Incorporating a private messaging scene into a script?

[fletch]

I am working on a short script and one of the scenes calls for the two main characters to send PM's back and forth to each other through a website.  I have no idea how to write this.

I suppose I can change it to Instant Messaging if need be, but I'd rather not have to.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[polkablues]

Do you mean you're not sure how to write it format-wise?  Or how to make it play in the actual movie?

You could do it with voice-over, with the characters voices reading the PM's as they type.  That way, just write it up as BERTRAND (VO), with the words written as dialogue.

Or, you could have the text come up on screen, in which case you would write SUPER: followed by the words that we'll see.

Another way to do it would be to just write PM (or the character's screenname, or whatever) as the character cue, and write a parenthetical, (on computer screen), or something to that effect, below it.

[Pozer]

See Closer (the movie) script.

[Pubrick]

See Closer (the movie) script.

haha man, i've been holding out on it, but now i hav to see it.

[polkablues]

See Closer (the movie) script.

haha man, i've been holding out on it, but now i hav to see it.

Julia Roberts is WAY better in the script than she is in the movie... but somehow that's always the case.....

[fletch]

Do you mean you're not sure how to write it format-wise?

Yeah, format-wise.  I know what I want to write....I just don't know how to write it. ;)

I like your idea about VO.  I'll give that a shot.

[fletch]

See Closer (the movie) script.

I can't find it anywhere....I also can't find the "You've got Mail" script anywhere either.

[MacGuffin]

I also can't find the "You've got Mail" script anywhere either.

http://sfy.ru/sfy.html?script=youve_got_mail

[fletch]

I also can't find the "You've got Mail" script anywhere either.

http://sfy.ru/sfy.html?script=youve_got_mail

Hey, thanks man!

[polkablues]

The method David Trottier (that's right, I pulled out my trusty "Screenwriter's Bible") suggests if you're simply seeing the text on the computer screen is this (his example, verbatim):

Sid faces the computer monitor, then types on the keyboard.

ON THE MONITOR

Sids words appear:

                   "But Renee, they're tapping my phone
                   conversations."

BACK TO SID

who studies Renee's response.

ON THE MONITOR

Renee's response appears:

                    "You're being silly, Sid."

Except the text in parentheses is indented like dialogue, which I can't seem to do here.  Trottier's method seems a little overly complicated, but at least it's supported by precedent.

[fletch]

Hmm...I think I like the VO method more.  But I'll try both of them out.  Thanks!