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There are many different kinds
of script used in making film and television programmes. Indeed,
some people make holiday movies without any written notes whatsoever.
But if you're more than a one
man band, you soon learn that the more preparation and organisation
you do before the shoot, the easier and better life is later.
You wouldn't start to build a house without a detailed
set of plans; don't try to build a blockbuster movie without the
same sort of planning. So you need to be able to read a script
and understand it.
Even more important, if you're writing a script make
sure it's in the format an agent or producer expects. If it isn't
even the best script will end up in the 'pass' tray.
Single Camera (Location) or Multi-Camera
(Studio)
Scripts come in two main flavours; one kind for location
work using single camera techniques and a more comprehensive kind
for multi-camera television productions. Let's start off with the single
camera style; what's called the 'Hollywood layout'.
Click
on the link to see an example; it should load into a separate
page so you can look at it side by side with this.
Although everybody now uses word processors to write,
variants on a 'typewriter' font seem to make the script feel familiar.
| 1 |
The name of the production. Often
this is a working title. It's usually on the top of every page,
and often on the bottom as well. |
| 2 |
The scene number. If a scene goes
over a page, most people put this line again, but with (continued). |
| 3 |
Exterior or Interior. Vital information
for lighting. |
| 4 |
The actual location. |
| 5 |
Continuous action from the last
scene. If action isn't continuous, indicate where we are in
time, especially the time of day. |
| 6 |
Writers usually indicate the important
element in each shot of a scene by using capital letters. So
this will almost certainly end up as a three shot. |
| 7 |
A new person, animal or thing is
usually indicated with capitals depending on its importance
to the plot. |
| 8 |
Who speaks and what she says. Names
are usually in upper case, bold, centre justified. Dialogue
text is usually half or one third the width of descriptive
text. |
| 9 |
Stage instructions in the middle
of text are in parentheses. Some people like to use capitals.
Some people use capitals for all descriptive text and stage
directions. |
Hollywood or location or single camera scripts are
fairly straightforward. Because you're only shooting one shot at
a time, there's plenty of opportunity to clarify with other people
what's needed for the next setup. The multi-camera script, though,
is a different sort of animal.
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