Billy Mernit: “10 Screenwriting Clichés That Refuse To Die”

Check out Billy’s list to see if you need to excise an overused narrative element from your script-in-progress. My two ‘faves’:

Worst Screenplay Opening in the World

Used to be “Protagonist wakes up in the morning,” but Screenwriting For Dummies must’ve put the kibbosh on that one. How-To books have not succeeded, however, in exterminating The camera soars over the city/town/countryside… The shot inevitably ends up landing on our protagonist’s yard/window/hairpiece, and despite this being as tired a camera direction as the arcane We pull back to reveal…, it begins 2010 spec scripts on a weekly basis.

The Eating After-Hours Rule

When’s the last time you ate your Chinese food out of the cartons, perhaps with chopsticks? No matter: Anyone staying late at the office/precinct/home kitchen counter is required to do so, despite the common sense “Chinese food is for sharing” rule known to the civilized Western world for decades (See: Single women always eat ice cream out of cartons, in your typical zombie rom-com).

As long as you’re cliche-busting, don’t forget to check out screenwriter Kevin Lehane’s Definitive List of Cliched Dialogue.
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