Finishing a screenplay I've gotten very good reviews for. It's a dreamy where the whole thing is a dream and reality comes in later.
The problem comes from formatting characters that appear in the dream as one person - then tother at the end in the real world.
I've had the traditional suggestions (i.e name/name or () but those don't work in this scenario as exposing the characters early would hurt any read.
I looked at two wizard or oz scripts and they don't even mention the dream characters were the same people as in Kansas.
I've written it as i.e. POLICE CHIEF LARRYT STEWART, who Sam saw as Harry Dumont in his dream, etc.
I know trottier (and others) always preach that when you don't know how to format - just use plain english.
Any ideas
Thanks
John
Seems a matter of structure, and comes down to crafting. Visual to visual transitions might be useful beween dreams and reality.
A character can have multiple names or multiple characters can end up being the same one, but boil it down to one main name and stick to it. For example STEWART can wear a Police Chief's uniform then change into Harry Dumont's form, but for clarity's sake when he's speaking the dialogue name should always be STEWART. Never over complicate something that should remain simple.
Checkout the script, Rosemary's Baby. Her dreams are actually real when she discovers her hubby made a deal with the Devil.
Using time and period props in the action element could take the audience in and out of dream and real time as the characters.
John, It doesn’t matter if the chief of police saw Sam as Harry. The actor they hire would still be playing the role as Harry so that is the name you would use. For example: HARRY, early 40’s, a good family man…
If an actor had to play both Sam and Harry as if they are two completely different characters the actor would have to know which one he suppose to be playing in each scene so you would introduce Sam again as if he were another character in your movie. Example; Harry is now SAM, 25, a master criminal in Chief of Police in dream.
When they do a breakdown of the script during development they will assign both characters to the same actor.