the story. So I stick to We as a form of guiding the story.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

                      Ditto what Ham and Cyn said.
                      Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Getting Past The "We" In Screenwriting

                        Originally posted by j over
                        I've read and heard countless times before that in a spec script, any use of the word "we" is wrong, incorrect and should be taken out immediately.
                        J Over, you may not realize, but this issue has been debated over and over again on this board.

                        It's safe to say that saying it's "wrong, incorrect and should be taken out immediately" is overkill. Don't get hung up on it as a carved-in-stone law. Use what techniques work for you and don't distract from your story.

                        Fair enough?
                        You're a mighty master of minutia. Your enemies fear you.

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X