Script Doctoring - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 163

What gets done first. What gets done first is, by necessity, most important. Odds
are this is the stuff that the most other features/work schedules are hanging on, so it's
that much more important to get it nailed down and handed off. This, too, is where
knowing team schedules is vital. If the guy doing the cutscenes needs the scripts to
block the sequences and feed the animators, object builders, etc., then you'd better
get those scripts to him quickly. Conversely, if the guys following him in the pipeline
aren't ready, you can re-prioritize.
What gets cut first. Because there are always unexpected delays, mishaps, and other
catastrophes lurking in the shrubbery, you always need to figure out what can go
first. This isn't a decision that you can make solo, but mapping your intentions and
getting them approved means that there are fewer tears and faster reactions when the
axe inevitably comes down.
Style. Almost without exception, shorter and cleaner is better when it comes to
script doctoring. Clear and concise should be your watchwords. There isn't time for
potentially confusing or ambiguous phrasings, no time for multiple loops of revision.
Instead, you need to make things as clear as possible the first time to make sure there
isn'taneedforasecond—orathird,orafourth.
(Here's a quick litmus test. If you can't say a line of dialog you write in a single
breath, mark it as suspect. Not every one needs to go, but it's a handy red flag for
when time is short.)
This works from a logistical standpoint as well. Write shorter lines and fewer
lines, and there's much less work in the recording studio, for the sound engineers,
the localization team, and so forth. You're not only making your life easier you're
making the lives of a lot of people down the line easier, as well—not to mention the
player who has to listen to the dialog over and over again.
Script Doctoring in the Studio
Sometimes, the writer is asked to tag along on voice shoots. This can be for a variety
of reasons, ranging from providing context and character motivation to, inevitably,
rewriting lines on the fly. Simply put, not every line works as written. Sometimes the
actor can't make it work, sometimes the rhythm's better for the written word than
the spoken, and sometimes it's just plain off. When that happens, you may be called
on to do a rewrite on the fly, and if that happens, there are some things you can do
to make life easier for all concerned parties.
One, don't fight it. If the actor can't read the line, the actor can't read the line.
Be willing to make changes for the sake of getting a better reading. If you've got a
good enough relationship with the voice director and actor, you can even volunteer
it when something's not working, and the admission that your stuff isn't deathless
prose may win you some respect. On the other hand, don't do this too often. Save
it for when the line, or the actor, is really floundering. Otherwise, it's easy to slip
into artiste-ville, and you should have thought of that before you stepped into the
very-expensive-per-minute studio.