Screenwriting : Personal challenge by Steven M. Cross

I did it with a chapter in a film of mine. a little challenging but afterwards you will see the simplicity. it is sort of like writing footnotes for a novel when you do the action as you sometimes also have to convey some kind of emotion so symbolism is key.

I don't understand why you see that as a challenge - explain please. The operative word in writing/visualizing a 'movie' is the action verb 'move'. Basically no action = no movie. Sounds to me like you're describing a 'talking heads' scene - generally pretty dull & boring (that's what you want to write?). Master the art of writhing 'tight'. Write in present tense, avoid adverbs (find a stronger verb. Cut the repetitious use of adjectives. It makes reading your script much simpler.

I write too much dialogue. I've had some plays published and produced and my screenplays are more like plays. I am trying to write a screenplay with almost no dialogue so that I can strengthen my visual game. I know talking heads are boring, I already write in the present tense, I use stronger verbs -- I am just trying to make a concerted effort to be strictly visual throughout an entire script without using much dialogue at all. I am doing this to prove to myself that I can (I hope) and if I can do it once, then I can do it twice and three times and four times until I go to a visual first before I use words. That's what I'm trying to do.

Check out scripts that don't have a lot of dialogue, Steven M. Cross.

Maurice Vaughan Any suggestions on specific ones, Maurice.

"A Quiet Place" and "Shaun the Sheep" (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-shaun-th...) are two examples, Steven M. Cross.

Bryce Edward McLaughlin That sounds like a great idea. Maurice Vaughan I've heard of A Quiet Place. I have been wanting to see it as a matter of fact. I'll have to now. I don't know anything about Shaun the sheep.

I haven't been able to find the entire script for "Shaun the Sheep," Steven M. Cross. There's part of the "Shaun the Sheep" script in the article I linked above. "A Quiet Place" is easy to find on the internet.

First don't measure up...I can throw you dozens of one line action scripts and mini-novels of description as well...focus on action itself rather on with how much words u gonna present it...and have a unique scene, something levering up from say, grabbing a gun outta nowhere when bad guy coming at your MC...

If you want to make your action feel fast and hard hitting, you can reflect this in your writing by carefully selecting the words you use, rather than getting bogged down in description. It is good to try and make the reader feel the way you want your audience to feel when watching the final movie. The script for Die Hard is a good case study for this.

One way to see if your scene works is to write it with dialogue then read it without it. If you can follow the action without the dialogue, then you're doing it right.

Steven M. Cross Action... really depends on what you are writing. Written "action" sequences are very often un-filmable, and even difficult to read. Unfilmable due to practicality, time to shoot and budget, which many writers haven't the background to estimate. As well, if it is not a "action" film, the question of course arises, what does this (specific action) have to do with the story arc? If nothing - possibly it shouldn't be in the script. I have seen a lot of mid to large budget scripts with a simple phrase "and they fight. Timothy devastates John" and leave it for the director and stunt coordinator to flesh out. That's perfectly acceptable.