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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Screenwriting
Male -- Female. What's up with that?
My latest peeves.
I've been reading and rating scripts on one of those forum things. Bad writing takes you right out of a script yes, it really does. (Maybe I can't write but I can recognize bad writing.) Also camera angles. I know almost nothing about technical terms involving camera angles but I'm 99% sure these guys aren't using those terms correctly. Leave the damn camera angles the hell out of a spec script OK guys?
What's with the "looming" thing? "Silence looms." "Darkness looms." "Eddie's *** pet hamster looms." There's a whole lot of looming going on. Must have been the word of the week.
The FADE IN: thing. Maybe they're copying each other but a lot of these guys seem to use it more or less at random throughout the script. And CUT TO BLACK: is coming up a lot in these scripts too. Whatever.
But one script did show some promise. It actually had concise description the writer had a vocabulary and the dialogue wasn't completely on the nose. The thing that jarred me was his introduction of characters: (not a direct quote) "JUNE and NANCY (two females, early 20s)..." "JOHN (a male, middle 30s)..."
It's like he's from another planet where the concept of male and female is unique. A planet where they don't understand that "JUNE" is accepted as a "female" name. His planet obviously isn't acquainted with the words, woman, girl, man or boy. And it's not just one script it happens regularly.
WTF?! Are only scientists trying to write scripts now? "The husband subject JOE (male, mid 30s) became angered when his wife, subject, SHARON (female, mid 30s) suggested that they (male and female subjects, both mid 30s) go shopping instead of watching NFL football on TV. (A game in which male athlete subjects, primarily in their early, mid and late 20s and early and mid 30s throw, catch, chase-after and run-with an ellipsoid (or perhaps a prolate spheroid) shaped ball made from the hides of an animal from the order Artiodactyla, the family Suidae and genus Sus, while other male athlete subjects, primarily in their early, mid and late 20s and early and mid 30s attack and attempt fling them to the ground with great force and ferocity.)"
END RANT:
Paulo Joe Jingy
Sometimes some things just ain't right.
I've been reading and rating scripts on one of those forum things. Bad writing takes you right out of a script yes, it really does. (Maybe I can't write but I can recognize bad writing.) Also camera angles. I know almost nothing about technical terms involving camera angles but I'm 99% sure these guys aren't using those terms correctly. Leave the damn camera angles the hell out of a spec script OK guys?
What's with the "looming" thing? "Silence looms." "Darkness looms." "Eddie's *** pet hamster looms." There's a whole lot of looming going on. Must have been the word of the week.
The FADE IN: thing. Maybe they're copying each other but a lot of these guys seem to use it more or less at random throughout the script. And CUT TO BLACK: is coming up a lot in these scripts too. Whatever.
But one script did show some promise. It actually had concise description the writer had a vocabulary and the dialogue wasn't completely on the nose. The thing that jarred me was his introduction of characters: (not a direct quote) "JUNE and NANCY (two females, early 20s)..." "JOHN (a male, middle 30s)..."
It's like he's from another planet where the concept of male and female is unique. A planet where they don't understand that "JUNE" is accepted as a "female" name. His planet obviously isn't acquainted with the words, woman, girl, man or boy. And it's not just one script it happens regularly.
WTF?! Are only scientists trying to write scripts now? "The husband subject JOE (male, mid 30s) became angered when his wife, subject, SHARON (female, mid 30s) suggested that they (male and female subjects, both mid 30s) go shopping instead of watching NFL football on TV. (A game in which male athlete subjects, primarily in their early, mid and late 20s and early and mid 30s throw, catch, chase-after and run-with an ellipsoid (or perhaps a prolate spheroid) shaped ball made from the hides of an animal from the order Artiodactyla, the family Suidae and genus Sus, while other male athlete subjects, primarily in their early, mid and late 20s and early and mid 30s attack and attempt fling them to the ground with great force and ferocity.)"
END RANT:
Paulo Joe Jingy
Sometimes some things just ain't right.
Top answer
[nq:1]And CUT TO BLACK: is coming up a lot in these scripts too. [/nq] Affirmative action?
- [nq:1]And CUT TO BLACK: is coming up a lot in these scripts too.
- [/nq] Affirmative action?
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14 Answers
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[nq:1]And CUT TO BLACK: is coming up a lot in these scripts too. Whatever.[/nq]
Affirmative action?
Affirmative action?
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[nq:1]My latest peeves. I've been reading and rating scripts on one of those forum things. Bad writing takes you right ... aren't using those terms correctly. Leave the **** camera angles the **** out of a spec script OK guys?[/nq]
[nq:1]hides of an animal from the order Artiodactyla, the family Suidae and genus Sus, while other male athlete subjects, primarily in their early, mid and late 20s
[nq:1]hides of an animal from the order Artiodactyla, the family Suidae and genus Sus, while other male athlete subjects, primarily in their early, mid and late 20s
00
Paulo Joe Jingy expressed precisely :
[nq:1]WTF?! Are only scientists trying to write scripts now? "The husband subject JOE (male, mid 30s) became angered when his ... late 20s and early and mid 30s attack and attempt fling them to the ground with great force and ferocity.)"[/nq]
mdr mdr mdr PJJ, this is too funny! mdr mdr mdr
Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear
[nq:1]WTF?! Are only scientists trying to write scripts now? "The husband subject JOE (male, mid 30s) became angered when his ... late 20s and early and mid 30s attack and attempt fling them to the ground with great force and ferocity.)"[/nq]
mdr mdr mdr PJJ, this is too funny! mdr mdr mdr
Jeri Jo & Little Garcia Bear
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[nq:1]description the writer had a vocabulary and the dialogue wasn't completely on the nose. The thing that jarred me ... write scripts now? "The husband subject JOE (male, mid 30s) became angered when his wife, subject, SHARON (female, mid 30s)[/nq]
Wait til they start using cop-talk: "the individual then attempted to fee on foot " What the **** ever happened to "person"?
Wait til they start using cop-talk: "the individual then attempted to fee on foot " What the **** ever happened to "person"?
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[nq:2]description the writer had a vocabulary and the dialogue ... became angered when his wife, subject, SHARON (female, mid 30s)[/nq]
[nq:1]Wait til they start using cop-talk: "the individual then attempted to fee on foot " What the **** ever happened to "person"?[/nq]
Well that is the way cops talk. They have a whole vocabulary.
Being a writer is like having homework every nigh
[nq:1]Wait til they start using cop-talk: "the individual then attempted to fee on foot " What the **** ever happened to "person"?[/nq]
Well that is the way cops talk. They have a whole vocabulary.
Being a writer is like having homework every nigh
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[nq:2]Wait til they start using cop-talk: "the individual then attempted to fee on foot " What the **** ever happened to "person"?[/nq]
[nq:1]Well that is the way cops talk. They have a whole vocabulary.[/nq]
I still don't know what happened to "person" as a nice, flexible, versatile, unmarked-as-to-race-gender-etc. word for a person. Why did they get into this very ugly and awkward "indiv
[nq:1]Well that is the way cops talk. They have a whole vocabulary.[/nq]
I still don't know what happened to "person" as a nice, flexible, versatile, unmarked-as-to-race-gender-etc. word for a person. Why did they get into this very ugly and awkward "indiv
00
[nq:2]Well that is the way cops talk. They have a whole vocabulary.[/nq]
[nq:1]I still don't know what happened to "person" as a nice, flexible, versatile, unmarked-as-to-race-gender-etc. word for a person. Why did they get into this very ugly and awkward "individual" stuff?[/nq]
Language inflation is a product of a lack of education. Cops tend to be better trained as cops these day
[nq:1]I still don't know what happened to "person" as a nice, flexible, versatile, unmarked-as-to-race-gender-etc. word for a person. Why did they get into this very ugly and awkward "individual" stuff?[/nq]
Language inflation is a product of a lack of education. Cops tend to be better trained as cops these day
00
[nq:1]I have occasionally edited texts for corporate types, and they are full of these $5-word abominations too.[/nq]
For a while, when I was young, I worked for my Uncle. His son was made the General Manager, and he got it into his head that he was "ed-u-kated" and used to embarrass the **** out of me with his misuse of words he didn't understand in the meetings. I think he actually got bette
For a while, when I was young, I worked for my Uncle. His son was made the General Manager, and he got it into his head that he was "ed-u-kated" and used to embarrass the **** out of me with his misuse of words he didn't understand in the meetings. I think he actually got bette
00
[nq:1]I have occasionally edited texts for corporate types, and they are full of these $5-word abominations too.[/nq]
I may have found this gere.
http://www.dack.com/web/***.html
jaybee
I may have found this gere.
http://www.dack.com/web/***.html
jaybee
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[nq:2]I have occasionally edited texts for corporate types, and they are full of these $5-word abominations too.[/nq]
[nq:1]I may have found this gere.[/nq]
Goly sgit. I meant to write "here".
jaybee
[nq:1]I may have found this gere.[/nq]
Goly sgit. I meant to write "here".
jaybee
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