I'm Thinking About A Script Reading

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

I think there's a good way to tear somebody's script apart, and a bad way.

There are some people who kind of just enjoy tearing shit apart, and are almost mean about it. It's like they're trying to demoralize you.

Then, there are those people who genuinely want to help. These are the people who earn the title of providing "constructive" criticism. In addition to pointing out the flaws, they will also point to the strengths, and they will add encouragement, while suggesting which things they might consider changing. I believe this type of criticism is very healthy, and helpful, and I feel like my movie is considerably better for it, because I sought out as many people as I could find (local, and online), and asked them to be brutally honest. Obviously I hoped they wouldn't be dicks about it, but I wanted to know their honest opinions, and I'm eternally grateful for this.

BINGO!

 

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

Ugh.... and on that same forum, you asked the same questions that you ask here, and then tend to shrug off nearly all advice in favor of whatever it was your were going to do anyway.

It seems people are already expressing similar frustrations on this forum. These are the dangers of responding to a post from Mike Cervello of Modern Day Myth...


A table read is a great thing, an incredible tool for working on a screenplay. I never have the script out in front of me as I don't want to "read"; I want to LISTEN. Too many writers are in love with their own words and they may hear their script, but they aren't LISTENING. There has to be a critical eye at the screenplay lest it never improve.

For some people the kid gloves and coddling is the only way to learn that their script needs work and there are those who need to be knocked down a few times and use those hard knocks to try harder. Everyone learns differently.

I agree with you about a script reading. I've done at least a half dozen of them and they have a way of making the script problems materialize.

 

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

Well, it's official.

I'm booked at a local theater group for the script reading on Sunday, January 16 2011. I created a Facebook Event for people to attend. I should have the script back in a few days to give to the cast. I turned it over to my production's Special Forces adviser to add more military jargon to the dialogue. He said will return it soon.

I put an ad in Mandy.com for actors for 16 roles. In 24 hours 15 out of 16 roles are filled and 76 people have already applied.

I invited friends to critique the reading. Sorry if I know SAG actors with lots of film experience and Independent producers with stuff in distribution who won several festival awards. But, I value their opinions. Besides, by union rules, the SAG actors cannot work on my nonunion productions anyway. They are invited to critique the script at the reading. Also, people in Facebook who are close enough and want to attend are more than welcome.

Here is the event: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1310719072#!/event.php?eid=173834872638531

 

[Beatlesfan1225]

The real beauty of a script reading is when an actor really gets into the story of the script and comes up with dialogue with just the right inflections that is pure genious and you strike out the original dialogue for what they just came up with. Or, an actor shows you a better way to visualize something happening by getting up and acting out the scene.

Needless to say, recording the script reading is a must not to miss anything.

Recording it is a must. When I finished writing my last script I got the entire cast together around a giant table and some pizza, and we read through the entire movie. It helps SO much to hear it in action. Also recording it so you can hear it later, and critique peoples tones and such, or if it was spot on, show it to them later as an example.

Also making an event for it on Facebook helps, like you did. that's what I do.