tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759427.post112749141934083038..comments2024-01-03T13:41:04.449-08:00Comments on Shouting into the Wind: A question of notes and restsShawnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15585446312896504036noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7759427.post-1127504081017436012005-09-23T12:34:00.000-07:002005-09-23T12:34:00.000-07:00i've been told i give decent notes, so perhaps my ...i've been told i give decent notes, so perhaps my advice will be useful. <BR/><BR/>while every screenplay/teleplay is unique, there are certain models that are useful to have in mind while reviewing someone's work. i try and think of the work i'm reviewing in abstract terms (genre/tone etc.) and where appropriate compare to something successful and similar. <BR/><BR/>it may be impossible to avoid altogether but i try and check myself for issues of taste. if the piece is too far afield from tastes, i may choose not to review it. at the very least i preface my comments with the caveat that i am not a fan of the genre. <BR/><BR/>as for the comments themself, no level of detail is too fine. you can lose a reader with poor syntax as easily as a poorly developed character or plot. <BR/><BR/>there are basic questions i ask myself while reading 1) do i know what's happening? 2) do the characters and what is happening seem plausible? 3) is the action described visually and can i picture what's happening? 4) does the dialogue sound real? 5) am i paying attention? if any of these questions comes up "no", i start to look for problems. there are as many types of problems as there are screenplays but the big ones are 1) premature writing. the writer doesn't yet know his story or character and is exploring it in the draft. if this is the case, i try and identify the best possible choices and suggest the writer go back to the drawing board. 2) over-exposition (duh) 3) purposeless or redundant scenes. 4) scenes that are undermotivated by previous actions. 5) poor and rushed writing (early drafts especially suffer from this). 6) unmotivated action 7) implausible dialogue 8) dry dialogue 9) on the nose dialogue (less of a problem in keeping people's attention than you might think)<BR/><BR/>(btw, the term on the nose dialogue seems to be interpreted by different people in different ways. it can mean dialogue which states the characters meaning and intentions too plainly. or dialogue which is uninteresting and/or overly familiar.)<BR/><BR/>after i am done, i look back and see if there are any plot points that aren't resolved or don't pay off thematically. <BR/><BR/>most screenplays are execrable and unreadable. it's usually because of a lack of craft. i have little to offer writers who are so without the basics except to suggest they bone up on the basics. but if a writer can tell a story, show it more or less and put words in the mouth of people that sounds more or less like people talking, i can help a little. part of the trick is to know what you as the reviewer you can and cannot offer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com