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How "colourful" should the writing be?

Hi everyone,
I'm writing a script for s series pilot at the moment, and I'm wondering how "colourful" I should really write in the script. I know that the general rule is to "write only what you see on screen", but I tend to think that it should be "write what the reader can imagine". In a lot of books and videos from Screenwriters I've heard that the book has to be entertaining and interesting to read. I find that a bit hard when you stick too close to the "write only what you see" rule.

For example, here is a short scene from a True Detective season 1 Script:

Hart looks to the thick forest, endless possibilities for ambush-- He turns back to Rust--

HART
Jesus, you’re a prick. ...We find the place, we come back. Call it in. One of us’ll stay on surveillance.

COHLE
Yeah. I can live with that.

They look at each other a moment, an acknowledgement, the increasing stakes of their reliance on one another-
Cohle steps over the gate, Hart following, until they’re swallowed--


Descriptions like "endless possibilities for ambush", "an acknowledgement, the increasing stakes of their reliance on one another", and "until they're swallowed" are in my understanding not exactly things that you really see on screen, but everyone knows or can imagine what is meant and what it should look like. And it makes the reading, and therefore also the story, more interesting to read.

Also, I've seen this video about character introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4GrVg-MwSc
There are shown many examples of famous movies, and they are more or less breaking the rule completely.

How do you guys handle this?
 
I find that a bit hard when you stick too close to the "write only what you see" rule.
Think of it as a guideline and not a rule.

Good writers can get away with it. The "rules" are written
with new, inexperienced writers in mind. I've covered scripts
for years and I know that most writers go too far. Write well,
don't go overboard, keep that guidelind in mind and you can
write with a little more "color".
 
Thanks for your thoughts. I'll try to find a good balance while writing. I'm in a very early stage, 20 pages so far. I'm sure there will be more questions popping up.
 
If youre directing your own script, and it's helpful for the actors to know some information - then by all means put that information into the script!

Otherwise you're just wasting everyones time because the actors misunderstood what you wanted and then you've got to stop and verbally explain everything you didnt write in the script.
 
After having read a number of these threads I've come to one conclusion in two parts…..

If you are directing your own script you can include any number of descriptives that you want. If you are writing a script for sale it must rigidly comply with standard formatting and descriptive "rules" in order to be salable.
 
I will shoot the script myself, but it also has to go out to a second director, actors and investors. So I treat it like a script for sale.

In the example video, all scripts weren't shot by their writers, als they are very far from the rule in parts.
 
Well.. that makes no sense to me. NBD though it's not going to break your production either way.

For example, I don't want actors to turn it down because it's too far off from what they expect from reading a script.

But again, I don't plan from writing wild stuff that leaves people wondering what the hell they're reading.
 
I will shoot the script myself, but it also has to go out to a second director, actors and investors. So I treat it like a script for sale.
Makes perfect sense to me. A writer really shouldn't write differently
based on what they feel might happen. A writer should be in the habit
of writing as if many people will see it - actors, the DP, audio people,
composer and perhaps even investors. Who knows? Something you
plan to direct yourself may be seen by the right people who want to
show it to a major studio.

In the example video, all scripts weren't shot by their writers, als they are very far from the rule in parts.
That's because there are no rules. Write the way you want to write.
Here I contradict myself; if you feel more "color" is important and
you want to embellish descriptions do it. It's always better to understand
how the business works. An established writer writing on assignment
is more free to break "rules" than an unknown writing on spec. Be
aware that some people along the pipeline may not like too much
embellishment.
 
Thanks for all your answers. Personally, I think it's aöright to drift a bit away form writing only what you can really see, as long as potential readers understand and can picture what you mean.
 
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