Fix This - 12.15.24

 Some screenwriting conventions are timeless – conflict / pressure, a strong opponent, Three-Act Structure, et cetera. 

Screenwriting styles, however, come and go. There’s something in the excerpt below that used to be very popular in scripts but is now a bit outdated. 

It’s not a mistake, per se, and you’re welcome to use it in your screenplay. But, do so sparingly and with the knowledge that it’s no longer “in vogue.”

This excerpt is an example of “Talking Buildings” when the first line of dialogue is heard over an exterior shot of the building where the rest of the scene takes place. Once you know to look for it, you’ll see it all the time in older movies and TV shows.

While it’s fine to do, you don’t really need the exterior shot of the bus station. The reader (and audience) will understand where the scene is happening without showing the outside of the building first.

You’ll save yourself the time and expense of getting the exterior shot if you cut it from your story in the script stage.

If you want help getting your script in shape, send it to us for professional script notes. In addition to suggestions for how to improve your writing, we’ll do a deep dive on your story, characters, structure, scenes, and dialogue.