First, I loved how the beginning of the screenplay was written. The deep descriptions and smooth transitions developed a mood. The dark night lit up by bright colors, as well as the bright noises of the keys, gave a mood and atmosphere to the remainder of the screenplay. All of the scenes thereafter had that same theme and mood. The beginning dialogue stood out to me the most. The introduction of the characters was subtle, but enough to display their role in the family, as well as the development of the story. The dialogue was succinct and playful, helping to develop the character's roles and to establish the introduction of the creature, E.T. From early on, you could distinguish Elliot as the imaginative little boy who would come into interaction with E.T. A lot of questions are raised in your head as you read the dialogue the boys are having at the dinner table. Who is the main character? What roles do these individuals play?
The story developed at the perfect pace and reached its climax at the perfect point in time. You felt Elliot's joy, anger, excitement, anxiousness, and anticipation. His emotions became your own. I absolutely loved the way the screenplay was put together. For my first time reading a full, true screenplay this was a wonderful experience. I loved every second of it and the time flew by as I read it.
In conclusion, I certainly believe that screenplays should be read by non-professionals. You should see the movie in your head, and be able to analyze and critique the screenplay just as you would a book. Movies introduce and develop character role's, they have beginnings, middles, and end, and they follow common story structures. If you can't understand a movie on paper, you probably won't be able to understand it on the screen.
-Drew Barontini
Discussion Questions:
1. Being the first screenplay I've read, I was confused by a lot of the syntax and the wording. Why were certain words capitalized? (KEYS, PAN, etc..)
2. Is it good to have scenes of major climax feel confusing? I felt confused and rushed during the scene with the doctors in the house. It was hard to see what was happening because it was happening so quickly.
3 comments:
This was my first time reading a full length screenplay as well. I felt that I had a similar experience to yours. Time seemed to fly by so quickly as I read it and I was able to comprehend the dialogue and really get into the material. I also agree with what you said about non professionals reading scripts. Its one thing to watch a movie but an entirely different experience reading the movie. I think everyone would expand their knowledge about film if they chose to look at a screenplay. In response to your question, I also felt that the scenes of major climax were rushed and confusing but I think that is what makes the scene stand out from others. It proves that this is a significant turning point in the film.
Certain words were capitalized were a certain reason. KEYS for example, was the name of the character and characters should be capitalized. But if you look at more recent scripts, they are only capitalized the very first time they appear on the page. After that, the word appears normal in desciptions (Keys) and big again when he speaks (KEYS).
Also, camera directions such as PAN and PULL BACK and LONG SHOT etc, are always capitalized so that the director can clearly see what he/she must do. But lately, these directions haven't been used often in screenplays, because that's like telling the director how to do his job.
Drew,
Your question shows why it is a good idea to purchase The Screenwriter's Bible.
Jared is right about the character convention. KEYS is unusual, however, in that it is also a SOUND cue, and SOUND cues are always capitalized, every single time they occur.
It is a very unusual case and one of the reasons I chose this screenplay.
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