Writing Stage Directions
Giving actors additional directions beyond the dialogue
Your dialogue tells the actor what to say. Your stage directions suggest what the actor might do.
It's unfortunate that scriptwriters frequently compose a lot of directions to the actors within the pages of their scripts. Unfortunate in that many actors and directors alike may briefly scan those directions, but may never read them through unless it is absolutely necessary. A play is not literature; it is a set of specific directions from which others can create a living work of art.
When considering directions within a script, look to Shakespeare as one very inspirational example. In his scripts, other than the entrances and exits, there are very few stage directions. Most of the information needed to the actors and directors are included in the dialogue, including time of day, time of year, costumes, and props.
The conclusion, then, is to include enough directions to allow the reader to flow through the script with sufficient information to create the vision in that reader's mind. A couple of examples:
- A script could say that the actor is looking out the window. It does not need to say the actor walked past the sofa, or took a couple steps to the right, or set down a glass on an end table, UNLESS those movements are key to the plot.
- A screenplay could say that a character sees that it is 2:30. It does not need to describe a camera close-up on the character's wristwatch.
Remember that your primary purpose of this spec script is to get someone interested enough to continue reading and perhaps to buy, produce, or publish it. And if that happens, additional editing is very likely to happen anyway.
Also keep in mind that with this script, you are not directing it. Many directors I know skip the italics during the initial readthroughs, and only when blocking the activities within the scenes do they start to determine whether those italics apply. A common mistake I see is where the scriptwriter gets too detailed in the directions, actually writing out the director's job. And the end result most likely will be that the director looks only at the dialogue and will figure out what action is needed for that director's vision.
A director's job is to take a script and bring it to life, whether on the stage or through the lens, and that director usually has a particular vision of the script, which may or may not coincide with the writer's concept, depending on whether the writer has properly put to paper all that the vision implies.
A shooting script is a different story; or with a stage play that has been revised for production or publication. In these scripts, more detailed instructions and descriptions may be necessary for clarity to the director and actors, based on experiences of having worked with the script before.
Detailed actor directions are especially needed with plays that may be performed by children. The more detailed descriptions can help the young actors considerably. In fact, scripts for children usually contain very detailed props and costume descriptions, too.
But for adults and experienced actors and directors, keep in mind how not to get so detailed that the director or actor may feel limited or threatened. Rather, give the suggestions of what may be the directions, and trust that the director and actors will realize your basic vision and be able to turn it into a terrific performance.
