How do I know if my screenplay is confusing?

A

Angelshare1

Well-known member
I wrote it so of course it's crystal clear to me.

How do I know that my screenplay isn't a muddled mess of characters that don't seem to have anything to do with anything? I'm thinking of Crash or Traffic where on paper the screenplays may look like muddled messes. How does a studio executive look at that and say "OMG it's brilliant!"? (I heard they thought Chinatown was a mess when they first read that.)

Also my buddy that I collaborate on shorts with wants to read my screenplay. He's never read a screenplay before. I think he expects it to read like a flowery languaged novel. How do you read and critique a sceenplay? If I have my buddy read it, what should I instruct him to look for?
 
"Irv, Irv, Irv--you're getting too suspicious. This job will do that to you."

"Irv, Irv, Irv--you're getting too suspicious. This job will do that to you."

Well, no matter the number of characters in your script or how intricate the plot is, it shouldn't be a chore for anyone to read it. That should be a top priority for you as a writer, otherwise how do you expect anyone with any money or skill to read your script and think it deserves to be turned into a movie?

I'd recommend having your buddy read it without any hint of what the movie is about whatsoever and just see what he says. If he's honest and paying attention, he should be able to give you some good feedback on what's good and what's bad.

Generally, I make a list of concerns or issues I think the script may have (no more than ten) that I ask the reader after they're are done and that usually helps address any issues. Also, it has been my experience that the standard screenplay format is (for the most part) self explanatory to readers, so your friend shouldn't have any problems.

Let us know how it goes.

-- Artman009
 
Ask yourself if you structured the screenplay before typing FADE IN, do you have a clear premise, logline, theme, 3 acts with turning points, dialog that is more subtext than on the nose.

A well told story is about a compelling character who wants something very badly, but encounters opposition along the way to getting it, and ultimately by changing and confronting their flaw they defeat the opposition to gain the prize (the external visible goal)-- so check if your have a 'well told story'.

Consider critique from someone who has read 10,000 screenplays, like Scott the Reader who for $60 or so will give you several pages of detailed feedback, problems, solutions.

In the end, it could be great even if nobody else thinks it is. The screenplay for Star Wars was passed on by United Artists and Universal Pictures, they just did not 'get it'.

Good luck!


Angelshare1 said:
I wrote it so of course it's crystal clear to me.

How do I know that my screenplay isn't a muddled mess of characters that don't seem to have anything to do with anything? I'm thinking of Crash or Traffic where on paper the screenplays may look like muddled messes. How does a studio executive look at that and say "OMG it's brilliant!"? (I heard they thought Chinatown was a mess when they first read that.)

Also my buddy that I collaborate on shorts with wants to read my screenplay. He's never read a screenplay before. I think he expects it to read like a flowery languaged novel. How do you read and critique a sceenplay? If I have my buddy read it, what should I instruct him to look for?
Click to expand...
 
"Your midi-chlorians are off the scale!"

"Your midi-chlorians are off the scale!"

Randall_Oelerich said:
The screenplay for Star Wars was passed on by United Artists and Universal Pictures, they just did not 'get it'.
Click to expand...

Well, they passed on the script because it wasn't very good. Don't get me wrong, Lucas is a visionary (or, at least at the time, he was) and knew that the basic hero mythology he was borrowing from for the 'Star Wars' story/saga would work on-screen, but it's a known fact in Hollywood that he isn't a very good writer.

In fact, it wasn't even until the 4th or 5th draft of the script (after United Artists and Universal had passed) that he had something close to what was eventually shot, and that was with the help of then-wife Marcia Lucas and friends Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck.

So, it's no wonder why UA and Universal passed...

-- Artman009
 
Interesting. I also heard other famous screenplays were passed, for example Dances with Wolves. It would be interesting to see the original scripts that were passed on, prior to rewrites.
 
At the risk of going a bit OT...

The entertainment world is awash in stories about great successes that were passed on by many supposedly smart people who later wished they hadn't:

-The Beatles were passed on by almost every record company in London before George Martin took a personal interest and championed them, and even then he had a tough time getting label interest with them. Their total earnings are probably well over a billion by now.

-Slumdog Millionaire was dropped by Warner Brothers, then picked up by Fox Searchlight. It's grossed over $400 Million.

-The rock Band "Boston" was turned down by literally dozens of record companies - almost all of them. When they finally got signed, their debut album sold 18 million copies and remains to this day the largest selling debut album in history.

-James Cameron had to personally take on a huge financial risk to finish "Titanic" when it went over budget and the studio balked. $1.8 billion later, I suspect he's pretty happy he did...

And on and on...
 
Yes, but...

Yes, but...

Ted Spencer said:
At the risk of going a bit OT...

The entertainment world is awash in stories about great successes that were passed on by many supposedly smart people who later wished they hadn't:

-The Beatles were passed on by almost every record company in London before George Martin took a personal interest and championed them, and even then he had a tough time getting label interest with them. Their total earnings are probably well over a billion by now.

-Slumdog Millionaire was dropped by Warner Brothers, then picked up by Fox Searchlight. It's grossed over $400 Million.

-The rock Band "Boston" was turned down by literally dozens of record companies - almost all of them. When they finally got signed, their debut album sold 18 million copies and remains to this day the largest selling debut album in history.

-James Cameron had to personally take on a huge financial risk to finish "Titanic" when it went over budget and the studio balked. $1.8 billion later, I suspect he's pretty happy he did...

And on and on...
Click to expand...

Yes, but I'm sure for every "David and Goliath" success story, there's at least a 100 or so others where they failed.

Some famous examples that quickly come to mind are Peter Bogdanovich and his movie "They All Laughed", Troy Duffy with "The Boondock Saints", and most recently M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water".

ANYWAY, we're getting a little off topic here....


Angelshare1, I'm curious to know a little more details on your script's plot--what's the genre and the synopsis for it?

-- Artman009
 
If you have any good, produced screenplays lying around, you could always have your buddy read those first. Then he'll have a reference with which to judge your work.
 
Get at least five (ten would be better) people to read it and if they can all follow the plot and make sense of your story and theme.

It they can understand everything, then great. If they can't follow the plot, then ask them what they could understand and what they couldn't. A lot of times it might just be a scene or two or some exposition that needs to be reworked or fleshed out to clarify things a bit more. Even if you have a whole sequence or two that needs reworking for clarity, surveying your readers or working with a script consultant is a method to pin point those problems you need to work on.

Also, this is a useful method to see if people like or dislike your story and what elements connect with an audience.
 
I'd be more worried that it makes sense than if it's too complicated. As a viewer, I'd rather watch a complicated movie than a simple one.
 
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