A Boys Life Blog 1

A Boys Life was a simple read that I enjoyed. I was surprisingly engaged from the beginning to end from the amount of descriptive scenes. Being not my first screenplay read, it was however the first read which used a great number SHOT headings. Being able to read the script and see my image was not too much of a task but, tough nonetheless. I often found myself stopping after several scenes to register the different scene angles. However, towards the end I was doing less stopping and more registering. I am honestly amazed at how fast I adapted to the use of the various camera angles.
Unfortunately I have never seen the movie, so I don't know how the final production were to look. On an imaginary scale though, I believe the screenplay wrapped up the story well. I do believe that E.T. can do well if it were a novel.
I do not believe that screenplays are meant to be read by non-professionals. I believe the screenplay is similar to a contractors building floor plan. Whether its stage acting or camera acting, the screenplay serves as a guide for the architects to create the final production.

Discussion Questions:
1. Though the camera directions felt a little out of place, I do believe that at times, they are necessary. Does anyone else agree that camera directions, when appropriate, are necessary?

2. While I was reading Sternberg I noticed that she uses a lot of examples that go on for some time. By the time she comes back to what the example was about, I wanted more examples of the examples being used. I am not bothered too much by it, but did anyone else feel the same way?

Michael Carrington