A Professional Script Vs An Amateur Script – Mark Sanderson
Film Courage: What is the difference between
a professional level script and one that is written by an amateur? Mark Sanderson, Screenwriter/Author: A professional
level script I would say can compete in the professional marketplace where someone could
receive a screenplay, read it and not go Hmm, this has too many problems that this person
is probably not writing at a professional level meaning that someone would say Oh my
gosh? We could make this! That it’s not plagued with the problems
that we spoke of before you know…first time overwriting the script and the structure doesn’t
really work and it’s confusing and it’s not fulfilling (the ending doesn’t wrap
it up) if you were to read that.
Also, what we mentioned before format too. You look at the script and if it’s all over
the place where it’s kind of clunky and weird and it’s not professionally written
(“professionally written”). Film Courage: How soon into reading a screenplay
do you know that it’s bad? Mark: Well it’s usually in the beginning
but many times you are fooled because the beginning is easy to set up so you’re like
Oh this is great and then the longer it goes on it runs out of steam and then it just really
is like Okay? Or that it is too long. It’s like too many pages and there is a
whole other story and a half there that shows that it needs to have a lot of editing. If it’s a first draft it’s a script and
a half almost (a script and a third let’s say) which is overwriting. Film Courage: Then a reader will know fairly
quickly? Mark: A reader will probably know in the first
page or two if it’s the format giveaway or it’s just the style giveaway where you
can tell.
People all the time post one page on the Internet. They put up a page of their script and you
can see it and go Okay? It’s a giveaway, it’s a clear giveaway. Or you can see another page and go Wow! It’s so clear. You are seeing what they meant. You are seeing what they are writing. Not….whoah! Bump…who got out of the car? Oh? And that in a way goes back to format and
how you know what you’re going to put in and what you’re not based upon story.
Film Courage: What do you think about 99 percent
of screenplays being rejected after the first page? Mark: I don’t know if they are…I think
they would be read. They are not thrown in the garbage after page
one. I think a script is given a chance, I mean
I would hope from a reader and then it’s the overall feeling of it. But like we were discussing before if there
is too many bumps and the famous thing is Oh this bumps for me. It bumps okay it means…I know what they
mean but it probably like “boomp,” you know it sort of bumped and not in a good way
where it was confusing or the story was like why did it go that way and I didn’t understand
it was this and that.
A lot of times sadly it’s because of skimming
you know someone just literally I had read one time that some people just read the dialogue
or some producer just reads dialogue. He doesn’t read the directions, he just
reads the dialogue you know. I don’t know? That’s not really reading the script but
I think as we were discussing before you can tell in the first few pages if it’s going
to be one of those scripts or if it’s going to be like Wow! This is a page turner. I can already see that. It’s hard to hide that if you’re not writing
at that particular level. So that will be a dead giveaway which is not
good. Film Courage: So you think that people give
it more than just a scene? Mark: Oh sure, yes. The old adage ‘Well if it doesn’t happen
within the first 10 pages.” It used to be the first 20 but now it’s
shrunken down.
If it doesn’t happen…if I am reading and
it doesn’t happen for me, you sort of have to know what we are getting into. But again these aren’t rules not coming
from me. I am just saying that some movies like European
films take longer to happen and. I’m talking about Hollywood and if you want
to work in that system, it better happen. The reader has got to go “10 pages? I still don’t know what is happening?” You’ve got to get an idea like Oh we see
this and that.
This is what they are talking about. They will read through the script but if you’re
plagued with typos, three or four page, it means you don’t care enough to proofread
your script and you don’t care enough for the person who is reading its time so right
away there is a disrespect there. Like Well I’ve just got to blow through
it because my idea is so good I don’t have to proofread the script. Oh okay? These are attitudes that won’t serve you
well in the long run..
