Taking Mistakes to a New Level
Okay. I've posted before about the need to proofread (and not just spell check) your screenplays. But the script I was reading this morning took the mistakes to a new level.
In addition to a plethora of typos that weren't caught by spell check (e.g. "waive" for "wave"), and other no-nos, such as stating that this script was draft number 30-something, I saw an error I never thought I'd see in a script. The writer misspelled his own name!
Now you're probably sitting there wondering how I know it was misspelled, and not just an odd spelling, right? Well, he spelled his name one way in the footer to every page (also a no-no), and a different way on the title page of the script! They can't both be right!
If you've written over 30 drafts of a script, don't you think you should care enough about it to at least check the spelling of your own name? Hell, even if you've only written one draft you should feel that way! Ugh.
Tags: screenwriting, stupid+errors
In addition to a plethora of typos that weren't caught by spell check (e.g. "waive" for "wave"), and other no-nos, such as stating that this script was draft number 30-something, I saw an error I never thought I'd see in a script. The writer misspelled his own name!
Now you're probably sitting there wondering how I know it was misspelled, and not just an odd spelling, right? Well, he spelled his name one way in the footer to every page (also a no-no), and a different way on the title page of the script! They can't both be right!
If you've written over 30 drafts of a script, don't you think you should care enough about it to at least check the spelling of your own name? Hell, even if you've only written one draft you should feel that way! Ugh.
Tags: screenwriting, stupid+errors
posted by Fun Joel | 1:01 AM
7 Comments:
That's why I only put my name on a script once. So, even if it's wrong, the reader will never know.
That's classic Joel. My students do it all the time. Even better, I made a very hilarious typo on a vocab test today. I give students a list at the beginning of th week of words with definitions. Then, when I make the test, I cut and paste. Well, in my rushing to go to dinner and then drinks last night, I copied and pasted funny. Unknown to me until a student pointed it out during the test. Instead of "mood" as a literary term. I had "moodshit" listed.
WOW were we all cracking up.
The 30th draft? Why would you include that on the title page? It doesn't exactly instill confidence.
When I was a very young, arrogant and self important information officer, I once posted notices for a "PUBIC HEARING" over a very controversial zoning issue. I have never trusted spell check since.
is there a writer's name for Alan Smithee that deserves to be on this one
Funny stuff, everyone!
On a side note regarding grammer in screenplays, is it just me or has - become the all purpose grammer utility. Not sure if you need to use a . or a , use a - !
The last couple of scripts I've heard were just inundated with - used in place of most other grammatical symbols.
I was just wondering if this was now an acceptable practice, or just a mistake on the part of the writer.
Post a Comment
<< Home