Checklist
- Did you make all the changes indicated from the notes the story editor gave you?
- Is the structure all there: a protagonist with motivations and a goal, an antagonist with
the same goal and his own good reasons for stopping the protagonist, a protagonist
with a character flaw that he learns to conquer because of this story, a catalyst that
starts the story moving, a game plan for the protagonist, new information in the
middle, a crisis, a critical choice, the big battle, a climax, and a resolution? Are there
two major turning points in the three-act story, one at the end of Act I and another
near the end of Act II? Is there a twist at the end? - Do you start with action? Is there plenty of action and suspense throughout?
- Will this script work well for storyboard artists, designers, animators, and so on
through the production process? Will it be crystal clear to everyone, even those who
may not be familiar with local slang? - Cartoons are funny! Is yours?
- Are your characters acting and speaking “in character”? Are they true to who they
are? Can we relate to them? Are they likeable? - Is your villain reallybad?
- Are the relationships true to the series?
- Is the dialogue as funny and clever as it can be?
- Smooth the transitions.
- Be sure that nothing is too subtle to animate or see on a small television screen (unless
this will be shown primarily on a large screen). - If something bothers you, even a little bit, respect your instincts and cut it. Cut the
extraneous. Cut the philosophy. Then if your script is too long, cut the adjectives.
Tighten. If you still have too much, try cutting off the beginning or the end of a scene. - Can you find anything there that the network censors will cut?
- Is your script format correct and consistent?
- Check spelling and grammar.
- Make sure there are no typos.
- Your job is to please the story editor of that series. Did you?
- See Chapter 15 on rewriting and editing for a more detailed checklist.
Script following:Jackie Chan Adventures © 2003 Sony Pictures Television Inc. Written by David
Slack. Story Editor: Duane Capizzi.
The Script 205