Primer on screenwriting and book resources...

[Richard Brown]

A script is pretty much a script, whether it be for DV or for Warner 
Brothers...

except....

What is the nature of the production?  Feature Film, Industrial Video, 
Documentary, etc. not quite ad infinitum. The nature of a production 
can determine what you really need in terms of a script. When you are 
producing an entertainment program (feature film, TV show, etc.) there 
is a reason for a script to be written in a specific way. Final Draft, 
Screenwriter 2000, Script Thing (which is what Screenwriter 2000 pretty 
much is) are programs which will relatively and automatically put your 
script into proper screenplay or teleplay form.

A Feature Film is written the way it is written to accomplish a few 
important things... First, it works out to be about a page a minute - 
one page of script equals a minute on screen.

A screenplay is a very simple thing... here is a simple overview:

First of all, get a screenwriting program: Screenwriter 2000 or Final 
Draft are fine. Otherwise, if you are going to use Word (ugh!), know 
that you are going to use 12 point Courier font. Screenplays are NOT 
desktop publishing jobs. You MUST use Courier at 12 points, and 
MONOSPACED, for that matter, to make things work.

Then, you have just a few primary elements to know:  The (1) SLUGLINE,  
(2) ACTION DESCRIPTION, (3) CHARACTER, (4) PARENTHETICAL, (5) DIALOG

(1) THE SLUGLINE sometimes called the SCENE HEADING,  which is the 
WHERE, the LOCATION,  and the TIME of the scene, which looks like this:

INT. LIBRARY - DAY

INT/EXT CONVENIENCE STORE - NIGHT

EXT. BEACH - DAY

**The standard abbreviations (INT., EXT., INT/EXT) are short for 
INTerior (you are shooting inside a building or structure), EXTerior 
(you are shooting outside a building or structure) , and the rarely 
used INTerior/EXTerior (you are shooting perhaps at and/or through a 
doorway). The Slugline/Scene Heading (I like slugline, but software 
designers have odd ideas) serves to allow a shooting schedule to be 
organized by location and time. This means when you get permission to 
shoot, say, in a restaurant, you go there ONCE, which could be for 
days, but you shoot ALL the scenes involving the restaurant during the 
day or night, which could be at the beginning, middle, and end of the 
show. This brings up a production point. Movies are shot OUT OF 
SEQUENCE. Some productions BEGIN by shooting the ENDING. The point is, 
proper slugline structure makes it EASY to break down the production in 
terms of its location needs. When a script is "locked" for production, 
the sluglines are each given a number. Detailed scenes may have alpha 
characters added to break up its individual sub-elements to create 
sanity in editing, but this is usually done on set. Sluglines generally 
have a double space preceding them, and a single space after them 
before the next element (usually action description.)



(2) ACTION DESCRIPTION, which is the who, what, and what happens in the 
scene, shown here after the slugline...

EXT. BEACH - DAY

In her neon bikini, under a huge straw hat and sunglasses, VICKI smiles 
as she strolls
past a YOUNG MOTHER and DAUGHTER building a sandcastle. Vicki looks 
around,
then checks her Swatch.

**Once again, the action description serves a purpose. The names in ALL 
CAPS are only used when introducing a character, so that when breaking 
down a script, you can quickly assemble a character list. Programs like 
Final Draft and Screenwriter 2000 have breakdown features which 
eliminate the need to do this, but, if you are using a word processor, 
and need to do it the good ol' way, it's a good idea to save time 
later. The action description also triggers the other departments in a 
production: camera, wardrobe, props, and so forth. In the simple 
example given, we see the potential need for a dolly or Steadicam (TM), 
reflectors, HMI, or arc lighting, and the potential need for more than 
one setup. This brings up a point: don't DIRECT on paper. By 
specifically describing the action to the Nth degree and worse, with 
camera angles, you will annoy your director no end, especially on low 
budget independent shows. The script is like a score, to be performed 
and interpreted on-set by the cast and crew. Back to the sample action 
description, we see, wardrobe wise, we need the bikini, the hat, the 
sunglasses, the watch (all for Vicki) and beach wardrobes on the mother 
and daughter (also the need to cast the mother and daughter), the need 
to have a sandcastle,  and so on. To sum up and reiterate, the point of 
action description is to deliver the action within a scene without 
directing (like discussing camera angles) unless such direction is 
critical to the story itself.


(3) CHARACTER

The CHARACTER is the person who is about to speak. CHARACTERS are 
always in ALL CAPS, and are tab stopped at about the middle of the 
page. They are NOT centered. The are "ragged right" and at a tab stop.

(4)  PARENTHETICALS are used rarely. They are short modifying comments 
as to the delivery of the line.

(5) DIALOG

Dialog is what the CHARACTER says.

3, 4, and 5, all together, but NOT formatted correctly, as nothing in 
email ever is:

                              VICKI
        Why am I always early to these things?
                       (beat)
        Well, at least I'm on time.

** (beat) here implies a comic pause. Sometimes, the parenthetical can 
lessen confusion in a scene with lots of characters speaking, as in (to 
Vicki) which elegantly indicates eye lines between characters and thus 
camera setups

Enough about basic structure... here is a great book on the subject: 
"The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats, Part I:  The 
Screenplay" by Hillis Cole & Judith Haag available at

http://www.writersstore.com/product.php?products_id=118&source=scrinfo

This is a great store for all your screenwriting needs.

'nuff said,

Richard Brown




On Tuesday, January 28, 2003, at 03:40 PM, Danny Grizzle wrote:

> On 1/28/03 4:34 PM, "digitalcinema at shaw.ca" <digitalcinema at shaw.ca> 
> wrote:
>
>> Can anyone here recommend to me a good book of how to write a script 
>> for
>> DV? I looked on Amazon but there are over a dozen to choose from. I 
>> want
>> ot make an Indie Film using DV. Any suggestions?
>
>
> One more link (the one I was looking for when I stumbled across the 
> others):
>
>   <http://www.mwp.com/pages/books.html>
>
>
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