Scriptwriting Theory Work
Examining the Role of a Scriptwriter
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Introduction
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Throughout this report I shall be outlining the roles and responsibilities of a scriptwriter in the creative industry, detailing their interactions with other critical roles within the media industry, and how each plays a role in the production process. I shall be going into detail on how a script is developed, commissioned and later produced, providing an insight into which roles in the creative industry have the most input on a production's script and the ways in which they are adapted.
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In the film and television industry, the writer has the role of providing relevant material written in a professional format that will become the foundation of a larger production whether it be for television, film or radio. Any good scriptwriter must create something that engages the target audience emotionally, most importantly it must meet the brief that has been presented to them, whilst presenting their work to an appropriate, professional standard.
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It's highly common for writers to merge together as a team if they deem it to be necessary for the project at hand, working in groups that can range from two people to an entire room of people in order to build a stronger script (Though it isn't uncommon for scripts to lose their singular vision as a result). If someone wishes to pursue screenwriting as a career, they need to create a script of a high standard in quality, something that thinks outside of the box is a likely candidate to be noticed. It's advised that an agent is hired in preparation with your work more likely to reach the correct people thanks to an affiliation with the correct contacts. Of course, an agent is not always a requirement in the process, as writers can showcase their work independently like anyone else in the industry, but as with all things in this industry – a representative with standing in the industry will boost the confidence of any potential commissioners. The role of an agent is to primarily actively search for potential work for the client in question, if this results in success, the agent will begin organising contracts. Agents are also generally well-practiced in negotiating a good deal (An agent takes a percentage of whatever their client earns, so negotiating a good deal is beneficial for them as well as their client) something that a freelance writer may struggle doing on their own.
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The Reader, as the name implies, has the job of reading through scripts, before either rejecting them or passing them on, depending on whether or not said scripts meet the outlined brief provided. This type of process varies heavily depending on the area you work within, the process varies heavily depending on the type of script you're writing for example; a film script is very different to a television script which in turn is very different to a radio script.
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Commissioning Editors oversee the writing process whilst simultaneously making creative decisions that shape the final outcome of the scripts. Their role is key in the commissioning process and as such, they're given the responsibility of making decisions on behalf of the broadcaster. Before a writer is commissioned to, the commissioning editor can outline a specific or general idea for what needs to be done. Similarly, an idea brought forward from a script writer’s work can be used as a foundation for future ideas, at the hands of the commissioning editor.
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Commissioning Editors usually reside within a specific genre as it always them to hone their craft whilst simultaneously gaining experience that gives them the opportunity to climb the professional ladder so to speak.
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Directors usually take everything achieved within the pre-production process and transform it into a natural, cohesive plan of action. The Director/s have a singular creative vision, It's this creative vision that is used to convey requirements to other members of the production team such as cinematographers, editors, sound technicians, etc. The Director can take creative control if they need too but sometimes this doesn't always work out, sometimes it's the opposite, with Directors being under the thumb of the production company behind them which can sometimes have movies being made strictly to suit popular trends in movies, in order to try and fashion a successful movie. A renown Director’s, such as James Cameron, Martin Scorsese or Christopher Nolan for example, may even be used to promote the film due to their previous success and recognition amongst the general audience.
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Producers act as an admin above the entire production process, overseeing all aspects of this process that isn’t already being handled by the director, (although they may occasionally assist them also). Their work mostly consists of financial and legal practices, which are the backbone of every production and highly important. Other members of production may contact the producer if they wish to receive funds to cover a certain necessary element, although the producer generally manages and supplies the production funds regardless of this.
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The script editor, they will provide a critical overview of the script writing process as a whole. This involves a highly advanced analysis of the script, followed by highlighting issues to roles such as the commissioning editor, writer, and producer. It is then up to these respective roles to amend any issues themselves by creating respective solutions, as this is not part of the script editors’ job. The critical feedback of the script editor is unique and therefore essential as it may be the only source of such honest feedback for the production team. For this reason alone, the quality of the script is generally developed and strengthened to a significant degree, making the script editors role an essential one that drives the production further into success, or at least the likelihood of achieving it.
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One method of getting your script commissioned is through pitching your idea to a large corporation; for example, Warner Bros. or Universal, commissioners like these almost always do business through established relationships, thus providing a safe bet that the individuals involved are well-established names who have already worked for similar large companies in some form. The companies in question are part of a large conglomerate, due to them having complete ownership of all stages in production.
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In America, a ‘pilot season’ is held around March until May every year, it’s at this particular time that lots of commissioning networks run competitions, allowing otherwise ignored screenplays to be noticed if they are of sufficiently good quality. Large corporations from the UK, such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 commission scripts and budgets for TV shows that are on their channels. Corporations can give up and coming writers the opportunity to submit their scripts to them, if the corporation particularly enjoys someone’s script, they may commission the script to be made for one of their channels.
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On the BBC website, you can access a wide range of scripts that people have submitted, downloading them to read - this can also give the BBC a bigger insight into what is popular amongst the general audiences that watch their channels. Across Britain, there are hundreds of independent production companies, most of these tend to be open to striking deals with other companies in order to produce material, for example with a network in order to broadcast the production there and benefit from some financial input. Another method of striking deals is direct with writers, due to independent production companies being open to having work submitted directly to them. It is common that some independent production companies specialise in particular genres, so the writer may wish to research such information before proceeding to strike a deal. Of course, some independent production companies have higher budgetary capabilities than others, this also should be accounted for if contemplating the submission of your writing work. In some cases, a lower budget company may be all that is required due to the grounded and non- extravagant nature of some scripts. There are several organisations specifically set up in order to assist screenwriters in kicking off their careers in the media industry. Sometimes this is all that is needed to become recognised, followed by the rest flowing accordingly. Examples of such organisations include the “BFI Film Academy” and the “BBC Writers Room”, within particular “The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain” supporting not only film and TV, but also writing in a wide range of other industries, such as online media, radio, theatre and video games. There are many screenwriting competitions that are available to enter, which offer cash prizes in most cases. Through this method, if you are successful, your work is more likely to be read by people of high authority in the industry such as potential managers, agents, and producers. This is, of course, not an automatic process, as the chances of winning are generally slim, however, is worth a shot and can be very rewarding if played correctly. There is a proven track record of various writers who have sold scripts and developed a reputation, enabling them to launch their careers based on winning these screenwriting contests originally. In the UK, “FilmFreeway” runs three different competitions, with every winner of the aforementioned competitions since 2013 now residing in either pre-production or production, with some even winning awards due to their progression through the industry.
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Many writers work individually as a freelance, meaning that they are self-employed, working on a variety of projects all spanning from different respective companies. Networking is a key aspect to success through this route, as this helps to build many industry contacts that will become of use further down the line in your career. Royalty payments are what writers receive upon selling their books and/or films that have used their script to base the aforementioned media from. These issues of payments are generally split between significant members of the production – is the writer, agent, and producers. The exact amount of these payments completely depends on the situation in general, however, it is safe to say that these can vary widely amongst writers. When working as a writer, it is important that you grasp correctly what the commissioner wants from you, the further you understand what they are after, the more likely your chance of success will be. Perhaps most importantly, is that you are confident in producing quality work that is of potential industry standard, with this work being presented in a manner that is appropriate generally across the board. A high level of knowledge in the English language would support writing greatly, as describing events and perhaps the emotions of characters in the best and sometimes most inventive ways possible boosts the relatability factor and allows the script to appear superior when it is finally shown off to the commissioners. The aforementioned role of an agent is a key aspect of being a successful freelance writer, along with other elements being put in place to allow optimum success. Communication with both your agent and other members of the production is essential in order to have a clear understanding of what is required etc. The agent generally receives between 10-25% of the writers’ earnings, but only if these payments are down to the work of the agent. It’s a big advantage to have a well-known/popular agent on your side, due to this increase the likelihood of your success. Any submissions via an agent are known as solicited submissions, whereas work submitted individually are known as unsolicited submissions. The element of time management plays into this also, with your skill around this area being essential to proving yourself an appropriate writer to the commissioners, as well as the writing of the script itself: such as the length and reaching the required submission time. The entire production team generally relies on the completion of tasks on time, or the whole schedule could be thrown off course; obviously causing strained relationships between the writer and their commissioners, even causing financial losses in some cases. Collaboration can also be a trick used to strengthen your chances as a writer in certain situations, as previously mentioned, a group of writers can often create a master script of superior quality to that of an individual. It is also important to note that the writer must be open to handing over the control of their script to a production company who wishes to acquire it, as denying this control would obviously defeat the objective of the job.
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The advantages of having a small team of a similar mindset working on a project collaboratively can be seen to result in a more successful final product – hence the large list of such occurrences documented here specifically. When working as a writer, it must always be ensured that all work is being produced using industry accepted formatting standards, this covers a variety of areas, although even something as basic as the type of font and size can be crucial. This is due to producers using the length of scripts to determine the length of films, which equates to roughly one page per minute of screen time in the final product. Bearing in mind that different areas in the industry vary in the way they are presented: such as films, TV and radio all requiring unique formats. The importance of this is reflected in the fact that incorrectly formatted or produced scripts will be refused immediately and not even read. The BBC is a company that provides examples of the variety of appropriate format styles that are accepted, whilst other sites educate writers in what the different script layouts imply – promoting their use. Writers must also conduct research on relevant topics to what they are writing about, assisting them with areas in scripts such as depicting certain jobs accurately, using correct dialogue and general/specific historical accuracy. In the case of factual screenwriters, they require further fact-checking, as their job is to inform the audience of these facts. For example, a script for a documentary should be written with this in mind.
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The demands and requirements of screenwriters are not consistent across the media industry. For example, in the game industry, a consideration that must be made is “Branching Narratives” – offering multiple narrative strands to allow for player interactivity, in contrast to the standard A-B narrative that is generally found in film and TV. Some gaming companies prioritise the quality and playability of their games before even constructing a narrative, meaning that the story can sometimes revolve around an in-game mechanic or similar. The radio industry is obviously a non-visual medium, so it must be ensured that their story can be portrayed aurally and still give the audience the same amount of joy/thrill/ horror, etc. that would be intended for a TV show or movie. More focus may also be made in areas such as sound, as musical queues/sound effects are a large part of immersing the audience, due to the lack of visuals.
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In regard to copyright, this can be applied to your script, in order to cover it from being stolen and used without the writer’s permission, amongst a plethora of other possible issues. The ideas presented in the script themselves cannot be copyrighted however, leading to some loopholes within the industry where ideas are clearly repurposed and disguised across different forms of media. As writers work digitally, a date is created in the document that they work on, which will automatically attach copyright to both the writer and the date as they proceed to write the script out. The writer's name, along with the copyright logo, should be visible on every page of the scripts that they produce. This copyright lasts the life of the writer, plus an additional 70 years beyond that. Being on the other end of the copyright procedure can be another risk that writers should be wary of, as creating work too similar to someone else’s (even if they had no idea), can be viewed as an offense against copyright law, due to their strict procedures. This offense is known as “Plagiarism”, covering anything from word to word copying, changing some words, to copying particular ideas and arguments portrayed in other forms of media previously. Copyright owners of decency in the industry may allow their work to be used, or perhaps used as inspiration, as long as they are given credit at some point, some will ask for a percentage fee; others will not take the situation lightly and try to sue, etc.
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The word Libel refers to the writing of an inaccurate and the perhaps malicious thing about a specific individual, group, or business. The research that writers gather and compile into their script has to be meticulously chosen, as to not cause legal trouble through the misinterpretation of others. However, individuals who accuse writers of this must prove that malice was intended towards them in the script. Bias is an ethical issue within writing fiction primarily, meaning that people, groups, events, and organisations are misrepresented. It is the writer’s job to ensure that all of their work balances the representation of these elements, to ensure that offense isn’t caused to these groups or race of people, as they can be heavily criticised for this and could even impact on the sales and reputation of whatever the script goes on to become. Censorship is another element of writing that should always be in the mind of the writer, constantly considering their intended audience as a reference to what the script as a whole should play out like, as certain scenarios could be too graphic/sexual/ violent to be shown. The BBFC has strict guidelines as to what and what can’t be shown on TV and film. Across these media platforms, cuts earlier or later on in production are often made in order to satisfy the requirements of the production crew, company and primarily, the BBFC. These censorships vary around the globe depending on laws as things such as drug use, which is a controversial topic, so the writer must be careful to present such topics in a particular (negative in this case) way. An example of censorship in the final product of a film can be found in foreign releases of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; in the UK release of the film, all scenes are left intact – however, in Italy for example, a fairly essential scene involving the film’s antagonist being visibly devoured by a T-Rex was chopped down as it was deemed inappropriate. Sometimes the demands of these censorships simply cannot be met, for example, if the script requires such scenes as previously demonstrated – so the script should perhaps not be constructed with these guidelines heavily enforced.
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The Watershed is the point in time in which programmes containing adult content that may be unsuitable for children is broadcast. This procedure divides the day and night into a family- orientated viewing time that is suitable for everyone and potential adult-only content after 9 pm, although not necessarily – as it is not a requirement for these shows to be adult- themed, just permitted. In this instance, the rule applies to most countries with little variation, affecting both television and the commercials that accompany them. The rules of the Watershed within the UK are as follows: The Watershed on free-to-air television in the UK is between 9 pm and 5.30am but premium or pay-per-view services are allowed to start the watershed at 8 pm. Programmes that are rated 15 cannot be shown outside this period. However, some 12-rated shows can be shown before 9 pm, such as The Simpsons and Doctor Who. There is no watershed on PIN protected channels (such as Sky Movies). On this type of channel, trying to view adult material before 8 pm will require a PIN. There should be a gentle transition to adult material, and 18-rated content must not air until 10 pm on most channels that are without PIN protection. Channels that are dedicated to airing adult content such as Horror Channel may be allowed to start 18-rated content at 9 pm without PIN protection. R18-rated material is not allowed at all and must be edited to fit 18-rated content guidelines if shown on television.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, a scriptwriter's job is far more than just writing the script for a project. They have an integral part in aiding the script's adaptation to any given medium through the entire pre production process as well as being present throughout production in some cases to ensure that the adaptation is faithful/works to a professional degree. Without the writer being present to assist in the pre production process, then the adaptation may miss key elements from the script that simply may have been misinterpreted by the producers or directors as being unimportant, so having the writer on standby for creative direction and guidance helps to avoid such issues. It is of course, not solely the scriptwriter that works to ensure a production's success, as there are many critical factors involved with the production process. The commissioning editor for example oversees the entire creative process of script writing and will be the lead on creative decisions, outlining their wishes for a commission before a writer is hired to do the job.
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Task 2
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Script Writing
Script writing can be broadly defined as writing the dialogue and relevant directions for a production. As scripts are used for a variety of purposes in a number of settings, there are specific criteria for formal structures that are often unique to a given type of script. For example, a screenplay for a film might include camera specific terminology - such as pan, zoom or deep focus - that would not appear in the script for a play.
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Screenplays
Screenplays are scripts written specifically to be produced for a visual medium, such as film or television. For the most part, screenplays are fictional in nature and designed to tell a story. Screenplays typically include a variety of information including setting, dialogue, camera instructions and may include editing instructions. It should be noted that most screenplays are not produced as written. The director, production screw and even the actors may all directly or indirectly alter the script during production.
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Play writing
Plays are productions that occur live, on a physical stage rather than the metaphoric stage of film or television. Like a screenplay, a play script includes dialogue and directions. A play script will include stage and screen instructions as well as provide character names and descriptions.
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Audio Drama
Scripts for audio dramas share a number of components with screenplays and the scripts for stage plays, often sharing terminology. There tends to be much more extensive use of the so-called narrator to provide a third-person perspective than in other fictional scripts. The dialogue is also different in that it includes more descriptive language about the surroundings to help establish the setting. Instructions lean toward the necessary audio components that need to accompany a given scene and may also give direction to the voice actor about how a line should be delivered.
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News Scripts
While appearing natural on screen, most news anchors are provided with scripts to read via teleprompters. News scripts tend to be bare-bones affairs that provide informational content. The components of the script the anchors so not read aloud generally includes directions for the production staff.
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Script formatting
1.Binding - the script should be bound correctly using non-flimsy staples
-Hole-punched -- Covers and Pages should be three holes punched. Fasteners should be placed in the top and bottom holes with the centre hole left empty.
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2. FONT:
“COURIER” (typewriter) font 12pt is the one and only font you should use. Use "Courier Old" if possible but "Courier New” is also fine.
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3.The Title Page follows the cover page and includes the same information and also your contact information in the lower right corner. The page numbering begins at page two - page one's number is always omitted.
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4. LENGTH:
The general rule of thumb is: 1 script page = 1 minute of screen time. If you are using a program with 'word count', your final draft should ideally weigh in at 18,000 - 22,000 words. The lower end of the scale for comedies and the upper for dramas or action.
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5. MARGINS:
The left side of your script should have a 1 1/2" margin. The right side of the script should have 1/2" to 1" of margin. The top and bottom margins of your script should be 1". Sluglines or Scene Headings are spaced 1 1/2" from the left side of the page. Dialogue should be spaced 2 1/2" from the left margin. That's 1" from the Slugline or Scene Heading margin or about 10 spaces. Character names should be 3.7" from the left margin or 12-13 spaces from the start of Dialogue
Parentheticals aka Dialogue Directions should be 3.1" from the left margin or 6 spaces from the start of Dialogue.
MAX lines per page: 52 – 56 - including blank lines.
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6. SCREENPLAY TERMS:
V.O. - VOICEOVER: This is narration that does not originate in the scene itself. It can be a Narrator or Inner thoughts of a character on screen, or it can simply be a disembodied voice coming over a radio, telephone or speaker that the filmmakers can later add in post-production.
O.S. - OFF SCREEN: Dialogue or sounds that are heard in the scene/location, but not actually seen. For example, FBI agents outside a bank siege who are shouting through a megaphone. Or a on a lighter note, maybe a sweet little ole granny calling her children in for dinner when the scene itself is set with the kids out on the playground.
P.O.V. – POINT-OF-VIEW: This is a way of showing a scene as seen from a specific character's perspective.
INSERT or CUTAWAY: This is used when you need to draw attention to a specific object in a scene that is away from the main action or dialogue.
SUPERIMPOSE: This is for written information (time, date, location, etc…) given to the audience that appears on the screen. i.e. “One month Later” or “The Pentagon, D.C. - 08:00 hours”.
INTERCUT: This is often used when showing two or more characters interacting from two separate locations… A telephone call is the most obvious use, but it is also quite handy for parallel activities such as the opening of Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train.
MONTAGE: This is used for a series of related or contrasting images that are often set to music.
SERIES OF SHOTS: Varied shots and locations used to establish a scene or sense of place.
RE: Often used in parentheticals as shorthand for ‘reference to’. Useful when multiple characters are speaking to each other or in reference to props or objects.
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7. CAMERA CUES:
ZOOM, PAN, TILT, DOLLY IN/OUT, BOOM UP/DOWN, ANGLE ON, etc should be avoided if at all possible in your first few scripts. Nothing screams amateur more than Camera Cues. Until you are established enough to be telling the director how to do his or her job, you should stick to your own. A good trick is to find any place where you have used a Camera Cue and simply WRITE what that movement would reveal. For example: Instead of writing: “As Johnny Hero cleans his gun, tilt up to reveal a missile streaking across the sky”; You could write: “Dropping his M16 and snapping his gaze skyward, Johnny Hero watches a missile streak across the sky.”
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8. SPELLING:
Poor spelling disrupts the reader’s suspension of disbelief and may leave the reader feeling as though the script is unprofessional as it has not been checked through thoroughly.
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9. EASY ON THE EYES / TEST READ:
A properly formatted screenplay should be easy to read and visualise, reading a good script should be just like watching a good movie. Ideally, it can be enjoyed cover to cover in a single 90 minute to a 2-hour session and have the reader sucked in from the first page to the last.
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10. CLEAN PRESENTATION:
A clearly displayed screenplay is vital when attempting to sell it to be made, without following the business standard, readers may find the script to be unprofessional.
A Screenplays Structure:
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First page elements
Scene heading – one-line description of the location and time of day of a scene. (Aka slug line) ALWAYS in CAPS.
Subheader – this is used when a new scene is not necessary but some sort of distinction needs to be made in the scene/action.
Action – narrative description in the events of a scene – present tense. (Only things that can be seen or heard should be included as ‘action’
Character – when a new character is introduced their name must be capitalised in the action.
Dialogue – lines of speech/text for each individual character
Parenthetical – a direction for the character, either attitude or action orientated. These are used very rarely and only if necessary. If you need to use parenthetical your work probably needs a rewrite.
Extension – A technical note placed after the characters name to indicate how the voice will be heard onscreen. E.g. a voice over would be NAME (V.O.)
Transition – film editing instructions – examples – cut, dissolve, smash cut, quick cut, fade to. You should avoid this unless it is the only way to indicate a story element.
Shot- this tells the reader the focal point within a scene has changed. Similarly to transition, there’s rarely a time this should be used, as it is the director’s job
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The key to writing a sellable script is to understand the genre and meet the expectations of its audience.
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Action: Action-Comedy, Disaster Film, Girls with Guns, War
Animated: Anime, Adult, Children, Family, Musical
Comedy: Anarchic, Action, Black (Dark), Horror, Dramedy, Parody/Spoof, Rom-Com, Slapstick
Horror: Comedy, Teen, Monster, Slasher, Supernatural, Zombie
Mystery/Suspense: Closed-Mystery, Film-Noir, Open-Mystery
Science Fiction: Alien, Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Monsters and Mutants, Time Travel
Supernatural: Comedy, Horror, Religious, Thriller
Thriller: Action, Crime, Film-Noir, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Religious
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Layout of Character Pieces
When a character’s name changes, it’s customary to remind the reader of the original name by placing it in parentheses the very next time a speech is cued using the new name.
Never use an anonymous character cue such as “MAN’S VOICE.” Instead, identify the character by name, even if the speech originates off-screen from a character who has not yet appeared. In some situations, this may spoil the surprise, but all speeches must be assigned to an actor.
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Any speech from a character who is not visible should be designated as either off-screen or voice-over. Such designation is abbreviated as “O.S.” or “V.O.” written in ALL CAPS as an extension to the character cue
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When the speech comes from a character in the same setting (such as inside a closet), then “O.S.” would be used. When the character is located elsewhere (such as being heard over a telephone receiver, then “V.O.” would be used. The term off-camera (“O.C.”) is not used in screenplays, but only in three-camera television shows.
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Character cues with multiple names, indicating the same line is being spoken simultaneously by more than one character, should have a slash (/) separating each name. Keep the cue as short as possible, and don’t allow it to wrap. Each cue must be limited to just one line.
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Dialogue should convey information and move the story forward, while at the same time help us understand the characters. Screenplays have their own unique rules for breaking a page, rules your average word-processing software doesn’t follow. Those rules dictate that, among other things, dialogue may be broken only between sentences, not in mid-sentence. While there tends to be more flexible when it comes to breaking description, the standard practice is to follow the same end-of-sentence rule. When breaking a page in the middle of dialogue, it’s customary to add the word “MORE” (in ALL CAPS and parentheses, but without the quotes) after the speech at the bottom of the page.
If one character addresses another by name, epithet, or title, that name should be set off with a comma. (“Master Weston, how cruelly you save yourself for the tennis court.”) This is an elementary rule of punctuation.
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Spell out numbers when they appear in dialogue. Avoid using symbols and abbreviations in dialogue. This is partly a timing issue, to preserve the page-per-minute estimate in screenplays.
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If a passage of dialogue includes some text that a character is reading out loud, this should be indicated with the word “reading” as a personal direction. The text being read should be enclosed within quotation marks.
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When a character recites poetry or song lyrics, enclose the lines in quotes. You may indicate the end of a line by means of a slash (“/”). This is preferable to ending each line with a hard return, as it does not alter the dialogue margins.
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If one character interrupts another, then end the first character’s speech with an M-dash (a space followed by two hyphens), not with a period. Do not add an M-dash to the start of the second character’s speech. If the first character’s speech trails off, then end that speech with an ellipsis. If the second character finishes the first character’s sentence, then start the second character’s speech with an ellipsis.
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When writing dialogue in two columns to indicate simultaneous speeches, the left margin of the first dialogue column must be inset slightly. It must not start in the same column as the action or description margin.
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An acronym such as F.B.I. would be presented in dialogue as F – B – I, omitting the periods and using a hyphen flanked by spaces to separate each letter. This makes it clear that each letter should be spoken.
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There is no standard way to indicate some passage of dialogue is in a foreign language. However, the most common way is to write the lines in English and enclose them in square brackets. When the first speech in a foreign language appears in the script, it’s generally accompanied by a note in parentheses. If there are only a few lines in a foreign language, it may be simpler just to use personal direction with the words “in Spanish,” for example.
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Personal direction should be treated as a separate element, placed on a line all to itself. As with all screenplay elements, personal direction should not be centered on the page. Instead, it should appear in its own margins, approximately halfway between the margins for dialogue and the margins for character cues. The standard setting puts the left parenthesis 3.6 inches from the left of the page. The text should wrap under the text, not under the parenthesis. Personal direction should be short, no more than a few words, and not a complete sentence. As such, it should not have the first word capitalized (unless it’s a proper name), nor should it end in a period. If the direction is long enough to merit a complete sentence, then it should appear as an action element. Personal direction must apply only to the character who is speaking. If it gives direction to other characters, then it must be broken out as an action element. However, another character’s reaction can be incorporated into some personal direction if the speaking character is responding to it
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It’s also acceptable to place the word “CONT’D” in parentheses as an extension to the character cue, but things can get messy if there’s already a “V.O.” or “O.S.” extension. Most screenwriting software can be configured to handle this automatically. Use a parenthetical beat, not just an ellipsis, to indicate hesitation or an adjustment in a speech. Personally, this reader prefers the use of “(then)” instead of “(beat),” as it flows better and cues the actor that this is an adjustment. Do not use “(pause).”
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Song lyrics in dialogue should appear in quotes under the personal direction “(sings).”
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Personal direction always comes before a speech, never after. If a character performs some action at the end of their speech, for example, it should be formatted as an active element, not as a personal direction.
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Whenever there is a jump in time and/or space, we may bridge the gap by means of a transitional instruction. The transitions used most often are “FADE IN:,” “ FADE OUT.” and “DISSOLVE TO:” A common way to lead into a dream sequence, for example, is with the transitional instruction “RIPPLE DISSOLVE TO:” Some other transitions include “WIPE TO:,” “IRIS IN:,” and “IRIS OUT.,” but these are considered old-fashioned and rarely used. The exception to this rule is any transition that ends with “IN:” For example, “FADE IN:” must be placed at the left action margin. “CUT TO:” was once widely used to indicate the end of a contiguous sequence. In other words, when there was a break in time and/or space, screenwriters would indicate this with “CUT TO:” as a transitional instruction. That practice has fallen out of use, though, and now “CUT TO:” is considered superfluous. Unless otherwise specified, all transitions are cuts. There is no such thing as a “SMASH CUT.” A cut is a cut. Whether it “smashes” the viewer in the face depends upon what sort of image is in the new scene. Every transitional instruction must end with a colon. The exception is any transition that ends with “OUT.” For example, “FADE OUT.” ends in a period. “FADE TO BLACK.” is an archaic term dating from live television. The correct cinematic term is “FADE OUT.” As illustrated above,the use of “FADE OUT.” in conjunction with “FADE IN:” can be combined as “FADE TO:”, a single instruction that takes up less space.
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Flashbacks and dreams place us in the mind of the character who is relating them. This causes us to identify with that character, drawing us into their story. Unless that character is our main character, though, our empathy will be split, and the dramatic force of the narrative weakened. Flashbacks interrupt the narrative flow. Consequently, they should be used only when it is not possible to tell the story chronologically. Don’t use a flashback to merely to illustrate what a characters is relating verbally. It is often more effective to remain focused on the character who is recalling a particular event, so as to gauge what that memory means to them. If you use flashbacks, make certain they are motivated. Lead into the flashback by focusing on the character who is experiencing it, and then return to that same character after the flashback. The events may not be as significant as how the character feels about them. Consequently, it is essential that we see the character’s reaction. The spacing before “BEGIN FLASHBACK:” is the same as the spacing before a scene heading. If you triple-space (two blank lines) before each scene heading, you also must triple-space before “BEGIN FLASHBACK:”, and double-spaced (one blank line) after it. Unfortunately, if you enter “BEGIN FLASHBACK:” as an action element, there will be only one blank line above it, and two blank lines below it. This means that, if you triple-space your scene headings (the preferred spacing), you must “cheat” the spacing before “BEGIN FLASHBACK:” as well as the spacing before the scene heading which follows it.
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Each scene in a flashback must have its own heading, even if it occurs in the same location as the character who is experiencing the flashback. Another action line takes us out of the flashback with the words “END FLASHBACK.” (The period should be included.) It would be incorrect to insert the slug line “BACK TO SCENE” because the flashback is the scene. We must instead follow the flashback with a new scene heading, even if we are returning to the same place we were prior to the flashback (which usually is the case)
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When a script's central premise or characters are good but the script is otherwise unusable, a different writer or team of writers is contracted to do an entirely new draft, often referred to as a "page one rewrite". When only small problems remain, such as bad dialogue or poor humor, a writer is hired to do a "polish" or "punch-up". Depending on the size of the new writer's contributions, screen credit may or may not be given. For instance, in the American film industry, credit to rewriters is given only if 50% or more of the script is substantially changed. These standards can make it difficult to establish the identity and number of screenwriters who contributed to a film's creation. When established writers are called in to rewrite portions of a script late in the development process, they are commonly referred to as script doctors. Prominent script doctors include Christopher Keane, Steve Zaillian, William Goldman, Robert Towne, Mort Nathan, Quentin Tarantino, and Peter Russell. Many up-and-coming screenwriters work as ghostwriters.
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A freelance television writer typically uses spec scripts or previous credits and reputation to obtain a contract to write one or more episodes for an existing television show. After an episode is submitted, rewriting or polishing may be required.
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A staff writer for a TV show generally works in-house, writing and rewriting episodes. Staff writers—often given other titles, such as story editor or producer work both as a group and individually on episode scripts to maintain the show's tone, style, characters, and plots.
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Television show creators write the television pilot and bible of new television series. They are responsible for creating and managing all aspects of a show's characters, style, and plots. Frequently, a creator remains responsible for the show's day-to-day creative decisions throughout the series run as showrunner, head writer or story editor.
Writing for daily series.
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Audience identification with the characters in a story is fundamental to successful filmmaking. Successful stories subliminally invite audience members to participate mentally with the movie's main characters. In the darkness of the theatre, 95% of our sensory receptions are tuned into the movie's visuals and sound. We find ourselves "in the story" and helping the characters make decisions—rooting for them when they make the right decision and cringing when they don't. In one word filmmakers SUTURE the audience into the movie. But they use three different techniques.
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This consists of employing camera and sound techniques to put the audience "physically" in the movie.
⦁ We see things the protagonist sees with POV (Point of View) shots, or over the shoulder shots.
⦁ There are long wide takes to simulate us being in the room and watching from a distance.
⦁ Long extreme close-ups (ECU) of a character allow us to ponders a situation or decision along with the character.
⦁ In some movies, we hear what the character hears like Mel Gibson's character in What Women Want or Jim Carey's character in Bruce Almighty
⦁ There are also visual and narrative gaps that the audience automatically fill in, as when a character drives across town, but we only see him get into and out of his car. While these techniques help connect audiences in an explicit or visual way, they do not get at the heart of why audiences are emotionally engaged.
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Emotional Suturing
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Filmmakers emotionally suture the audience into the story by creating characters and situations that generate sympathy, jeopardy, and relatability. Audiences are drawn to characters who are "attractive" - characters that are funny, powerful, skilled, beautiful, charming, and hospitable. When we create characters with such attributes, our audience wants to be close to and identify with them. It is a purely emotional reaction based on the character's outward appearance and behaviour.
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Moral Suturing
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At the heart of every successful movie is a conflict of values that was universally chosen to be understood by the audience. It is this conflict of values that describe what the movie is "really" about. The value conflict engages audiences at a value or heart level by allowing the audience to identify with the various characters and helping them decide what moral choices to make. Thus, moral suturing is not a passive experience, but an active decision making and rooting experience. Successful moral suturing occurs easiest with a writing and story structuring technique called "The Moral Premise," which describes the core values around which the story produces conflict. This is because all physical action and conflict begin as psychological decisions derived from the character's moral values. Thus, the Moral Premise Statement (MPS) is a single sentence, or statement, that describes the natural consequences of a character choosing a virtue vs. a vice as motivation for the pursuit of a goal. For instance, many good movies pit the selfishness of the antagonist against the selflessness of a protagonist. Or, perhaps the conflict of values is greed vs. generosity or prejudice vs. respect. While the moral premise theory is fairly simple, it's an application, to be successful requires diligence and creativity to ensure that every character arc, every setting, the art direction, the music, every scene, every dialogue exchange, complies to true moral premise statement (MPS). It also means that in a redemptive film the protagonist starts out applying the vice side of the MPS (the first clause) is his pursuit of the goal, but at the midpoint of the film (the Moment of Grace) catches a whiff of the transcendence that could change his life. Then in the second half, the protagonist learns how to live by the positive side of the moral premise.
Research for Poncho
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For this script I had taken inspiration from George Orwell's '1984' for how to portray the gruelling day to day life of the citizens, I felt that the abandonment of empathy was an interesting part that would play an important part in my story when it came to the treatment of the lead character and those on the streets during the market square scene. Whilst taking the atmospheric inspiration from '1984' I borrowed from Voltaire's 'Candide' as an inspiration for the jovial protagonist falling victim to the harsh world he wanders into. I had not taken any specific passages from these books, I merely used them as a source of inspiration for the idea of the script, the remainder was based off my personal beliefs and political standings.
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Poncho was written for young adults as I felt that the themes and story of the piece were suitable for the audience and was something that the audience would be able to connect with and enjoy. This is because a popular trope of teen fiction is the coming of age story, of a young teen finding themselves/their place in the world. This genre trope is what my story is based off, as it opens with the young lead literally entering the new world and attempting to find his place in the world.
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Further research was done on my target audience using questionnaires and focus groups. The general consensus of my script was positive, which I feel shows that my choice to target my film towards young adults was correct. The census was taken using my fellow classmates, which I feel gives the findings further merit as they too have a deep understanding of the genre tropes of 'young adult' as they themselves are young adults, thus will consume young adult media, but are also film students, capable of analysing media and giving in depth criticism.
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A number of those questioned affirmed my beliefs that the piece worked as a coming of age story, as it followed similar narrative structure. The majority also concluded that the premise was interesting, and would be entertaining to a YA audience, however, this was not a unanimous result, as a minority concluded that the script was unappealing and lacked depth, which left the overall experience lacking, some found it to simply be not to their taste, which is to be expected. Despite some claims that the script would not hold up if shown to a YA audience, with the majority standing behind the script, and even those against it with the opinion that with further detail the script could be of a good standard, I feel comfortable developing this script further, and pursuing a production.
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An example of a story similar to the one I intend to produce can be shown through this excerpt from 'Candide'. The narrative structure follows the same as mine, the lead character leads an idyllic life, before he is cast out into the world with little to know understanding as to what awaits them, shortly thereafter they befall the worst of mankind for their ignorance and suffer greatly for it. And so, despite being a story from 1759, the story works perfectly as a point of reference for my own script, working as a coming of age narrative, and one that openly discusses evil and greed in the world.
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Introduction
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Throughout this report I shall be outlining the roles and responsibilities of a scriptwriter in the creative industry, detailing their interactions with other critical roles within the media industry, and how each plays a role in the production process. I shall be going into detail on how a script is developed, commissioned and later produced, providing an insight into which roles in the creative industry have the most input on a production's script and the ways in which they are adapted.
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In the film and television industry, the writer has the role of providing relevant material written in a professional format that will become the foundation of a larger production whether it be for television, film or radio. Any good scriptwriter must create something that engages the target audience emotionally, most importantly it must meet the brief that has been presented to them, whilst presenting their work to an appropriate, professional standard.
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It's highly common for writers to merge together as a team if they deem it to be necessary for the project at hand, working in groups that can range from two people to an entire room of people in order to build a stronger script (Though it isn't uncommon for scripts to lose their singular vision as a result). If someone wishes to pursue screenwriting as a career, they need to create a script of a high standard in quality, something that thinks outside of the box is a likely candidate to be noticed. It's advised that an agent is hired in preparation with your work more likely to reach the correct people thanks to an affiliation with the correct contacts. Of course, an agent is not always a requirement in the process, as writers can showcase their work independently like anyone else in the industry, but as with all things in this industry – a representative with standing in the industry will boost the confidence of any potential commissioners. The role of an agent is to primarily actively search for potential work for the client in question, if this results in success, the agent will begin organising contracts. Agents are also generally well-practiced in negotiating a good deal (An agent takes a percentage of whatever their client earns, so negotiating a good deal is beneficial for them as well as their client) something that a freelance writer may struggle doing on their own.
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The Reader, as the name implies, has the job of reading through scripts, before either rejecting them or passing them on, depending on whether or not said scripts meet the outlined brief provided. This type of process varies heavily depending on the area you work within, the process varies heavily depending on the type of script you're writing for example; a film script is very different to a television script which in turn is very different to a radio script.
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Commissioning Editors oversee the writing process whilst simultaneously making creative decisions that shape the final outcome of the scripts. Their role is key in the commissioning process and as such, they're given the responsibility of making decisions on behalf of the broadcaster. Before a writer is commissioned to, the commissioning editor can outline a specific or general idea for what needs to be done. Similarly, an idea brought forward from a script writer’s work can be used as a foundation for future ideas, at the hands of the commissioning editor.
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Commissioning Editors usually reside within a specific genre as it always them to hone their craft whilst simultaneously gaining experience that gives them the opportunity to climb the professional ladder so to speak.
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Directors usually take everything achieved within the pre-production process and transform it into a natural, cohesive plan of action. The Director/s have a singular creative vision, It's this creative vision that is used to convey requirements to other members of the production team such as cinematographers, editors, sound technicians, etc. The Director can take creative control if they need too but sometimes this doesn't always work out, sometimes it's the opposite, with Directors being under the thumb of the production company behind them which can sometimes have movies being made strictly to suit popular trends in movies, in order to try and fashion a successful movie. A renown Director’s, such as James Cameron, Martin Scorsese or Christopher Nolan for example, may even be used to promote the film due to their previous success and recognition amongst the general audience.
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Producers act as an admin above the entire production process, overseeing all aspects of this process that isn’t already being handled by the director, (although they may occasionally assist them also). Their work mostly consists of financial and legal practices, which are the backbone of every production and highly important. Other members of production may contact the producer if they wish to receive funds to cover a certain necessary element, although the producer generally manages and supplies the production funds regardless of this.
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The script editor, they will provide a critical overview of the script writing process as a whole. This involves a highly advanced analysis of the script, followed by highlighting issues to roles such as the commissioning editor, writer, and producer. It is then up to these respective roles to amend any issues themselves by creating respective solutions, as this is not part of the script editors’ job. The critical feedback of the script editor is unique and therefore essential as it may be the only source of such honest feedback for the production team. For this reason alone, the quality of the script is generally developed and strengthened to a significant degree, making the script editors role an essential one that drives the production further into success, or at least the likelihood of achieving it.
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One method of getting your script commissioned is through pitching your idea to a large corporation; for example, Warner Bros. or Universal, commissioners like these almost always do business through established relationships, thus providing a safe bet that the individuals involved are well-established names who have already worked for similar large companies in some form. The companies in question are part of a large conglomerate, due to them having complete ownership of all stages in production.
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In America, a ‘pilot season’ is held around March until May every year, it’s at this particular time that lots of commissioning networks run competitions, allowing otherwise ignored screenplays to be noticed if they are of sufficiently good quality. Large corporations from the UK, such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 commission scripts and budgets for TV shows that are on their channels. Corporations can give up and coming writers the opportunity to submit their scripts to them, if the corporation particularly enjoys someone’s script, they may commission the script to be made for one of their channels.
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On the BBC website, you can access a wide range of scripts that people have submitted, downloading them to read - this can also give the BBC a bigger insight into what is popular amongst the general audiences that watch their channels. Across Britain, there are hundreds of independent production companies, most of these tend to be open to striking deals with other companies in order to produce material, for example with a network in order to broadcast the production there and benefit from some financial input. Another method of striking deals is direct with writers, due to independent production companies being open to having work submitted directly to them. It is common that some independent production companies specialise in particular genres, so the writer may wish to research such information before proceeding to strike a deal. Of course, some independent production companies have higher budgetary capabilities than others, this also should be accounted for if contemplating the submission of your writing work. In some cases, a lower budget company may be all that is required due to the grounded and non- extravagant nature of some scripts. There are several organisations specifically set up in order to assist screenwriters in kicking off their careers in the media industry. Sometimes this is all that is needed to become recognised, followed by the rest flowing accordingly. Examples of such organisations include the “BFI Film Academy” and the “BBC Writers Room”, within particular “The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain” supporting not only film and TV, but also writing in a wide range of other industries, such as online media, radio, theatre and video games. There are many screenwriting competitions that are available to enter, which offer cash prizes in most cases. Through this method, if you are successful, your work is more likely to be read by people of high authority in the industry such as potential managers, agents, and producers. This is, of course, not an automatic process, as the chances of winning are generally slim, however, is worth a shot and can be very rewarding if played correctly. There is a proven track record of various writers who have sold scripts and developed a reputation, enabling them to launch their careers based on winning these screenwriting contests originally. In the UK, “FilmFreeway” runs three different competitions, with every winner of the aforementioned competitions since 2013 now residing in either pre-production or production, with some even winning awards due to their progression through the industry.
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Many writers work individually as a freelance, meaning that they are self-employed, working on a variety of projects all spanning from different respective companies. Networking is a key aspect to success through this route, as this helps to build many industry contacts that will become of use further down the line in your career. Royalty payments are what writers receive upon selling their books and/or films that have used their script to base the aforementioned media from. These issues of payments are generally split between significant members of the production – is the writer, agent, and producers. The exact amount of these payments completely depends on the situation in general, however, it is safe to say that these can vary widely amongst writers. When working as a writer, it is important that you grasp correctly what the commissioner wants from you, the further you understand what they are after, the more likely your chance of success will be. Perhaps most importantly, is that you are confident in producing quality work that is of potential industry standard, with this work being presented in a manner that is appropriate generally across the board. A high level of knowledge in the English language would support writing greatly, as describing events and perhaps the emotions of characters in the best and sometimes most inventive ways possible boosts the relatability factor and allows the script to appear superior when it is finally shown off to the commissioners. The aforementioned role of an agent is a key aspect of being a successful freelance writer, along with other elements being put in place to allow optimum success. Communication with both your agent and other members of the production is essential in order to have a clear understanding of what is required etc. The agent generally receives between 10-25% of the writers’ earnings, but only if these payments are down to the work of the agent. It’s a big advantage to have a well-known/popular agent on your side, due to this increase the likelihood of your success. Any submissions via an agent are known as solicited submissions, whereas work submitted individually are known as unsolicited submissions. The element of time management plays into this also, with your skill around this area being essential to proving yourself an appropriate writer to the commissioners, as well as the writing of the script itself: such as the length and reaching the required submission time. The entire production team generally relies on the completion of tasks on time, or the whole schedule could be thrown off course; obviously causing strained relationships between the writer and their commissioners, even causing financial losses in some cases. Collaboration can also be a trick used to strengthen your chances as a writer in certain situations, as previously mentioned, a group of writers can often create a master script of superior quality to that of an individual. It is also important to note that the writer must be open to handing over the control of their script to a production company who wishes to acquire it, as denying this control would obviously defeat the objective of the job.
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The advantages of having a small team of a similar mindset working on a project collaboratively can be seen to result in a more successful final product – hence the large list of such occurrences documented here specifically. When working as a writer, it must always be ensured that all work is being produced using industry accepted formatting standards, this covers a variety of areas, although even something as basic as the type of font and size can be crucial. This is due to producers using the length of scripts to determine the length of films, which equates to roughly one page per minute of screen time in the final product. Bearing in mind that different areas in the industry vary in the way they are presented: such as films, TV and radio all requiring unique formats. The importance of this is reflected in the fact that incorrectly formatted or produced scripts will be refused immediately and not even read. The BBC is a company that provides examples of the variety of appropriate format styles that are accepted, whilst other sites educate writers in what the different script layouts imply – promoting their use. Writers must also conduct research on relevant topics to what they are writing about, assisting them with areas in scripts such as depicting certain jobs accurately, using correct dialogue and general/specific historical accuracy. In the case of factual screenwriters, they require further fact-checking, as their job is to inform the audience of these facts. For example, a script for a documentary should be written with this in mind.
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The demands and requirements of screenwriters are not consistent across the media industry. For example, in the game industry, a consideration that must be made is “Branching Narratives” – offering multiple narrative strands to allow for player interactivity, in contrast to the standard A-B narrative that is generally found in film and TV. Some gaming companies prioritise the quality and playability of their games before even constructing a narrative, meaning that the story can sometimes revolve around an in-game mechanic or similar. The radio industry is obviously a non-visual medium, so it must be ensured that their story can be portrayed aurally and still give the audience the same amount of joy/thrill/ horror, etc. that would be intended for a TV show or movie. More focus may also be made in areas such as sound, as musical queues/sound effects are a large part of immersing the audience, due to the lack of visuals.
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In regard to copyright, this can be applied to your script, in order to cover it from being stolen and used without the writer’s permission, amongst a plethora of other possible issues. The ideas presented in the script themselves cannot be copyrighted however, leading to some loopholes within the industry where ideas are clearly repurposed and disguised across different forms of media. As writers work digitally, a date is created in the document that they work on, which will automatically attach copyright to both the writer and the date as they proceed to write the script out. The writer's name, along with the copyright logo, should be visible on every page of the scripts that they produce. This copyright lasts the life of the writer, plus an additional 70 years beyond that. Being on the other end of the copyright procedure can be another risk that writers should be wary of, as creating work too similar to someone else’s (even if they had no idea), can be viewed as an offense against copyright law, due to their strict procedures. This offense is known as “Plagiarism”, covering anything from word to word copying, changing some words, to copying particular ideas and arguments portrayed in other forms of media previously. Copyright owners of decency in the industry may allow their work to be used, or perhaps used as inspiration, as long as they are given credit at some point, some will ask for a percentage fee; others will not take the situation lightly and try to sue, etc.
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The word Libel refers to the writing of an inaccurate and the perhaps malicious thing about a specific individual, group, or business. The research that writers gather and compile into their script has to be meticulously chosen, as to not cause legal trouble through the misinterpretation of others. However, individuals who accuse writers of this must prove that malice was intended towards them in the script. Bias is an ethical issue within writing fiction primarily, meaning that people, groups, events, and organisations are misrepresented. It is the writer’s job to ensure that all of their work balances the representation of these elements, to ensure that offense isn’t caused to these groups or race of people, as they can be heavily criticised for this and could even impact on the sales and reputation of whatever the script goes on to become. Censorship is another element of writing that should always be in the mind of the writer, constantly considering their intended audience as a reference to what the script as a whole should play out like, as certain scenarios could be too graphic/sexual/ violent to be shown. The BBFC has strict guidelines as to what and what can’t be shown on TV and film. Across these media platforms, cuts earlier or later on in production are often made in order to satisfy the requirements of the production crew, company and primarily, the BBFC. These censorships vary around the globe depending on laws as things such as drug use, which is a controversial topic, so the writer must be careful to present such topics in a particular (negative in this case) way. An example of censorship in the final product of a film can be found in foreign releases of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; in the UK release of the film, all scenes are left intact – however, in Italy for example, a fairly essential scene involving the film’s antagonist being visibly devoured by a T-Rex was chopped down as it was deemed inappropriate. Sometimes the demands of these censorships simply cannot be met, for example, if the script requires such scenes as previously demonstrated – so the script should perhaps not be constructed with these guidelines heavily enforced.
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The Watershed is the point in time in which programmes containing adult content that may be unsuitable for children is broadcast. This procedure divides the day and night into a family- orientated viewing time that is suitable for everyone and potential adult-only content after 9 pm, although not necessarily – as it is not a requirement for these shows to be adult- themed, just permitted. In this instance, the rule applies to most countries with little variation, affecting both television and the commercials that accompany them. The rules of the Watershed within the UK are as follows: The Watershed on free-to-air television in the UK is between 9 pm and 5.30am but premium or pay-per-view services are allowed to start the watershed at 8 pm. Programmes that are rated 15 cannot be shown outside this period. However, some 12-rated shows can be shown before 9 pm, such as The Simpsons and Doctor Who. There is no watershed on PIN protected channels (such as Sky Movies). On this type of channel, trying to view adult material before 8 pm will require a PIN. There should be a gentle transition to adult material, and 18-rated content must not air until 10 pm on most channels that are without PIN protection. Channels that are dedicated to airing adult content such as Horror Channel may be allowed to start 18-rated content at 9 pm without PIN protection. R18-rated material is not allowed at all and must be edited to fit 18-rated content guidelines if shown on television.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, a scriptwriter's job is far more than just writing the script for a project. They have an integral part in aiding the script's adaptation to any given medium through the entire pre production process as well as being present throughout production in some cases to ensure that the adaptation is faithful/works to a professional degree. Without the writer being present to assist in the pre production process, then the adaptation may miss key elements from the script that simply may have been misinterpreted by the producers or directors as being unimportant, so having the writer on standby for creative direction and guidance helps to avoid such issues. It is of course, not solely the scriptwriter that works to ensure a production's success, as there are many critical factors involved with the production process. The commissioning editor for example oversees the entire creative process of script writing and will be the lead on creative decisions, outlining their wishes for a commission before a writer is hired to do the job.
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Task 2
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Script Writing
Script writing can be broadly defined as writing the dialogue and relevant directions for a production. As scripts are used for a variety of purposes in a number of settings, there are specific criteria for formal structures that are often unique to a given type of script. For example, a screenplay for a film might include camera specific terminology - such as pan, zoom or deep focus - that would not appear in the script for a play.
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Screenplays
Screenplays are scripts written specifically to be produced for a visual medium, such as film or television. For the most part, screenplays are fictional in nature and designed to tell a story. Screenplays typically include a variety of information including setting, dialogue, camera instructions and may include editing instructions. It should be noted that most screenplays are not produced as written. The director, production screw and even the actors may all directly or indirectly alter the script during production.
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Play writing
Plays are productions that occur live, on a physical stage rather than the metaphoric stage of film or television. Like a screenplay, a play script includes dialogue and directions. A play script will include stage and screen instructions as well as provide character names and descriptions.
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Audio Drama
Scripts for audio dramas share a number of components with screenplays and the scripts for stage plays, often sharing terminology. There tends to be much more extensive use of the so-called narrator to provide a third-person perspective than in other fictional scripts. The dialogue is also different in that it includes more descriptive language about the surroundings to help establish the setting. Instructions lean toward the necessary audio components that need to accompany a given scene and may also give direction to the voice actor about how a line should be delivered.
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News Scripts
While appearing natural on screen, most news anchors are provided with scripts to read via teleprompters. News scripts tend to be bare-bones affairs that provide informational content. The components of the script the anchors so not read aloud generally includes directions for the production staff.
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Script formatting
1.Binding - the script should be bound correctly using non-flimsy staples
-Hole-punched -- Covers and Pages should be three holes punched. Fasteners should be placed in the top and bottom holes with the centre hole left empty.
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2. FONT:
“COURIER” (typewriter) font 12pt is the one and only font you should use. Use "Courier Old" if possible but "Courier New” is also fine.
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3.The Title Page follows the cover page and includes the same information and also your contact information in the lower right corner. The page numbering begins at page two - page one's number is always omitted.
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4. LENGTH:
The general rule of thumb is: 1 script page = 1 minute of screen time. If you are using a program with 'word count', your final draft should ideally weigh in at 18,000 - 22,000 words. The lower end of the scale for comedies and the upper for dramas or action.
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5. MARGINS:
The left side of your script should have a 1 1/2" margin. The right side of the script should have 1/2" to 1" of margin. The top and bottom margins of your script should be 1". Sluglines or Scene Headings are spaced 1 1/2" from the left side of the page. Dialogue should be spaced 2 1/2" from the left margin. That's 1" from the Slugline or Scene Heading margin or about 10 spaces. Character names should be 3.7" from the left margin or 12-13 spaces from the start of Dialogue
Parentheticals aka Dialogue Directions should be 3.1" from the left margin or 6 spaces from the start of Dialogue.
MAX lines per page: 52 – 56 - including blank lines.
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6. SCREENPLAY TERMS:
V.O. - VOICEOVER: This is narration that does not originate in the scene itself. It can be a Narrator or Inner thoughts of a character on screen, or it can simply be a disembodied voice coming over a radio, telephone or speaker that the filmmakers can later add in post-production.
O.S. - OFF SCREEN: Dialogue or sounds that are heard in the scene/location, but not actually seen. For example, FBI agents outside a bank siege who are shouting through a megaphone. Or a on a lighter note, maybe a sweet little ole granny calling her children in for dinner when the scene itself is set with the kids out on the playground.
P.O.V. – POINT-OF-VIEW: This is a way of showing a scene as seen from a specific character's perspective.
INSERT or CUTAWAY: This is used when you need to draw attention to a specific object in a scene that is away from the main action or dialogue.
SUPERIMPOSE: This is for written information (time, date, location, etc…) given to the audience that appears on the screen. i.e. “One month Later” or “The Pentagon, D.C. - 08:00 hours”.
INTERCUT: This is often used when showing two or more characters interacting from two separate locations… A telephone call is the most obvious use, but it is also quite handy for parallel activities such as the opening of Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train.
MONTAGE: This is used for a series of related or contrasting images that are often set to music.
SERIES OF SHOTS: Varied shots and locations used to establish a scene or sense of place.
RE: Often used in parentheticals as shorthand for ‘reference to’. Useful when multiple characters are speaking to each other or in reference to props or objects.
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7. CAMERA CUES:
ZOOM, PAN, TILT, DOLLY IN/OUT, BOOM UP/DOWN, ANGLE ON, etc should be avoided if at all possible in your first few scripts. Nothing screams amateur more than Camera Cues. Until you are established enough to be telling the director how to do his or her job, you should stick to your own. A good trick is to find any place where you have used a Camera Cue and simply WRITE what that movement would reveal. For example: Instead of writing: “As Johnny Hero cleans his gun, tilt up to reveal a missile streaking across the sky”; You could write: “Dropping his M16 and snapping his gaze skyward, Johnny Hero watches a missile streak across the sky.”
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8. SPELLING:
Poor spelling disrupts the reader’s suspension of disbelief and may leave the reader feeling as though the script is unprofessional as it has not been checked through thoroughly.
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9. EASY ON THE EYES / TEST READ:
A properly formatted screenplay should be easy to read and visualise, reading a good script should be just like watching a good movie. Ideally, it can be enjoyed cover to cover in a single 90 minute to a 2-hour session and have the reader sucked in from the first page to the last.
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10. CLEAN PRESENTATION:
A clearly displayed screenplay is vital when attempting to sell it to be made, without following the business standard, readers may find the script to be unprofessional.
A Screenplays Structure:
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First page elements
Scene heading – one-line description of the location and time of day of a scene. (Aka slug line) ALWAYS in CAPS.
Subheader – this is used when a new scene is not necessary but some sort of distinction needs to be made in the scene/action.
Action – narrative description in the events of a scene – present tense. (Only things that can be seen or heard should be included as ‘action’
Character – when a new character is introduced their name must be capitalised in the action.
Dialogue – lines of speech/text for each individual character
Parenthetical – a direction for the character, either attitude or action orientated. These are used very rarely and only if necessary. If you need to use parenthetical your work probably needs a rewrite.
Extension – A technical note placed after the characters name to indicate how the voice will be heard onscreen. E.g. a voice over would be NAME (V.O.)
Transition – film editing instructions – examples – cut, dissolve, smash cut, quick cut, fade to. You should avoid this unless it is the only way to indicate a story element.
Shot- this tells the reader the focal point within a scene has changed. Similarly to transition, there’s rarely a time this should be used, as it is the director’s job
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The key to writing a sellable script is to understand the genre and meet the expectations of its audience.
-E.G
Action: Action-Comedy, Disaster Film, Girls with Guns, War
Animated: Anime, Adult, Children, Family, Musical
Comedy: Anarchic, Action, Black (Dark), Horror, Dramedy, Parody/Spoof, Rom-Com, Slapstick
Horror: Comedy, Teen, Monster, Slasher, Supernatural, Zombie
Mystery/Suspense: Closed-Mystery, Film-Noir, Open-Mystery
Science Fiction: Alien, Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Monsters and Mutants, Time Travel
Supernatural: Comedy, Horror, Religious, Thriller
Thriller: Action, Crime, Film-Noir, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Religious
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Layout of Character Pieces
When a character’s name changes, it’s customary to remind the reader of the original name by placing it in parentheses the very next time a speech is cued using the new name.
Never use an anonymous character cue such as “MAN’S VOICE.” Instead, identify the character by name, even if the speech originates off-screen from a character who has not yet appeared. In some situations, this may spoil the surprise, but all speeches must be assigned to an actor.
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Any speech from a character who is not visible should be designated as either off-screen or voice-over. Such designation is abbreviated as “O.S.” or “V.O.” written in ALL CAPS as an extension to the character cue
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When the speech comes from a character in the same setting (such as inside a closet), then “O.S.” would be used. When the character is located elsewhere (such as being heard over a telephone receiver, then “V.O.” would be used. The term off-camera (“O.C.”) is not used in screenplays, but only in three-camera television shows.
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Character cues with multiple names, indicating the same line is being spoken simultaneously by more than one character, should have a slash (/) separating each name. Keep the cue as short as possible, and don’t allow it to wrap. Each cue must be limited to just one line.
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Dialogue should convey information and move the story forward, while at the same time help us understand the characters. Screenplays have their own unique rules for breaking a page, rules your average word-processing software doesn’t follow. Those rules dictate that, among other things, dialogue may be broken only between sentences, not in mid-sentence. While there tends to be more flexible when it comes to breaking description, the standard practice is to follow the same end-of-sentence rule. When breaking a page in the middle of dialogue, it’s customary to add the word “MORE” (in ALL CAPS and parentheses, but without the quotes) after the speech at the bottom of the page.
If one character addresses another by name, epithet, or title, that name should be set off with a comma. (“Master Weston, how cruelly you save yourself for the tennis court.”) This is an elementary rule of punctuation.
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Spell out numbers when they appear in dialogue. Avoid using symbols and abbreviations in dialogue. This is partly a timing issue, to preserve the page-per-minute estimate in screenplays.
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If a passage of dialogue includes some text that a character is reading out loud, this should be indicated with the word “reading” as a personal direction. The text being read should be enclosed within quotation marks.
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When a character recites poetry or song lyrics, enclose the lines in quotes. You may indicate the end of a line by means of a slash (“/”). This is preferable to ending each line with a hard return, as it does not alter the dialogue margins.
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If one character interrupts another, then end the first character’s speech with an M-dash (a space followed by two hyphens), not with a period. Do not add an M-dash to the start of the second character’s speech. If the first character’s speech trails off, then end that speech with an ellipsis. If the second character finishes the first character’s sentence, then start the second character’s speech with an ellipsis.
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When writing dialogue in two columns to indicate simultaneous speeches, the left margin of the first dialogue column must be inset slightly. It must not start in the same column as the action or description margin.
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An acronym such as F.B.I. would be presented in dialogue as F – B – I, omitting the periods and using a hyphen flanked by spaces to separate each letter. This makes it clear that each letter should be spoken.
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There is no standard way to indicate some passage of dialogue is in a foreign language. However, the most common way is to write the lines in English and enclose them in square brackets. When the first speech in a foreign language appears in the script, it’s generally accompanied by a note in parentheses. If there are only a few lines in a foreign language, it may be simpler just to use personal direction with the words “in Spanish,” for example.
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Personal direction should be treated as a separate element, placed on a line all to itself. As with all screenplay elements, personal direction should not be centered on the page. Instead, it should appear in its own margins, approximately halfway between the margins for dialogue and the margins for character cues. The standard setting puts the left parenthesis 3.6 inches from the left of the page. The text should wrap under the text, not under the parenthesis. Personal direction should be short, no more than a few words, and not a complete sentence. As such, it should not have the first word capitalized (unless it’s a proper name), nor should it end in a period. If the direction is long enough to merit a complete sentence, then it should appear as an action element. Personal direction must apply only to the character who is speaking. If it gives direction to other characters, then it must be broken out as an action element. However, another character’s reaction can be incorporated into some personal direction if the speaking character is responding to it
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It’s also acceptable to place the word “CONT’D” in parentheses as an extension to the character cue, but things can get messy if there’s already a “V.O.” or “O.S.” extension. Most screenwriting software can be configured to handle this automatically. Use a parenthetical beat, not just an ellipsis, to indicate hesitation or an adjustment in a speech. Personally, this reader prefers the use of “(then)” instead of “(beat),” as it flows better and cues the actor that this is an adjustment. Do not use “(pause).”
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Song lyrics in dialogue should appear in quotes under the personal direction “(sings).”
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Personal direction always comes before a speech, never after. If a character performs some action at the end of their speech, for example, it should be formatted as an active element, not as a personal direction.
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Whenever there is a jump in time and/or space, we may bridge the gap by means of a transitional instruction. The transitions used most often are “FADE IN:,” “ FADE OUT.” and “DISSOLVE TO:” A common way to lead into a dream sequence, for example, is with the transitional instruction “RIPPLE DISSOLVE TO:” Some other transitions include “WIPE TO:,” “IRIS IN:,” and “IRIS OUT.,” but these are considered old-fashioned and rarely used. The exception to this rule is any transition that ends with “IN:” For example, “FADE IN:” must be placed at the left action margin. “CUT TO:” was once widely used to indicate the end of a contiguous sequence. In other words, when there was a break in time and/or space, screenwriters would indicate this with “CUT TO:” as a transitional instruction. That practice has fallen out of use, though, and now “CUT TO:” is considered superfluous. Unless otherwise specified, all transitions are cuts. There is no such thing as a “SMASH CUT.” A cut is a cut. Whether it “smashes” the viewer in the face depends upon what sort of image is in the new scene. Every transitional instruction must end with a colon. The exception is any transition that ends with “OUT.” For example, “FADE OUT.” ends in a period. “FADE TO BLACK.” is an archaic term dating from live television. The correct cinematic term is “FADE OUT.” As illustrated above,the use of “FADE OUT.” in conjunction with “FADE IN:” can be combined as “FADE TO:”, a single instruction that takes up less space.
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Flashbacks and dreams place us in the mind of the character who is relating them. This causes us to identify with that character, drawing us into their story. Unless that character is our main character, though, our empathy will be split, and the dramatic force of the narrative weakened. Flashbacks interrupt the narrative flow. Consequently, they should be used only when it is not possible to tell the story chronologically. Don’t use a flashback to merely to illustrate what a characters is relating verbally. It is often more effective to remain focused on the character who is recalling a particular event, so as to gauge what that memory means to them. If you use flashbacks, make certain they are motivated. Lead into the flashback by focusing on the character who is experiencing it, and then return to that same character after the flashback. The events may not be as significant as how the character feels about them. Consequently, it is essential that we see the character’s reaction. The spacing before “BEGIN FLASHBACK:” is the same as the spacing before a scene heading. If you triple-space (two blank lines) before each scene heading, you also must triple-space before “BEGIN FLASHBACK:”, and double-spaced (one blank line) after it. Unfortunately, if you enter “BEGIN FLASHBACK:” as an action element, there will be only one blank line above it, and two blank lines below it. This means that, if you triple-space your scene headings (the preferred spacing), you must “cheat” the spacing before “BEGIN FLASHBACK:” as well as the spacing before the scene heading which follows it.
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Each scene in a flashback must have its own heading, even if it occurs in the same location as the character who is experiencing the flashback. Another action line takes us out of the flashback with the words “END FLASHBACK.” (The period should be included.) It would be incorrect to insert the slug line “BACK TO SCENE” because the flashback is the scene. We must instead follow the flashback with a new scene heading, even if we are returning to the same place we were prior to the flashback (which usually is the case)
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When a script's central premise or characters are good but the script is otherwise unusable, a different writer or team of writers is contracted to do an entirely new draft, often referred to as a "page one rewrite". When only small problems remain, such as bad dialogue or poor humor, a writer is hired to do a "polish" or "punch-up". Depending on the size of the new writer's contributions, screen credit may or may not be given. For instance, in the American film industry, credit to rewriters is given only if 50% or more of the script is substantially changed. These standards can make it difficult to establish the identity and number of screenwriters who contributed to a film's creation. When established writers are called in to rewrite portions of a script late in the development process, they are commonly referred to as script doctors. Prominent script doctors include Christopher Keane, Steve Zaillian, William Goldman, Robert Towne, Mort Nathan, Quentin Tarantino, and Peter Russell. Many up-and-coming screenwriters work as ghostwriters.
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A freelance television writer typically uses spec scripts or previous credits and reputation to obtain a contract to write one or more episodes for an existing television show. After an episode is submitted, rewriting or polishing may be required.
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A staff writer for a TV show generally works in-house, writing and rewriting episodes. Staff writers—often given other titles, such as story editor or producer work both as a group and individually on episode scripts to maintain the show's tone, style, characters, and plots.
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Television show creators write the television pilot and bible of new television series. They are responsible for creating and managing all aspects of a show's characters, style, and plots. Frequently, a creator remains responsible for the show's day-to-day creative decisions throughout the series run as showrunner, head writer or story editor.
Writing for daily series.
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Audience identification with the characters in a story is fundamental to successful filmmaking. Successful stories subliminally invite audience members to participate mentally with the movie's main characters. In the darkness of the theatre, 95% of our sensory receptions are tuned into the movie's visuals and sound. We find ourselves "in the story" and helping the characters make decisions—rooting for them when they make the right decision and cringing when they don't. In one word filmmakers SUTURE the audience into the movie. But they use three different techniques.
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This consists of employing camera and sound techniques to put the audience "physically" in the movie.
⦁ We see things the protagonist sees with POV (Point of View) shots, or over the shoulder shots.
⦁ There are long wide takes to simulate us being in the room and watching from a distance.
⦁ Long extreme close-ups (ECU) of a character allow us to ponders a situation or decision along with the character.
⦁ In some movies, we hear what the character hears like Mel Gibson's character in What Women Want or Jim Carey's character in Bruce Almighty
⦁ There are also visual and narrative gaps that the audience automatically fill in, as when a character drives across town, but we only see him get into and out of his car. While these techniques help connect audiences in an explicit or visual way, they do not get at the heart of why audiences are emotionally engaged.
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Emotional Suturing
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Filmmakers emotionally suture the audience into the story by creating characters and situations that generate sympathy, jeopardy, and relatability. Audiences are drawn to characters who are "attractive" - characters that are funny, powerful, skilled, beautiful, charming, and hospitable. When we create characters with such attributes, our audience wants to be close to and identify with them. It is a purely emotional reaction based on the character's outward appearance and behaviour.
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Moral Suturing
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At the heart of every successful movie is a conflict of values that was universally chosen to be understood by the audience. It is this conflict of values that describe what the movie is "really" about. The value conflict engages audiences at a value or heart level by allowing the audience to identify with the various characters and helping them decide what moral choices to make. Thus, moral suturing is not a passive experience, but an active decision making and rooting experience. Successful moral suturing occurs easiest with a writing and story structuring technique called "The Moral Premise," which describes the core values around which the story produces conflict. This is because all physical action and conflict begin as psychological decisions derived from the character's moral values. Thus, the Moral Premise Statement (MPS) is a single sentence, or statement, that describes the natural consequences of a character choosing a virtue vs. a vice as motivation for the pursuit of a goal. For instance, many good movies pit the selfishness of the antagonist against the selflessness of a protagonist. Or, perhaps the conflict of values is greed vs. generosity or prejudice vs. respect. While the moral premise theory is fairly simple, it's an application, to be successful requires diligence and creativity to ensure that every character arc, every setting, the art direction, the music, every scene, every dialogue exchange, complies to true moral premise statement (MPS). It also means that in a redemptive film the protagonist starts out applying the vice side of the MPS (the first clause) is his pursuit of the goal, but at the midpoint of the film (the Moment of Grace) catches a whiff of the transcendence that could change his life. Then in the second half, the protagonist learns how to live by the positive side of the moral premise.
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Task 2
- Late Night:
Late night was designed to be a psychological drama, in this regard I believe it succeeded, at least on paper. The script was written in a way as to insinuate real world horror with the surreal imagery. Though this was shown throughout the script, the short film adaptation of my script did not maintain the same feel of the script, and lost a lot of its major themes due to the inability to correctly portray certain scenes given our paltry means. There was a scene in the script where the lead character was to be situated within an abyssal environment where she would be confronted with visions of her real world, abused physical state. In the film adaptation, the lead actress was sat upon a black tarp and a bright light flashed in her face, needless to say, this was far from what I had in mind. This all being said, the only shortcomings were not strictly bound to the adaptation of the screenplay, though there were a number there, such as the lead actress being increasingly more pregnant between shoots and her dying her hair the day before the final scene was shot, there were also many problems with the script, primarily the back half. Though I felt that the majority of the descriptive scenes worked quite well in the script, when it came to writing dialogue, I was unpractised, and all together rather rubbish, which I felt tarnished the entire script. If I were to attempt this film again, I would spend a fair amount of the time working solely on the end before attempting to put the thing to film. I found that the end of the film felt clunky and unnatural, though I stand by the character's decisions to understand that they must face the struggle of the rest of their lives, I felt that the way in which I had them go about expressing that to the audience was done poorly. Maybe add more
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Poncho:
This film was initially started with the idea on creating a piece on a vulnerable youth facing physical embodiment of his many mental ailments and caricatures of his real world abusers, where the vulnerable youth would eventually be worn down and lose the battle against these things. And as I began to write the script and wonder what it could be that was a daily torment for the protagonist, I came to the idea of the daily grind/greed of men under the incentives of capitalism. And as I began to think on this, I figured that I could do without the parts on mental illness and have it be a demonstration on how capitalism acts against the good natured and kind, and facilitates the self centred and greedy, with this, I felt it would be apt to have the transition of the lead character from socialism to capitalism. For the planning period, the script initially had dialogue, though I later decided that to add further focus on the humanity/greed side of things, it would be better if I were to remove this an have everything be acted out, with the only sound to be there to create an atmosphere of the environment, E.G bright sounds of life at the beginning, and cluttered white noise of city life at the end, to show the complete change of importance when it comes to the emphasis on life. This eventually proved to be the downfall of the script, and one of the primary reasons I no longer wished to have this be my final piece. Each scene that I wrote down felt far too contrived to be able to come across comfortably in film, it was when I had the protagonist in the rich man's store and I realised that I had to somehow show him learning economics, pricing and trade without language, and I found myself incapable. I thought of printing out a pricing mat for him to refer to, but this felt cheap and further added to my growing disdain for the idea. As a concept I appreciate the idea, and with a nice use of sound and set design I felt it could have turned out nicely, but that was the other problem. Its rather hard to find a desert street market in the north east of England, the costumes would also have simply cost too much to make and the amputees and deformed lower classes would have been far too much work for 3 seconds of footage on a five minute film which I already knew I would hate. Because of this I decided against using this as my final piece, had I maintained with my initial version where dialogue was involved, I perhaps would have found it to be less clunky, though I would then have found it uninteresting as I felt the whole sound design being used for atmosphere and the visuals were there to emphasise the message of the piece was the most interesting thing about it, as were the settings and costumes which I would sadly have not been able to source.
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An Untitled Short Film':
For over a month I had been struggling to come up with an idea for my final piece, writing being one of the few things I am deeply passionate about, I tend to be rather particular about what I wish to show off. With this mindset, five discarded scripts and a number of ideas that had been cast aside, I was drawing closer and closer to the point where I needed to begin filming with my completed script, which I was yet to actually have, or a started script (that I believed to be usable) for that matter. With the looming dread of hand in day gradually consuming my day to day, I sat down one night and wrote down what I was thinking 'fucking shit god damn it', this is something I do rather often, it feels rather nice to vent, I believe these daily minor vents may be what are currently holding off the full scale breakdown I now believe to be inevitable. The only difference here is that I was hopped up on a large quantity of caffeine and sugar, so I decided against deleting it, and instead to begin a screenplay on a frustrated student stuck trying to force ideas into his head a day before the deadline going up against his writer's block. This later developed into a script that would touch on how depression eventually consumes every thought and does away with normalcy, this is shown through the manic characters of varying emotional backgrounds and personalities each attempting to do their own thing, before each being affected by the colourful man, the stand in for depression and its encouragement for self destruction, his appearance changes the entire feel and colour scheme of the party, bringing up old thoughts and regrets, shown through the scene with Tyler's ex girlfriends. I feel that this script is interesting due to it's unique take on mental illness and also the creative process. Despite finding the surreal nature of the script the most interesting part of its story, I also recognise the tonal dissonance throughout the film, which could work as a way to show the stark contrast of life in and out of a depressive state, I feel that may not be seen by everyone, and as the script was not initially written with this in mind, it makes sense that this would not always be seen as the point of the story. The shortcomings of this script is that the story was only planned out after it was almost completed. I will keep the initial comedy aspects to have as a contrast and a later tonal shift to highlight the mindset of Tyler, but I do understand that this story may not be appealing to everyone.
- Late Night:
Late night was designed to be a psychological drama, in this regard I believe it succeeded, at least on paper. The script was written in a way as to insinuate real world horror with the surreal imagery. Though this was shown throughout the script, the short film adaptation of my script did not maintain the same feel of the script, and lost a lot of its major themes due to the inability to correctly portray certain scenes given our paltry means. There was a scene in the script where the lead character was to be situated within an abyssal environment where she would be confronted with visions of her real world, abused physical state. In the film adaptation, the lead actress was sat upon a black tarp and a bright light flashed in her face, needless to say, this was far from what I had in mind. This all being said, the only shortcomings were not strictly bound to the adaptation of the screenplay, though there were a number there, such as the lead actress being increasingly more pregnant between shoots and her dying her hair the day before the final scene was shot, there were also many problems with the script, primarily the back half. Though I felt that the majority of the descriptive scenes worked quite well in the script, when it came to writing dialogue, I was unpractised, and all together rather rubbish, which I felt tarnished the entire script. If I were to attempt this film again, I would spend a fair amount of the time working solely on the end before attempting to put the thing to film. I found that the end of the film felt clunky and unnatural, though I stand by the character's decisions to understand that they must face the struggle of the rest of their lives, I felt that the way in which I had them go about expressing that to the audience was done poorly. Maybe add more
-
Poncho:
This film was initially started with the idea on creating a piece on a vulnerable youth facing physical embodiment of his many mental ailments and caricatures of his real world abusers, where the vulnerable youth would eventually be worn down and lose the battle against these things. And as I began to write the script and wonder what it could be that was a daily torment for the protagonist, I came to the idea of the daily grind/greed of men under the incentives of capitalism. And as I began to think on this, I figured that I could do without the parts on mental illness and have it be a demonstration on how capitalism acts against the good natured and kind, and facilitates the self centred and greedy, with this, I felt it would be apt to have the transition of the lead character from socialism to capitalism. For the planning period, the script initially had dialogue, though I later decided that to add further focus on the humanity/greed side of things, it would be better if I were to remove this an have everything be acted out, with the only sound to be there to create an atmosphere of the environment, E.G bright sounds of life at the beginning, and cluttered white noise of city life at the end, to show the complete change of importance when it comes to the emphasis on life. This eventually proved to be the downfall of the script, and one of the primary reasons I no longer wished to have this be my final piece. Each scene that I wrote down felt far too contrived to be able to come across comfortably in film, it was when I had the protagonist in the rich man's store and I realised that I had to somehow show him learning economics, pricing and trade without language, and I found myself incapable. I thought of printing out a pricing mat for him to refer to, but this felt cheap and further added to my growing disdain for the idea. As a concept I appreciate the idea, and with a nice use of sound and set design I felt it could have turned out nicely, but that was the other problem. Its rather hard to find a desert street market in the north east of England, the costumes would also have simply cost too much to make and the amputees and deformed lower classes would have been far too much work for 3 seconds of footage on a five minute film which I already knew I would hate. Because of this I decided against using this as my final piece, had I maintained with my initial version where dialogue was involved, I perhaps would have found it to be less clunky, though I would then have found it uninteresting as I felt the whole sound design being used for atmosphere and the visuals were there to emphasise the message of the piece was the most interesting thing about it, as were the settings and costumes which I would sadly have not been able to source.
-
An Untitled Short Film':
For over a month I had been struggling to come up with an idea for my final piece, writing being one of the few things I am deeply passionate about, I tend to be rather particular about what I wish to show off. With this mindset, five discarded scripts and a number of ideas that had been cast aside, I was drawing closer and closer to the point where I needed to begin filming with my completed script, which I was yet to actually have, or a started script (that I believed to be usable) for that matter. With the looming dread of hand in day gradually consuming my day to day, I sat down one night and wrote down what I was thinking 'fucking shit god damn it', this is something I do rather often, it feels rather nice to vent, I believe these daily minor vents may be what are currently holding off the full scale breakdown I now believe to be inevitable. The only difference here is that I was hopped up on a large quantity of caffeine and sugar, so I decided against deleting it, and instead to begin a screenplay on a frustrated student stuck trying to force ideas into his head a day before the deadline going up against his writer's block. This later developed into a script that would touch on how depression eventually consumes every thought and does away with normalcy, this is shown through the manic characters of varying emotional backgrounds and personalities each attempting to do their own thing, before each being affected by the colourful man, the stand in for depression and its encouragement for self destruction, his appearance changes the entire feel and colour scheme of the party, bringing up old thoughts and regrets, shown through the scene with Tyler's ex girlfriends. I feel that this script is interesting due to it's unique take on mental illness and also the creative process. Despite finding the surreal nature of the script the most interesting part of its story, I also recognise the tonal dissonance throughout the film, which could work as a way to show the stark contrast of life in and out of a depressive state, I feel that may not be seen by everyone, and as the script was not initially written with this in mind, it makes sense that this would not always be seen as the point of the story. The shortcomings of this script is that the story was only planned out after it was almost completed. I will keep the initial comedy aspects to have as a contrast and a later tonal shift to highlight the mindset of Tyler, but I do understand that this story may not be appealing to everyone.
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Research for Poncho
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For this script I had taken inspiration from George Orwell's '1984' for how to portray the gruelling day to day life of the citizens, I felt that the abandonment of empathy was an interesting part that would play an important part in my story when it came to the treatment of the lead character and those on the streets during the market square scene. Whilst taking the atmospheric inspiration from '1984' I borrowed from Voltaire's 'Candide' as an inspiration for the jovial protagonist falling victim to the harsh world he wanders into. I had not taken any specific passages from these books, I merely used them as a source of inspiration for the idea of the script, the remainder was based off my personal beliefs and political standings.
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Poncho was written for young adults as I felt that the themes and story of the piece were suitable for the audience and was something that the audience would be able to connect with and enjoy. This is because a popular trope of teen fiction is the coming of age story, of a young teen finding themselves/their place in the world. This genre trope is what my story is based off, as it opens with the young lead literally entering the new world and attempting to find his place in the world.
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Further research was done on my target audience using questionnaires and focus groups. The general consensus of my script was positive, which I feel shows that my choice to target my film towards young adults was correct. The census was taken using my fellow classmates, which I feel gives the findings further merit as they too have a deep understanding of the genre tropes of 'young adult' as they themselves are young adults, thus will consume young adult media, but are also film students, capable of analysing media and giving in depth criticism.
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A number of those questioned affirmed my beliefs that the piece worked as a coming of age story, as it followed similar narrative structure. The majority also concluded that the premise was interesting, and would be entertaining to a YA audience, however, this was not a unanimous result, as a minority concluded that the script was unappealing and lacked depth, which left the overall experience lacking, some found it to simply be not to their taste, which is to be expected. Despite some claims that the script would not hold up if shown to a YA audience, with the majority standing behind the script, and even those against it with the opinion that with further detail the script could be of a good standard, I feel comfortable developing this script further, and pursuing a production.
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An example of a story similar to the one I intend to produce can be shown through this excerpt from 'Candide'. The narrative structure follows the same as mine, the lead character leads an idyllic life, before he is cast out into the world with little to know understanding as to what awaits them, shortly thereafter they befall the worst of mankind for their ignorance and suffer greatly for it. And so, despite being a story from 1759, the story works perfectly as a point of reference for my own script, working as a coming of age narrative, and one that openly discusses evil and greed in the world.
"Candide, thus driven out of this terrestrial paradise, rambled a long time without knowing where he went; sometimes he raised his eyes, all bedewed with tears, towards heaven, and sometimes he cast a melancholy look towards the magnificent castle, where dwelt the fairest of young baronesses. He laid himself down to sleep in a furrow, heartbroken, and supperless. The snow fell in great flakes, and, in the morning when he awoke, he was almost frozen to death; however, he made shift to crawl to the next town, which was called Wald-berghoff-trarbkdikdorff, without a penny in his pocket, and half dead with hunger and fatigue. He took up his stand at the door of an inn. He had not been long there before two men dressed in blue fixed their eyes steadfastly upon him.
"Faith, comrade," said one of them to the other, "yonder is a well-made young fellow and of the right size." Upon which they made up to Candide and with the greatest civility and politeness invited him to dine with them.
"Gentlemen," replied Candide, with a most engaging modesty, "you do me much honor, but upon my word I have no money."
"Money, sir!" said one of the blues to him, "young persons of your appearance and merit never pay anything; why, are not you five feet five inches high?"
"Yes, gentlemen, that is really my size," replied he, with a low bow.
"Come then, sir, sit down along with us; we will not only pay your reckoning, but will never suffer such a clever young fellow as you to want money. Men were born to assist one another."
"You are perfectly right, gentlemen," said Candide, "this is precisely the doctrine of Master Pangloss; and I am convinced that everything is for the best."
His generous companions next entreated him to accept of a few crowns, which he readily complied with, at the same time offering them his note for the payment, which they refused, and sat down to table.
"Have you not a great affection for-"
"O yes! I have a great affection for the lovely Miss Cunegund."
"Maybe so," replied one of the blues, "but that is not the question! We ask you whether you have not a great affection for the King of the Bulgarians?"
"For the King of the Bulgarians?" said Candide. "Oh, Lord! not at all, why I never saw him in my life."
"Is it possible? Oh, he is a most charming king! Come, we must drink his health."
"With all my heart, gentlemen," said Candide, and off he tossed his glass.
"Bravo!" cried the blues; "you are now the support, the defender, the hero of the Bulgarians; your fortune is made; you are in the high road to glory."
So saying, they handcuffed him, and carried him away to the regiment. There he was made to wheel about to the right, to the left, to draw his rammer, to return his rammer, to present, to fire, to march, and they gave him thirty blows with a cane; the next day he performed his exercise a little better, and they gave him but twenty; the day following he came off with ten, and was looked upon as a young fellow of surprising genius by all his comrades."
-TASK C -
Generate a script in an appropriate format
- Write up your idea into a workable script that is correctly formatted and has considered its target audience at all times and submit a draft version. Your script should not only outline dialogue but should contain any scene direction and should be between 5 to 10 minutes in length.
N.B: State clearly on the front of the script
that this is a draft.
- Write up your script into a shooting script considering any changes that should be made in regards to the logistics of shooting.
N.B: State clearly on the front of the script
that this is a shooting script.
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