tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post7054550650778203458..comments2024-01-31T20:40:15.831-08:00Comments on Doctor My Script: Screenwriting Mistake #2: EllipsesPhil Dyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263709291430900054noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-75634685151091962372021-09-11T07:30:20.678-07:002021-09-11T07:30:20.678-07:00Thank you for some other informative website. The ...Thank you for some other informative website. The place else may just I get that kind of information written in such a perfect method? I have a venture that I am simply now running on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such info. <a href="https://dynamichealthstaff.com/nursing-jobs-in-canada-for-indian-nurses" rel="nofollow">https://dynamichealthstaff.com/nursing-jobs-in-canada-for-indian-nurses</a><br />sameerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18087381427385436767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-79371466198755519112021-06-11T02:14:56.616-07:002021-06-11T02:14:56.616-07:00thanks for the advice its very wonderfull and valu...thanks for the advice its very wonderfull and valuable article <br /><a href="https://coupontoaster.co.uk/approved-vitamins/" rel="nofollow">Approved Vitamins Discount Code</a> Hyder Ak47https://www.blogger.com/profile/13904221896638556164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-15717763850265625442020-01-28T04:59:45.236-08:002020-01-28T04:59:45.236-08:00Wonderful article. Fascinating to read. I love to ...Wonderful article. Fascinating to read. I love to read such an excellent article. Thanks! It has made my task more and extra easy. Keep rocking. <a href="http://www.louisvilleaccidentdoctor.com" rel="nofollow">accident doctor</a>rthwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07634812053107920563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-6309045597870799792018-05-14T02:03:00.598-07:002018-05-14T02:03:00.598-07:00Wow, great post.Wow, great post.David Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10713668230449949178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-56503573882539817452018-03-25T23:27:38.272-07:002018-03-25T23:27:38.272-07:00Hello, I am from Anjna. Thank you so much, form al...Hello, I am from Anjna. Thank you so much, form all posts individual this one. I like your website and all your post. Your posts are informative for us. <br /><a href="http://smartdigitalwork.com/digital-marketing/pay-per-click-ppc/" rel="nofollow">PPC Services in Delhi</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13908963825489059841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-40143165777918552392017-08-07T17:55:46.437-07:002017-08-07T17:55:46.437-07:00If you kids would check the right hand side of the...If you kids would check the right hand side of the blog, you'll see that it ended in 2013.DannyJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17799351083175094332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-23492131918721830952017-08-02T06:16:42.341-07:002017-08-02T06:16:42.341-07:00I love what you wrote Samuel Adams and I agree mos...I love what you wrote Samuel Adams and I agree mostly with what you said.<br /><br />I, too, try to write freely and expressively without being hindered by formulaic formats or "this is how you must write or no one will read your script" thoughts.<br /><br />Now, having said that, I still try to stick within certain peramiters that won't make a reader shy away from reading a well written script, although not following the formular, but that get's the point across.<br /><br />My grammar isn't the greatest; one reason why it takes me longer to edit my scripts after I've written the first draft. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14784936431886740212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-38699502217241004262017-05-30T05:24:59.349-07:002017-05-30T05:24:59.349-07:00How about this?
PETER
Rob should know about Peter...How about this?<br /><br />PETER<br />Rob should know about Peter's... 'involvement' in Mike's death.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00919969892880870534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-81655113301971871762017-04-13T11:13:57.313-07:002017-04-13T11:13:57.313-07:00Are you even still on this blog? I've noticed ...Are you even still on this blog? I've noticed this page has been here for years and so have most of the comments.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08095373899031828354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-67521968109156894912017-04-12T15:03:25.008-07:002017-04-12T15:03:25.008-07:00Thanks for the advice. I need to ask, do you only ...Thanks for the advice. I need to ask, do you only use the two dashes at the end of the interrupted line, or do you also use them at the beginning of the next line? Or does it not matter? I've managed to erase all ellipses from my screenplay but there are several places where the hyphens have been necessary.<br /><br />Also is there supposed to be a gap between the first dash and the word preceding it, or do you just put it directly beside the word? The latter seems like the more logical thing to do as not only can it save space but it also makes the interruption seem faster.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08095373899031828354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-77411092075235764602016-08-07T13:52:41.696-07:002016-08-07T13:52:41.696-07:00Hi Phil,
Thanks for the great blog and I understa...Hi Phil,<br /><br />Thanks for the great blog and I understand your opinion is common in the industry but I must say I think it’s invalid and likely a product of many oversized and hypersensitive egos being prioritized over the final product.<br /><br />Please explain what is wrong with a writer expressing his/her entire vision for the scene, given the script is typically the only place a writer can express his/her vision, including indications of how the dialogue was intended to be read, the envisioned soundtrack, or even (gasp) how it was envisioned scenes would be shot. <br /><br />I think writing is fundamentally different from other artist’s contributions to a film because it is the birthplace of the totality of scenes and dialogue, and therefore it is inherently the writer’s responsibility to imagine in total how a scene will look and how dialogue will sound before they can determine if it is any good. So why should writers be stifled from making sure the script clearly expresses the writers entire vision? How does this have any chance of making the final product better, assuming that is everyone’s priority?<br /><br />Of course, I am not suggesting that artists and executives that later work on the project should be prevented from altering the script, now that would be antithetical to the collaborative process. And everyone knows that virtually all scripts will be altered during the creative process, right through editing of the film, to serve the final product, and I agree this makes perfect sense. <br /><br />It seems to me that it’s not the writers who are attempting to tell other artists how to do their job, but rather it is others who are attempting to censor writers from expressing their full vision for a scene – maybe so others can take credit for parts of writers vision that were inferred but deterred from being expressly included.<br /> <br />Please explain why my opinion is invalid, either in your own view or in the widely held view.<br /><br />Thank you. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14573098895282333526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-77143784174274504062015-08-25T21:57:05.946-07:002015-08-25T21:57:05.946-07:00Hey Phil,
Quick question. In a description line s...Hey Phil,<br /><br />Quick question. In a description line such as:<br /><br />Margaret sits behind her desk writing a letter. She stops, deliberates... then crushes the letter and tosses it. <br /><br />Would you say those ellipses are unnecessary? I think I know the answer: yes, because rather than telling the actor how to deliver their lines this is telling them how to act. I just wanted to check with you though.<br /><br />Thanks! btw absolutely loving this blog.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09768795346351861914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-90122404380275956342013-05-24T11:19:28.408-07:002013-05-24T11:19:28.408-07:00Thanks, Jeevan!
If you want to show only one of t...Thanks, Jeevan!<br /><br />If you want to show only one of the people who is having the phone conversation, then write their dialogue normally and write "(V.O.)" next to the other person's name for their dialogue. <br /><br />If you want to go back and forth between two people who are talking on the phone, then write a slug line for the first person's location and show that person answering the phone. Then write a slug line for the second person's location and show that person talking on the phone. Then before you go back to the first person, write on its own separate line "INTERCUT PHONE CONVERSATION." Then you can just write out their conversation as if they were in the same room. When the conversation is over, write a new slug line to indicate where the next scene will take place.<br /><br />Hope this helps!<br />PhilPhil Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263709291430900054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-86806988330116356592013-05-23T07:55:31.550-07:002013-05-23T07:55:31.550-07:00Hi Phil
Your blog is fabulous. I am a novice star...Hi Phil<br /><br />Your blog is fabulous. I am a novice starting out in screenplay writing. A question. How do I write telephone converstaion between two indivuduals without using paranthesis or action. For eg. if a person is talking on the phone how do I write the other person's conversations in the same scene ? <br /><br />Apologies if the question is too naive for the forum.<br /><br />Thank you<br /><br />JeevanAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343393085078773577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-91240264846108639062013-03-08T11:40:05.045-08:002013-03-08T11:40:05.045-08:00Thanks for your questions, James. There's no n...Thanks for your questions, James. There's no need to write that "Then..." in the sample you gave. That actually slows down the reader a bit, when you want the reader to be able to move quickly down the page. There's no doubt that the next block of description is a continuation of the action above.<br /><br />In this example, I would also remove the "slowly, unsteadily" since you already demonstrated his hesitance by having him pull his hand back before picking up the gun. I would also remove "moments pass" since any actor would be able to milk the most possible drama out of this scene without that level of direction.<br /><br />Hope this helps!<br />PhilPhil Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263709291430900054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-8585652365625263652013-03-08T05:29:35.512-08:002013-03-08T05:29:35.512-08:00Phil. Thanks for the great article. I agree with e...Phil. Thanks for the great article. I agree with everything you say, yet I find myself using ellipsis in one particular way that you don't address. In narrative I sometimes use them to show a CONTINUATION of action from one line to another line. I use them to propel the action forward and down the page. Like this:<br /><br />He reaches for the gun. Quivering fingers stop short in the flickering candlelight. Pull back slightly. Then...<br /><br />Slowly, unsteadily, he picks up the pistol and aims the barrel at his chest, near his heart. Moments pass. <br /><br />Any opinion about this use of them? Thanks. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675266568482932933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-26520425126840121732013-03-06T16:29:54.014-08:002013-03-06T16:29:54.014-08:00Thanks much--
:-)Thanks much--<br />:-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08890131562600060070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-17147239097570697802013-03-06T16:27:42.925-08:002013-03-06T16:27:42.925-08:00Any time you give me a choice between butt or no b...Any time you give me a choice between butt or no butt, I'm going to have a tough time choosing the latter. :-) Thankfully, this time it's actually the right choice, so butt the dashes up against the cut-off word as you did in your first example.<br /><br />PhilPhil Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263709291430900054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-62169607370334014632013-03-06T15:17:56.142-08:002013-03-06T15:17:56.142-08:00Thanks for the advice, Phil. This is a great resou...Thanks for the advice, Phil. This is a great resource.<br /><br />Here's a quick formatting clarification question. <br /><br />Would you put a space before the two dashes or "butt" them up against the cut-off word?<br /><br />WILLIAM<br />Do you remember how we used to--<br /><br />or<br /><br />WILLIAM<br />Do you remember how we used to --<br /><br />Thanks again,<br />Tom<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08890131562600060070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-32545348852486266852012-09-12T17:24:07.868-07:002012-09-12T17:24:07.868-07:00I've never had trouble reading one-sided conve...I've never had trouble reading one-sided conversations where the sentences just run together like a regular block of dialogue. If you have a phone conversation that's hard to follow, it might be okay to put something between sentences in that case. Ellipses could work, if you're sparing with them. I've also seen people write "(beat)" or "(pause)" though it's better to avoid parentheticals as well. Try writing this conversation without anything between the sentences and only resort to dividing them if absolutely necessary.<br /><br />PhilPhil Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263709291430900054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-31641562024594730912012-09-12T17:08:10.088-07:002012-09-12T17:08:10.088-07:00Best comment ever...
:-)Best comment ever...<br /><br />:-)Phil Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263709291430900054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-59110132291356334382012-09-12T17:02:39.975-07:002012-09-12T17:02:39.975-07:00I'm personally VERY annoyed that the comment f...I'm personally VERY annoyed that the comment form at this blog reads "Enter your comment..."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7761812458465745725.post-33730524364588435202012-01-08T14:29:54.528-08:002012-01-08T14:29:54.528-08:00Phil how do you feel about writing one sided phone...Phil how do you feel about writing one sided phone conversations and elipses?<br /><br />Is is this still unnecessary?Pscavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03293720189248528887noreply@blogger.com