Really like the suggestion of highlight verbs and trying to come up with stronger/cooler ones. I'm getting very close to doing a final pass on a romantic comedy with a sport accent, and I think I'm going to try this approach.

So thanks for the question Boxing Grizzlies. I just discovered something because you took the time to go the mountain. And of cource thanks for the tip, Scott. Brilliant as always; you are that mountain.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

On a final pass I just listen to the script in Final Draft and see if anything sounds funny.

Not sure if you can printout individual character's dialog in Final Draft. Never even thought of doing that, BUT that sounds like an EXCELENT tool. IF someone knows how to do it, I hope they post a response.

In Final Draft,

Tools>Reports>Character Reports

will isolate one character's dialogue as well as giving some summary stats about how often they talk and to whom. Still, this being FD it tends to work like a piece of crap.

Thanks for the post responce, terraling! I use Final Draft 8, and the "Character Report" does indeed work, doing exactly what you said, though I am far more impressed with the results than you appeared to be.

To THOSE curious. Hear's what that report looks like off a "cut-and-paste" afrter running the character report on a script I wrote years ago entittled, "Revenge of the Fat Chicks." I ran the report on a charcter named Billie Whams.


FAT_CHICKS_JUNE_2006 -- CHARACTER REPORT FOR "BILLIE"


APPEARANCE SUMMARY:

BILLIE speaks 50 times (9%) for a total of 676 words (9%).

BILLIE interacts most with KELLY.


SCENES & DIALOGUE:

Scene: BILLIE P.11-12

BILLIE: You listen to principal Limestone’s hog-wash, dime store, rah-rah, blah-blah, too much.
Who the hell do those freshmen think they are, looking at me like that?! Pecking order, Ivana. After three years of total b.s. I should be able to dress however the fuck I want, and not have to put up with anyone’s shit. Especially not from some snot nosed freshmen.

BILLIE: Back then? What are you totally oblivious to the hell I go through everyday? Those little twerps have it easy. They’ll only get teased for a year. I got teased for three years!


Scene: EXT./INT. PORTICO - HALLWAY P.12

BILLIE: (sotto voice)
Air headed bitches...


- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

If you guys like that you should check out Movie Outline. It's got all that and more. It seems even a little more full-featured than Movie Magic.