Currently I am still working on the script for "The There There". I am about 85% done with it and hope to finish it up completely by the end of this week. Having a nagging cold has actually helped since I've essentially been house bound for a few days and have found myself with nothing better to do.
I am doing something different with this screenplay in that I am not actually writing a full-on "script" like I have in the past. You could call it more of a detailed outline. There's a few lines of key dialogue in place but the rest of it reads kind of like this:
18. INT. CAR. LATE NIGHT.
Ben drives home alone on the nearly empty streets. This scene lasts slightly longer than what feels normal for a narrative film. It gives Ben, and us, a moment to stop and take in the quiet of the late night. VERY, VERY slowly as this scene progresses, the faint sound of ocean waves is mixed in on the soundtrack, getting louder and louder progressively. When the ocean waves are at full volume we cut to:
19. EXT. BEACH. MORNING.
Emily and Amy sit on the beach. Amy is reading and Emily is playing with the sand, trying in vain to build a sand castle. Remnants of a picnic lunch are spread out on the oversized beach towel they are both sitting on. Amy asks Emily if she knows what she wants to get Daddy for his birthday. Emily asks if she can draw him a picture and Amy says that he would love that. This is a nice, bright and playful scene. We cut to slightly later in the day as Amy and Emily wade into the water together before slowly FADING OUT.
Syd Field devotees might be rolling in their grave but frankly, I am done with traditional screenplay formatting. I used to think screenplays were blueprints for feature films but after working on my own films for a while, I realize that films are not comparable to buildings. Buildings are stiff and rigid, built to withstand the elements. Films should breath, ebb and flow, be open to change.
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