Classic Problems in a script

 Classic problems in the first 10 pages (we don’t want these in

• Starting to early  (character’s are introduced before the story)
• No opener
• Boring openers
• Not hitting the ground running
• Prologue or teaser (e.g. Jassric Park )
• Non-linearity (people don’t understrand structure – people screwing this up. – momento made it culturally – massive 2001. Now suddently people are bored. If you are going to use it wehave to use it in a away it has not seen before and you have to know it.
• Weird or clichéd use of screenwriting devices
• Voiceover

• No opening image
• Scene description is overwritten (it is full of fillers and false movement – set dressing – describing everything in a room reveals character and less is more. – vertical screenwriting – don’t do set dressing (my best friends wedding
• Dialogue leads scenes – it should be visuals that lead scenes
• Scene description fillers
• Characters are not differentiated enough (if your character is shy they will avoid conflict which means they have more conflicts)
• There are too many characters
• Characters are 2D – (motivation and the reason why he is human needs to be in)

WATCH MOVIES to help with screen writers

Read novels in your genre if you are struggling with visuals

Look to other styles as well as genres to help your screenwriting.

Spec screenplays are different to commission screenplays

 SEEN IT ALL BEFORE ?? Don’t open and in general

• Open on an alarm clock (this was in the 1990’s)
• Characters waking up/getting ready
• Open on characters walking (or swagging, mandering) – this does not tell you anything about them. Just walking is a no no – Open with shooting a guy
• Characters getting pissed in pubs & clubs 
• The big rape ‘misunderstanding’ –
• The stranger on the hill
• Blood UP the plugholes/toilets/pipes
• The ghost in the mirror – grab the person and pull them in the mirror – twist on this and the mirror is cold of course it would be
• Everyone dies/is dead all along – (make sure you twist it somehow)
• STOP/Rewind
• 2 Days/1 Week/48 hours earlier  (script editor said out of 89 papers 72 spec scripts. (titles don’t matter)  not anything earlier
• It is all a dream – unless you can do something really good with it. –
• Sinkhole estate as a metaphor for Hell (we have terrible poverity problems – (often horror films – devil man and is a drug dealer – Clive Barker – Its been done – why is everyone else doing it.
• Vampire as a metaphor – AIDS, Addition, youth (seen this up until 2010) now it has gone. – producers don’t like it at the moment –
• The Blind Prophet/Tramps (homeless people in films are wise) – so many in short films
• Getting fired at work/cheating spouse – (sliding doors) this has been done.
• The anxious heartbeat – (boiler room – floppy disc 1999 – mission in possible
• Funerals and wakes –

• Spitting drinks out in surprise
• Women cry: babies get taken into care; men beat them ALL up
• Scene description ‘ A steaming mug of coffee/tea’ and hard as nails.
• Montages – cityscape, changing rooms, passing seasons.