I'm working on the first draft of a feature length script and the approach I'm taking with it for this first draft is writing very little dialogue, and relying more on conveying information visually. What do people think of this approach, and what are the pros and cons? As it's my first feature length script, I want to make it the best I possibly can, and I think that the approach I'm taking is something that can aid in that.
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Approach to a first draft...
- Thread starter PhantomScreenwriter
- Start date
It's a strong approach to take. Just be careful. I see many scripts use too much dialogue and plunge themselves into the abyss through the use of on the nose dialog, too much dialog (talking heads) and exposition. It can be a natural response to turn it too far the other way. Dialog is very much the fastest way to portray certain information and emotion.
If the script calls for visual information, do it. If there are scenes that are best approached by heavy use dialog, then use it.
I can only suggest that you try it and see how it turns out. You know enough about screenwriting to know if you've got a masterpiece or a stinker on your hands. Either you're going to make something that works or learn from the experience. A win-win position either way. Go for it.
This feature script is based on a short script that is now the first ten pages (the short script was about 14 pages) of this feature script, and in that short script I had a lot of dialogue from both the protagonist and the antagonist. I have cut out a lot of what they say because there was one scene where there was a lot of the antagonist doing things, and showing things, to the protagonist, and their dialogue was basically just making comments on those actions as they were being performed.
The dialogue I have kept are things that are to the point and succinct. Moving forward whatever dialogue I come up with for the rest of the feature script will be along those lines. But I definitely do feel there will be some moments where I will have a scene that requires the heavy use dialogue approach for sure.
In any case there will also be a lot of placeholder dialogue in this draft too. In terms of pages I'm aiming for 90.
The dialogue I have kept are things that are to the point and succinct. Moving forward whatever dialogue I come up with for the rest of the feature script will be along those lines. But I definitely do feel there will be some moments where I will have a scene that requires the heavy use dialogue approach for sure.
In any case there will also be a lot of placeholder dialogue in this draft too. In terms of pages I'm aiming for 90.
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It'll happen, even more so on complex plots or sci-fi/fantasy. Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure you'll make a note of it, let your subconscious work on it and fix it on the subsequent drafts.
May I suggest that you aim for 110 pages. Of course don't pad it out the extra 20 pages for no reason. The more experience I'm gaining in editing, the more I appreciate stories that have more so you can cut them shorter to increase pace to an acceptable level.
I know you have experience writing. I'm not aware of your experience in other areas of production and post production. While it's a little different from a feature it may help alleviate a lot of heartache down the track: I was editing one of those pilot holiday and destination/travel TV shows. The powers that be shot it so the material was at quite a slow pace. Exasperating the issue, there was only enough material to just make it to the required length. One segment really sucked and needed to be removed. On top of that there were already pacing issues - it was too slow and needed to be significantly tightened. There simply wasn't enough material to make the show work. Reshoots never happened. It never made it out of post. 6 figures wasted.
Definitely. I'll refine it in future drafts. The unnecessary or ineffectively handled exposition trap is something I'm keeping at the front of my mind too because it's easy to just fall into it if one isn't careful. This script is horror/fantasy but there aren't any complex aspects in terms of the world of the story, or how things function in the world of the story, that need to be explained, so that helps as well.
That makes complete sense. It's better to have a lot to work with and then refine and shape it, instead of not having enough and barely scraping things together.
That would have been very frustrating! Most of my experience with writing is with short scripts and over the years I've learned where my weaknesses are, and I'm working on improving in those areas. A few months ago I completed a writing course, and while writing novels is obviously a lot different to writing scripts, there were things I learned which can work when applied to a script, mostly in terms of how to approach the actual writing process in such a way that is tailored to me, as well as some ways of thinking I hadn't thought of before.
You quickly learn to live with disappointment in this business. No real point in getting frustrated over a single problem. Projects can go a different direction, people do certain dumb/dodgy things, productions get shelved, bad ideas over good ideas are used and the list goes on and on.
As a writer, you'll find producers, directors, financiers, executives, even other assigned writers can butcher the script(s) you've written to the point where you'd rather remove your name from the credits. It can happen. That's even before the editor gets their mitts on it.
Make sure you're using a storyboard and plotting it out carefully, scene by scene. Make sure you know, in each and every scene, even the small ones, what the characters WANT and why. Do this BEFORE you write any dialogue. Writing dialogue before you know those things, inside and out, is basically wanking off.
My main goal with this screenplay for the moment is to get a first draft completed before the end of the year. It will be a bit of a personal triumph for me to do so because I have never written a feature screenplay before (I attempted one in my later teenage years, over ten years ago, but never completed it), and so while I appreciate your advice Adeimantus, and I thank you for it, it's something I will do once I have this first draft completed 