SING FOR YOUR SUPPER

QUESTION

I am currently polishing a script that includes dialogue of old song lyrics and improvisational rap. The parenthetical direction (i.e., rapping, singing) will probably work in most cases, but because of the volume of lyrical dialogue, the parentheticals seem overused. I am considering four formatting options: 1) Italicizing the lyrics, 2) Underscoring, 3) Using poetry-style layout (as opposed to wraparound text), and 4) Slash marks (/) to convey lyrical rhythm. I can't seem to find a formatting rule to cover this. Help!

ANSWER

The reason you cannot find a formatting rule is because you are not supposed to include songs in a spec script. Do not quote any songs that you don't have the rights to. Doing so creates a legal roadblock to selling your script; now the producer must get the rights to use the songs.

If the song is in the public domain, then you may use the lyrics. However, resist the temptation of using a song in a script unless the song has a powerful story purpose. When an agent or producer sees song lyrics in a script, they generally react negatively.

If the songs (or "improvisational rap") are original to you, including them in your script still adds an obstacle to the selling process. It means that the producer must not only love your script, but must love the music you wrote for it.

If you must include song lyrics, use the parentheticals and write the song in poetry style so that we can see the rhythm and rhyming scheme, or use slashes to indicate meter.

DAN

The higher you climb/the more that you see/the more that you see/the less that you know/the less that you know/the more that your yearn/the more than you yearn/the higher you climb.

(Lyrics by Dan Fogelberg (C) CBS.)