When writing the first draft of a script, it is for me a quick process of doing the right kind of preparatory work(writing the scene outline, the character sketches etc). With a first draft in hand, you proclaim that you've written a script, but its actually a first draft of a script.
Then you kind of leave it for a while, maybe get reactions to it from other people if you're brave enough. (Really, the early stages of writing seem to require enormous courage-to overcome your fear of other people's reactions- or is it simply the fear of rejection?).
Anyway, at some point the reactions have sunk in and you need to now change your script to incorporate all of them. Where do you begin?
I've have usually been lost at this stage of the script. I hold on to my first drafts as long as I can, maybe hoping that I won't have to re-write them.
Somewhere, reality bites: you will have to do the re-write, you owe it to the idea, to the characters and story that you want to tell. If you aren't motivated enough to want to spend time re-writing, why will audiences care about these characters and their story?
As you may have guessed, I'm in the midst of a re-write and am only recounting my struggles with the process. Scott Myers, an American who writes a wonderful scriptwriting blog GO INTO THE STORY, has lots to say about re-writing. So if you're trying to re-write your script, please follow his sage advice, not mine.
I come to re-writing from a background of documentary filmmaking, where I often shoot without a detailed script, then do a first version in the edit, which is mostly pretty 'rotten'. Then using the reactions to the first version, I take into consideration all reactions, no matter how negative they feel at the time. Slowly, I build up a second and often 'good enough' version. We fine-tune that with the client and hey you've got a documentary.
So I am following the same process here in re-writing, no one really has issues with the first draft, but I kind of know that something here needs more attention, or a character needs a bit more in their backstory. I've made my notes and now need to implement them in the re-write.
The only change is that I am now doing my re-write with dialogues in Hindi. Having lived in East Africa I used to write everything in English. Then I was introduced to the whole world of writing Hindi in the Latin script, mainly by young people over the phone (SMS and other messages). Now I feel confident enough of the process to try it on a full script- descriptions in English but dialogues in Hindi.
Now, on with the re-write.
Then you kind of leave it for a while, maybe get reactions to it from other people if you're brave enough. (Really, the early stages of writing seem to require enormous courage-to overcome your fear of other people's reactions- or is it simply the fear of rejection?).
Anyway, at some point the reactions have sunk in and you need to now change your script to incorporate all of them. Where do you begin?
I've have usually been lost at this stage of the script. I hold on to my first drafts as long as I can, maybe hoping that I won't have to re-write them.
Somewhere, reality bites: you will have to do the re-write, you owe it to the idea, to the characters and story that you want to tell. If you aren't motivated enough to want to spend time re-writing, why will audiences care about these characters and their story?
As you may have guessed, I'm in the midst of a re-write and am only recounting my struggles with the process. Scott Myers, an American who writes a wonderful scriptwriting blog GO INTO THE STORY, has lots to say about re-writing. So if you're trying to re-write your script, please follow his sage advice, not mine.
I come to re-writing from a background of documentary filmmaking, where I often shoot without a detailed script, then do a first version in the edit, which is mostly pretty 'rotten'. Then using the reactions to the first version, I take into consideration all reactions, no matter how negative they feel at the time. Slowly, I build up a second and often 'good enough' version. We fine-tune that with the client and hey you've got a documentary.
So I am following the same process here in re-writing, no one really has issues with the first draft, but I kind of know that something here needs more attention, or a character needs a bit more in their backstory. I've made my notes and now need to implement them in the re-write.
The only change is that I am now doing my re-write with dialogues in Hindi. Having lived in East Africa I used to write everything in English. Then I was introduced to the whole world of writing Hindi in the Latin script, mainly by young people over the phone (SMS and other messages). Now I feel confident enough of the process to try it on a full script- descriptions in English but dialogues in Hindi.
Now, on with the re-write.
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