Reading Movie Scripts

With the recent "slowdown" in my life (a.k.a. not having a job) I have more time to do other things.  Recently I've been reading more works-in-progress of my fellow scribes.  Doing this more as a favor to them, than anything else, but still this exercise got me thinking about how to read a movie script. 

I stipulate movie script because when you talk about scripts you really need to delineate what you're talking about.  I write FEATURE-LENGTH MOVIE scripts.  Not a lot of interest in writing episodic television or outright plays.  Rather, my interest lies in writing SCREENPLAYS, whose intent is them being made into movies that get released to the theaters.  Just so we're clear.

But in reading my peers work, it got me thinking: what goes into reading and evaluating a screenplay?  

Well, after reading some of my fellow scribes work recently, and many others in days gone by I've learned a lot.  Lots of stuff that might even benefit you, a potential reader of screenplays. 

ONE screenplay at a time.  I think this guy went a little overboard with my advice.

My biggest fault in reading ANYONE else's work is the FACT that I'm a screenwriting myself AND editing a novel to boot!!  (See sidebar for additional progress concerning that)  And you know what that means?  I'm almost in CONSTANT rewrite mode.  What "rewrite mode" means is that your mind is CONSTANTLY looking for errors, formatting, spelling, redundancies, and ways of making text sound better in a pre-existing work-in-progress.  Believe it or not, that's how my mind is conditioned to work now.  I say conditioned because I don't think this is normal, definitely not the way I started out.  Looking for errors is not the best way to enter a "new read".  So when I do read other people's work, I know I need to mentally switch gears; to pick-up someone else's work and evaluate it with an open mind.

Now when someone hands you a script to read the first thing you need to do is look at its story.  The story in its totality.  Only way to do this is read it all the way through.  E.C. Henry suggests doing this in ONE SITTING and getting a first impression. 

If you're not familiar with screenwriting and its various conventions, that is going to be a tall order.  It takes time to get used to the difference between novel form vs. the form in a screenplay.  If you hand someone a screenplay that is not used them, it can be quite an eye-opener for them.  My dad NEVER got used to screenwriting form.  He tried, but he was so conditioned to what his experience was in reading spy books for leisure that he never could read one of my stories on his own and think it had any chance of ever getting made.  21 screenplays down, and nothing to show for it; maybe he's right...  OR maybe he's just set in his ways and is ONLY capable of evaluating the finished product: a movie on the screen.  EVERYBODY has an opinion about a movie they just watched, right?

• What a waste of time!
• It was good, but I was also looking at my watch wondering when it would end.
• Loved it!  Was totally wrapped up in it.  Wish it would never end!
• I thought it was going somewhere at first, but then I kinda lost interest. 

  All valid responses to watching a movie.  All valid responses to reading a movie script.  And that's where I'll begin where you start to evaluate a movie script.

Put me to sleep!  A valid response to a screenplay that bores you.

First off, let's acknowledge the obvious.  A feature-length screenplay is intended to made into a movie base on the content of what's in that screenplay.  A screenplay is supposed to have visuals that can be filmed.  And dialog that can be spoken by actors.  

In giving a full read to a screenplay, give it the same latitude you would going to a movie at the theater.    

I am an advocate of a full read BEFORE you evaluate the merits of it.  For me this requires that I mentally switch gears.  Being a READER of screenplay is different than being a WRITER of a screenplay.  When I go to the movies the experience is almost always better when I know very little about the given movie going in.  One of the biggest advantages of reading a writer's screenplay that hasn't been made into a movie, over going to the movies, is the FACT that you haven't seen the trailer the screenplay, thus you're more apt to be surprised by what you experience when reading a screenplay.  The ability to surprise is a big aspect of the movie going AND screenplay reading experience.  So in that regard sometimes reading a good screenplay is better than actually going to the movies, because in the hands of someone who knows what the fuck their doing the reader gets to use their imagination to see a movie unfold before them.  And that's a cool thing.

Okay, so if you're of the mind to read movie scripts and give feedback to a writer who is trying to see how he or she did, what should you do?  Well-p, being the pretentious prick I am, I'll tell.  OR, rather, I'll tell you how SUGGEST you approach this task.

When reading a movie script this is what E.C. Henry suggests you do:

1. Read the entire script beginning to end and make your first impression a complete one.  Go in with an open mind and see if the writer can perform the most important of all tasks which will always be--ENTERTAINING YOU!  
2. Jot down your impressions of that first read.  A) We're you entertained at all?  B) Could you see this screenplay as an actual movie?  C) What movies did the screenplay you just read remind you of?  
3. If you want to continue and help this writer further go though and a more detailed 2nd reading. In this 2nd reading look for what you think the writer did right and wrong.  A) What points in the screenplay did you think were especially good?  What points in the screenplay did your interest wane.  This is plot based analysis.  Which is more important than line-by-line analysis of the script.  Because IF the story is especially bad and lack what's the point of going line by line through the sucker, when you like it needs improvement at the plot point level.  At this point you can also tell the writer what characters you liked, and which ones you thought sucked.  Personally I like BLUNTNESS at this point, as I think writer's most benefit from an honest opinion.  Don't be overly harsh just for the sake of being hard, just be HONEST.  Telling a writer what you honestly thought is the best thing you can do, even if you have a hard time articulating your thoughts.     
4. Line-by-line analysis. This is where you warn writers of their typos and formatting errors.  This is actually some of the least important feedback you can give a writer, but sometimes it's necessary.  Not all creatives have a trained inner-critic, or have taken the time to study the form.  So if you feel the need to remind a given writer or the technical errors and typos on the page, do so.  It's just typos are easy fixes.  Formatting errors indicate that the given writer is new to the medium, set in their ways, or just plain a bad writer.  

One thing to remember as the giver of notes: ALL FEEDBACK is valuable!  Even if you're new to screenwriting and have a hard time understanding the story, a good writer will take what you've given and apply it as he or she sees fit.  I've gotten a lot notes from people and ignored a lot of it, but many times their feedback helps me.  Gives me an audience's perspective of what works and what doesn't.  

So how am I at practicing what I preach?  Well, as a reader of screenplays I, E.C. Henry, am a bit of a hard-ass.  I'll honestly tell you what you did wrong, and honestly tell you what I thought you did right.  I have little to no problem forming my own opinion, and the only thing that will keep me from giving it to a given writer is their willingness to be open to it.  When I read a movie script, I EXPECT that the writer has written something that is worthy of being filmed as is. The ONLY way you get a pass from that kind of judgement is if you state at the onset something to the extent that you're new to screenwriting and just see how you did; and if that's the case I'm probably not going to read your stuff anyway, because when you had me your script I'm expecting something worthy of being filmed--NOT a homework assignment!!

So read away!  The screenwriters of the world need readers who give them feedback in any form.  Irregardless of how deep of feedback you're capable of giving.  Most writers spend a lot of time on their stories.  And at a certain point they can't improve their story apart from some form of critical feedback.  After a while slaving away on a project a writer looses their objectivity.  You can go over your own material so many times before it drives you mad!  

As a screenwriter, I for one, value ANYONE who takes the time to evaluate my work, and helps me push it to a higher level that increases its chance of getting made.  Screenplays, you see, are not made to remain that way.  Screenplays are like eggs that give birth to higher form of entertainment: a feature film. 

Sincerely,

E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

 

 

 

Comments

[Martin]

Hi E.C. Your readers want to know your thoughts on this years Oscars!

[E.C. Henry]

Martin, sorry I missed ya. AND haven't been posting as regularly as I should. PROMISE to have a new post up on Friday, March 7th. WON'T be about the Oscars though, it will be about what I'm writing now. So check back in tomorrow. ;)

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA