An excerpt from my script review for The Lighthouse which will be available 10/28/19:
5.) Format
A bit to cover here.
First…
NOTE:
This film must be photographed on black and white 35mm negative.
Aspect ratio: 1.19:1
Audio mix: Mono
Please…please…please don’t do this! You’re not fucking Quentin Taratino!
Tell an interesting and worthwhile story to the reader (especially if your cover page says “first draft”), and then if you’re lucky enough to direct the film as well, make your intentions known then.
I didn’t read it mentally in black and white.
Second…
Enough with all the fucking HOLD’s on characters at the end of scenes. Again, this didn’t do anything for me in my mind’s eye. I imagined what was happening in the action of the script, and eventually my brained skipped right over the latter HOLDs and moved onto the next scene.
Continuing on…
The first few pages are alright, but when your script is only 88 pages with them, it’s as if you knew you were short and put in two “info” pages as fluff.
Lastly…
Too much masturbation.
We get it. They’re two men alone on an island for a particular duration of time, and certain carnal needs are going to be answered at some point.
Similar to prison, it’s part of human nature we know happens in the back of our minds, but don’t need it thrust in our faces, especially when it doesn’t really add anything to the story.
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