Re: Guilty (adult content) - Off Topic

[Scripter]

It would have been better to pass this over in question but raking up muck generates heat and maybe that's what we need. More activity in the script section. As the old adage states, "The truth will set you free."

One fact I must state upfront is that most have us haven't been entirely honest with each other. Yeah good reviews can be offered when work is posted but because most writers can't help judging others by appearances (appearances can be deceptive and believe me, people have good reasons for maintaining such facades), they feel that the review they got wasn't good enough so sometimes you can find work that's posted on this site re-posted elsewhere.

I'm not at liberty to divulge names but as I visit lots of screenwriters sites sometimes I can't help noticing familiar names. For instance, sometime last year, a writer posted a script in this section for review. Many writers offered their feedback but the reason I took interest in the thread was that the last writer to offer a review was someone I know.  Unsatisfied by the crits that were offered the writer re-posted the script on another site, a hub of screenwriters whose opinion counts. Was a review offered?

NO.

The point I'm driving at is, it's best to work with what you have because when you go out there expecting that things are much better, you end up getting very disappointed because no one gives a damn about you. Screenwriters can be bad They are bad mostly because most of them are angry , frustrated writers.

So yes, Iain, there are good writers on the site but they just don't want to offer any help because unless they are successful, why should they bother helping a rival?  I guess the fear of competition is one thing that could contribute to making the script section this inactive. And even if rules were  formulated forcing everyone who posted work to review the work of other writers, there is no guarantee that it would  good crits that would be offered. I've seen that elsewhere too.

But I'm sure the intelligent way to head, is work with what's available. All forms of writing have distinct similarities. The rules which govern the creation of characters, dialogues, etc are the same across genres ( though there might be slight variations across genres).

So Iain when you offer a a review touching on dialogue, character, etc, as I've seen you do, then, yes, that review is helpful. 


 

[irallan]

I have to admit to Scripter that all this screen writing and such is not really my style. I have to ask where have all the playwrights gone and is this a dying art..
Too you are right I have not commented on some screenwriting because I feel some are just generic stuff that they rattle of on television or films all the time. With some I think they get an idea and think they are going to have the next big blockbuster. Then when they don't get the review they like or see how much work is involved in actually learning correct format and such. I don't know . Something just isn't clicking here..
I saw one guy here recently had 32 posts..Not one of them was a review. Yet he attracted many comments yet mine stood virtually ignored. Perhaps my subject is just too deep and hard for all here. If it wasn't for Siobhan really I would have chucked the whole circle in. But she gave me enough to try and keep going.
Still life is not always as you would like it..
It is a shame. I remember loving reading plays and such at school . The merchant of Venice still an all time favorite..Don't ask me to quote anything but I can give ya the gist of it..

[Tempered]

*small hijack notice*

I honestly don't have enough experience in script/play writing to feel comfy giving critiques. I think its the off-stage movement/actions/narrations that I don't always understand or remember to put in. I can do dialogue, but for me I think I would have to settle down in this form of writing to see the whole. Anyone can write a skit, but it takes experience to write a play.

I think that's why I always hesitate in commenting in here. I don't want to give bad advice about a subject I know little about

*small hijack over*

[irallan]

I am that way with the screenwriting have to admit I am put off by all the fade ins.outs and instructions there as well. Give me good all play writing any day..
Thats the thing . I saw one post and all there really was was all this fade in and outs with no plot character or dialogue to speak off really. I found it hard to know wether I liked it or not as There was not enough to tellyou anything..

[510bhan]

I guess a lot of it is fear of work being stolen. Many ideas presented do follow a well-worked, popular formula - nothing wrong with going with the trend - but the actual words for dialogue can be assessed by non-scriptwriters and the 'idea' could easily be hijacked for another form. The snippets presented could seem viable as mini-pitches and as such are vulnerable.

With prose, so much depends on the author's unique voice it's more difficult to rob and then continue in the style or even guessing the resolution of the plot but scripts/screenplays are subject to input by the director/producer and tweaked to suit the flavour of the moment in many cases, in a way that an editor/publisher can't interfere so it isn't necessarily a 'finished' piece in the same way a novel might be.

[irallan]

That does give a clearer picture . Thanks Siobhan. I suppose for me it's not a problem as if others took my ideas and went with it I wouyld be over the moon as it would be more of the message getting out there. Can I ask Is the days of the play over or is there still credibilty in Play writing. Or has the screen taken over that much?

Oh sorry Scripter for hijacking your post, but I think this topic means something to you too .

[510bhan]

I think play writing still needs to be done..whether they manage to get performed is down to economics and the audience attendance patterns.

Live performance is something that actors enjoy - has an edginess to it although I suppose long runs and touring could become tedious for them. I don't think it's a dinosaur yet.

[Tempered]

*i was just sitting back smoking a bit of the green and saw this*

Actually Iain, i've been to plenty of sites with active script/play threads. So its out there. There needs to be plays and such.

The thing is, i've noticed lately, well in the last few years, that readers are getting lazy, they want to be lead around, told everything. When reading a play, you have to be mindful of the surroundings also. I know you said that they can be put in at any time, but to see the play properly as it should I think they should be reviewed at the same time, so this is more to read(i'm not against this btw, ) I think many aren't sure  their opinions on someone else's work are of any worth, but if that is the case, they shouldn't be in the review forum. Because if you write, you have an opinion.

I just think that the world's fast pace has effected our perception of so many arts. There is no time given(or allowed) spent on creation(either the enjoyment of doing that, or watching it done). Now entertainment is like cotton candy, you see the bright colours, you get a burst of flavour, but its gone so fast, with only a lingering memory. Back in the day (poetry/play/prose) the world wasn't so knowledgeable about the mysteries of the world. Maybe that's why they are classics, they were written with less-bridled imagination. But the reader could also escape in plays/stories/poetry easier, they didn't have to know why exactly, because imagination took us there. Now, life is a fact, black and white.

whoa I drifted there I was gonna delete, but screw it.

But back to the original hijack question...no I think certain sites focus a lot on one style more than others, sometimes not much but I've seen poetry sites with a smattering of prose, and prose sites with a smattering of poetry...and i've seen script/play sites also. Some writers belong to more than a few to get the full range of reviews. I've seen users post the same piece on different sites just to do that. So to me, it just depends on the site. But since i've been here I've noticed a increase in activity. 

okay sorry, origin-poster I'll leave this thread alone.

interesting subject, but I drifted off too far

Temp

[irallan]

No thanks Temp that helped a lot. A toke on that scoob would probably help more right now though..lol. I'm sure we will get in trouble for this but ah well ..hohum..

[Tempered]

Hello Scripter

I figured I hijacked your thread, the least I can do is comment on your piece. first off I am not too knowledgeable about this style, so will talk about phrasing.

you wrote:

GUILTY


From BLACK:

NARRATOR (V.O)
Civilization is at end. The old orders are
gone and everyone is at war seeking supremacy.
There’s no unity except among us the “T: people.

FADE IN:

if civilization is at an end, then naturally orders are gone. is everyone at war? are they all seeking supremacy? why say there is no unity, and then say there is? Think about what you want to say, what's important to set up the play coming. what do the audience need to know.

There is no civilization.

There is only... 'T'

***
you talk about the war in the next para, so no need to just say war here and then go on to something else, the more you add to a list, the less they will all be remembered. A narrator sets, but the story drives the ball home.

That's my thoughts.

Sounds like a good piece.

Temp

[Maimi]

To keep from the continued hijacking of Scripter's thread, and because this is a good discussion, I moved the rest of this thread to a new one: Discussion: Continuation from Re: GUILTY (adult content) - Off Topic

Inventive title, no?

So, please critique Scripter's work on this thread and click the link below to continue the discussion.
http://www.mywriterscircle.com/index.php?topic=30952.msg517290#msg517290

-Maimi