After creating my scripted piece, I have conducted this self-evaluation to give to the client upon the deadline that they need the script by. In this evaluation I will be talking about; how the client’s needs and expectations have been met, the likes and the dislikes from the client, relevant changes that will need to be made before shooting the show starts, is the form and the style of the script relevant and conventional, any errors and a review of the script as a whole and the pre-production script content and its use.
Client’s needs and expectations
My scripted piece is the pilot episode of a TV series set in prison. Within my script I wanted to explore gang culture and try to portray a realistic prison environment to an extent. The purpose of my script was to entertain, I believe I have achieved this by creating an exaggerated version of prison culture. Another way I have achieved this is by using a relatable protagonist to which the audience can form emotional connections with and become empathetic towards him. This also encapsulates the audience into the show because they have someone with characteristics, they can relate to based on their traits. Having an antagonist that is hated by the audience also ensures the purpose of entertaining. This is because it serves as a social currency and a talking point for audience members. Due to the main motif of the film of prison culture I had to be careful when constructing the narrative as I had to give an accurate representation without being unethical. Choosing the ethnicity of the characters was a careful consideration I had to make. Whilst remaining morally correct I still had the intention of representing the prison culture and the population within the prison. Clients such as BBC and Channel four may be interested in the box set due to its fictional portrayal of social realism and a clear, dramatized version of prison life.
Audience’s needs and expectations
I intentionally conformed to Dennis Mcquail’s ‘Uses and Gratification’ theory by creating an escapism for the audience. I created an escapism of a realistic environment, one that is far more extreme than the average person would experience. I have also followed the client requirements by creating a script with a maximum of thirty pages. My script also offers a clear representation of prison for those that have never experienced it. I also made sure my protagonist is presented as a personal identity and a character that the audience can relate to. I made him a typical teenage male who has made several mistakes in his early life and is now facing the consequences for doing so. Although it may not be on such a severe scale, the vast majority of the public will have made mistakes and will suffer for them.
Client’s strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
Pagination meets the brief requirements
Ethnic representation of characters
Meets conventions
No consideration of language used (watershed
Unique premise
No considerations of violent abuse and criminal activity being censored
Non linear narrative
Needs more mise en scene and camera movement
Audience’s strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
Innovative storytelling
Unclear flashbacks
Unique structure
Needs more exposition
Relatable characters
Camera work needs to be more refined
Good exposure of prison culture
Needs clearer detail on character’s voices (intonation)
Relevant changes
After receiving the feedback from the client and the audience there are several areas of my script that I will need to improved. First of all, adding more camera movement and mise en scene is one of the key areas I need to focus on. Making sure characters tendencies and personalities are stated is something I did not include when first writing the script. Another thing is will need to consider is the representation of characters within the show. Whilst trying to create an insight into the real world of prison life, making sure I am ethical when creating character profiles is essential. Another ethical decision I need to make is the possibility of the watershed. Due to the use of restricted code and trying to authenticate the script as much as possible, I have used censored words throughout the script. This is something that OFCOM regulates, so having the show after the watershed will be needed, this will attract a more mature audience that will be educated or aware of what prison is like to an extent, therefore they will expect to hear bad language and see violent conduct. Also, exposition is something that I will need to make improvements on. Making sure characters are described precisely is key to ensure actors can fulfil a role thoroughly. Portraying ‘Leon’ as the antagonist could be unethical due to his nationality. Portraying a certain race in a particular way (in this case, negatively) may become unethical. To combat this, I will change character’s backgrounds and have a diverse cast, so all roles are portrayed fairly. The final change I will make is the editorial transitions being more refined. As my script is non-linear, it features several flashbacks. To ensure this is clear, I will need to make sure I am consistently using ‘flash to’ and ‘flash from’ within the script.
Is the content of the product correct?
I have followed the correct formatting of a script. I included a narrative arc that feeds into the three-act script structure. The establishing hook that entices the audience, the confrontation between characters. However, due to my non-linear style of script I did not have a resolution at the end and just had a non-linear structure of only two acts. I wanted to end the script on a cliff-hanger to keep the audience enticed as it is a pilot episode.
Upon comparing my script to ‘The Bodyguard’ I have noticed I did not include a timeline right aligned on the same line as the log line. This is very typical of a Tv drama script to include a timeline of the time each scene will be shot. Apart from that I implemented a typical format. A 1.5-inch indent on the left margin, making sure everything is properly aligned. It was also in the correct font and size (courier 12.pt). This is to ensure each page roughly runs for one minute. This is to maintain an accurate estimation of a screenplay’s duration.
Script errors and review
When making amendments to my script, I will use the client’s feedback as well as the audience’s feedback to make sure my script is thorough and up to industry standard. When introducing Barrett as he arrives to the prison, The mise en scene is very limited. To combat this I will add a more in depth description to allow the actor to understand the character of ‘Barrett’.
Another amendment I will make when editing my script is the description of Leon’s character. My aim is to portray him as a big brute, however through a lack of mise en scene it is hard for the client to understand my portrayal of the antagonist.
Pre-production script content and usage
Before writing the script, I had made sure I wrote the roles with the intention of having a desired actor to play them. For Barrett I had based the role around ‘Eggsy’ or Taron Eggerton from Kingsman. Although in that movie he is hired for the secret service, he is a typical teenager getting into trouble. He is also very successful at fulfilling a likeable role and is very relatable for the audience. When considering about possible casting for Leon, I had the image of Bobby Lashley, a professional athlete who is intimidating in size. One slight issue with this actor, he is American and the role I have created is a British man. When writing ‘Irish’s’ character profile, I pre-empted I will have to show his nationality through the use of parenthetical speech and also the slang used by Irish people. They have a distinct accent and have a dialect that is used. To ensure I portrayed an authentic Irish male I wanted to cast an Irish male to play him. When deciding on who I would want to play his role I thought of Cillian Murphy. He is very good at being wise and making decisions and portraying a wise mentor as he does when he leads a gang in ‘Peaky Blinders’
This is the 30 page script that I have produced for A-Line production. I have tried to meet as many codes and conventions of a film script as possible.
3.2
I have tried to meet the conventions of a film script. I have used “Shaun of the Dead” as an example to follow.
The first example is the use of a title page.
I tried to copy the formatting of the Shaun of the Dead. We both used the courier font at point 12. This fits in with the font for the rest of the script. A difference is that I used capitals for every word in the title, this is because my title has a more serious meaning and I wanted to convey this through the text.
I also used Shaun of the Dead as a way to see how characters names are capitalised.
Both of the scripts capitalise a characters name when they are both introduced. This is because they are making a point to show they are characters being introduced. A difference is that Shaun of the Dead does not give details of each character, this is because the characters are every day people and are not remarkable. My characters are different from what you see in everyday life, so I felt the need to describe them.
I learnt that the line spacing need to stay consistent so that the one minute per page rule stays. There is “single spacing” between each line.
It is also important to capitalise the locations and props. This is to give the crew an idea of the most important objects in the script.
All of the speaker names and dialogue must be spaced separately from the rest of the text. The speaker is central and the dialogue is left aligned. This is to make it easier to differentiate when reading lines.
The loglines are placed at the start of a scene to indicate the location and time of day. This is for the production team so they know what to prepare.
Some lines of the script will give internation or parenthetical to show the actors how to present their lines. This is to stick closer to the original vision of the writer.
This is my script I made for A-Line Productions. For my script I decided to do a deconstructed Slasher film.
3.2 Media conventions.
Above you can see both my own and Screams film title page. I followed the conventions of a films title page. It is presented in bold and in all caps. It is in the font Courier. The writers name is underneath the title and is not in all caps or bold, these are all conventions that my title page follows.
I have followed the conventions for margins. The top, bottom and right margin on a screenplay are 1″. The left margin is 1.5″. The extra half-inch of white space is needed because it allows for bindings with brads, yet still imparts the feeling of a vertical balance of the text on the page. As you can see above the snip from the two scripts look the same in margin space, alignment (two spaces for dialog, four spaces for name and three space for a parenthetical), and spaces between each line. I had to make sure that my paragraphs were formatted correctly. I did this by having the lining single spaced and making the after go form 10pt to 0pt. This allows me to follow the conventions of a typical screenplay. This is a convention I followed because it is in screenplays.
Another convention I followed was putting page numbers on the top right corner of each page. Another thing these snips show are that both my and the scream script is in the font style of Courier because when it is set to the size 12pt then it roughly is a minute of screen time per page. This is a convention that is followed by all scripts.
These snips above show that the first time a character is seen that their name is capitalized. This is something that is done in all scripts. These snips are demonstrating sluglines. A slug line is placed before each scene and it is used to set the scene and the character because this snip was taken form the start of the script the sluglines can be longer because they are trying to form and create characters as well as setting the scene. This is a convention I followed through out my whole scripts.
Documentation including description of action and scene, dialogue, music sound effects and industry-standard formatted documents for fiction and non fiction products
Following Layout and style conventions
Below is evidence that I have followed layout conventions. I have included a peaky blinkers extract and placed mine beneath it.
Here I am comparing a snip of my first episode tv drama compared to a snip of the Peaky Blinders tv drama and comparing the style and layout conventions.
Title page
The title page is a layout convention as it is on every script and in this case it will be the title of the episode followed by who is written by in this case it will be me. I have created the title page because it is a convention used in both Peaky Blinders and Luther script and other tv drama script and tells the client of the product and the writer of the product.
Capitalisation
In this snip capitalisation is used because it is a convention of script writing in any media as it allows the reader to understand the importance of certain things like speaker names. Capitalisation is also used in log lines to show the location of the scene or in stage directions to show a new character appears.
Alignment
in the script is left aligned for example the stage directions ad well as log lines. The dialogue is presented in between the speakers names and the stage directions as the speakers names are centralised.
Font choices
The font choice was a convention that Luther and Peak Blinders used and being they are both tv dramas I decided to use this. It is also a universal formatting standard because it keeps the timing together for around 60 seconds a page. The font is courier new ad is in a font size of 12.
Line spacing
The line spacing in my script was the same as the peaky blinders and other scripts I looked at like Luther as I followed the conventional idea of doing single line spaces after each bit of text whether its dialogue or intonation. This is important because the text needs to be clear and easy to read and understand for the client reading it.
Intonation
The intonation is another convention that is used in all different scripts because it describes how the speaker is saying what he is saying. The intonation goes between the speakers names and the dialogue and will be in brackets.
Here is my documentation of my 30 page script. As you can see it follows industry standards.
3.3 evaluation.
Have needs/expectations been met for the client brief/target audience?
client brief.
My script has met the needs/expectations of the client brief as it is something that follows conventions but is unique which is what a broadcaster would want if they considered purchasing my script. It follows conventions as I think I have used dialogue which is fitting of the war and action genre. I have also used mise en scene and a narrative time jump at the beginning of the scrip to hook the audience. The screenshot below shows the narrative time jump. My short film is also unique as the is not many films about the topic I chose to cover.
Target audience.
My script has uses and gratifications which are to entertain and to inform. It entertains as the big scenes like the pub attack or the ceasefire is full of action and is tense keeping the audience in. It is also to inform as the are scenes which give detail on what life inside the mafia is like. It also includes some real life events to inform the audience on what living in Ireland was like in the 1990’s.
Client likes/dislikes.
A possible client I have identified would be Warp Films. I think they would be interested as my product is conventional for an independent war / gangster film. The reason it’s conventional is due to my use of narrative, mise en scene and character representation.
Narrative
In 71 the narrative is about Gary Hook, a new recruit to the British Army who is sent to Belfast in 1971 in the early years of the Troubles. In my script the narrative focuses on Darcy Murphy who joins the UVF and leads them to the ceasefire. In both films both of the characters join the forces and work in Belfast.
Mise En Scene.
War films usually use mise en scene of Camo trousers and vests and guns such as silenced pistols and machine guns. In my script the characters wear camo trousers, masks and vests which are similar to military clothing. They also use machine guns and special equipment. The scene/locations are also correct for that time era and the events such as the pub attack are historical as similar events happened in real life.
Character Representation
The main protagonist in 71 is Gary Hook he is portrayed as a young male with a medium build ,brown hair and brown eyes. In my script Darcy is portrayed as a young male with a medium build the same as Gary in 71 however Darcy has blonde hair and blue eyes. The two characters are also near the same age.
Client dislikes. One thing Warp Film may dislike about my product is that there is not a wide diversity of representations. This means it doesn’t appeal to a wide audience. and would limit what company’s would buy my script.
Relevant changes.
Some changes I would make is include more information about historic relevance as my script doesn’t teach people much about what the IRA and the UVF stand for and there values. I would also try to make the end more tense by using a cliff hanger or another scene before the ceasefire takes place to build up tension. An idea for this is Darcy’s mum or dad could get taken and killed and the ceasefire gets cancelled until he finds them but they are already dead.
I would also add some different ethnic, genders and ages as I have only included white males and two females Darcy’s mum and his sister.
Is the content of the product correct based on form and style?
I wrote my script in courier new and my text was size 12. This meant one page was roughly one page of screen time. for form In my script I made sure to include capital letters for important stage directions like camera shots and also when a character is being introduced for the first time. In my script I included more and cont’d to show when the scene is carrying onto the next page and I also used brackets to show voice overs (V.O) and other parts of my script. The genre of my short film is social realism and drama. Finally I made sure the margins where set correctly by clicking on layout choosing margins and making sure they were set to 1 inch top, 1 inch bottom, 1 inch right and 1.5 inch left. This meant my script looked conventional and followed industry standards.
Does it meet legal/ethical requirements?
When I made my script I took into consideration regulators such as BBFC which regulate film in the UK. I made sure to take into consideration the amount of swear words I used and how this will reflect the age rating which will be 18+. when I had violent scenes like the pub attack I had to take into consideration how many people are killed because this will have an effect on the age rating too. As my short film includes some violent scenes if I sold it to a TV broadcaster then it would aired after the watershed at 9 pm. This will have an effect/limit broadcasters buying the script as it is only allowed to air after 9 pm. I also had to take into consideration diverse representation as I mentioned earlier. Age, Gender, ethnicity and nationality are all things i needed to take into consideration when planing characters and plot points. However in Ireland in the 1990’s the wouldn’t have been many ethics so I had to stay true to what Ireland was like.
Script errors/review (E.G addition of camera directions for script)
When I made changes/corrections to my script I made sure to add in the correct parenthetical instruction to show how my characters are speaking. For example in one scene Darcy and Marcus have to talk over the radio so I used parenthetical instruction to show this. The screenshot bellow shows this and the reason for adding parenthetical instruction is so that the script is smoother and so the characters knows they are speaking over radio.
Pre-production script content and usage (E.G plot, story line, location, props, cast members)
I used my pre-production planning tools such as my blue sky thinking to help me when I was making my script. For example in my blue sky thinking I included the idea of a non-linear narrative and I used this when writing my script as the first scene is in the past. I also used my pre-production idea generation to add props into my script such as guns and bombs. The use of my pre-production documents allowed me to write my scenes correctly and gave me ideas for what to add into my script when I was writing it out. My pre-production tools also allow me to find an actor with similar facial features to Darcy (protagonist). Lucas till is an American actor with blonde hair and blue eyes which is the same as my character Darcy. As you can see below at the start of the script I wrote what Darcy looks like and Lucas fits this role.
Questionnaire.
Below I have made a questionnaire and I gave it to my target audience for feedback. This allowed me to gain qualitative data and justified the decision I made to choose the name Darcy as it is a typical Irish name. As you can see 75% people have selected Darcy Murphy as the best name.
I also gave my target audience a questionnaire to asses whether or not my cliffhanger is effective. 69% of them selected that the cliffhanger works effectively and they would watch a second film.
Overall I have created a successful pre-production document which I feel meets the aims of the unit 22 client brief.
Here is some idea generating through blue sky thinking. As you can see I wrote down ideas for video games and for a short film. This was a good use of my time as it allowed me to generate ideas and see what is different within different media.
The images above is a mood board i made showing conventions of my idea to make a film about the Irish troubles. As you can see the are various films based on this one of them being the film ’71 as shown above. Making this mood board helped me gain understandings of conventions of this topic and if i was to choose this i would have a good understanding of whats typical.
If i choose to make a script for a video game then above I have made another mood board to show the conventions for video games (FPS). As you can see I have chosen a mix of old games and new so I can see the typical conventions that have stayed over the evolution of video games and what they all have in common. As you can see I have also chose a game featured from WW2 and the conventions for that are only slightly different from the others meaning if I made a game then I can generate a lot of different ideas.
2.2 – Refined ideas for a short film.
Main character – Protagonist
Darcy Murphy.
A young boy who grows up with the UVF (ulster, volunteer, force) and then takes over as leader.
He lives with his mum, dad and sister.
Medium size 5ft 9 has blonde hair blue eyes and medium build.
Wears suits and dresses smart.
Occasionally wears casual clothes such as jeans posh shoes and polo shirts.
Antagonist / rival group.
Martin McCarthy.
Leader of the IRA (Irish, republican, army) and was responsible for terror attacks around northern and southern island.
He has dark brown slick back hair and is medium build.
Wears jeans, polo shirt and gets around in black limo with two body guards.
He is a white male and is typical of an IRA leader.
Other characters.
Darcy Murphy’s sister Haley Murphy.
Stevie o’sullivan another leader of IRA forces.
Bodyguards of Stevie and martin however we don’t know their names.
Darcy’s mum Helen Murphy.
Steven Murphy. Darcy’s dad blond hair blue eyes the same as Darcy. Small man medium build.
Gang member 1 Jake.
Gang member 2 Tommy.
Gang member 3 James.
Stevens friends Jacob and Marcus.
Plot points.
Darcy’s christening.
Darcy visits dad in pub finds out he has to raid a pub in Cavan.
The pub attack.
kill Ricky smith.
Darcy takes over.
His sister gets killed.
Ceasefire.
Three act script.
Act 1.
Act one will feature the opening scene which is Darcy getting christened.
The next scene will be Darcy’s dad Steven getting him into the UVF.
He will then attack the pub and get the target and bring it back to the godfather.
The godfather is killed and then Darcy has to kill Ricky smith.
Darcy kills Ricky smith but also kills his sister by accident. He then becomes leader with tommy as his assistant.
2.3 – conventions.
Title page.
The Title of the film is in all caps and the text is in the font carrier. It is also in bold and underlined. The writers name is also underneath the name of the film and is in bold but it isn’t underlined. At the very bottom of the page it says for Educational purposes only which is bold and underlined.
Formatting.
Fonts.
The font used for scripts is courier as one page of the courier font is roughly 1 minuet screen time. As you can see top left is the font.
Margins.
The top, bottom and right hand side are set to 1 inches. The left hand side is set to 1.5 inches. The extra space on the left hand side allows binding and have more space.
The single line spacing allows the script to look neat and allows a small amount of space in-between the lines. This makes the script look neat and is a convention for scripts.
Word allows you to add page numbers, page numbers are conventional for scripts but a page number is never featured on the first page. Above I have took a snip of how you add page numbers and the is a page number sitting in the header.
Breaks.
The sixth sense script doesn’t have line breaks as it is a film script and film scripts don’t include many line breaks whereas for a TV soap line breaks are used a lot and are conventional.
Sluglines.
The fade in is the very first thing that the script should include. it is in capital letters and is on the left hand side.
The scene heading is a one line description of the location and time of the script. it is in capital letters and in bold text.
The transition “dissolve to” is on the right hand side and is in capital letters. this is the filming instruction.
The character’s first appearance is in capital letters to show its the first time he’s being introduced.
Timings
One page of script is roughly one minute of screen time so 30 pages of script should be about 30 minutes of screen time.
Death at the start of the film of an irrelevant character
Group of friends in high school (age 17-18)
Group includes a mix of girls and boys
Final girl – brown hair, tomboy style, virgin
Dumb blonde- sex appeal, skimpy outfits
Killer – hides behind a mask and maybe fake voice, uses a phallic shaped weapon.
Jock – tall, muscly, usually the captain of a sport
Final girls boyfriend (par of the group) – fairly popular, really wants to have sex.
Party or big event where the killer tries to kill final girl.
Big twist ending.
Appeals to a mainly male audience,
target audience is the lower end C2, D, E
may included POV shots
And rely a lot on fades to show the passage of time if someone gets hurt or knocked out.
For a horror/thriller TV drama:
They tend to focus on more “real world problems”;
Like stalking
Mental health,
Sexual harassment,
Or they go more out of the box with topics such as
Experimenting on people,
Making/finding superheros.
Ranges from 25-45 minutes long
Usually more appealing to a young adults
Target social demographic C1, C2, D, E
For a TV true crime documentary:
Usually involves trying to exonerate someone
or trying to convict someone
A main narrative of these documentaries are interviews with people involved, effected or have strong opinions about the case.
Episodes are usually 45 minutes long
About 8-12 episode per series.
Age range of people who watch is quite big 15-55
and the target demographic is probably B, C1, C2, D, E
For a horror video game:
Age classification 15 or 18.
involves finding things, focuses on mystery
Age of people who play them 15 – 40
target demographic is probably C1, C2, D and E
Usually a single character doing the tasks
however some break conventions of a game and act more like a film with a large group of friends.
usually set in an abandoned or remote place where there is very little else around.
Mood boards:
This is a mood board to show horror game conventions. As you can see above the games I have chosen to look at are all set in either abandoned or secluded places such as houses or asylums. These are common places for theses games to be set because they add a layer of tension on top of the typical aspects of the games (the antagonist(s)). Horror games tend to be played in first person (P.O.V. shots) this is because it makes you feel like you are the character making the whole experience of playing a game more suspenseful. There is not really a convention for characters in horror games. However the two main types of character(s) are either a solo person like in Outlast and Silent Hill or a group of people like in Until Dawn. The amount of characters is more due to the story; if it was in an abandoned asylum then there is more to only be one character but if there was an secluded house there is more of a chance that it would be a group of people. Most of the posters do not give too much of the game away, however they’re easy to identify as horror because of the dark colors as well as the pictures on the front.
This is a mood board showing horror film conventions. The conventions for casts in horror films is that it is mostly groups of friends or groups of people (Saw). Another character convention in slasher horror films is the role of the final girl, in Scream it is Sidney Prescott (holding the phone above) and in Halloween it is Laurie Strode (holding the knife above). The final girls are usually not typically described as pretty, virgins, who dress quite manly this is so the mainly male audiences can relate to them and feel for them when they get attacked. The locations differ in horror films just like do in the games however a very typical location is a house. The posters or front covers of horror films are a lot like the games in the sense that there is always very little color on them and the standout color that is mainly used is red for the obvious reasons that they connote blood.
This is a mood board to show the conventions of horror/thriller TV dramas. Like what can be seen in the other boards, the cast of horror TV programs are typically groups. The locations vary depending on the age of the group; if they are teenagers the main location will be the school, if they are are older (in there 20’s) then the main location will be a popular hang out spot or maybe a member of the groups apartment. Another thing that can change is the antagonist(s) because this obviously depends on the type of horror. The posters once again are very dull with a pop of red usually to catch they eye, however as can see above the Stranger Things 2 poster is very colorful this was probably done to make it standout and to make it more supernatural looking because of the content in the series.
Lastly this is a mood board showing true crime documentaries. The main conventions for casting in documentaries are the interviewers/defense lawyers; they are something that all of these have. This is because the documentary are revolted around trying to solve the crime. The rest of the cast is based around what the documentaries aims are (to exonerate the falsely accused, in the documentary there would be a prosecution layer) and the person or people involved. The main locations for these doctrinaires are prisons or courtrooms or the place where the crime(s) were committed. The conventions for the posters are pretty similar to the rest that i have looked at, they are very dull and usually have a picture of the victim or the accused on the cover except for Forensic Files.
2.2 – scripted elements defined:
Protagonist (the main character): Joshua Carter is a black, gay 19 year old who’s just started his second year of university. He is doing a joint degree in film production and drama studies. He is 5″8, has brown almost black curly hair and is an average build. Some people would describe him as a “man whore”. Him and his best friend Cleo share everything with each other well maybe not everything. Him and his four best friends were invited to an exclusive party to celebrate the start of the new school year. They are having a great time drinking, dancing, smoking until things go south.
Characters – cast and supporting cast and what is required for each:
Cleo Chadwick– is an Australian transfer student, her and Joshua have been inseparable for the past two years and share everything with each other. She is studying film at university; her favorite genre of film is horror. She has purple and blonde ombré hair and is over weight. She is 19 years old. She is extremely secretive about her old life in Australia there is even parts of it that Joshua doesn’t know.
RyanHui – is of Korean descent. He is 5″5 and has black hair, brown eyes and is slim. He is 19. He was studying medicine at university but the work became too much for him and he turned to marijuana to try and chill himself out. Because of this he failed his first year and got kicked out of university. He was so ashamed to tell his parents specifically his Korean mother that he fakes going to university and is now living on Isaac’s sofa.
IsaacLayhe – is the posh boy, who loves playing lacrosse, polo and horse racing. He is study politics at university. He is kind and caring and is extremely loyal (or so he says). He is in a relationship with Alexandra and has been for 8 months. He is tall about 6″2 and is average build he’s got ginger hair and green eyes. He is 20 years old. He offered to help out Ryan for a few months while he gained the courage to tell his parents that he got kicked out of university, that was over five months ago.
AlexandraGreen – is the girlfriend to Issac. She is extremely cleaver and is top of her class. She is studying law so she can become a defense attorney. However she might not be as clever as her peers think. She is 5″4 and has long brown hair that is always in a ponytail. She’s got brown eyes and is average weight. She is 19.
The killer – a male, you can tell by his stature; he is carrying a butchers knife. He’s wearing no shoes, exposing a tattoo on his left foot; it’s a rose with a name written underneath it, too small to read though. The rest of his body is covered, he is wearing black joggers, hoodie and gloves. He wears a bright red devil mask.
PC Dodds – she is a police constable. She is taller than the average women, about 5”9, in her late 20’s.
Plot points:
Plot point 1 – An irreverent character, PC Dodds is killed at the beginning of the film.
Plot point 2 – The protagonist and the supporting characters all receive an invitation in the mail for a exclusive party. The letter had no stamp and was signed anonymously. A sly comment is made by Cleo this foreshadows the events about to happen.
Plot point 3 – The group of five arrive at the party. They are having a good time to start with. This sets up the dynamic of the group because we get to know more about them. They are seen drinking, smoking and having a good time. The group are in a state of equilibrium.
Plot point 4 – Joshua thinks he sees someone from his past causing a flashback to a year ago where he was at a party similar to this one only he came alone but did not leave alone. This flashback totally ruins Joshua’s mood and he wants to leave the party. Cleo finally agrees to leave with him.
Plot point 5 – As Cleo and Joshua walk towards the front door there’s a knock on the front door that is all too familiar to Cleo. She tenses up and tells Joshua that she no longer a wants to leave. So her and Joshua go and get a drink.
Plot point 6 – Ryan is in a bed room getting high when he gets a phone call from his mum. When he answers the phone his mum’s voice sounds muffled and distorted. Ryan thinks this is a result of him being high so thinks little of it. He stays in the bedroom.
Plot point 7 – Issac and Alexandra are upstairs in a bed room messing around when Issac says another girls name, Alexandra quickly leaves the room.
Plot point 8 – Alexandra goes downstairs to find that people have started to leave. She heads to the garden to get some fresh air. It’s there where she sees a jacket in the pool. This shakes her up, she heads inside.
Plot point 9 – The group of friends gather together once again in the kitchen. This time a lot less happy than before. Once again Cleo references a horror film to try and bring joy to the group but only creates more fear between the five friends.
Plot point 10 – The friends realize they are the last remaining people at the party and being to head to the door. This is when a loud siren goes off and a voice is heard through the speakers. It tells the five friends to sit down in a circle.
Plot point 11 – The siren stops and the voice begins to speak. He starts talking his voice sounding vaguely familiar to Joshua. Cleo once again starts talking about horror films and how this could be a part of the saw franchise.
Plot point 12 – The voice tells them all to go to a room of there choice, but only person per room.
Plot point 13 – Isaac head to the master bedroom, Ryan heads to a bedroom in the back of the house, Cleo stays in the living room, Alex goes to the family bathroom and Joshua goes to the kitchen.
Plot point 14 – They are all faced with there
Order of events (e.g. sequence) and list of scene headings (e.g. a short description of the scene location and time of day):
Non-continuous
Linear
Joshua’s flat – morning
Cleo’s house – morning
Issac and Ryan’s flat – morning
Alexandra flat – morning
Street – night
House party – night
Parenthetical (e.g try to accent a characters speech)
Joshua – he has an Essex accent, he uses lots of gay slang in his speech. He is very outspoken and has a very confident tone.
Cleo – has an Australian accent. She is very quiet around lots of people but when in the presents of Joshua she becomes less self conscious and is very outgoing.
Ryan – is bilingual, he speaks fluent English and Korean. He has a very chilled tone when he speaks.
Issac – has a posh accent this is due to the fact he grew up in Kent. He can come across very cocky and privileged to most who don’t know him.
Alexandra– has a slight London accent. She comes across very well educated and is very articulate.
Killer – his voice is very deep and has a South London accent.
PC Dodds – has a very thick Yorkshire accent. She is very soft spoken.
Extensions (e.g. a technical note placed directly to the right of the characters name that denotes how their voice is heard):
Voice heard over PC Dodds’s radio
Isaac’s voice is heard over the phone.
At the party music playing in the background up to the siren.
Siren is heard not seen.
killers voice come through the speakers at the party.
Shot (what the camera sees)
A close up shot of the killers weapon with his reflection in it.
Writing finished within the budget.
When writing a script you need to plan for contingencies. Script productions will need to be started before everything else. Contingencies need to be put in place so that of the client does not like certain content it can be changed and reviewed again.
2.3– conventions:
Title page:
This is the title page for the movie “Scream”. As you can see above the title is presented in bold and in all caps. It is in the font Courier. The writers name is underneath the title and is not in all caps or bold.
Formatting:
This is a snip from Microsoft Word where I was customizing the margins to fit the conventions of a screenplay. The top, bottom and right margin on a screenplay are 1″. The left margin is 1.5″. The extra half-inch of white space is needed because it allows for bindings with brads, yet still imparts the feeling of a vertical balance of the text on the page.
This is a another snip from Microsoft Word where I had to make sure that my paragraphs were formatted correctly. I did this by having the lining single spaced and making the after go form 10pt to 0pt. This allows me to follow the conventions of a typical screenplay.
This is a snip of me putting page numbers on Word document. This was done to follow the conventions of a script.
Fonts – It is in the font style of Courier because when it is set to the size 12pt then it roughly is a minute of screen time per page. This is a convention that is followed by all scripts. As you can see above this is a snip taken from the first page of “Scream”, the font is in Courier and is 12pt this would roughly be about 1 minute of screen time.
Breaks- breaks are something that are used to show the person reading the script that, that scene has stopped. This is very rarely used in films but is it used a lot in TV soap dramas.
Above is another extract form the film script for “Scream”. This snip is demonstrating sluglines. A slugline is placed before each scene and it is used to set the scene and the character because this snip was taken form the start of the script the sluglines can be longer because they are trying to form and create characters as well as setting the scene.
For L01.1 I need to be able to show a good understanding of what to look for when analysing scripts from different media such as Film, TV, Radio and Game. This will then help me gain an understanding of the genre conventions and the similarities and differences between the scripts.
It is important to research scripts before planning and writing your own so you understand the conventions of scripts in different medias. This will help me analyses different media scripts in their different genres and styles.
Language:
Elaborate code – is more a formal and verbally flexible use of language. They emphasize individual verbal elaboration. The elaborate code allow (and command) people use language to be precise and explicit. It allows the speaker to clearly differentiate one idea from another. It is a universal language; it speaks to a general, non-specific audience. Whether or not people use it well is beside the cultural point of the code. The code allows and commands that people be explicit and abstract. The code separates from the listeners.
Restrictive code – is used by the working class people in implicit rather than explicit. The amount of explication and specificity in the speech of the working class is limited. Even though verbal elaboration was restricted, gestures, meaningful glances, variations in vocal tone, volume and pace were used more freely. Language is used to “signal social position”, to connect people, rather than to differentiate them from each other. Using the common speech and gestures of the group reaffirms membership in the group. The restrictive code can be seen as an essential, condensed kind of communication, that happens between in intimates. It is the kind of speech where explaining things in a general and formal was would seem strange. It is not necessarily that they are unable to produced abreaction. It is that doing so does not feel natural to them.
Mode of address – there are four types of mode of address; direct, objective, authoritative and familiar. Direct mode of address creates a semi-formal and informative audience relationship, the audience role can be described as an acquaintance or client. An example of a show that uses direct address would be BBC Watchdogs. Another mode of address is objective, this creates a audience relationship that is formal but equal and the audience role is to be a listener. An example of this would be BBC’s Dynasties. Authoritative is another mode of address, the audience relationship this creates is a formal and submissive one and the audiences role is to be a learner. An example of this is Channel 4 news. The last mode of address is familiar also known as participant. The audience relationship this creates is the illusion of social interaction and the audience role is to participate or encourage the contestants. An example of this The Chase.
Format and layout:
Pagination – In most basic terms, a screenplay is a 90-120 page document written in Courier 12pt font on 8 1/2″ x 11″ bright white three-hole punched paper. Courier font is used because one formatted page equals roughly one minute of screen time.
Margins – The top, bottom and right margins of a screenplay are 1″. The left margin is 1.5″. The extra half-inch of white space to the left of the scripts allows for binding with brads.
Scene Heading – A scene heading is a one-line description of the location and time of day of a scene, also known as the “slugline”. it should always be in CAPS. The indent information is: Indent: Left: 0.0″, Right: 0.0″, Width: 6.0″ .
Subheader – When a new scene heading is not necessary, but some distinction needs to be made in the action, you can use a subheader. A good example is when there are a series of quick cuts between two locations, you would use the term INTERCUT and the scene locations. The indent information is: Indent: Left: 0.0″, Right: 0.0″, Width: 6.0″ .
Action – The narrative description of the events of a scene, written in the present tense. The indent information is: Indent: Left: 0.0″, Right: 0.0″, Width: 6.0″ .
Character – When a character is introduced, their name should be capitalized within the action. A character’s name is CAPPED and always listed above his lines of dialogue. Minor characters may be listed without names. The indent information: Indent: Left: 2.0″, Right: 0.0″, Width: 4.0″.
Dialogue – Lines of speech for each character. Dialogue format is used anytime a character is heard speaking, even for off-screen and voice-over. The indent information: Indent: Left: 1.0″, Right: 1.5″ Width: 3.5″
Parenthetical – A parenthetical remark is NOT centered under the character name. A parenthetical remark can be an attitude, verbal direction or action direction for the actor who is speaking the part. Parenthetical should be short, to the point, descriptive, and only used when absolutely necessary. The indent information: Indent: Left: 1.5″, Right: 2.0″, Width: 2.5″.
Extension – placed after the character’s name, in the parentheses. It is an abbreviated technical note placed after the character’s name to indicate how the voice will be heard on screen.
Transition – Transitions are film editing intructions, and generally only appear in a shooting script. Examples of transition verbiage; cut to/from, dissolve to/from, smash cut, quick cut, fade to/from. The indent information: Indent: Left: 4.0″, Right: 0.0″, Width: 2.0″.
Shot – A shot tells the reader the focal point within a scene has changed. Examples of shots; angle on, extreme close up, pan to, POV (point of view), medium, long. The indent information: Indent: Left: 0.0″, Right: 0.0″, Width: 6.0″.
Three-act scripts:
Act I: The Setup – The first act is where all the major characters of the story are introduced, plus the world where they live, and the conflict that will move the story forward. The first act also establishes genre. The writer has the freedom to create any setting and reality and it’s in the first pages of the script that he defines the reasoning and logic for their story. Act I must present a strong hook, this is an exciting scene early in the script that grabs the audience’s interest. Part of the hook is the inciting incident that takes place somewhere in the beginning of Act I. This inciting incident often provokes a change in the protagonist’s routine; something new they experience that could either challenge or encourage them. Act I ends with the first plot point of the movie, this is a major twist that provokes the beginning of a new act.
Act II: Confrontation – The second act is the longest, encompassing half of the movie and taking place between the first and third acts. The writer creates subplots to keep the audiences interested. The subplot is a minor story layered under the main narrative. it often adds a three-dimensional aspect to the characters by allowing them to engage in a behavior that is not necessarily connected to the main plot, but still relevant in the overall narrative and often linked to a central theme. Sometimes subplots can foreshadow the resolution in Act III. The second act may be a moment in which the hero leaves his comfort zone, which fuels the writer with another set of possibilities. Also in the second act the stakes escalate. If the hero is “on the fence” or confused about what they should do, then something must happen by the midpoint of the script to make his goal clear. A pivotal element of his escalation inherent to Act II is plot point II, which catapults the story into the third and final act. Much like plot point II also affects the main character by changing direction they’re headed. The difference is that the stakes are much higher. This is often a moment of crisis, in which all hope seems lost.
Act III: Resolution – The last act, Act III presents the final confrontation of the movie, followed by the denouement. This act is usually the shortest in length because quickly after plot point II the main character is face to face with the antagonist, and the showdown ensues and then the conclusion. Act III contains a moment labelled as mandatory; the confrontation between hero and villain, the clash between good and evil. The third act is also when ties up any loose ends and offers a resolutions to the subplots, the resolution can also give extra information for a more elaborate character arc.
Angle of article:
The angle is what point of view you take on the issue you are presenting.
Bias – If a newspaper article is biased, this means that an unfair preference for someone or something affected the way the reporter wrote the piece. The reporter might favor one side of a debate or a particular politician, and this could cloud the reporting.
Style:
Single-Stranded – If a story that has one central character or hero acting in a single plot while surrounded by a group of minor characters, you’re encountering a narrative that has a single strand. Even though there is an antagonist who probes and tries to get in the way of the protagonist, a single strand narrative will always keep the focus on the protagonist and highlight his story and adventures above anything else going on.
Multi-stranded – Many works are made up of multiple narrative strands. Instead of a single hero and a group of supporting characters, a narrative with multiple strands can have two or more isolated groups of characters existing at once. By juxtaposing strands – groups with their own central characters — the audience will not only be concerned about the action and outcome of each strand, but of how the strands relate to one another.
Linear – A narrative is a story that includes plot, characters, setting, climax and resolution. Linear narratives present stories in a logical manner by telling what happens from one point in time to the next without using flashbacks or flash-forwards and then returning to the present.
Non-Linear – Non-linear narrative is a narrative technique where events are portrayed out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative doesn’t follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured such as parallel distinctive plot lines.
Exposition – It is the insertion of important background information within a story; for example, information about the setting, characters’ backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc. This is placed at the beginning of the script.
Type:
Fiction – Fiction broadly refers to any narrative that is derived from the imagination; in other words, not based strictly on history or fact.
Non-Fiction – Non-fiction refers to when all the content is truthful and accurate of the events, people or information presented. It can also be presented objectively or subjectively.
Genre – may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre’s are any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed upon conventions developed over time. The conventions and typical features that categorize scripts into certain groups called a genre.
1.2 Analysis of scripted media products across a range of genres.
Film Script: Scream (World cinema)
This snip above shows how a classic film script is set out. The format is conventional. The phase “RINGING TELEPHONE” is in all caps to tell the props and editing crew what they need to do. Another conventional thing that is done in this script is the use of capitalization on the name of the character the first time they are seen. Another thing that can be seen in this snip is the “MAN” voice is coming through the phone this is shown through the parenthetical “(from phone)”. The camera actions are also in caps. Lastly the “INT KITCHEN” is used to show the people using the script where the scene is placed.
This snip shows once again longline. This snip also shows the start of the films Act III. This is when the final confrontation between the protagonist and antaganist will happen. The exposition paragraph highlighted in this snip shows that this scene is taking place at a party, which is a conventional spot used is slasher films.
This snip is the end of Act III, this is where the final confrontation has happened. A usual convention for slasher films to use is a plot twist ending to constantly keep the audience on the edge of their seats.
Film Script: The Favorite (UK cinema)
This shows that the pagination of the script is 114 pages which is true to the films length of 112 minutes. This shows that when a script is in 12pt Courier that the script will pan out a page a minute. This is something every script will do.
This snip was taken to show the conventions of a script. The logline shows where the scene is taking place. As you can see “Abigail’s” name is in caps. The language used is more elaborate code than restrictive because it’s very formal and regal
This is an example of the script writers using the technique of parenthetical to show how and actor is supposed to deliver their lines. As you can see the layout of this script is the exact same to the other film scripts I’ve looked at however they are different to both TV documents and news scripts as well as radio.
Film Script: Call Me By Your Name (European cinema)
This is the first page of the script to the film “Call Me By Your Name” this can be seen by the page number highlighted in the corner. This is a convention for most scripts. Another convention for scripts is the slugline. These are used to show the location and time of day. The last convention that can be seen in this snip is that the characters first appearance is capital letters; both Elio’s name and Mazia’s name are capitalized. “Call Me By Your Nam” has a linear narrative
Above is an example of another script convention; parenthetical. This is used to show attitude, verbal direction or action direction for the actor who is speaking the part. Annella is showing an example of restrictive code even though verbal elaboration was restricted, gestures, meaningful glances, variations in vocal tone, volume and pace were used more freely. Language is used to “signal social position”, to connect people, rather than to differentiate them from each other.
This paragraph highlighted above shows a flashback of images. This is something that is done a lot in films to, we know its a flashback because of the “rapid movements”. This is something i’m going to consider using in my script because it’s a good technique to use. It is a single stranded narrative this is when a story that has one central character or hero acting in a single plot while surrounded by a group of minor characters, you’re encountering a narrative that has a single strand. It is also a linear narrative story it includes a plot, characters, setting, climax and resolution. Linear narratives present stories in a logical manner by telling what happens from one point in time.
This script is very similar to the other film scripts I have analysed.
TV Script: Our Girl (Drama)
This is season 1, episode 1 from BBC drama ‘Our Girl’ something that is obvious whilst comparing a TV script to a film script is the amount of depth of exposition there is at the start of the script. This may because the writers are trying to create depth of the characters very early on to hook people into the program. It is also because a storyline needs to fully established so the audience can follow it easier. Another convention that can be seen in this script is that when the characters are introduced there names are capped. This can be seen on both Molly Dawes name and Corporal Jackman. Also the TV scripts differ from a film script through the sluglines. This is because they have a time on as well as having what music is playing. This is needed because it useful for many people; the location is useful for the director, the music is useful for the editors and the time can be useful for the actors. Lastly all dialogue is put on to a script even if its off of the screen this is shown with the dialogue from Private Dawes who is speaking through a radio voice over.
I think that this script has both restrictive and elaborate language in it. When the soldiers speak to each other they use more of a restrictive code, this can be seen when Molly is talking to Smurf. When Smurf first talks to Molly he uses a nickname this is restrictive code because this type of language code is about connecting people through language. The restrictive code can be seen as an essential, condensed kind of communication, that happens between in intimates. It is seen further into the conversation when Molly abbreviates the word because to “…cos”. Another thing that strengths the fact that they use restrictive code in the presents of others in the same social position as them is the use of actions and tone used. Even though verbal elaboration was restricted, gestures, meaningful glances, variations in vocal tone, volume and pace were used more freely. This is shown when Smurf touches his chin and when Molly’s voice gets “increasing anxious”.
However when the soldiers are talking to people higher up then them they use a elaborate code. This can be seen When James is talking to Molly and Smurf with their use of “sir”; the elaborate code allow (and command) people use language to be precise and explicit. When talking to James they are more precise with the words they say this further reinforces the fact they use the elaborate code in the presence of people higher up then them. And it is elaborate code because James uses specialists terms and abbreviations that not everyone will know “I’ll be leading a P.T session”. Also as you can see in these specific snips you can see the phrase “(CONT’D)” this is a convention that is used to indicate a character is still speaking. It’s a signal to the reader (and the actor) that the character is continuing the same thought, regardless of the intervening action. This is seen when James is talking to the group of soldiers and then Smurf takes a step forward when James continue to talks after this action the script says “James (CONT’D)”.
TV Script: Documentary
This is a TV documentary script. As you can see above it is very different to the rest of the scripts I have analysed. It has been split into two sections; visuals and audio. This is to help out the cameramen and editors so they are aware when certain clips and pieces of audio need to be show.
The mode of address for a documentary is objective, this creates a audience relationship that is formal but equal and the audience role is to be a listener. The code that is used in documentary’s is the elaborate code is a universal language; it speaks to a general, non-specific audience. Whether or not people use it well is beside the cultural point of the code. The code allows and commands that people be explicit and abstract. The code separates from the listeners. Another convention of documentary’s is they are non-fiction refers to when all the content is truthful and accurate of the events, people or information presented.
TV Script: EastEnders (Soap)
This is a conventional soap script with the scenes logline at the start of a new scene. Just like in the TV drama there is a big bit of exposition at the being of the episode this is to establish the particular story line in this episode. However where this differs from the drama script is the actors name is to the side of the dialog rather than on top, this is something I have seen used in radio drama. Also the parenthetical are to the side of the name as well, next to the speech.
These snips above show that soaps like EastEnders are multistranded stories. There are many different characters with they’re own stories as well as a big one that seems to effect them all. The stories are usually linear to mimic real life, the issues they talk about also mimic real life even through the stories are fictional.
These snips show the cliff hanger ending, this is the end of Act III. This is done to keep people hooked so they come back tomorrow to watch the next episode. The transition “Fade Out” is used to show the editor what the writers want to happen.
TV Script: (News broadcasting )
This script above is for a TV news broadcasting script. It looks slightly like a TV documentary script in layout but the context is very different. This is a very typical news broadcasting script. It is split into three sections; timing, video and audio. The timing is to show the presenters as well as the crew ( e.g. cameramen) how long they have to talk about certain topics . The video section is mostly for the editors to know when to add the A-roll (the primary footage for non-narrative or interview based film, and usually refers to footage that directly relates to the moment) or the B-roll (supplemental or alternative footage inter cut with the main shot). This is convention that is used mainly TV news broadcasting. The Audio section is once again for the crew to know when to have the cameras on the person talking as well as the editors to know when to add the voice overs and it acts as a script for the presenters to know what they are saying.
TV news broadcasting and news in general are non-fiction, based solely off of facts. New tends to have an authoritative mode of address, the audience relationship this creates is a formal and submissive one and the audiences role is to be a learner.
Radio Script: Abigail Adams (Drama)
This snip above is from a radio drama. The layout of this script is very different to all the other scripts I’ve looked at; it does not follow the normal conventions. The exposition is in all caps and is underlined throughout the script, this is not done in film or TV scripts. Another thing about the layout that is different is the names of the characters are not above the dialog and are not centralized. Something else that can be seen in this snip is the character Abigail has parenthetical next to her dialog instead of her name which is another difference in this script from film and TV. However the parenthetical is used to show the actor how they need to say a certain phrase based on the writers and directors vision.
The end of page three is the end of Act 1. before this we meet the characters and a big plot point (her jumping of the building) happened too. A convention for radio dramas is for the presenter of the stations signs off the drama, this is to show that it has ended as well as tell the audience who it is by. Another thing that makes radio scripts differ from TV and radio ones is that the page number is at the bottom of the page instead of the right hand corner. A radio drama will run for several weeks/ months, so when it says scene 2 this will be played a week later. This is a non-linear narrative because there is a flashback to the time before she jumps. It is also a fictional story.
Radio Script: Radio 4 18hrs script (Radio News)
This snip above is to show what a radio news script looks like. This doesn’t really look like any other script apart from radio current affairs script. The word Portsmouth is highlighted because it is the start of a news story, it tells the presenter what the news story is on. As you can see further down the presenter speaks this is shown by “SMITH” as then dialog. This is like the soap script where the name is to the side and the dialogue follows it. Lastly as you can see that a clip is played, this is in there to show the editors when to play it and the presenter when to stop talking.
As you can see this script doesn’t follow the conventions I have spoken about throughout the rest of these analysis. The font is not in Courier and I don’t think it’s in 12pt which means it not a page per minute. As you can see above the highlighted sections show SFX and more clips being played this to add more dimension into the scripts rather than it being just people talking.
Radio Script: Any Questions ? Radio 4 (Current affairs program)
This is a radio current affairs programme. This script is similar to the radio news one but has more structure and dialog. The script is still not in a conventional formate with in not being in Courier and the font size not bein 12pt. This script tells you who’s going to be presenting this seems to be a convention for this type of script. This script however has the name of the main presenters on the top of their speech but not centralised like in the films and TV drama script. However something it does still use is parentheticals as you can see with the highlighted “clapping”.
Game Script: Max Payne (Video Game)
These snips below are from the video game Max Payne. As you can see it is very different to all of the scripts I’ve analysed above. There is a table of contents that is to show the game maker what to do. The layout to this script is very different. Just like other scripts we’ve seen mostly radio ones the speech is to the side of the character. However unlike the radio it does in fact use Courier and seems to be in 12pt which makes it resemble the script of a film. This video game script has logline making more like a film script also. However something that is different to all the others is the exposition is in brackets, this must’ve be to show the game maker the difference between speech and exposition. This video game has a non-linear story because it starts with a flashback, and has a single stranded narrative. The story is also fictional. None of the names are in caps and this is another convention that is broken through video scripts.
Includes several sub-plots (family, personal life and background)
Aimed to educate or inspire
C1, C2, D
Fly on the wall
Ad Hoc
Scripted
Narration
Idea generation for a video game
First Person shooter
Soldier, private early ranks
Protagonist faces early challenges, team death
Rat / Traitor
Near death experience
Possible reminiscent of love life, family
Wants to get promoted
Flashbacks to early life, training to become a soldier
Strong minded female team mate
Real historic events
Veteran narrator/ voice in privates head
Platform
2-D
Limited dialogue
Cartoon interaction
Speech bubbles
Bright colors
Extremely mild violence
Idea generation for a short film
Drug gang in suburb in London
Two main male protagonists
One of the gang members in prison
18+
Sexual referencing
Violence
Drug use
Prison life
Corrupt guards
Inmate ran prison
Falsely convicted protagonist
Weak
Needs to get stronger
Cell mate dies
Very graphic crime
Grueling fights
Protagonist used to be pro boxer
Has to win fights to shorten his sentence
Corrupt promoter
Here is a mood-board I created once completing my idea generating session. I have chosen to base my script around prison and gang culture. It is going to be a drama and these series’ featured on the mood board has inspired the ideas made for my scripted episode. Whilst ‘The Fear of 13’ is a documentary the fear of Nick Yaris as he is incarcerated is something that inspired me to make a young member of society scared of prison life and learn the ropes of prison the hardest way possible. Prison break and Top Boy were my main influences as both the main themes in my script is based around the main themes in them two shows. The relationship between Micheal Scofield and his cell mate was an idea I wanted to run with as it can play a vital part in the protagonists survival. Also the relationship of the two best friends in Top Boy was also something I took inspiration from. No matter what happened they always had each other. In a show such as the one I am scripting, having a narrative of a bond being built was a goal I strived for when thinking of ideas for my refined piece.
Once I had decided my genre and area of script I was creating. I conducted a mind map to generate more specific ideas about my scripted piece.
Protagonist – (e.g. the main character)
A newly admitted inmate faces the biggest challenge of his life, which is to serve a two year stretch in one of the UK’s most notorious prisons. Barrett Alward is a 21-year-old drug runner under one of London’s most hated gangs. This is his first time serving in prison and his mum refuses to see or speak to him. Barrett is appealing to the audience as his home life is very typical of a working-class white male whereas away from home, he is a very different male. This makes him more relatable to the audience as he is an average male.
Characters – (e.g. cast and supporting cast and what is required for each)
Prison leader- Mass murderer, Leon, evil and twisted. Massive man, 6 foot 5 and 300 lbs. Hates the gang Barrett works for, so he makes his time as bad as possible. Manipulative.
Barrett’s mentor- American fugitive held in UK, Short, old, wise. Helps and mentors Barrett throughout his sentence. Very gentlemanly. Serves more of a voice than a person, a lot of speech without image.
Barrett’s mum- Drug user, wants a way out of poverty. Very loving and caring until Barrett’s crime is unraveled
The rat- Works for Leon, helps Barrett with what he needs, tries to plot to kill Leon, gets brutally beaten by Leon whilst Barrett watches. He is very hard to understand, covered in tattoos, mysterious, unnamed.
Plot Points (e.g. incident, lock-in, first culmination, main culmination, twist)
Plot point 1- Barrett is carrying his blankets through the corridors to his cell, as he is walking, he acknowledges an inmate discreetly talking on thephone, he is caught staring and instantly looks back at the ground.
Plot point 2- Barrett enters the yard, Leon is waiting for him, Leon sees a locket Barrett has around his neck with a picture of his mum. Leon rips off the locket and throws it over the fence. As it lands Barrett flashes back to his mother putting the locket around his neck. It will then flashback again to his mother using the last bit of her savings to buy the locket.
Plot point 3- He meets his cell mate ‘Irish’, who will be the pivotal point in Barrett’s survival. In this plot point ‘Irish’ has the play ‘Oliver Twist’ on his bed, this then causes a flashback. (Extreme close up of the cover of book then camera zooms out and it’s the cover of the DVD) it is his mums favourite, and this causes Barrett to break down- Sparks relationship between Irish and Barrett. Irish’s reflection is seen in a glazed window, adds ambiguity. Shows him more as a voice rather than an image
Plot point 4- Barrett is walking to the canteen and he spots the same inmate on the phone. He enters this mysterious inmate’s cell and ask if he can use the phone, the man replies telling him he will need Barrett to do a few favors in order to get a phone call.
Plot point 5- After lunch, Barrett finds the cell empty and starts to search for the phone and eventually finds it and takes it back to his cell.
Plot point 6- As the episode is coming to an end, Barrett is trying to recall the digits of his mother’s number, as he is doing so 3 of Leon’s gang walk into the cell and we see Barrett taking a beating. After 10-15 seconds the camera pans to a picture of his mother on the wall as blood is splatting on it. This is to foreshadow the decline of Barrett’s and his mother’s relationship.
Order of events (sequence, continuity, act divisions) List of scene headings
Non-continuous
Non-linear
Jail cell – morning
Jail yard- morning
Flashback to childhood, household
Jail cell
Flash back to household, watching Oliver Twist with his mother
Jail corridors
Inmates cell- stealing phone
Own cell
Parenthetical (characters accents – an inflection to a speech noted by a writer)
Barrett – Sub-urban slang, heavy London accent, very outspoken, respectful
Leon – South London accent, uses cockney rhyming slang
Irish – Irish American accent, very wise, articulate language, well spoken
Extensions (denotes how a voice is heard, mainly off-screen noises)
Always sounds of inmates shouting, mainly abuse
When Barrett focusses on the Oliver twist play, close up of cover, Irish speaking asking if he is okay whilst Barrett is transitioning to the flashback
Whilst he is getting beaten up, camera pans upwards and cheers of other inmates are heard very prominently
Transition (editorial transitions)
First flashback, quick cut to mum putting locket around his neck, symbolizes memory and builds narrative of their relationship
Quick cuts as he is entering the prison, each cut is new inmate. Suggest anxiousness.
Extreme close up of Oliver Twist front cover.
Fade into second flashback of Oliver front cover turning into the cover of DVD case
Pan when Barrett is being beat up to picture of his mum being splattered in blood, shows decline of their relationship, foreshadows their relationship dying.
Close up of Barrett’s face whilst he is getting beaten up. Signifies pain he is in.
Each flashback, colour corrections.
Fades to/from flashbacks.
Synopsis
A young ‘hood-lum’ named Barrett is a well-known drug runner for one of London’s most hated gang. His biggest fight is now surviving a two year stretch in one of the World’s scariest lock-ups. The first episode of the series, a significant part of Barrett’s life is his mum, throughout the episode we learn more about his life before crime. After meeting his cell mate ‘Irish’ the pot of gold seems to be further out of reach as Barrett takes a brutal initiation in his cell.
2.3 Conventions of a TV script
Heres is the front and back page of a TV series the ‘Bodyguard’. The title is centralised and written in courier font. It is also bold and capitalised, unlike in film scripts the writers name is on the front it is placed on the back page within the credits. Another convention of a TV script from a series is to have the episode number underneath the title of the show.
Formatting
Here is the setup for the margins of a screenplay. The top, bottom and right hand side of the page. Each of which is 1 inch in size. However the left hand side of the page is half an inch larger to allow for the bindings.
This snip shows the conventional spacing for screenplays. Scripts have single spacing to set out the timing of each page. The timing for each page in a script is roughly one minute, which is a common convention across all scripts.
This is the font choice for every script as once it again it ensures each page is roughly a minute in length.
Here it is evident that the ‘Bodyguard’ does not feature any page breaks. This is because the episode is continuous. Page breaks are only used to show the end of key sequences or indicates the structure of the three acts scripts. In soap operas, page breaks are also used to show location changes.
Slug lines –
Fade in- This should be the very first piece of text on a script. This is aligned on the top left of the screen. This should be capitalised but not in bold.
Scene Heading- This is a one line description that shows the location and time of day that the scene is in. This is also called a log line. This is once again capitalised and is in bold.
Transition- This is to show a change in time or location. This editorial transition is right aligned. The transition is also capitalised.
Character- A character’s name is always centralised and is placed directly above the speech. It is always in bold as it then becomes clear to see who is saying what. There is not a gap between the character’s name and also the dialogue.
Dialogue- The characters dialogue is two tabs across from the left and is the lines of speech for each character.
Subheader- This is a heading that is used for when a full scene heading is not needed. The sub heading is aligned on the left of the page and is capitalised but not in bold.
Parenthetical- This is the manipulation of voice that will portray an emotion or attitude.
Mores and Continueds- This indicates the same character is speaking whilst a page changes to the next one.
Extension- This is a note placed after the characters name. This will show how the voice will be heard. whether is be on or off the screen.
Page Number- This indicates what page of the script is. It helps construct an order for the actors to follow and also makes scenes or events easier to find. The number is located half an inch from the top of the page and is aligned on the right of the page.
2.1 – Creating ideas for scripted elements using blue sky thinking.
Some genres of media have different styles within them, for example a soap can be lighthearted and up lifting or it can have a serious and realistic tone. Depending on the channel it is distributed on a soap can have a different structure, for example soaps on the BBC does not have to allow room to cut to advertising slots.
Another example of a difference in style is with documentaries, some use a fly on the wall style where the crew does not interact with the subject and just leave cameras to record everyday life, others are ad hoc which means people involved in the documentary will be interviewed or asked to do certain things.
Mood board
2.2 – Refined ideas for a short film
Protagonist (e.g. the main character, hero, audience appeal)
Marcel Quinn
A down on his luck professional boxer in the twilight of his career. At 34 years old he never hit the heights that people expected him to, due to the pressures outside the ring.
He is small for his division but makes up for it in speed.
He has audience appeal as he is an underdog with heart and has been through a lot in his life.
He is an African American man to show equal representation between ethnicities
Characters (e.g. cast and supporting cast and what is required for each)
Opponent – Micky O’Hara, a tall muscular Irish man, he is trying to make a name for himself by knocking out an older veteran. He is arrogant and talks trash throughout the fight
Trainer – Julio, an old Hispanic man with very traditional values and training methods. He is infuriated with Marcel for not fighting as best as he can.
Commentators – The commentators are very biased against the protagonist and describe the fight for people who know little about boxing.
Mob boss – A stereotypical suit wearing mysterious mob boss. He demands respects and wears a hat that hides most of his face. We never know his name or fully see his face.
Son – Michael, a young delicate boy, he is more academic than his father and Marcel sees a future for him outside of boxing.
Plot points (e.g. incident, lock-in, first culmination, main culmination, twist)
ACT I
The first scene is the two fighters touching gloves before the fight. We don’t know anything about the two fighters but their demeanour and body shape is enough, we know who is there to win.
With every significant blow to the protagonist we get a flashback to a moment leading up to the fight.
The first flashback is to the protagonist wining a silver medal at the Olympics. He looks in considerably better shape and his hair is a lot more tidy.
Throughout the fight there is flashbacks to Marcel giving life lessons to his son.
We see him fighting in a title eliminator on HBO PPV, this is his big moment. He wins the fight by knockout. He celebrates with his wife and son.
When the protagonist is first knocked down we see his son lying in a hospital bed, he is clearly very ill. The doctor is talking about how much the medical bills will cost.
ACT II
We see the protagonist heroically rise to his feet, flashback to him walking out to fight for the title fight, he is clearly distracted and not in shape. He is knocked out early.
He is struggling to pay for his son’s treatment and is losing more and more fights. He goes to the mob boss to ask for help.
He is told to lose on purpose so the mob can bet on his fights.
When he finally feels as if he has enough money we see him at a funeral.
After the death of his son he is still offered money to fix the fight, he takes the money. He is told to go down in the eighth.
The eighth round starts and he is very quickly knocked down. As the ref counts to ten he has a quick succession of flashbacks about his son, he rises to his feet with a second left, inspired by his child.
ACT III
After standing he is a new fighter. He is landing crisp combinations and barely being hit. As he is landing we hear voice over from his son. He finished the fight with a huge overhand right, there is no need for a count.
We see the mob boss looking angry and telling a henchmen to sort this out, the final shot is Marcel on his knees celebrating and visibly crying.
Parenthetical (e.g. try to accent a character’s speech – as in Bob (wryly) – an inflection to a speech noted by a writer)
Trainer speaks in a heavy accent, he is frantic and screaming.
Mob boss is Italian, he speaks very slowly and calmly.
Marcel’s voice changes from very cool and confident to deep and emotional as the story goes on.
O’Hara uses very short sentences with a lot of anger and passion in his voice.
Extensions (e.g. a technical note placed directly to the right of the character’s name that denotes how their voice is heard)
The corners are almost constantly shouting. Marcel’s corner is louder and more frequent, they are telling him to jab, put his hands up etc. O’Hara’s are much less consistent and only say things like good job or keep it going.
In the hospital scene there is an extreme close up on Marcel while the doctor is talking very calmly and smoothly off screen
During the part where he rises to his feet we hear voice over of his son.
Transition (e.g. notation denoting an editing transition)
When he is knocked down it will fade to a flashback to symbolize him losing consciousness.
When a punch triggers a flashback it will be a cut to symbolize the snap of the punch.
During the fight scenes the camera never cuts, it helps maintain the tension and shows the brutality of a real fight.
Fade back into the fight.
A lot of shot reverse shot during conversations.
Point of view shot during the fight to create an intimate atmosphere.
Shot what the camera sees, (e.g. wide)
Wide shots of the arenas he fights in to show how enthusiastic the crowd is for each fight and how many people showed up.
Close ups of him and his son in the ring celebrating his fight.
Medium shots of the mob boss so we don’t get too much detail, which keeps him mysterious.
Medium longshots of him in the corner between rounds. Allows you to see the team working on him like a race car in the pit lane.
Extreme close up of Marcel in the hospital.
Synopsis
Marcel Quinn is a down on his luck ageing boxer, he never reached the potential that so many people ascribed to him. He now fights in small half filled theatres against fighters looking to make a name of a faded boxer. After the death of his child, Quinn started talking bribes to fix fights and now in his retirement fight he decides to try and go out on a win. Throughout the fight we see the series of events that led him to where he is now and how the dark underworld of boxing affected him.
2.3 Conventions of a short film
Title page
The script has the title of the movie centralised using iconography from the film. The writers are featured on the first page in the font courier in pt.12, which is standard for all scripts.
Formatting
Font – Courier font is used for the sake of timing, every page of a text in courier font is roughly a minute of on screen time.
Margin –
The margin of the page should be 1.5 inches from the left of the page. This will help the timing of the script so that every page reaches roughly a minute.
The page number will be formatted so that it is placed in the top right of every page
Breaks –
During Shaun of the dead there is a page break just before the montage. This is done as the text now has to be split into to columns due to the complexity of the montage.
Slug lines –
Fade in – The very first item on the first page should be these words.
Scene Heading – A one line description of the location and time of day of the scene.
Characters first appearance – A description of the character name is CAPPED.
Character – A character’s name always appear above the dialogue.
Transition – Film editing instructions
Dialogue – Lines of speech for each character
Sub header – For when a full scene heading is not necessary
Parenthetical – Action or attitude direction for a character
Extension – A note placed after the characters name to indicate how the voice will be heard on screen.
Mores and Cont’d – Used between pages to indicate the same character is still speaking.
Whitley Y13 Media Unit 22 