I am speaking of screenplays.

This topic is on my mind because of my Writers Group. We have about 50% novelists and 50% screenwriters. Naturally when the first screenplay was submitted the novelists gave feedback as though they were reading a novel.

I wrote one of my friends in the group, who had suggested moving the refusal of the call to AFTER the TP to act 2. This then got us talking story structure and how rigid it is for screenwriters.

Regardless of whether or not the segment was in the wrong spot I want to talk about WHY a screenplay is so minimalist.

Quite simply, it is a blue print.

As a screenwriter I need to say there is a baby’s room (if there is one) and I need to make it clear to the reader (be that an agent, director or whomever) HOWEVER, I do not get to tell you what color it is (unless the color is a subtext – even then you don’t have to do it).

The reason for this is that no ONE person makes a movie. A hell of a lot of people do.

If I tell you in my screenplay exactly what the house looks like I am now stepping on the toes of the set designer. If I tell you exactly what my protagonist is wearing and how they do their hair I am stepping on the toes of wardrobe AND often the actor. If I direct the camera with my action lines I am stepping on the toes of the director of photography and the director as well as (again) the actor.

If I am going to mention props, say food, wood and swords (some I use in THE HAAN BLADE) I do so ONLY because they are subtext for what is going on. I still have to use them sparingly.

The trick, in my humble opinion, to writing an excellent screenplay is to TRUST the team that you are allowing to make your story happen. Trust them to do their jobs just as they will then trust you to do yours and (hopefully) will invite you to write more for them.