Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Webshow: "Don't Be Lazy"

If there's one thing I really hate seeing in scripts, it's laziness.  Today's video discusses a bit of lazy writing that I've seen turn up in too many romantic comedies over the years.


6 comments:

  1. I find it hard to believe any professionals actually use that one and think they can get away with it. Maddening.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Could you please add captions or a transcript of these video posts? I can't be the only hearing impaired writer out there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a timely post! This gives me the solution to a plot problem I've been wrestling with in my latest script. All I have to do is write "...And the conflict was resolved."

    Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Romantic movies are bad about that, but my absolute favorite bit of lazy writing comes to us in the movie Dylan Dog. (supernatural detective movie)

    Dylan is in a tomb full of sleeping ancient vampires looking for a sword for some reason. He and his cohort find it in the grip of a sleeping vampires. He carefully removes it and the vampire stirs and gives a great hissing roar!

    The two men tense for battle, but the vampire instantly goes back to sleep.

    The cohort looks at Dylan and says, "What was THAT?"

    Dylan shakes his head. "I guess we'll never know."

    Then they leave. And it's never mentioned again.

    I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW.

    I love it. That is some ballsy laziness.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hah! I hope anyone who would write that would realize that maybe the rom com isn't their genre. The whole point of a rom com is to watch two people fall in love.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How about when it's written that a couple, or perhaps just one character, experiences "love at first sight"? Does that meet the same level of laziness? For instance, it might describe a an initial reaction but there could still be conflict interfering with the two being together. Of course, relying on a cliche is probably lazy in itself.

    ReplyDelete