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1st Draft - Any and all feedback is welcome… even the crazy stuff.

Very intriguing. Love the idea and the pace is pleasant. Only thing that I didn't think worked was his sudden acceptance that he committed the crime and that he was guilty. Would he not be angry that he going to die. I did see that he bounce's around a bit. (I think you write this in purposely) that he originally thinks he killed a robot. Then it seems like he begins to think he actually killed her And at the end he sees her and knows he killed a robot. Great job on the script!
 
Thank you for the feedback, EngelsProduction and Stefanovic.

Ray Bradbury actually wrote the character's sudden acceptance of murder into the story which I too found somewhat off, but then I took a step back and realized that George did commit a murder just as real and tangible as anything else he has done in his life (something Bradbury was making a point of), which in turn resulted in some very real traumatic responses such as guilt and regret. As strange as it may seem, Bradbury was onto something very real in his fictional writing.

I am reading a book titled "On Killing" by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, which also backs up Bradbury's strong human intuition. Excellent book by the way, I most certainly recommend.

Thanks again for being a part of this awesome community and helping me improve my writing.
 
ANSWER: 100% TOTAL FAILURE

Screenwriting RUle 101: Have your screenplay in a format that a studio can or they'll put it in the can.

All I get is the title page. Complain about my old software as much as you like but some small production compaies are cash-strapped and have old software. Send it to one of those and good bye production before they've even read a word of your work.
 
One dimensional characters saying tedious lines concerning subjects we dont care about. Cliche plot and subplot development where there is any. Hideous monologues makes much of it, particularly the mid to ending utterly unreadible. In fact, breaking up the monologues alone would be a vast leap forward.
 
ANSWER: 100% TOTAL FAILURE

Screenwriting RUle 101: Have your screenplay in a format that a studio can or they'll put it in the can.

All I get is the title page. Complain about my old software as much as you like but some small production compaies are cash-strapped and have old software. Send it to one of those and good bye production before they've even read a word of your work.

goodness christ, I'd rather fund my own shoot with credit cards than give it to a production company that can't open a script. Everyone uses firefox these days, everyone uses adblocker, follow the trends.
 
ANSWER: 100% TOTAL FAILURE

Screenwriting RUle 101: Have your screenplay in a format that a studio can or they'll put it in the can.

All I get is the title page. Complain about my old software as much as you like but some small production compaies are cash-strapped and have old software. Send it to one of those and good bye production before they've even read a word of your work.

Lazy, incompetent commenting. You have posted this exact reply to another in relation to their post....and you were told the same thing then...get with the times man!!!
 
Lazy, incompetent commenting. You have posted this exact reply to another in relation to their post....and you were told the same thing then...get with the times man!!!

Actually it is more like...

Lazy incompetent writer who is too arrogant to market his product possible buyers in theblind belief that a major studio is bound to buy it...Well, get with the market. 250,000 screenplays arrive in Hollywood a year of which only about 600 are made and only 200 of those make the writer a living wage.

The biggest producer of films in the world is the Republic of Inda and the place most likely to fund a film, but on a shoe string is London England through their National Lottery system.

If others on here are able to use docbot (or whatever its called) which CAN be used by old systems, then why can't you

Being too bone idle to find a system that will actually help potential filmmakers, indicates a callous disregard for the industry, many of whom are sleeping on girlfriends couches, looking for that lucky break script that will be the next Blair Witch Project (made on $20,000).
 
The formatting for this is incorrect. You need to use a time reference--DAY, NIGHT, LATER, etc. CONTINUING is not an appropriate descriptor. CONTINUOUS is only used with respect to location. Secondly, do not capitalize props and set them off on their own line. That's incorrect.

You open with:
Code:
EXT. 5TH ST. - DOWNTOWN BOISE - MAGIC HOUR

An ESCALADE pulls INTO FRAME hastily as the driver jars the
SUV into park alongside the dead street.

INT. SUV - ON GEORGE HILL - CONTINUING

fuming at the wheel. George has seen much better years and
it shows in his chin; stress eating.

George looks down at his

WEDDING RING

and freaks out as he rips the worthless piece of jewelry off
his finger.

George pulls out a

BUSINESS CARD

which reads, "555-8432" and on the other side, two words;
"apricot, blanket"

GEORGE

takes a deep breath, checks his mirrors, and exits into the
street.
...
Properly formatted, this would appear
Code:
EXT.  DOWNTOWN BOISE, 5TH ST. - NIGHT

An S.U.V. jars to a stop and parks along the dead street.


INT.  SUV - NIGHT

GEORGE (50s) with his jowls hanging, fumes behind the wheel.  
His stout body shows neglect and has seen better years.

George glances at his watching noticing it reads midnight.  He
notices his wedding ring.  His face tightens and he freaks out 
as he rips it off his finger with total distaste.

His face darkens and he pulls out a business card, which reads 
"555-8432".  He flips it over to see "apricot, blanket"

He takes a deep breath, checks his mirrors, and exits into the
street.
...
It's tighter, more balanced and easier to read when you aren't capitalizing items and breaking the flow. The director doesn't care if it's an escalade because they will rent what can be afforded. You can include it but it doesn't require capitals. The same with the wedding ring or business card.

In older scripts (70s & 80s) it was common to highlight props with caps and set them off. That is no longer considered good practice. The practice will get your script dinged. If you want this to be the 'magic hour', you need to include a visual reference to a clock or watch. The script is describing what the viewer sees. The slugline is a production tool. 'Magic Hour' means nothing to an AD who basically has to break shots into DAY or NIGHT. The other problem with using the caps as you did is that it makes it look like a "pseudo slugline" that is often used for a continuous scene that moves between adjoining spaces.

So if I'm inside a house, I might move from the LIVING ROOM into the KITCHEN, etc. In that case, I'd use a slugline like "INT. HOUSE - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)". We're following George so you don't need to keep repeating his name. Only capitalize his name the first time.

"EXT. 5TH ST. - FOLLOW ON GEORGE - CONTINUING" is an embedded camera direction. It's both wrong to include it in the slugline and camera directions shouldn't be in a spec script.

The dialogue on the second page is too expository. How information does the viewer really need to know about his wife before they see her? With such an elaborate pass code scheme and the fact he brought an envelope, it seems that some information has already been exchanged. You could abbreviate that whole exchange by alluding that the requested information is in the envelope. Then the dialogue starting page 7 moving forward is too on-the-nose with talking heads. The script stops working.

Unfortunately, the formatting isn't your worst enemy here but it should be easy to fix. The dialogue also needs to be overhauled. While I appreciate the idea, it becomes a very tedious read after page 7. The hesitancy about Leonard is too verbose. Lots can be cut since most of it is repeated filler.

It's a good idea though the script needs to revised. Good luck.
 
Last edited:
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