Somebody should do a story about how screenplay writing has so many rules that nobody writes anything. It's really so restricting that you end up stopping before you start. But let's remember, these "rules" are for final formatting and presenting. You can write it in any tense that helps you get it down. These rules only apply in the rewrite. But in the beginning, go wild!

Agree with you for the most part. In fact, I only subscribe to one rule in screenwriting and that is about first drafts: "Get the damn things done!" Everything else is in service to the characters and the story. That said, a writer, especially one first presenting themselves to Hollywood, needs to be aware that doing things that don't fall into conventional wisdom or 'tradition' in terms of style or format are likely to be assessed more critically by script readers. That just means the writer has to pull off their vision, make it work on the page. But I know for a fact execs, producers, managers and agents are all sick of formulaic scripts which is sadly what most of the screenplays that funnel into Hollywood and soon out into the recycling bin. So by all means feel free to be creative and cut loose. But also have the wherewithal to pull it off on the page.

A metaphor for screenwriting and "the rules": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhGq7qmm6dw

That is absolutely wonderful and spot-on!