I’ve
been toying with the idea of writing a script for my novel, Net Switch. Since I
am working on several projects, this ‘idea’ is on the back burner for the time
being. Even so, I’ve seen samples of scripts and movie quotes to get a sense of
how a script is laid out. I have no idea how to write a script, nor do I have
the software, but I can’t help being intrigued by the formatting and writing.
Then
I ask myself, “What will you do with the script when you’re done?” The answer
is, “I have no idea”. Trying to publish a book the traditional route is difficult, but trying
to get it made into a movie is close to impossible unless you have connections.
So, do I write to quench my desire to
write the script, or is it a waste of time?
Here
are two separate scenes from one of my favorite 80’s movies, The
Sure Thing.
Professor Taub: [commenting on
students' papers] Miss Bradbury. You, on the other hand, you express
your ideas very clearly. Except that, your paper is dry, Alison. There's not
enough of *you* coming through. Loosen up, Alison. Have some fun! Yes, sleep
when you feel like it, not when you think you should. Eat food that is bad for
you - at least once in a while. Have conversations with people whose clothes
are not color coordinated.
[class laughs]
Professor Taub: Make love in a hammock!
[class hoots,
hollers, and high-fives]
Professor Taub: Life is the ultimate experience, and
you have to live it to write about it.
[Alison raises her
hand]
Professor Taub: Yes, Alison?
Alison Bradbury: What did you say after
"hammock?"
Gib: [talks to Alison while she swims]
I flunk English, I'm outta here. Kiss college goodbye. I don't know what I'll
do. Dad will be pissed off. Mom will be heartbroken. If I play my cards right,
I get maybe a six-month grace period and then I gotta get a job, and you know
what that means.
[Alison ignores him]
Gib: That's right, they start me at the drive-up window
and I gradually work my way up from shakes to burgers, and then one day my
lucky break comes: the french fry guy dies and they offer me the job! But the
day I'm supposed to start, some men come by in a black Lincoln Continental and
tell me I can make a quick 300 just for driving a van back from Mexico! When I
get out of jail I'm 36 years old. Living in a flop house. No job. No home. No
upward mobility. Very few teeth. And then one day they find me, face down, talking
to the gutter, clutching a bottle of paint thinner. And *why*? Because *you*
wouldn't help me in English, no! You were too busy to help me! Too busy to help
a drowning man!
[he falls into the
pool]
This movie is full of humor and the
writing is pretty good compared to some other 80’s movies. I’m not a
descriptive writer, so I thought I might do all right with a script.
Is there a genre you’ve been
interested in attempting? What are your favorite movie scenes?
Scripts and Chances,
Bea
