Foreign Languages
Dear Scriptologist.com,
How would I write dialogue for a character who speaks a foreign language?
—Racine
Massachusetts
Glenn Bossik, Scriptologist.com Editor-in-Chief:
Unless your screenplay is intended for production outside the United States, you must write all dialogue in English. However, it’s acceptable to use personal direction to briefly indicate that one of your characters speaks another language. Personal direction is a set of instructions for your character and is detailed in parentheses below the character cue, or character name, in dialogue. For example, the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark indicates that the hero’s love interest, Marion Ravenwood, speaks a few lines of Nepalese. Her use of this language is indicated in the following way:
MARION
Now I do! This is my place!
Get out!
(speaks in Nepalese)
Screenwriting Chat
Dear Scriptologist.com,
Is there a good chat room on the Internet where I can talk about screenwriting? I can't seem to find anything good, and it seems like a shame. I’m stuck in the countryside in England, and it would be great to reach out and talk to people like myself.
—Richard Field
Somerset, England
Glenn Bossik, Scriptologist.com Editor-in-Chief:
You’re in luck, Richard. Scriptologist.com has a thriving Yahoo Group and blog network where you can chat with fellow screenwriters. The main feature of the Yahoo Group is a message board where you can interact with people from around the world. Members of our blog network post excerpts from their screenplays, enabling other members to give them feedback on their work. Through Scriptologist.com, you can reach a quickly growing community of screenwriters and filmmakers.
Literary Agencies
Dear Scriptologist.com,
I have just completed one of several horror screenplays that I have been developing, and I believe it could be the next horror franchise. Are there any agencies you can recommend that like the horror genre and accept unsolicited scripts?
—James Eodice
New Jersey
Glenn Bossik, Scriptologist.com Editor-in-Chief:
I would recommend entering your screenplay in several screenwriting competitions before approaching literary agents. If you win, it will make it much easier for you to obtain a good agent. The BlueCat Screenplay Competition, the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, and Final Draft’s Big Break Contest are great places to start. When you’ve obtained recognition from one of these competitions, check out Scriptologist.com’s directory of literary agents.
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