7d • General discussion
David Mamet prompt/questions and link to article
Article link at the bottom.
Here's a refined prompt you could give an AI to perform a technical screenplay analysis based largely on Mamet's philosophy, but expanded into a comprehensive screenplay diagnostic.
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## Screenplay Technical Analysis Prompt
Analyze this screenplay as a professional story editor or script consultant. Focus on identifying technical weaknesses rather than rewriting the script.
Evaluate every scene and identify places where the screenplay loses dramatic power. Be brutally honest and specific.
Flag scenes where characters simply exist, converse, react, or observe without actively pursuing something.
Flag scenes with vague or nonexistent consequences.
Flag scenes lacking urgency.
Flag scenes where everyone agrees too easily or exchanges information without resistance.
Determine whether the scene functions as drama or merely information.
Flag scenes serving only one of these purposes:
* Explaining
* Recapping
* Mood
* Setup without payoff
* Filler
Identify exposition that feels artificial.
Specifically look for:
* "As you know..."
* Characters explaining things both already know
* Dialogue written solely for audience understanding
* Characters discussing absent characters instead of acting
* Long backstory dumps
* Worldbuilding replacing conflict
### 1. Scene Objective
For every scene determine:
* Who is the protagonist of the scene?
* What does this character want right now?
* Is the objective concrete, immediate, and actionable?
* Is the objective strong enough to justify the scene?
Flag scenes where characters simply exist, converse, react, or observe without actively pursuing something.
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### 2. Stakes
For each scene ask:
* What happens if the protagonist fails?
* Are the consequences immediate?
* Are the stakes emotional, physical, professional, relational, or existential?
* Are the stakes visible to the audience?
Flag scenes with vague or nonexistent consequences.
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### 3. Urgency
Ask:
* Why is this happening now?
* Could this conversation occur tomorrow with no difference?
* Is there a ticking clock, deadline, pressure, interruption, or irreversible event?
Flag scenes lacking urgency.
---
### 4. Conflict
Determine whether conflict exists on multiple levels.
Look for:
* Opposing objectives
* Hidden agendas
* Power shifts
* Negotiation
* Resistance
* Emotional friction
Flag scenes where everyone agrees too easily or exchanges information without resistance.
---
### 5. Dramatic Engine
Determine whether the scene functions as drama or merely information.
Ask:
* Does someone enter with a problem?
* Do they struggle to solve it?
* Do they fail, partially succeed, or succeed at a cost?
* Does the ending naturally propel the next scene?
Flag scenes that end exactly where they began.
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### 6. Exposition Audit
Identify exposition that feels artificial.
Specifically look for:
* "As you know..."
* Characters explaining things both already know
* Dialogue written solely for audience understanding
* Characters discussing absent characters instead of acting
* Long backstory dumps
* Worldbuilding replacing conflict
Explain how the exposition weakens the drama.
---
### 7. Scene Necessity
For every scene ask:
Could the story survive if this scene were removed?
If yes, explain why.
Determine whether the scene:
* Advances plot
* Reveals character through action
* Escalates conflict
* Creates suspense
* Changes relationships
* Raises new questions
Flag scenes serving only one of these purposes:
* Explaining
* Recapping
* Mood
* Setup without payoff
* Filler
---
### 8. Cause and Effect
Check whether scenes create a chain of consequences.
Ask:
* Does Scene B happen because of Scene A?
* Or does it merely happen after it?
Identify weak causal links.
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### 9. Character Agency
Evaluate whether major characters actively influence events.
Flag:
* Passive protagonists
* Characters who only react
* Coincidental victories
* External solutions
* Characters waiting for information instead of pursuing it
---
### 10. Dialogue Quality
Identify dialogue that:
* States emotions directly
* Repeats information
* Explains motivation
* Lacks subtext
* Sounds interchangeable between characters
* Exists only to move plot
Highlight opportunities where action could replace dialogue.
---
### 11. Visual Storytelling
Treat the screenplay as a silent film.
Ask:
If all dialogue disappeared:
* Would I still understand the scene?
* What visual behavior communicates the story?
* What physical action replaces explanation?
Flag scenes dependent entirely on dialogue.
---
### 12. Scene Openings
Evaluate whether scenes begin too early.
Look for:
* Greetings
* Small talk
* Walking into rooms
* Repeated context
Determine whether the scene should start later.
---
### 13. Scene Endings
Evaluate whether scenes end too late.
Flag:
* Goodbyes
* Wrap-up dialogue
* Repeated conclusions
* Characters explaining what just happened
Determine where the strongest exit point occurs.
---
### 14. Pacing
Identify:
* Repetitive beats
* Repeated emotional notes
* Multiple scenes accomplishing the same purpose
* Slow middle sections
* Momentum killers
Suggest where scenes could be merged or removed.
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### 15. Structural Redundancy
Find:
* Repeated exposition
* Repeated emotional conflicts
* Duplicate character arcs
* Similar conversations
* Multiple scenes answering the same question
Recommend consolidation.
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### 16. Scene Change
For every scene identify:
What changes?
One or more of the following should be different at the end:
* Goal
* Relationship
* Information
* Status
* Emotion
* Power
* Circumstances
Flag scenes with no meaningful change.
---
### 17. Suspense
Determine whether the screenplay consistently creates curiosity.
Ask:
Does each scene make the audience want to know what happens next?
Flag scenes that answer questions instead of creating new ones.
---
### 18. Technical Screenwriting Issues
Identify:
* Overwritten action
* Novelistic prose
* Camera directions that distract
* Repetitive formatting
* Unfilmable internal thoughts
* Excessive parentheticals
* Overlong dialogue blocks
* Dense action paragraphs
---
### 19. Overall Story Health
After analyzing individual scenes, evaluate the screenplay as a whole.
Identify:
* Biggest structural weakness
* Weakest sequence
* Strongest sequence
* Weakest protagonist motivation
* Weakest antagonist pressure
* Missing escalation
* Missing reversals
* Weak climax setup
* Incomplete payoffs
* Unnecessary subplots
---
### 20. Final Diagnostic Report
Summarize the screenplay under these headings:
* Major Strengths
* Major Weaknesses
* Scenes That Should Be Cut
* Scenes That Should Be Rewritten
* Best Dramatic Scenes
* Weakest Dramatic Scenes
* Exposition Problems
* Pacing Problems
* Character Agency Problems
* Visual Storytelling Problems
* Structural Problems
* Top 10 Highest-Priority Revisions
Do not be polite or protective. Evaluate the screenplay as if preparing it for professional production, prioritizing dramatic effectiveness, clarity, momentum, and cinematic storytelling over preserving the writer's intent.
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David Mamet prompt/questions and link to article
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