Script readers (CONT’D)
On the heels of our week-long ‘conversation’ with script reader and story analyst DC Mar, this happened my way: “Confessions of a Genius Script Reader.” A huge difference in tone here, compared to DC, as the author of the piece Allan Heifetz goes into a lot of snark. But given the experience of most script readers, forced to wade through crap script after crap script, can’t say I blame Heifetz for his sarcasm.
Beyond the snark, Heifetz provides his own advice list re screenwriting:
1. Voiceovers, Flashbacks and fourth wall breakin’: Don’t You Dare!
2. Swearing
3. Thesaurus Abuse
4. Names and Titles
[He skips #5]
6. Soundtrack Advice
7. Men Writing Women
Let me comment on his first point:
Re breaking the fourth wall, where the writer addresses the reader: Shane Black did it in the late 80s, followed by a tsunami of imitators, leaving a foul taste in everyone’s mouth, so yes, that is a no-no.
Re flashbacks and voiceovers: There is a predisposition against these narrative techniques, one that I believe is rooted in people’s general perception that they represent ‘bad’ screenwriting, that somehow a good screenwriter is capable of telling a story without resorting to such ‘cheap tricks.’ Can flashbacks and voiceovers be used badly? Sure. But they can be used superbly, too, as evidenced by some of the greatest movies of all time (e.g., American Beauty, Forrest Gump, The Usual Suspects, Stand By Me come to mind).
My advice re flashbacks and voiceovers? If they make your story work better or if there’s no other way to tell your story, use them. But be aware that you have to use them smartly and craft them well in order to overcome Hwood’s prejudice against them.