BitMaestro
Well-known member
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in...
First, note the parts I bolded; as you described it, there is no driving scene in this sequence.
In answer to your main question: yes, I notice. (And BTW the contemporary version of this trope is characters waiting to have a face-to-face convo instead of calling/texting one another on their cellphones.) And even if no one else calls it out, why are you trying to sneak something by that you know can be done better? Or put another way, why isn't your goal to write characters that are as believable as possible?
As for why you wouldn't want to do that, here's an excerpt from an old post of mine:
"To use the example provided:
"'We see John approach the TV. He turns it on and sits in the chair.'
"First, as others have noted, in this particular case, the "we see" is completely unnecessary. But going further, even without the "we see", "John approaches the TV. He turns it on and sits in the chair." this tells me nothing about the character, much less the story. So a well written screenplay would either cut the moment entirely or make better use of it. i.e. how is John feeling? and how does this manifest in his behavior? someone who's manic will "approach" the TV differently and sit in the chair differently from someone who's suicidal.
"And someone with a 60" plasma and leather recliner is different from someone with an old 13" portable with rabbit ears and a ratty, old futon. And both of those are different from someone with a 60" plasma and a ratty, old futon. etc.
"So why go to this extent? Three reasons:
1) the easiest way to get talented people to want to work with you is to show them that you are at least as talented as they are, if not more so."
You mentioned in another thread having trouble attracting talent? That's why.
First, note the parts I bolded; as you described it, there is no driving scene in this sequence.
In answer to your main question: yes, I notice. (And BTW the contemporary version of this trope is characters waiting to have a face-to-face convo instead of calling/texting one another on their cellphones.) And even if no one else calls it out, why are you trying to sneak something by that you know can be done better? Or put another way, why isn't your goal to write characters that are as believable as possible?
As for why you wouldn't want to do that, here's an excerpt from an old post of mine:
"To use the example provided:
"'We see John approach the TV. He turns it on and sits in the chair.'
"First, as others have noted, in this particular case, the "we see" is completely unnecessary. But going further, even without the "we see", "John approaches the TV. He turns it on and sits in the chair." this tells me nothing about the character, much less the story. So a well written screenplay would either cut the moment entirely or make better use of it. i.e. how is John feeling? and how does this manifest in his behavior? someone who's manic will "approach" the TV differently and sit in the chair differently from someone who's suicidal.
"And someone with a 60" plasma and leather recliner is different from someone with an old 13" portable with rabbit ears and a ratty, old futon. And both of those are different from someone with a 60" plasma and a ratty, old futon. etc.
"So why go to this extent? Three reasons:
1) the easiest way to get talented people to want to work with you is to show them that you are at least as talented as they are, if not more so."
You mentioned in another thread having trouble attracting talent? That's why.
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