Pre 4: Rewrite the Script

My joy at all film making comes from the script writing. Getting at the script and hacking out a piece of flesh worthy of shooting upon. The script is the most important part a film. The storyboard is the guide, but the script is the blueprint. It is what launches a film and without a script then there is nothing to bother the film maker, actors or crew with.

A good script allows not only the film maker to visualise, but also inspires the musicians, the players on screen and the guys behind the camera.

Rewrites are important. The first draft is often an excited rendition of my mind's eye. So the rewrite is the clear crystal look at the script. Is it as good as I first thought (50-50 chance), how are the spelling and grammar of the script (my weak point), how cluttered is the dialogue (another fault of mine).

Once the rewrite is done, the script gets leaner, more punchy. When I first write something, the sheer telling of a story becomes important. But on the rewrites, it is the visualisation of the story that becomes the key. Telling the story not through words but through images. And that is why the rewrite is so important.

And yes, even a short film such as Jay and Kay save the World is rewritten. Especially in a short film, where every second counts, rewrites are essential in order to keep the audience transfixed on what I am trying to tell them. In a short film, you only get one shot at the audience...