Learning aim b (1)
- 1. Master Scene Script Master Scene Script is the standard and accepted format used for film production. The format of it allows each scene to be understood and broken down properly. For example, in the following script written in Master Scene Script you can see how the writer includes the time and location at the top of the scene as well as actions being written in caps making them stand out. The dialogue and description are mixed in the script allowing the reader to easily follow the story. The scene heading (slugline) shows the location, time of day and whether it is interior or exterior. For example, in the example above it says "INT. STARBUCKS - DAY" which means it's set at day time and is inside Starbucks. Narrative description is the telling of the story as it unfolds on screen. It begins directly below the scene heading. The writing should focus on action and should be concise to move the story forward. In this example, the first line of the script shows narrative description by stating that the bland music plays on the sound system while people chat and fingers clatter on keyboards, going into a lot of detail but also keep the reader engaged. Everything in a screenplay must be recorded in terms of picture and sound therefore meaning narrative description should never include things that can't be seen or heard on screen. This includes describing characters feelings, thoughts or memories, unless they are shown on screen. For example, in this script it shows that “Ned taps his finger on the couch’s armrest in frustration” to show the emotion that Ned is feeling. This can be done in other ways to show thoughts or memories by using things like flashbacks. Without this, the audience wouldn’t be able to understand the emotion that Ned is feeling resulting in less of a connection and relationship between the character and the audience.
- 2. It is a customary assumption in the movie industry that 1 page of screenplay is equivalent to 1 minute of time on screen. This is convenient for planning purposes since the average feature is 120 minutes, the average script should be around 120 pages. Therefore it would be safe to assume that the script example above would be around 30 seconds as it is half a page. Conventions of Master Scene Script include the font as courier and size 12 which is shown on the script above, sluglines and character names in dialogue are always wrote in capital letters, voiceover and offscreen used as (V.O and O.S.), footers at the bottom right of a page say (CONTINUED) only where a scene continues onto the next page. The next page will have (CONT.) in the top left. When writing a spec script you shouldn't use scene numbers, camera angles, page footers, capital letters for sound effects or character names (except first appearance) or third person use of "we." As you can see in the script above there is no use of any of these things. They should stay in the shooting script because the spec script should be something that actors can easily read and understand. Shooting Script
- 3. Shooting scripts are mostly used during production to shoot the movie. They are written in a lot more detail than a spec script because they can include things like scene numbers, editing transitions and camera angles. For example, the shooting script above shows a scene number before the second scene (not the first one because it's unnecessary) and has "CUT TO" transitions in the bottom right of both scenes shown here. It also includes a voiceover using (V.O.) and you can see when it ends and continues again due to the use of (CONT'D). Shooting scripts are formatted to include any helpful information that the director may request. The main difference between shooting scripts and screenplays are that shooting scripts not used for selling purposes since they can be difficult to read and will turn off prospective investors, whereas screenplays are. Radio Script Radio differs from film production due to the fact that nothing can be shown visually therefore meaning there is much more dialogue. Below is an example of a radio script.
- 4. Unlike film scripts, radio scripts don't have any specific conventions around fonts and sizes within the script. However, they use a lot of indiciations in the script to show how the actor should be speaking. For example, the script above uses (V.O.) a lot indicating that it is a voice over which is put over music, which you can tell by the use of "MUSIC: ELO/MR BLUE SKIES (UNDER)" and "MUSIC: OUT." Without these, the radio host would struggle to time their lines and it would result in a worse outcome on the radio broadcast which would make listeners choose other radio stations over theirs. As well as that, the script uses things like "(Sighs)", "(Whispers)", and "(Groans)" to show emotion and tone in the actors' voices. The script uses indications such as "(OFF)" which indicates the actor should speak away from the microphone. The audio equivalent of off-screen. It also uses "(DISTORT)" which indicates a character who is speaking via a mechanical device like a telephone or radio. There are other indications used in radio scriptwriting that weren't shown in this example, such as "(LOW)"
- 5. which indicates the actor should speak quietly, and "(CLOSE)" which indicates that the actor should be in close proximity to their individual microphone giving an intimate feel to the dialogue. Video Game Script Video game scripts are different to both film and radio, in that they often exist within interactive worlds with multiple options. Scripts are often branching which means there are multiple options which may or may not have an impact later in the game. When writing a video game script, you write it in 2 parts. The flowchart documents every major decision the player faces and the result of that decision. It consists of text boxes with arrows to indicate what happens when an action is performed. Without these flow charts it would be harder to determine every possibility to come out of the game. It also allows you to look at how different parts of the game tie in together from different paths. An example of this for Dark Souls II is shown here which uses a legend. (picture in better quality: https://i.imgur.com/4UeHK2J.jpg) As you can see in this flowchart, it shows which areas lead where and uses a legend to show different requirements for each area. The second part of video game scripts is the actual script itself. Once all choices have been defined in the flowchart, writers must compose scripts to take into account the variables their world has created. This can be incredibly detailed and time-consuming depending on the complexity and depth of the interactive world. The script for Dark Souls II can be found here: https://game-scripts.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Souls_II
- 6. Video game scripts usually follow similar formats to filmscripts, however the variety in gameplay means that there isn't one specific set format unlike the movie industry. Games may often employ simple dialogue sheets that instruct a voice actor of exact phrases to say, and how to project them. The Dark Souls II script shows the tone of voice in the script by using words like "Err" and repeating letters like "W-welcome"