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Seishin - First Script ever

Hi All,

This is my first script, i posted it a while back but it was different with too much going on, i have cut it down and simplified it, please could you Critique it, I'm a month away from setting up shooting for it, i don't really wanna spend too much time editing this anymore, it is my first piece i have no knowledge of script writing so basically its as amateurish as it can get.

Thanks

www.slideshare.com/8salacious9/seishin
 
I think it looks fine for something you are shooting yourself. Where you would need to change it for others is minor, mostly involving spelling and small points. For your own reference and that of the actors and crew, I think it's fine.

My only difficulty is that as a viewer, I don't really feel like I have a clue who or what these characters are. I felt dropped into the middle of a story without a "lifesaver" to cling to. Perhaps on p.3 in the "Spirit World" you can give a small background as to who they are. You can go more into detail in later episodes. It would help to have some sense of the backstory for those of us clueless to this anime world. And later in the "Box Room" another breadcrumb is dropped by Straine. The idea of breadcrumbs in scripts, especially episodic series, is key to getting followers. If you're too cryptic, you lose viewers. Some writer/directors think it's clever. From the reviews I've seen and heard, I'd say it's just bad business to leave your audience confused.

The first episode MUST introduce the characters and make them interesting. What I "see" are four individuals that interact in interesting ways that I don't understand. I'd like to know more. I'm not 100% sure I'd come back to see episode 2. If episode 2 just continues with action and no further introduction to the characters' backstories, I would probably stop watching. Most audiences don't have a high tolerance for ambiguity. Why should I care about Eden? What is his 'girl ghost'? Does Eden have a teacher as Furah is Straine's?

For example, in the Spirit World, the girl might say, "What would your master say?" Eden might respond, "He's dead! (beat) To stay true to the teaching. I'm too exhausted from the escape to take on Straine." She nods and says, "I'll protect you. I'm yours now." Now we know a little more and also curious to know more. What escape? Who was his master? We get a sense there is a relationship between Eden, the girl spirit, and his teacher/master.

On p.7, when ending just have Straine say something like, "His seishin is strong. I'm sorry, Master." Furah says "She couldn't save Koro and she certainly cannot save his pupil. Don't worry, our chance will come again." Obviously I don't know your story so this may sound like total jibberish. The point is that it gives me, the viewer, a life preserver to make sense of these characters.

You've done a good job on the script. For me, just a couple more breadcrumbs about who these people are would make it more compelling to see the next episode and understand what's going on. Good luck!
 
I think it looks fine for something you are shooting yourself. Where you would need to change it for others is minor, mostly involving spelling and small points. For your own reference and that of the actors and crew, I think it's fine.

My only difficulty is that as a viewer, I don't really feel like I have a clue who or what these characters are. I felt dropped into the middle of a story without a "lifesaver" to cling to. Perhaps on p.3 in the "Spirit World" you can give a small background as to who they are. You can go more into detail in later episodes. It would help to have some sense of the backstory for those of us clueless to this anime world. And later in the "Box Room" another breadcrumb is dropped by Straine. The idea of breadcrumbs in scripts, especially episodic series, is key to getting followers. If you're too cryptic, you lose viewers. Some writer/directors think it's clever. From the reviews I've seen and heard, I'd say it's just bad business to leave your audience confused.

The first episode MUST introduce the characters and make them interesting. What I "see" are four individuals that interact in interesting ways that I don't understand. I'd like to know more. I'm not 100% sure I'd come back to see episode 2. If episode 2 just continues with action and no further introduction to the characters' backstories, I would probably stop watching. Most audiences don't have a high tolerance for ambiguity. Why should I care about Eden? What is his 'girl ghost'? Does Eden have a teacher as Furah is Straine's?

For example, in the Spirit World, the girl might say, "What would your master say?" Eden might respond, "He's dead! (beat) To stay true to the teaching. I'm too exhausted from the escape to take on Straine." She nods and says, "I'll protect you. I'm yours now." Now we know a little more and also curious to know more. What escape? Who was his master? We get a sense there is a relationship between Eden, the girl spirit, and his teacher/master.

On p.7, when ending just have Straine say something like, "His seishin is strong. I'm sorry, Master." Furah says "She couldn't save Koro and she certainly cannot save his pupil. Don't worry, our chance will come again." Obviously I don't know your story so this may sound like total jibberish. The point is that it gives me, the viewer, a life preserver to make sense of these characters.

You've done a good job on the script. For me, just a couple more breadcrumbs about who these people are would make it more compelling to see the next episode and understand what's going on. Good luck!

Wow brilliant response thanks for taking the time to read it, and i feel we are on the same wavelength on this piece, the main idea was, to be brought into the midst of the second last ending so it would have went like this:

episode one: build up to the end
episode two: background of furah and straine - with some highlights of eden and his seishin and what seishin are
episode three: background of and introduction of edens seishin revealing her name how she found eden
episode four: carry on from episode one, with furah unleashing his seishin and the secret behind the seishins revealed, as he seeks to find eden and his seishin
episode five: furah, straine and eden battle it out to the end, with one victor.. or two?

but yeah thats how i imagined it to be, il look through your message again when working on the script tonight, and see where i can insert these liners, which i agree will add to the viewers delight, the problem i have is it will be filmed live so i need good actors for the roles, and iv yet to see one i like.

how about this aswell? if like for 10 seconds now and again between dialogue, there would be a relevance to words said and a flashback occur giving highlights of some of the characters background so we start to build a picture of them?

Id like to write more but im at work and so my time is limited for now.

be good to hear more from you.
 
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