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critique WORK IN PROGRESS scripts

Hello everyone,

I’m posting some links to some of my scripts. If you want to jump in here’s the links:

1

life as a screenplay miniseries

Logline: An actress turned vigilante hunts down a rapist, afterwards, her sister falls for a club owner caught in the wake.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14lBbnQAvG88A9AwJSjUlHWInl5QMD5za/view?usp=sharing

2

life as screenplay 1st episode coming of age

Logline: Ronnie fills her daughter in about the rape of Miranda.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T_borDcLZKQGgzZt1loeYLlGaRu5AJ8J/view?usp=sharing

3

Bob’s Burgers

Logline: When Bob considers expanding, it is without his family.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y_fnPGa794rZrMqvEmr7uszUFfQMOWRR/view?usp=sharing

4

Fantastic Four script

Log Line: The Fantastic Four gain their powers and their first nemesis is one of their own: Malice.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1StdZCvVOZlXwd6mZJHjF0PtyFhTBXRNI/view?usp=sharing

If you want to know more read below.

Why I’m here. I hope get 1 to be read and get feedback.

2 find a writing partner.

My stuff is ruff. I need help with understanding structure, acts etc. As you’ll see if you take the time to read.
With ADD etc it’s like putting together a puzzle without a picture to go by.

Life as a screenplay: is an early version of my writing. It was to be a movie. I will rework it as a mini-series as it is a springboard to launch four series off from it.

The min-series is I know to descriptive. Closer to that of a novel. These are my babies and I went overboard. Hopefully you can stay with it and just give me feedback on the characters, scenes etc. I plan to make the concept clearer in rewrite. I plan to lose some characters etc. But, the basic idea will be the same.

Life as a screenplay: coming of age E1.

Is the first spin off. It is a coming of age show that will focus on the three girls. I am also reworking this to cover events from the mini-series.

Bob’s Burgers was for a contest I entered. Just read for example of my work.

Fantastic Four the heroes within.

Was meant to be a movie. Then, I had so much it had to be a series. Of course this idea was when FOX had them and wished they were open to ideas. Just read for example of my work.

I think a started to get a style from ‘age’ on.

Anyway, read share your thoughts, here or e-mail me.

clarkratliff@ymail.com

More on Fantastic Four:

A little bit about the script I’m working on and me:

I had planned on making this a movie with about 5 altogether, but I got so into it it would've had to be a series.

So this script is what
would be a season, only a season would be more stretched out and more developed. Such as, the hate monger and Sue/Malice. The Monger would be able to spend a good part of the season messing with her head like it was on the Hannibal TV series.

I of course would have liked to submitted the idea to the studios/comic company but they don't take submissions, ideas etc. I think the idea is there with the right help it could've been interesting. Hopefully something people would've liked. But, we'll never know.

I'm still learning about writing, so, understanding the three act structure etc and time is a challenge for me.

This version is based on the John Byrne era in the 80's. Plus, I tried to honor the original Stan Lee/Kirby version of Sue's dad is in prison for murder and he didn't want Johnny to know, to say he was dead. I took that and tried to build and twist on that. Such as I try to explain why each one has different powers even though same cosmic rays, etc. I twisted things around by having the hate monger play a part in their development making Malice the first villain as he will be a professor-x to Sue. Also, I didn’t like in the comic the Monger was an android I think it was. Mine, he’s just a twisted individual.

I didn't set out to make this version dark just because it's the in thing now, but the first one sets up the others and to come from a place of the FF to be being so dysfunctional. It gave me something to build on.

I added at least three characters that are not I the comic. One, to lighten the mood such as Johnny's agent Amy. It was getting depressing enough to where the script should come with a razor. So she added humor without making it silly (I hope). So my dynamic would be Reed and Sue are the parents and Ben and Johnny are more the kids. Eventually the FF would be more like the comics more fun etc, but they have to get there after all the dysfunction. There's a reason to get there.

So I would like feedback not just from writers, but people who enjoy reading, fans of film and television and of course, fans of the Fantastic Four comic. Do they like my vision of the FF?

I know I could use notes on my writing its self. I have an alphabet of learning disabilities, so stating the obvious may not be that simple for me. I've tried reading script books and checked on a few sites and everyone says something different etc.

So my hopes by putting this out there is one, to get read and hopefully maybe find the Hall to my Oats and find a collaborator who can work with me that has the same twisted visions I have.

Also, just in general, fans of the FF comic, I would like to hear from them as well. Keeping in mind this is a version of them, not trying to say it is the only version, just how I see things. I can go more into here or e-mail me. I could talk for hours about what I would've liked to have done. Things such as, in the comic the ship was on a military base and they stole it and I don't think it was mentioned anymore. I have it where to keep from jail they work with the military for some time. Also, Reed has money, so when he learned of Sue's dad he bought the prison to make sure her dad was taken care of and respected his wishes to remain there.

I have a DVD-Rom of the first 40 years of the FF. I wanted to go through and work it in and honor all that came before, but I wanted to get this out and only if it were go get a lot of request would I continue it. But if no one is interested, then it's just for me. That’s at least one good thing about the internet, you don’t have to suffer alone in never getting anyone to read what you have.

My hope of course is maybe someone will like this version and maybe see fit to let me collaborate on something.

Also, my writing style, though I know it needs work, the overall content, do I capture dialogue well, execute this and that. Basically, is it anything you'd like to see? One of my script heroes is Shane Black. I enjoy just reading his scripts and for someone with ADD etc. That’s saying a lot. I hope to have a style one day like his to have it easy to read/hard to put down and some of the best movies out there.
 
Are you guys serious? I'm confused. How do you make a scene? What instruments do you use? What structure do you use? I'm really intrested. Could you explain it to me.
 
Are you guys serious? I'm confused. How do you make a scene? What instruments do you use? What structure do you use? I'm really intrested. Could you explain it to me.

No, you need to show this 2-3 minute scene writing rule you are talking about. Then I will post more examples. Don't just cop out and make me do all the work. Haha.
 
There are film which use one location and one time period. They last for 90 minutes. Are you saying that it's 90 minutes scene?

No, dude... Did you read the script I posted???? SCENE 2 is headlines on page 11. Don't glaze over the facts just because you want to be right. That's why it has a number next to it in big bold letters. That is the scene.
 
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I did. Two different scenes in reservoir dog openning, each three minutes on avarage

Well, whatever you believe. I even watch the youtube footage, and I don't see two scenes.

I think you are mistaking the writer tip to have separate "ACTS" throughout a scene. Beginning, Middle, End in every scene... That is actual real advice for most screenwriters.
 
No, dude... Did you read the script I posted???? SCENE 2 is headlines on page 11. Don't glaze over the facts just because you want to be right. That's why it has a number next to it in big bold letters. That is the scene.
Dude... imagine... you and me in a studio apartment. We own a money to a guy. Everything is happening in one location. We argue do we need to return the money. Door bell rings. We open and the man we owe money to enters. He beats the shit out of us, but we manage to kill him. Now we argue how to get rid of the body. We decide to roll him into carpet, put in the trunk and drop at the nearest river. We roll him. Door bell rings. His partner, who waited outside, comes. He looks for the guy, then finds him rolled in the carpet and kills us. Is it one scene?
 
You are talking about a SEQUENCE now, which holds multiple scenes. Read a screenwriting book dude.

SEQUENCE: A Sequence is a Scene, or a series of connected Scenes, that present a succession of related events or idea that constitute and advance a distinct component of the story narrative, plot and/or character development'.

SCENE: A shot or multiple shots that together compose a single, complete and unified dramatic event, action, unit or element of film narration, or block (segment) of storytelling. The end of a scene is indicated by a purposeful change in time, change in a character's status, focus of action and/or location.


So you are arguing your point, no script SCENES are longer than 3 minutes.

Reservoir dogs, you still consider it two separate scenes? But no character's status changes, no time changes, no location changes within that 8 minutes.

So what do you mean two separate scenes. How is the waitress providing a change in the characters? Or adding a conflict at the 3 minute mark?
 
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