I put actor reactions/hints in my action, "shocked at Jacks opinion of her". There is a difference between being shocked by an opinion vs by swearing. Do you do this? How far do you take it? I never put "she remembers" or anything like that. I try to limit it to human reaction.
Screenwriting : Actor hints vs unfilmable by Craig D Griffiths
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Human reaction is okay, thoughts and feelings are a big no-no
I am like Pierre there. But when it comes to the final draft, sometimes let the actor or director set the tone for the scene. Who knows, maybe they see something you didn't and could make it pretty damn good.
I will utilize wrilies for an actor's direction only if it isn't apparent how the subtext creates a reaction or response. Otherwise, a lot of what you write is unecessary because the actors and the directors do not like micromanagment of their charatcers or scenes. Your subtext of a scene and dialogue should bring out the intentions of inner motivations and outward movements when one blocks a scene.
That's right, they're not writing spec scripts.
Everyone wrote a spec at sometime. But it is a good point, about Pro doing it. So if someone wants to appear professional they could do it, but in a professional way. I think the implementation of anything is what separates the Pros from the Amateurs. Good to see everyone's thoughts.
@Linda watch Joan Crawford movies. In the script it would have read like a nice girl looking for love. Her delivery was so sexy. "I love dancing with men, are you a good dancer".
Character description the first time he/she enters should provide enough information about the character. Character dossiers inform the writer how he/she will react and respond in any situation, and even how he/she delivers a line of dialogue. I was taught that subtext creates all the information a reader, director, and actor need in order to flesh out what's going on within the narrative. The screenplay is a template for them to add their own subtext as well. Joan may have had a sexy delivery but, as the writer, I certainly would not tell any actress how to do anything... It's thier job to figure it out with the help of the director.
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Actor hints are welcome (and great nomenclature)! But these clues work just as well for agents, managers, producers, studio execs, etc. I highly encourage effective context. Spec scripts really do not look much different from production scripts, so don't let that myth hold you back. I think Laurie Ashbourne discusses a related idea in a post called "Unfilmables." For example, Indiana Jones is ready to give up, watching the rope ladder burn. Totally acceptable. Indiana Jones thinks about all the rope tricks his dad taught him. Impossible "unfilmable." Wouldn't recommend this type of writing.
I've learned to eliminate a lot of these from my scripts because I just find they read better and more intriguingly when they're open to interpretation. Sometimes, though, when I think something might be damagingly misunderstood otherwise, I'll steer the emotion of a line.