Comments for Kris Cramer

Comment on The Unnecessary "That" by JJB

JJB — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:46:21 +0000

These examples are fine, as far as they go, but they refer to only one possible usage of "that." I don't mind that Kris has been so restrictive, but to say (that) you can eliminate that word nine times in ten? That's crazy.

Oh, as to the woman and the nightstand–it's a comma that makes the distinction.

1) She glances at the photo sitting on the nightstand.
2) She glances at the photo, sitting on the nightstand (although of course this reads better as "Sitting on the nightstand, she glances at the photo").

Comment on Using White Space to Hold a Reader's Attention by Kris

Kris — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:35:05 +0000

Hi Norton, The Die Hard script is a great reference for learning about white space and certain other aspects of screenwriting, but you're right about it not being a good example of avoiding the use of capitalized words. It's important to keep one thing in mind: there are trends in screenwriting just like in anything else. As I mentioned in Don't Let These Problems Ruin Your Screenplay, capitalizing words for emphasis was very popular in the 80s and early 90s, but it has become less popular since then. Back when Die Hard was written, it was common to to come across scripts with several capitalized words on every page. That trend has mostly faded now. The changing landscape definitely makes it challenging to stay up-to-date on which practices readers like versus which practices they don't like. The best way to do that is to read scripts for new movies as often as possible. If your screenplay is terrific, readers won't mind a handful of capitalized words one way or the other as long as you don't go overboard. ~ Kris

Comment on First-person vs Third-person point of view by Sterling Editing » Written on the internet

Sterling Editing » Written on the internet — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:48:48 +0000

[...] overview of the pros and cons of first person and third person from writer Kris [...]

Comment on Using White Space to Hold a Reader's Attention by Norton

Norton — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:09:42 +0000

As an aspiring screenwriter, i often notice contradictions in lessions or rules, even from the same source, like this one.

I linked to this article from "Don't Let These Problems Ruin Your Screenplay", where one of the rules was about not using CAPITALIZED WORDS as they distract the reader and "reminds them they're reading a script".

Yet here, you use an example that uses all caps 4 times, 3 being in 1 sentence.

I googled "screenwriting, capitalizing words" and found "DLTPRYS", read the bit about it, linked here, showed the near opposite.

Still, i wonder about the limits of proper capitalization.
Hoe-hum.

Comment on The Unnecessary "That" by J-school sticking points | Karlie Justus

J-school sticking points | Karlie Justus — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:20:54 +0000

[...] The superfluous "that" – Most of the time, copy has to be squeezed to fit. Not just in the newspaper world, but in press releases, Web copy and even speeches. Ninety-eight percent of the time, he told us, the word "that" isn't necessary. Every time I edit my work, I'll find at least two or three in my copy that serve no purpose. (BTW, that last sentence falls into the other 2 percent. Oh, and the sentence before this one.) Kris Cramer agrees. [...]

Comment on How to direct your script without camera angles by Kris

Kris — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:13:46 +0000

@ Mike – I've been studying cinematography lately and it definitely has made me more aware of how to translate visual imagery into words and vice versa. It's a fascinating process.

@ William – Thanks for your comment. I'm so glad you found the article helpful!

Comment on How to direct your script without camera angles by William Estrella

William Estrella — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:20:07 +0000

I'm taking a class at the JC for script writing and this is exactly what we went over today, but what took my instructor 30 minutes to convey you did in just a few minutes. Thanks

Comment on How to Create Realistic Characters With Depth by James

James — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:16:56 +0000

omg this helped so much. my charachers are usually just cardboard cut-outs – the only thing that keeps each one individual was there look. But now… youve helped so much.

Thanks.

-James

Comment on The Unnecessary "That" by Kris

Kris — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:46:23 +0000

Hi Bubba,

If "sitting on the nightstand" modified the woman instead of the photo, it would be written like this:
"She, sitting on the nightstand, glances at the photo."

But, you're right about the sentence not being as pretty as it could be. :)

~ Kris

Comment on The Unnecessary "That" by bubba

bubba — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:43:10 +0000

She glances at the photo that is sitting on the nightstand.

I believe this sentence still needs the word "that", unless your remove the entire prhrase, "that is sitting"; otherwis , you will be left with a dangling participle. Who is sitting on the nightstand, the photo or the lady?