JaneEspenson.com

So, that spec. Is it still too long? I bet it is. Don’t you hate all those dumb bits that use up space? Like, sometimes you have to deal with all the social pleasantries that occur when a character enters or leaves a scene. I bet you don’t want a quarter of a page of your script eaten up with:

SOME GUY
Hey there, Guy!

SOME OTHER GUY
Hey. It’s been a while.

Or

YET ANOTHER GUY
Well, then, I guess I’ll be seeing you around…

It’s sooo boring and it takes up such valuable real estate. And if you cut it, you end up with the kind of thing that used to drive my best friend Margit crazy when we were both ten years old and she’d scream at the TV: “Don’t just hang up! Say good-bye! How do you know the other person’s done talking??”

Here’s what I do all the time. I write:

GUY enters. He and the gang AD LIB hellos.

Look at that. Neat and quick. Perfect for a spec where you need every inch of space to show off your shiny shiny skills. You can also do it for good-byes. And for stuff like a reaction to a performance. Sometimes you can even tell the reader exactly what’s being said, but at a great economy of space. This would look like this:

The gang AD LIBS REACTIONS: “That’s great!” “You’re amazing!” “How’d you think of that?!” etc.

Don’t take it too far. Although it’s tempting, isn’t it?

He AD LIBS a fiery speech that motivates a turn in the other guy’s emotional state.

If only.

Lunch: Vietnamese food eaten with the great Jeff Greenstein. I had pho, the traditional vietnamese soup. I dolled it up with fresh herbs and lemon and siracha. Mmm.