Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

    I went to tinker with something really minor just now and happened to see where I somehow left out a whole sentence when I made a frivolous last-minute dialogue tweak right before I submitted earlier this week. I only did it because of how it looked on the page; the difference between the "before" and the correct "after" is essentially nil. I think I must have copied the missing line to put back in, and then forgot to take the extra "paste" step.

    Leaving out that sentence makes the next line of dialogue make no sense whatsoever. And this is on page 1. That's o-n-e, the first page.

    Ahhhhh well. I feel dumb.
    "You have idea 1, you're excited. It flops. You have idea 99, you're excited. It flops.
    Only a fool is excited by the 100th idea. Fools keep trying. God rewards fools." --Martin Hellman, paraphrased

  • #2
    Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

    Originally posted by WaitForIt View Post
    I somehow left out a whole sentence when I made a frivolous last-minute dialogue tweak ... I only did it because of how it looked on the page ... I think I must have copied the missing line ... and then forgot to take the extra "paste" step.

    Leaving out that sentence makes the next line of dialogue make no sense whatsoever. And this is on page 1. That's o-n-e, the first page.
    Well, I doubt that there is anyone who has not done the same thing. Mistakes creep in when you edit. Sometimes a reader is just going to say, "That didn't make any sense. I wonder what happened?" and then go right on.

    I am only going to rag on you for one thing, and maybe you are not guilty. Maybe I am not understanding you.

    Did you make that change ("because of how it looked on the page") because the line was long or short, or carried over to the next page as a single line, or something like that?

    I am only asking because I have noticed that some people on the board really obsess over this kind of thing, and it truly makes no difference. Readers with any sense of discrimination are probably just glad that you are not writing things like *he looses his money everytime he bet's on the horses*.

    "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

      Well, GL. I doubt it will make a difference either way.

      It sounds like they were absolutely inundated with entries today and yesterday, which just seems kinda crazy to me. You have a whole year to prepare your entries. Do you really need the last 24 hours to frantically rewrite? Apparently the answer for a lot of people was yes.

      I submitted my first two in March and my last about a week ago. I've never entered three before and I haven't entered anything since 2011. If I don't get at least one in the top 10%, I will be a little soul-crushed.

      Getting it all out there a few days in front of the deadline is definitely advisable though, IMO. No last minute stress.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

        Originally posted by DaltWisney View Post
        Well, GL. I doubt it will make a difference either way.

        It sounds like they were absolutely inundated with entries today and yesterday, which just seems kinda crazy to me. You have a whole year to prepare your entries. Do you really need the last 24 hours to frantically rewrite? Apparently the answer for a lot of people was yes.

        I submitted my first two in March and my last about a week ago. I've never entered three before and I haven't entered anything since 2011. If I don't get at least one in the top 10%, I will be a little soul-crushed.

        Getting it all out there a few days in front of the deadline is definitely advisable though, IMO. No last minute stress.
        I submitted a couple days before the deadline. I'm also a full-time student and my term ended on the 27th, so I was just thankful I had a few days free of any academic obligations so I could devote my entire brain to some editing. I waited so long for exactly that reason. I probably wouldn't have entered at all if the deadline were before school was over with.

        Also, here's to no soul-crushing for you.
        "You have idea 1, you're excited. It flops. You have idea 99, you're excited. It flops.
        Only a fool is excited by the 100th idea. Fools keep trying. God rewards fools." --Martin Hellman, paraphrased

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

          Originally posted by ComicBent View Post
          Well, I doubt that there is anyone who has not done the same thing. Mistakes creep in when you edit. Sometimes a reader is just going to say, "That didn't make any sense. I wonder what happened?" and then go right on.

          I am only going to rag on you for one thing, and maybe you are not guilty. Maybe I am not understanding you.

          Did you make that change ("because of how it looked on the page") because the line was long or short, or carried over to the next page as a single line, or something like that?

          I am only asking because I have noticed that some people on the board really obsess over this kind of thing, and it truly makes no difference. Readers with any sense of discrimination are probably just glad that you are not writing things like *he looses his money everytime he bet's on the horses*.
          I dislike having just one word hanging over. Really really dislike. I feel like I've wasted a line if I haven't used at least half of it, so I try to tighten up to the line before if possible. So I am one of those people, I guess. It's a good way to encourage myself to be succinct. It's also an awesome way to make neon-light "amateur! amateur!" mistakes.

          But, meh. I'm just a little peeved at myself and my husband won't understand. C'est la vie.
          "You have idea 1, you're excited. It flops. You have idea 99, you're excited. It flops.
          Only a fool is excited by the 100th idea. Fools keep trying. God rewards fools." --Martin Hellman, paraphrased

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

            Originally posted by WaitForIt View Post
            I went to tinker with something really minor just now and happened to see where I somehow left out a whole sentence when I made a frivolous last-minute dialogue tweak right before I submitted earlier this week. I only did it because of how it looked on the page; the difference between the "before" and the correct "after" is essentially nil. I think I must have copied the missing line to put back in, and then forgot to take the extra "paste" step.

            Leaving out that sentence makes the next line of dialogue make no sense whatsoever. And this is on page 1. That's o-n-e, the first page.

            Ahhhhh well. I feel dumb.
            That's an easy fix. Attach and email a PDF of page one to nicholl at oscars.org and we'll insert it and replace the error-ridden page. If you have to make the first page two lines longer than it should be, that's what you'll need to do.

            If you can't extract page one, send the complete PDF but know that we'll only insert page one - so make sure it has all the lines needed to fit in place.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

              Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
              That's an easy fix. Attach and email a PDF of page one to nicholl at oscars.org and we'll insert it and replace the error-ridden page. If you have to make the first page two lines longer than it should be, that's what you'll need to do.

              If you can't extract page one, send the complete PDF but know that we'll only insert page one - so make sure it has all the lines needed to fit in place.
              So nice of you to do that, Greg. The Nicholl is such a classy organization. And we're so lucky that you check in on these forums from time to time.

              I entered the competition for the first time last year and made the Quarterfinals. So it has a special place in my heart. Have two entries in the running this year.

              I'll be reading the daily script excerpts on Facebook to bide the time as I wait for the results. I don't know how you deal with the trolls on there who show up just to criticize anything they can. Think a lot of them are just bitter about not placing in the past, but there are more constructive ways to deal with that anger. You obviously have an infinite amount of patience.

              Here's to another great contest season! (And WaitForIt, best of luck!!)
              "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.-- Peter De Vries

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                Originally posted by gregbeal View Post
                That's an easy fix. Attach and email a PDF of page one to nicholl at oscars.org and we'll insert it and replace the error-ridden page. If you have to make the first page two lines longer than it should be, that's what you'll need to do.

                If you can't extract page one, send the complete PDF but know that we'll only insert page one - so make sure it has all the lines needed to fit in place.
                ! Holy heck, I'm floored, Greg. That is amazingly super crazy ridiculously awesome. Thank you thank you thank you.
                "You have idea 1, you're excited. It flops. You have idea 99, you're excited. It flops.
                Only a fool is excited by the 100th idea. Fools keep trying. God rewards fools." --Martin Hellman, paraphrased

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                  Originally posted by UpandComing View Post

                  Here's to another great contest season! (And WaitForIt, best of luck!!)
                  You too!
                  "You have idea 1, you're excited. It flops. You have idea 99, you're excited. It flops.
                  Only a fool is excited by the 100th idea. Fools keep trying. God rewards fools." --Martin Hellman, paraphrased

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                    Originally posted by ComicBent View Post
                    Readers with any sense of discrimination are probably just glad that you are not writing things like *he looses his money everytime he bet's on the horses*.
                    Since OP has his (very nice) answer to his question, I don't feel like I'm hijacking this thread. And so...

                    What if a character talks that way? How do you tell the reader, in effect, "sic"? The only solution I've come up with is italics.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                      Originally posted by Manchester View Post
                      Since OP has his (very nice) answer to his question, I don't feel like I'm hijacking this thread. And so...

                      What if a character talks that way? How do you tell the reader, in effect, "sic"? The only solution I've come up with is italics.
                      I (a female btw) actually used italics once in this script kind of in that way, for just one word. But if it's frequent, I don't see why you can't just hang a lantern on it in the action/description early on, for the sake of clarity? Unless you mean something I don't understand.
                      "You have idea 1, you're excited. It flops. You have idea 99, you're excited. It flops.
                      Only a fool is excited by the 100th idea. Fools keep trying. God rewards fools." --Martin Hellman, paraphrased

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                        Originally posted by Manchester View Post
                        Since OP has his (very nice) answer to his question, I don't feel like I'm hijacking this thread. And so...

                        What if a character talks that way? How do you tell the reader, in effect, "sic"? The only solution I've come up with is italics.
                        I sometimes put an apostrophe after the word to note that it's a slang or the way it's pronounced. No idea if this is the way to do it, but then again there are no rules in screenwriting.

                        So like: hangin', seent', goin', killt, etc

                        If the way it's pronounced is way different from the spelling then I just spell it like it sounds: fa sho, dat, dem, etc

                        I write a lot of scripts set in the south so I like to use slang or phonetic pronunciations, but to each their own.
                        Quack.

                        Writer on a cable drama.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                          *he looses his money everytime he bet's on the horses*.

                          What I was pointing out had nothing to do with how characters talk (granted, though, some people speaking a dialect might pronounce lose as loose).

                          Otherwise, these are all just misspellings, unrelated to pronunciation. People frequently misspell lose as loose. If you look at a list of commonly misspelled words, you will find loose as a misspelling for lose. I even see it in Action, not just in Dialogue.

                          And every time is a phrase composed of two words. It is not one word.

                          And bet's is another misspelling. People often misspell verbs by adding 's instead of just s on third-person singular verbs. No relation to speech. And, just so I do not confuse anyone, let's is a proper contraction of let+us.

                          "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                            Originally posted by ComicBent View Post
                            Otherwise, these are all just misspellings, unrelated to pronunciation. People frequently misspell lose as loose. If you look at a list of commonly misspelled words, you will find loose as a misspelling for lose. I even see it in Action, not just in Dialogue.

                            And every time is a phrase composed of two words. It is not one word.
                            I get that. (I get upset when I see "awhile" used for "a while". ) I was looking for a pleasant, effective way to wink at the reader to say, "Yeh, but I did it this way on purpose."

                            For example, as you know, "alot" is not actually one word. (Well, once upon a time it wasn't one word.) And yet, in dialogue for certain characters, spelling it that way would seem right.

                            In a scene in one script, I wrote that there's a sign in b.g. in an office, "We Do Good Wurk" - and I got a note about that "typo".

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Welp, my Nicholl script sure as heck is not perfect.

                              Originally posted by Manchester View Post
                              (I get upset when I see "awhile" used for "a while". )
                              While we're on the subject:

                              "Awhile" = "for a while." Therefore, the phrase "for awhile" is always incorrect.

                              Both Awhile and a while can be acceptable, but it depends on context.

                              Right: Why don't you come over for a while?
                              Right: I stayed at Joe's place awhile.
                              Wrong: I stayed at Joe's place a while.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X