Query

[uncle_al]

Uncle Al, I am so swiping that pitch...

If you lift from more than three sources, it's not plagarism, it's research...

Al B.

[Write Or Wrong]

You're welcome!  It's nice to be getting in touch with more screenwriters.  And best of wishes for your project, if it's sci fi or whatever you choose...

Uncle Al, I am so swiping that pitch...

[Jenafer]

Write or Wrong,

thank you for taking the time to comment on my query about writing about violence.  For my own peace of mind, I have given up the idea of writing about a serial killer.  I am going to write a science fiction script for young adults.  It might let me off the hoop regards extreme violence, but it does present other problems..  like pulling settings out of thin air. 

Yet after some struggle here and there..  I am reasonably happy with some of my scenes.  But now it is time to pause and write a detailed plot outline, so I am not wandering around in the wilderness at some stage.  I hope all goes well with your project..  break a leg!

Hey Roadrunner,

It's great to compare notes a fellow travellor in the world of script writing, as writing can be quite a solitary passtime.

My greeting to you both Scriptnurse and Al..

Best regards, Jenafer

[uncle_al]

When you're about to decapitate a mob informant with a roller coaster, a board, and two rolls of duct tape, ya kinda gotta screw yourself up to it.

Sounds to me like MacGyver meets Mythbusters from the point of view of GoodFellas.

Ooooh... Scary.

Al B.
"The use of gratuitous and excessive violence... is approved."
--The Blues Brothers - paraphrased

[Write Or Wrong]

Thanks, Don.

I must be one of a very few writers that likes to listen to music while writing.  For me, it's valuable to have a soundtrack matching the type of story I'm writing.  I find that if I pick just the right CD, it helps keep me locked into the emotional context of the scenes I'm writing.   My last script, a romantic comedy, I listened to lots of jazz, cocktail music, Sarah McClachlan, that sort of thing.  This time around, it's much darker.  When you're about to decapitate a mob informant with a roller coaster, a board, and two rolls of duct tape, ya kinda gotta screw yourself up to it.

Mike

[roadrunner2]

I have a scene in my script that involves a rape and I found my eyes swelling with tears as I wrote it.  I didn't go into the graphics of the rape, just the verbal abuse before hand and the "unzipping" of the pants was enough to induce some major trauma  (for me as the writer ...

Sometimes, what's NOT said or shown is actually more effective than what IS shown.

I agree, with the previous posts, if it is needed to progress and tell the story, keep it, of course if it doesn't then, well, you know...

[ScriptNurse]

Very well  put, Write Or Wrong.

[Write Or Wrong]

My own insignificant opinion is that it depends on the story you're trying to tell.  If violence -- even extreme violence -- is necessary to the plot, then it's necessary to the script.  Keep in mind that in a great many films, both modern and classic, much of the sex and violence are implied but not shown directly.  So my two cents would be to just write it the way that seems most appropriate for you.  If your script ever gets picked up and produced, the director will figure out the best way to shoot those scenes.

Right now I'm working on a screenplay that is punctuated by some incredibly violent moments.  One of them would probably earn it an NC-17 if shot exactly as written.  But since the actions depicted are true to the characters and pivotal for advancing the story, I'm personally not going to worry about it, and just write it as I see it.  The story has to please me before anyone else can disapprove of it.

[Jenafer]

I worked out a plotline for a story about a serial killer..  then I wrote a scene with a violent rape.  After writing the scene, I realized that making these characters come alive didn't sit well with me.  Now I am seriously thinking about dropping this project..

What do you think about extreme violence in films?  I would appreciate some imput..

Thanking you, Jenafer