: Re: How do I write someone reading a document? I have a scene where my character sits down to read a court summons and I want the shots to show various parts of the document like his name,
Firstly ask yourself if showing things like the name and codefendants name, the charge and etc are really that important to show to your audience. If it is, consider the effects of that. I imagine that it would be something to show the bureaucracy and "seriousness" of the juridic system. Or if it is in a high tension scene, it can sound very dramatic with the help of strategic cuts.
I don't know how you want make the scene or the context of it. It is already on the tribunal or not? But doubts aside, you can do this by various ways, and you just need to know your OBJECTIVE and what are the EFFECTS of the way to decide to achieve that goal. Here are some ideas you can take:
You can show the character reading the document for the court's registrar to write. (Registrar, don't know if that's the word. It is the scrivener of the court.) It would be interesting to see that like flashbacks or rapid cuts during a high tension scene.
You can show the defendant or some other justice agent (or the co defendant like you said above) reading that for another character while he is emocional driven in the reading (altough I don't think he would read the more technical things in the document like you wanted.)
Or you can show the guy writing that document while he narrates to the audience. Or better, while the defendant reads the document.
I would do something like:
INTERNAL SHOT. Court's office. The scrivener writes down the document while some justice officer dictates for him.
SOME JUSTICE OFFICER: "The New York 13th justice department is summoning the defendant X and his co defendant Y for the judicial process..."
CUT. FLASH FOWARD. INTERNAL SHOT. The defendant reads the summoning document with his eyes already tearing.
CUT. FLASH BACK. INTERNAL SHOT. Justice Officer: "He is charged of killing and murdring two children.
CUT. ZOOM at the scrivener typing the words with grave sounds for dramatic effect.
Justice Officer: The judging will be at the December third, nineteen seventy two.
CUT. FLASH FOWARD. INTERNAL SHOT. The defendant is crying. His tears wet the papper.
(...)
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