Forgery with Cody and Nolan
Topic · 1 minute
Juno (Drama)
Diablo Cody shook the industry with her simple, endearing story of a young woman facing unplanned motherhood.
The story played into the zeitgeist, and the characters jumped off the page.
Today we copy the pregnancy test scene. It’s simple, funny, yet has high stakes.
You may notice that Cody wrote some parentheticals embedded in the text. This is not acceptable format, so feel free to correct it in your copy by creating a separate parenthetical element for the relevant dialogue.
On page 5, you’ll see a sentence between brackets. This is a hybrid of action and parenthetical, which is… huh… wrong. Normally this should be a proper well written action line, particularly when introducing a character. MINNIE should also be introduced with an age.
In fact, other than to indicate a character’s age, there are very few cases in which you would use brackets in description at all. They clutter the text, and signal this is not all that important. If something isn’t important, why write it?
Some writers – like the Coen Brothers – have a habit of omitting the time of day. You’ll see it here, too.
It may not hinder the read when you finish the script in one sitting. However, the moment the reader puts it down and later picks it up, these omissions may cause confusion. So, the rule for the spec writer is: include it.
Pay attention to all these details, and if you discover anything interesting, surprising or puzzling, write it down in the script journal.
Enjoy!
Inception (Action)
Most of Christopher Nolan’s scripts are available in their original format. His style is crisp and clean, but look a bit like the suits he wears on set. They’re not the most enticing read, compared to the style of other action writer-directors, like James Cameron.
You may also find that there are a lot of CAPS in the action lines. Strictly speaking, CAPS in description are reserved for the first appearance of a character’s name, audio from an invisible source, and for emphasis on critical props.
SOME writers get carried away, and emphasise EVERYTHING using CAPS – ALL THE TIME. Don’t be that writer. It clutters, and slows down the read.
If you have any other observations like these, or questions about aspects you don’t understand, note them in your script journal.
Today’s scene is from INCEPTION, when Dom Cobb is about to rob the safe in the Japanese castle.
Cue ACTION MUSIC score!