09-09-98

...yes, a slow week. Well, actually it was a busy week (busier weekend) with work and all, hence not much time spent on the script. It happens

Now that fall is (unofficially) here, I will begin to plan out when I will be taking my trip to NYC. Sometime in October most likely. I will be shooting video of the areas around the Manhattan Bridge, the subway tracks to and from the bridge, the abandoned city hall station, and areas throughout Hell's Kitchen. Possibly also shoot some waterfront areas and the Statue of Liberty (if I have time).

After returning home, I will study these tapes so when describing a particular scene, I will be accurate in my execution of the scene. Now, to someone living in Timbuktu, all this accuracy is not as important to say, the 30 year Daredevil fan who has lived their entire life in Manhattan. Too many scripts fail to focus on the little elements which make the script inaccurate, hence making the movie laughable to those in the know. I remember watching this movie where a girl, at the end of the film, returns to a school in Wildwood, NJ. Standing outside the school, the Manhattan skyline was visible. Huh?!? Sorry, but I've lived in Wildwood, NJ. It's a two-plus hour drive from the city and you can't see the Atlantic City skyline (30 miles away) - let alone the New York skyline!

Perhaps the budget was maxxed out for a location shot. Perhaps the writer didn't think anyone would notice. Sorry, but I noticed. As a writer, I believe it's important to give each minor detail attention because if the little things fail... doesn't that make the whole picture fail?

Recently, read some posts about formatting. Anyone that ever starts to write a script always sees this immense wall in front of them; the dreaded "acceptable screenplay format." They'll spend hundreds of dollars to buy screenwriting software programs to help format their script. My advice? Save your money. Use MS Word or something similar and read the superb "how to format" story at AMPAS. Not only does it "tell" you how to format but also "shows" you as the article is set as a screenplay.

Talk to you soon...


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