Finalize dat scripttttt😋

After weeks of brainstorming, outlining, and reworking scenes, I finalized the script for my short film. This script has gone through so many versions, tweaks, rewrites, and comedy edits. What started as just a silly idea about a disorganized girl going to a job interview has now turned into a narrative with personality.

How I actually finalized the script:

Revisiting the Structure

First, I had to go back to the basics. I laid out the entire story, making sure everything made sense logically. The film had to have a clear beginning, middle, and end, but also had to feel natural.

• Beginning: Ashley enters the office, a little chaotic, clearly not ready for a professional setting. She bumps into Christopher Matterson, who she doesn’t realize is important, then meets the receptionist and has her first awkward moment. 
• Middle: Ashley waits with the other interviewee—this nerdy, over-prepared guy—and their interaction sets the tone for the vibe of the office. Then the actual interview begins with Kate Carson, our very serious-looking HR interviewer.
• Climax: The questions Kate asks get more and more bizarre. It starts off normal, like “What are your strengths?” but quickly spirals into “How can you help our company if you are dead?” 
• End: Just when Ashley thinks it’s all over, she’s told that her new boss wants to meet her. In walks Christopher. She find our that that is her superior, which ends the film with a bang,

Once I had this structure firmed up, I went into line-by-line edits.

Polishing the Dialogue

Comedy is all about timing and delivery. I had to read the script out loud so many times just to make sure the rhythm felt natural.

Ashley’s lines needed to reflect her Type B personality: laid-back, slightly chaotic, and not afraid to say things without thinking. For example:

“Hi, I’m here for the—uh—the job thing.”

Meanwhile, Kate needed to be deadpan. That’s what makes the absurd questions funny. She asks them like they’re completely normal HR protocol.

“On a scale from one to a thousand, how would you rate your time management?”

That kind of humor only works when the delivery is serious. So the contrast in tone between Ashley and Jocelyn became super important in the writing process.

Final Rewrites and Last-Minute Additions

A huge part of finalizing the script was knowing what not to include. I had extra jokes and side plots that I had to take out, but it made the script cleaner and more focused.

Feeling the Vision Come Together

Seeing the script fully finished gave me a new level of clarity. I am now able to better visualize each scene, the timing, and certain abstract comedic concepts. I even added camera direction notes in certain parts, like:

• (Camera stays on Ashley’s blank stare as Kate asks a bizarre question)
• (Cut to Christopher’s face when he sees the new hire)

It finally feels like I have a solid foundation to direct from.

Next Steps

With the script locked, filming is in clear perspective now. The script will also help me when I edit.