# Screenwriters: Swearing in the description is "hip" now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212 "2014-09-11T18:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/1 "2014-09-11T18:01:57Z")
A friend who works in legal clearance for the entertainment industry was looking over part of a script for a TV series and pointed out to me the annoying presence of f-bombs in the script’s description chunks. To clarify: I am not talking about the dialogue, which could certainly be rife with profanity depending on the series or movie in question. I’m talking about directions/descriptions written like this: They approach the small house. It is very plain but to them it may as well be a fucking palace. She whirls around to face him. WTF? ## Fuck! They’ve gone the wrong way. We consulted a friend of hers who writes scripts and he said, “Oh, that’s what all the hip young writers do now.” Since when? Who is teaching this? I’m not offended by the words, but I do think that in these cases it is lazy and gratuitous. What do you say? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/2 "2014-09-11T18:41:20Z")
Oblig Simpsons… “He’s edgy, he’s ‘in your face.’ You’ve heard the expression, ‘let’s get busy’? Well, this is a dog who gets ‘biz-zay!’ Consistently and thoroughly.” Yes, I agree it is absolutely lazy, gratuitous, uneducated, and unprofessional. But then, so was punk rock, so who am I to say. Whatever sells the script at the pitch meeting is, demonstrably, the right way to do it. _shrug_. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/3 "2014-09-11T18:52:50Z")
I’m trying to recall the name of the screenwriter who posed as (I think) an incest survivor and/or ex-stripper who was currently still a teenager–but who was found to be (again, I think) over 30. (I did some searching but apparently have the wrong terms. Wikipedia’s pages on con artists and imposters don’t contain this example.) Anyway, Youth sells. And anything that helps a showbiz aspirant pose as being legitimately Youthful (including using f-bombs) is going to get results. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/4 "2014-09-11T19:05:21Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m trying to recall the name of the screenwriter who posed as (I think) an incest survivor and/or ex-stripper who was currently still a teenager–but who was found to be (again, I think) over 30. (I did some searching but apparently have the wrong terms. Wikipedia’s pages on con artists and imposters don’t contain this example.) [Riley Weston](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley_Weston), who wrote for the TV show _Felicity_, claimed to be a teenager/recent high school grad, but turned out to be in her thirties. I don’t recall anything about her claiming to be an incest survivor or stripper, though. As to the OP, I don’t see any more problem with swearing in a screenplay than in swearing in a novel, or any other creative work. If the writer thinks throwing in a fuck here or there helps him establish the mood of the work better, well… Who gives a fuck? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/5 "2014-09-11T19:16:37Z")
Using WTF is a pretty good way of decribing a reaction. That might be the intent of other profanity, but I think a writer would get more notice from better writing skills. It’s Hollywood though, these things may get edited out before anyone important actually sees it, if anyone cares at all. And the ‘you sells’ thing is right on target. There are a lot of old movies and TV shows where old writers thought they were hip with the kids and produced laughable garbage. If I were writing a script I’d be copying the things that 20 somethings are actually saying. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/6 "2014-09-11T20:46:57Z")
The audience for the description text is the other people working on the production. They’re not judging it on how elegantly its written. They’re judging it on how well it will translate into something visually interesting. Short, punchy descriptions are better for this purpose, and profanity can often get a blunt point across more efficiently. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/7 "2014-09-11T20:49:21Z")
I think Vince Gilligan’s script for the “Breaking Bad” finale that I saw had a lot of this kind of colorful stage direction. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/8 "2014-09-11T20:59:52Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > I think Vince Gilligan’s script for the “Breaking Bad” finale that I saw had a lot of this kind of colorful stage direction. Breaking Bad was I _think_ very unique in that standard practice was TONS of description. I recently was looking at the script for a season 3 episode and literally the first page is nothing but scene description. I seem to recall some “swears” in there. I think overall, scripts are taking a more conversational tone throughout instead of the more traditional static description. If you’re a writer who is actually working on a show you’re writing for people who you know so there’s no reason to be “stuffy” about it. If you’re trying to GET a job, you’re trying to do everything you can to engage that competition judge, agent, sub-junior executive reader assistant so you can make it to the next level. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/9 "2014-09-11T23:02:46Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Riley Weston](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley_Weston), who wrote for the TV show _Felicity_, claimed to be a teenager/recent high school grad, but turned out to be in her thirties. I don’t recall anything about her claiming to be an incest survivor or stripper, though. That’s it; thanks. I owe Ms. Weston an apology on the ‘incest/stripper’ thing (I wonder if I was remembering some fictional “ripped from the headlines” version of the story on some procedural show or other…) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/10 "2014-09-12T01:21:15Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > The audience for the description text is the other people working on the production. They’re not judging it on how elegantly its written. They’re judging it on how well it will translate into something visually interesting. Short, punchy descriptions are better for this purpose, and profanity can often get a blunt point across more efficiently. I seem to recall that in an early script for “The Trouble With Tribbles” there was a description of the Klingon reaction to Tribbles, as being like their reaction would be to a ‘handful of excrement’ - and the network insisted on the description being changed. Googling… Ah here [The Trouble with Tribbles: The Story Behind Star Trek's Most Popular Episode - David Gerrold - Google Books](http://books.google.com/books?id=4VvZAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT111&lpg=PT111&dq=trouble+with+tribbles+excrement&source=bl&ots=qPrhA6Uzuq&sig=922VAGwELnYBGHOMjsRXk2s55Yc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7kkSVPjyGLiJsQTcjYK4BQ&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=trouble%20with%20tribbles%20excrement&f=false) ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/11 "2014-09-12T02:08:17Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > That’s it; thanks. I owe Ms. Weston an apology on the ‘incest/stripper’ thing (I wonder if I was remembering some fictional “ripped from the headlines” version of the story on some procedural show or other…) Are you maybe conflating her and Diablo Cody who worked as a stripped? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/12 "2014-09-12T02:55:18Z")
Sounds a bit like how Shane Black (Iron Fucking Man 3, Lethal Fucking Weapon, Kiss Kiss Fucking Fucking Bang Bang). Not so much the swearing, but the [tangential narrative](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Black#Style). ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/13 "2014-09-12T03:05:50Z")
I’m trying to figure out why this matters at all. If whoever is buying the script finds this type of description useful, why not? ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/14 "2014-09-12T03:56:15Z")
I’d just never seen it before in anything I studied pertaining to screenwriting, nor did I see it in any of the scripts I have at home for reference/models. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/15 "2014-09-12T16:15:08Z")
Sorry, I didn’t mean to threadshit. I’m just baffled by the “fall of civilization” stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/16 "2014-09-12T17:27:24Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Are you maybe conflating her and Diablo Cody who worked as a stripped? Could be. But, yeah, “edgy” sells as much as does “youth.” ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/17 "2014-09-12T19:01:09Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Sorry, I didn’t mean to threadshit. I’m just baffled by the “fall of civilization” stuff. I don’t think I implied that, but I just tend to roll my eyes at what I perceive as pointless. I suppose I need to get with the times, though, and re-do my three screenplays accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/18 "2014-09-12T19:52:57Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I don’t think I implied that, but I just tend to roll my eyes at what I perceive as pointless. > I suppose I need to get with the times, though, and re-do my three screenplays accordingly. Why on earth would you do that? Be genuine in your work, don’t chase a trend that doesn’t seem natural to you. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screenwriters-swearing-in-the-description-is-hip-now/698212/19 "2014-09-12T23:13:10Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > Why on earth would you do that? Be genuine in your work, don’t chase a trend that doesn’t seem natural to you. I was being a bit sarcastic. 😉 I have no intention of doing what feels incredibly dumb to me.