tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post115405819592810858..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Overwriting and why it's bad to write more than you need to make the same pointBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154285629856960692006-07-30T11:53:00.000-07:002006-07-30T11:53:00.000-07:00I have to agree with Jay. The feline line is pure ...I have to agree with Jay. The feline line is pure Potter and belongs in a book of classic Potterisms. <BR/><BR/>Loved that episode, BTW. A kitten trips a land mine and dies. Convinced that it's his fault, Radar sinks into a debilitating depression even Sydney can't figure. Okay, I'm totally making this up. Sue me.Julie Goes to Hollywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12884694303085891898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154147283233958982006-07-28T21:28:00.000-07:002006-07-28T21:28:00.000-07:00My page eight has three great jokes on it. Two cl...My page eight has three great jokes on it. Two closing one scene (one character joke and one visual gag) and the last opens the next scene.<BR/><BR/>Though I recently did a pass and there were 12 other pages that I cut. So I could well have moved up what had previously been page nine. I better cut page seven.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154144876180560062006-07-28T20:47:00.000-07:002006-07-28T20:47:00.000-07:00I booked an acting gig on "Surface" last summer. ...I booked an acting gig on "Surface" last summer. Script was 60 pages and they shot every bit of it. All the trimming came in post. And my most brilliant scene ever found the cutting room floor. Geez, I've had an awful run! Nary a break since.<BR/><BR/>I'm polishing up the first screenplay I've ever finished, and it's heartening to know that I have some fat to be trimmed. 108 pages has become 104, and I'm going to do a read-thru just to look for dialogue that could be eliminated in favor of visuals. Might do another read-thru to eliminate extraneous scenes for subtext purposes...I have so many themes going on at once it might do me well to simplify.<BR/><BR/>It's "Election" meets "The Wonder Years." Is that even allowed? A meeting between movie and TV series?Jeniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15959203253204550729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154117192490966572006-07-28T13:06:00.000-07:002006-07-28T13:06:00.000-07:00I agree. When I read scripts the writers who use t...I agree. When I read scripts the writers who use the page sparingly seem to get their point across much more easily than those who use full pages of text. <BR/><BR/>A writer who spends the time to not only be concise in their story but in also how it is presented appears much more professional. When it comes time for me to write my comments if I don't have to critique simple format (length being one of them) and writing problems I can focus more on the important things; character, tone, and story.<BR/><BR/>To you Mr. Levine, thank you. This site has been a wonderful insight into the world of a working writer. I only get to sit in a room and give my two cents as a reader, so it is valuable to get the other side's perspective.cpjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04921219728745307062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154106723653248662006-07-28T10:12:00.000-07:002006-07-28T10:12:00.000-07:00What if one was writing a spec Entourage? The show...What if one was writing a spec Entourage? The show runs about 27 minutes, but ALL of their produced scripts are in the 35-38 page range of standard script format (and they usually don't cut anything, they just use fast-paced dialogue). Should I cut my episode down to 27 pages, since that is what most people would probably guess it should be, or do I leave it as a 34 or 35 pager to show that I know the show?<BR/><BR/>p.s. I've never commented or asked a question, but I have been following your blog religiously from the beginning. I heard you speak at Ed Scharlach's UCLA panel a while back and since then I have told a lot of my friends about you. I always said that Ken Levine should have a blog, and then you did. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154103095276207072006-07-28T09:11:00.000-07:002006-07-28T09:11:00.000-07:00That Potter line is exactly what turns me off the ...That Potter line is exactly what turns me off the last couple of seasons of MASH. Don't get me wrong....along with Faulty Towers, MASH is my favourite half hour show ever. <BR/><BR/>But right near the end, every line of dialogue seemed so overwritten.Callaghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13088729655859768728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154098195727114052006-07-28T07:49:00.000-07:002006-07-28T07:49:00.000-07:00Robert Hogan:At least from my stand point as a pro...Robert Hogan:<BR/><BR/>At least from my stand point as a producer, a comedy script that runs 85-90 pages is fine. Comedies tend to have a bit more physical things that are happening on screen so it tends to warp the minute per page rule. <BR/><BR/>Especially farces.<BR/><BR/>A farce can be wildly entertaining like say, <I>Noises Off</I>, but on the page it will be a little shorter.<BR/><BR/>On the 120 page side, nowadays, that's considered a bit too long. My films aren't considered necessarily commercial so they run a bit longer but I think anything longer than 110 pages can scare people.<BR/><BR/>Don't feel bad, though. Two months ago I got a screenplay that was 286 pages. In Microsoft Word. He said it was a "trilogy". I said "good-bye".<BR/><BR/>--TenspeedTenspeed & Brownshoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05070438538916989398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154097744405744792006-07-28T07:42:00.000-07:002006-07-28T07:42:00.000-07:00I have the opposite problem. I tend to underwrite ...I have the opposite problem. I tend to underwrite my scripts. I’ll have a feature script that ends at 90 pages. On one hand I hear people say that you shouldn’t worry about page count so much, as long as it’s between 90-120 pages you are okay. On the other hand I hear people say that if a producer or reader looks at your script and it comes up short (for instance I have a comedy that ends on page 85) they will think you are missing something. Is this worth worrying about?Robert Hoganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00008045560193934588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154097273928924982006-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:002006-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00Is it possible to get copies of Cheers scripts to ...Is it possible to get copies of Cheers scripts to study? That to me is still the gold standard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154096606705906552006-07-28T07:23:00.000-07:002006-07-28T07:23:00.000-07:00Writer Earl Pommerantz has a theory that every scr...Writer Earl Pommerantz has a theory that every script could lose page 8. It's eerie how many times he's right.By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1154087110579272932006-07-28T04:45:00.000-07:002006-07-28T04:45:00.000-07:00What's special about page 8?What's special about page 8?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com