Damon Lindelof Paradise Script

[ikarop]

http://collider.com/prometheus-script-damon-lindelof/211149/

Download Link

https://twitter.com/DamonLindelof/status/269948194195140608

[Disendor]

Reading through Damon's draft, it's clear he's far more of a screenwriter than Spaihts. I can almost feel the film. That's rare.

[SiL]

Far out, Damon, fix your f**king caps lock!

[LIG]

Far out, Damon, fix your f**king caps lock!

Also the sound effects he writes are rubbish, takes me right out of it as it reminds me of the Batman tv series!

[Disendor]

Most scripts are written this way. You want to replicate the experience as much as possible.

[SM]

Show me another professional script that has that much caps in it.  Aside from scene headings and characters (and camera directions), caps should be for emphasis.  Using it every second sentence, it loses impact.  Page 3 for example is almost all caps.  Compare it Aliens - scene 140 or so onwards.

[Disendor]

I can't show you them because, well, that would be illegal. Usually scripts are pared down before production, so most of Damon's prose thoughts would be eliminated, but regardless, his writing is far more visual -- thus the capitalization -- than Spaihts.

More importantly, read any Lost script. All of them are dramatized in the same way.

[ikarop]

Show me another professional script that has that much caps in it.  Aside from scene headings and characters (and camera directions), caps should be for emphasis.  Using it every second sentence, it loses impact.  Page 3 for example is almost all caps.  Compare it Aliens - scene 140 or so onwards.

From the Blu-ray, possibly an early version of the script but you can see his inclination towards capitalizing everything.



A couple of things got my attention, like Lindelof calling the Trilobite Troglybyte which is a name I know was used during production and is mentioned in the Blu-ray very briefly. Also apparently most revisions were called Paradise after Lindelof got involved.

[SM]

I can't show you them because, well, that would be illegal

More importantly, read any Lost script.

Think I'll pass thanks.

Something MEANINGFUL is about to happen here.

Gimme a break...

One small EXCERPT and ALL BUT THREE senTENces HAVE way TOO MANY CAPS.

[SiL]

The last page of the script is pretty much all caps. All the way down.

I can't show you them because, well, that would be illegal.

There are plenty of script sites online that have copies. We can wait.

[SpeedyMaxx]

Most professional scripts from - well, professionals - do have a great deal of those caps, actually.  It's a technical thing.

I do think Lindelof's draft has significantly more character.  Spaihts more nuts and bolts.  I actually think it was a good marriage, writers-wise, but I could've used a few more of the nifty ideas in the Spaihts draft - like the missiles everyone hates, or the crash with the separated compartments, or the eyes.

[thecaffeinatedone]

JANEK (OVER COMM)
Hey... It's Janek... are you people out
of the airlock yet?
Shaw keys her COMM --
SHAW (INTO COMM)
We're still in the elevator. Why?
INT. MAGELLAN, BRIDGE, INTERCUT - DAY
Janek here, looking at the HOLO-GRID... and he's actually
SMILING with his DISCOVERY --
JANEK (INTO COMM)
I think I just found Fifield.
INT. MAGELLAN, AIRLOCK, ELEVATOR LIFT, INTERCUT - DAY
Jesus. FIFIELD? We almost forgot about him.
SHAW (INTO COMM)
What? Where?
JANEK (OVER COMM)
Uh... according to his bio-comm, he's
right outside the damn ship.
THVUNK. The elevator hits bottom. The AIRLOCK DOOR STARTS
TO GRIND OPEN as one of the MERCS asks --
90.
CONTINUED: (2)
(CONTINUED)
MERCENARY
Who the hell is Fifield?
And that is not a question that will ever be answered as --
SOMETHING REACHES IN THROUGH THE AIRLOCK AND LITERALLY TEARS
HIM IN HALF. And what follows --
IS PURE CHAOS.
We only get quick glimpses of what was once FIFIELD -- It
moves so damn FAST -- It's BIG though -- FERAL AND ANGRY --
MERC #2
PUT IT DOWN!!!!
STACCATO GUNFIRE -- The Mercs UNPREPARED FOR THE ONSLAUGHT --
Fifield pulls TWO RIGHT OFF OF THEIR ROVER -- SNAPPING ONE'S
NECK -- TOSSING ANOTHER ACROSS THE AIRLOCK LIKE A RAGDOLL --
IN THE OTHER ROVER -- David sits there in mute wonder as Shaw
snaps into action -- She moves to WEYLAND -- GRABS HIS
WHEELCHAIR -- heroically pushes him to their Rover!
SHAW
Get in!
MORE GUNFIRE -- RICOCHETING BULLETS -- Weyland wills himself
out into the Rover as Shaw tosses his chair on the BED IN THE
BACK, barks at David --
SHAW (CONT'D)
MOVE OVER, DAMMIT!!!
Shaw hops behind the wheel -- SLAMS THE ROVER INTO GEAR,
looks over her back shoulder where --
FIFIELD turns his attention on them -- NARROW ELONGATED HEAD
that has PUNCHED THROUGH THE HELMET OF HIS TATTERED SPACESUIT
-- GREY GLISTENING SKIN -- HE RISES TO HIS FULL HEIGHT and --
SCREEEE! Shaw throws the BUGGY INTO REVERSE -- SMASHES INTO
FIFIELD, driving him BACK INTO THE WALL OF THE AIRLOCK --
CRUSHES HIM!
POPS the Rover Forwards -- The REVERSE AGAIN JUST FOR GOOD
MEASURE as she RUNS FIFIELD'S HEAD UNDER THE TIRES WITH A
SICKENING SKLLLLISH!
Shaw looks around for surviving MERCS -- There are none.
Grits her teeth as she hits the clutch one last time, PEELS

That's all I wanted to see. Just shaw running fifield over. Like in the trailer

[SM]

Most professional scripts from - well, professionals - do have a great deal of those caps, actually.  It's a technical thing.

Examples of this "technical thing"?

I'm not commenting on the quality of a script I haven't read yet - I've just never seen a script with that much ALL CAPS in it.  Looks a bit silly.

[ShadowPred]

I am not even bother going to read anything because all this CAPS talk is scaring me. I've seen how Caps can be used well, but holy shit does this scare me:

JANEK (OVER COMM)
Hey... It's Janek... are you people out
of the airlock yet?
Shaw keys her COMM --
SHAW (INTO COMM)
We're still in the elevator. Why?
INT. MAGELLAN, BRIDGE, INTERCUT - DAY
Janek here, looking at the HOLO-GRID... and he's actually
SMILING with his DISCOVERY --
JANEK (INTO COMM)
I think I just found Fifield.
INT. MAGELLAN, AIRLOCK, ELEVATOR LIFT, INTERCUT - DAY
Jesus. FIFIELD? We almost forgot about him.
SHAW (INTO COMM)
What? Where?
JANEK (OVER COMM)
Uh... according to his bio-comm, he's
right outside the damn ship.
THVUNK. The elevator hits bottom. The AIRLOCK DOOR STARTS
TO GRIND OPEN as one of the MERCS asks --
90.
CONTINUED: (2)
(CONTINUED)
MERCENARY
Who the hell is Fifield?
And that is not a question that will ever be answered as --
SOMETHING REACHES IN THROUGH THE AIRLOCK AND LITERALLY TEARS
HIM IN HALF. And what follows --
IS PURE CHAOS.
We only get quick glimpses of what was once FIFIELD -- It
moves so damn FAST -- It's BIG though -- FERAL AND ANGRY --
MERC #2
PUT IT DOWN!!!!
STACCATO GUNFIRE -- The Mercs UNPREPARED FOR THE ONSLAUGHT --
Fifield pulls TWO RIGHT OFF OF THEIR ROVER -- SNAPPING ONE'S
NECK -- TOSSING ANOTHER ACROSS THE AIRLOCK LIKE A RAGDOLL --
IN THE OTHER ROVER -- David sits there in mute wonder as Shaw
snaps into action -- She moves to WEYLAND -- GRABS HIS
WHEELCHAIR -- heroically pushes him to their Rover!
SHAW
Get in!
MORE GUNFIRE -- RICOCHETING BULLETS -- Weyland wills himself
out into the Rover as Shaw tosses his chair on the BED IN THE
BACK, barks at David --
SHAW (CONT'D)
MOVE OVER, DAMMIT!!!
Shaw hops behind the wheel -- SLAMS THE ROVER INTO GEAR,
looks over her back shoulder where --
FIFIELD turns his attention on them -- NARROW ELONGATED HEAD
that has PUNCHED THROUGH THE HELMET OF HIS TATTERED SPACESUIT
-- GREY GLISTENING SKIN -- HE RISES TO HIS FULL HEIGHT and --
SCREEEE! Shaw throws the BUGGY INTO REVERSE -- SMASHES INTO
FIFIELD, driving him BACK INTO THE WALL OF THE AIRLOCK --
CRUSHES HIM!
POPS the Rover Forwards -- The REVERSE AGAIN JUST FOR GOOD
MEASURE as she RUNS FIFIELD'S HEAD UNDER THE TIRES WITH A
SICKENING SKLLLLISH!
Shaw looks around for surviving MERCS -- There are none.
Grits her teeth as she hits the clutch one last time, PEELS

That's all I wanted to see. Just shaw running fifield over. Like in the trailer

[SiL]

Most professional scripts from - well, professionals - do have a great deal of those caps, actually.  It's a technical thing.

Commissioned, as opposed to spec, scripts will have more -- but generally not to Lindelof's borderline ludicrous level, no. Half of every sentence is either capped or underlined.