What I adore about the Alien script in general is it illustrates, without a doubt, how visual you can be whilst still being economical with words.

As a script reader I am constantly treated to scripts with mega dense description as the writer strives to paint every minute detail of the scene, little realising the MORE description there is, the less impact it will have, because the reader is unsure which are the *important* bits.

For me it's the way each line of action is essentially a shot. You can perfectly visualize the scene.

This haiku style of every sentence being its own paragraph is OK. I don't mind reading it, but I really don't wan't to write like taht. BUT I will acknowledge it really does serve a good purpose of accenting the ACTION in a sci-fi, horror/action script.

And as you showed earlier with "Wall-E," Scott, it works with animaation too. Hey, wait a minute there's a KEY simularity in genres; sci-fi action/horror and animation both have s sureal feel latent with action...

Dude I think the peices are coming together. But what image are they going to end up forming?

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

No secondary slugs.

I love how this style encourages sparse dialogue (or none at all in the case of the first 20 pages of Wall*E) without slamming the reader with an eye-bloodying, pass-guaranteeing wall of type.

Also, something about the pacing of reading the haiku text feels like great sweeping visuals.


Patrick Sweeney
I Blame Ninjas

what I find is that the action takes place at the spee you read the script since there is no dialog in this section.
You can read faster or slower to play the movie in your head at various speeds to determine how shots will be most effective.
This is a great way to write a script for a sci-fi or horror movie where pacing plays such an important part in making a scene work.

Hill and Giler may not have gotten credit, but read any early Hill script (e.g. HARD TIMES) and you'll see where this style came from.