Screenplay Editing
Penguin May 15th, 2008
Filmmaker Magazine has an old but fantastic article on “development“.
The first half goes through and discusses the Hollywood system and how writers are undervalued. Granted, this was written in 1995, and having no experience in the system, I wouldn’t be able to say if it’s still accurate. But based on the way business moves, I would imagine it being about the same.
Towards the end, there are some great tips and guides on how to edit screenplays from a producer or director standpoint.
For the producer
- Treatments and outlines are usually a waste of time.
This applies to original spec scripts, not necessarily book adaptations or remakes. I know as a writer, I find a very general plot outline very helpful as a guide when I’m writing. But I try not to let it guide me too much. My final work ends up being fairly different from my outline. Her point is that the process of writing is a journey. Often times, as you flesh out ideas, the path and destination of the journey changes. - First Drafts.
First drafts are the initial thoughts and ideas that the writer has put down on paper. The expectation shouldn’t be that it’s great, but a starting point. From the writing side, the first draft is usually the worst. Not because it’s the first thing that you’ve written, but because all those fresh and interesting ideas are no longer fresh or interesting. That’s because they’ve been written and you’ve read them a couple hundred times. - Call the writer as soon as you’ve read the first draft, before you talk to anyone else about it.
The idea is to give the writer feedback right away. I know when I finish a draft I want SOMEONE to read it right away. Someone I can trust to be critical and point out the good and the bad. - How to talk to writers.
Always give praise to the good things. Gush about it, because there are going to be plenty of things you’re going to tear down. This builds up the emotional quotient so they’ll push on with the script. Our egos are fragile, and as much as we like to think we can take it, it hurts when you tear into that one scene that we just absolutely LOVE. - Editing the first draft.
I like my notes on the page, in the margins. When I go through and make my changes, I’m going to go through page by page. This helps me from having to refer to a separate sheet of notes. Comments about your initial thoughts, what you liked about it, what you didn’t like. But I like questions. Usually these questions arise because something in the script is confusing or something needs clarifying. - Editing the second draft.
Talk through every scene with the writer. Find his motivations and intents. This may help you clarify your own thoughts. Also be sure to mark which parts are good and shouldn’t be changed. The tendency is to go and kill everything after this draft.
There are a few more tips, but I found these the most useful.
-Penguin
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