It is great description, really captures the moment... but at the same time it feels very 90's. Scripts today that sell are almost never worded like this, too much prose. But thats just my opinion...

One thing Cameron had going for him, too, is that he wasn't exactly writing a selling script. This is one script I've learned a lot from. The annotated screenplay -- hard to find, but worth reading/buying -- has an interview with Cameron and he goes into some detail about his writing process and style. I think the most incredible thing about the script is how cinematic it is. Time is taken to let the reader know precisely what will be on-screen, creating a greater visual experience. Yes, it might be a bit prosey, but it's clear and concise -- you very much see the movie on the page.

Cjevy, in general I think you are right. Scripts today tend to be a bit leaner, tighter, less wordy. However that depends upon the genre: an action script may put a premium on short, punchy scene description whereas an historical drama may tend to have more prose. That is all about your Narrative Voice, the attitude your story's invisible character brings as they match up style to genre. One more reason why it's important to read scripts. And as part of that, read the most current spec scripts that sell, at least in the genre you are interested writing, just to keep your finger on the pulse of current style trends.

What about the politics of working with an A list director when you're a descriptive writer? I had set something up with an A lister and during the development period I learned that this director wanted to direct the picture and so my very descriptive style of writing was a big problem for him. Cameron is the director of his own picture so he is in a unique position to write like this. Since that experience I have had a major block when I am writing. I have found it very difficult to meet the reoccurring request for "a ticking clock" while still being descriptive in the way demonstrated above. I really wish the pacing of entertainment would slow down just a little.

Buffalo_Nickel, you're right that a writer-director can get away with all sorts of things re style and even format with their scripts. All you need to do to see that is read a Tarantino or Coen brothers script. But even that is up to a point because the director has to write something that can find funding and attract actors, so however they write, it has to be readable. Re your other point, it's hard to answer in the abstract because a lot of it is dependent upon genre. A thriller is likely to have a different style than a drama. Then parse that down even further tied to the specific story universe and setting, the tone and atmosphere of the piece, and of course the writer's own creative instincts as well, all of that will affect style. That said I think I get the issue you're referencing, 'ticking clock' suggesting one side of the tension being the push to make SD tight, taut and move things along, the other side being a writer's desire to spend enough time in each scene to provide a sense of what is going on there. And that, I fear, is a never-ending tension. I don't know about you, but I tend to write long in my first draft, focusing mostly on trying to wrangle the story, find the essence of each scene, and the story's narrative voice. Then in rewriting and polishing, I constantly trim... trim... trim... working over every single line, considering every single word of scene description [as well as dialogue, of course]. I think of scene description more like poetry than prose, so a premium on strong descriptors and active verbs, very much a 'less is more' mentality when it comes to word count. Or as one of my students said years ago, "Minimum words, maximum impact." There's no real right or wrong answer. That A-list director? So he wasn't comfortable with your "descriptive style." Tomorrow you might meet another A-list director who likes your style. At the end of the day, I suppose the best guide is simply to tell the story you see in the way you feel best conveys it. Not sure if any of that helps, BN, but as Bill Clinton used to say, "I feel your pain."

That does help. And so does your wonderful blog that I found almost on accident. That director was Bryan Singer. He did so much damage to my confidence during the process that I really could't write much of anything for 4 years. I became too fearful of forcing my vision on a director and since I am self taught I didn't have a solid ground to stand on at all - no defense of the vision from a technical standpoint that someone could understand. Reading your blog is truly helping me connect the final pieces of the puzzle in the script game and I am grateful you put so much effort into inspiring writers everywhere.