[MacDV] Re: Format

[Erica Sadun]

>When it comes to writing scripts, I strongly recommend
>studying story structure, characterization, and dialogue.
>For learning about dialogue, listen to the way people
>speak in your life. Notice how sentences are broken,
>incomplete, and how people do not speak too
>directly. There is often a lot implied between the lines.
>Also, there's the basic rule that you should 'show, not
>tell' whenever possible. Instead of a character saying,
>'You've really pissed me off!', you have him slam his hand
>on the table and scowl.

Speaking of which:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A57528-2003Feb11&notFound=true>

Should be a chuckle for anyone who writes creatively,
for page or screen. Note the part on dialog.

Quoting:
"You have people speaking in paragraphs, using words like "indeed" in 
casual conversation. After your protagonist, Joan Milton, watches the 
planes hitting the World Trade Center, she turns away in horror and 
says to her friends: "What an almost unbelievable tragedy! It will 
take a great resolve to overcome this terrible blow." My question is, 
have you ever heard real human beings speak"

-- Erica