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Television and Film Script Writing

Ask questions about structuring stories, building characters, enhancing conflict and the creative process involved with writing a scripted story.

353 Questions

Do I still have to write (CONT'D) when the character is a voice over and if so would it be written like this CHARACTER (V.O) (CONT'D)?

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Asked by Wiki User

Your question includes Arthur, a character being heard as a voice over, and action. Here is an example of how you can write this sequence. Use standard script formatting:

EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY

Mavis and Arthur swing on the swing set.

ARTHUR - VO

Mavis and I liked to swing together.

Mavis falls off the swing. Arthur jumps off his swing and rushes to her side.

ARTHUR - VO (CON'T)

Her fall scared me. I didn't know what to do.

How can you get your musical script read by someone important?

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Asked by Wiki User

Regardless of the genre, getting 'someone important' to read it depends on your definition of 'someone important'.

You may be able to connect through musical genre networks to a potential producer, once your reputation earns you a spot in that network. Otherwise, you can enter your script into script contests and it may succeed on its own merits.

Where do you put stage directions in a script before or after the speech?

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Asked by Kiah1

now. think to yourself. does the actor need to move somewhere/do something before or after the words. whichever way it happens, there's your answer.

Another Answer

Depending on the medium that you're writing for, there is a specific format to follow so that all collaborators involved can read the details required in order for each to perform their jobs in telling the story.

Usually, 'stage directions' or 'action lines' appear at the top of a scene, once the scene is located and lit. In a film script, for example, this is the sequence:

INT. DOWNWORTH ABBY, DRAWING ROOM -- DAY

The mood is tense, even battle-ready as the owner confronts the butler.

[indented] LORD WORTH

[indented] Mr Brent, we need to discuss the keys to the wine cabinet.

Can someone list any production companies accepting unsolicited scripts or treatments?

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Asked by FilltheBlank

With what you have to offer, you don't want 'a (random) list'.

You want to find production companies that produce stories like the one you're telling. For example, sending your script to Jerry Bruckheimer's production company -- if its a romance -- is probably not a good idea.

One free source for the names of production companies is available on the IMDb Web site, below. Your job is to identify films like yours, then look up their production companies and approach only those who could possibly be interested.

NB: Unsolicited scripts and treatments are rarely read by anyone who receives them. A better suggestion is to enter your completed script into script contests. (Again, find the appropriate genre.) Those scripts -- at least the first 10-20 pages -- are read.

What is a loose plot in film?

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Asked by Wiki User

The term 'loose plot' is not a phrase that any screenwriter aims for in telling a story on film.

In a film plot, however, there are

  • 'loose ends': story elements that are not resolved
  • 'red herrings': clues included to mislead the audience on purpose

A loose plot could be a term used by a critic to describe a period drama funded to show off the scenery or the characters in costume that lacks dramatic tension or comedic relief, and so forth.

How would a little girl express affection for a boy?

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Asked by Dandigi90

It's always most engaging to reveal a child's innocence and purity of emotion, especially if that is the state of the child in your story.

In real life, until they learn differently from adults, children have a tendency to touch others with a very light, exploratory touch.

They touch others with kindness, so picking lint off the sleeve of another's sweater, or kicking a rock out the way for another person as the two walk together are examples. A child might share a precious toy or sentimental object.

Do actors often have a great deal of creative input on the script of a film?

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Asked by Wiki User

Depending on the actor, the shooting script can be altered on the set, or not, again, depending on the actor.

Is dialogue in films different from dialogue in literature and drama?

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Asked by Wiki User

Essentially dialog is dialog, wherever it's found.

In literature, spoken words are identified within quote marks. The context of the dialog is contained within the context-describing text.

In film, spoken words -- by actors -- are contained within the context of the rest of the story being told visually.

What is the difference between major characters and supporting characters?

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Asked by Wiki User

A major character is the focus of the story. Major characters are different at the end of the story than they were at the beginning of a story. The same is not so true of supporting characters.

What is film script writing?

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Asked by Wiki User

A (film) script is a series of pages written in a tight format that tells a story. A script is used by all the people involved in making a film to tell the story using film as a medium.

People who use the script include:

  • Producers (to fund the film)
  • Directors (to direct the shoot and the post-production tasks)
  • Actors (to perform in front of the camera)
  • Director of photography (to decide which film stock, cameras and lenses to use for each scene)
  • Costume, makeup, set decoration teams (to put together accessories for the film)
  • Sound team (to supplement the story with sound effects)
  • Casting, production design, art direction, visual and special effects teams
  • Post-production teams, music teams
  • And so forth

How should I make my egg-drop device. I can use 5 sheets of paper 10 straws and unlimited scotch tape. It can be 20cm tall and 30 cm wide. Do you have any ideas?

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Asked by Wiki User

The first thing that comes to mind is for you to bend the paper like a chute, support the four corners at the required height and tilt it slightly downward, make the next level 90 degrees to the first so it catches the egg from the first level and bring it down to table level using the last 2 straws to pad and stop the egg like an ell shape.

How does film screenplay script look like?

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Asked by Wiki User

The screenplay format for a movie is a precise document that represents about one minute of film time. In order to maintain this standard, the type face, spacing, margins indentations and so forth are strictly dictated.

You can review a sample screenplay format, below.

There are industry standard software packages that you can use, so that your screenplay conforms to the standard used by all the people involved in reviewing, editing, updating, shooting and otherwise using it as a guide to tell the story on film.

How do you shop your screenplay to Spike Lee?

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Asked by Wiki User

Research all the contact details you can and send a printed copy of your script.

Before you send it, however, copyright it or register it, to protect your interests. As well, work with an attorney to craft a cover letter absolving Mr Lee of any conflict that may exist based on his reading of your script. (If he already has access to a script with basically the same story as yours, he doesn't want you to sue him.)

In completing your research, look for contacts for his agent, his business manager, his attorney, his CPA and so forth.

For example, you can pitch your script to producers and actors who work with Spike Lee.

As an 'outsider', there is no guaranteed direct route to any celebrity. Competition for script-reading time is intense. But if you persist, and your script is absolutely top quality, you never know what can happen.

Is the movie script of arsenic and old lace in the public domain?

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Asked by Wiki User

Warner Brothers [US] is listed as the production company for this 1944 film. You could write them and inquire as to how you could obtain a copy of the script.

What is a long line in a script story?

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Asked by Wiki User

Instead of long line, I believe you mean log line.

A log line is a meaty, crisp -- and longish -- sentence or two that briefly describes the story. Here are a few random examples from Netflix:

  • "North Face: In 1936, young German climbers face off against a rival Austrian duo in an attempt to be the first team to scale the infamous north face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps."
  • "Without a Trace: A mother's worst nightmare becomes a reality for a mom when her six-year-old son disappears one morning on his way to school. After an initial firestorm of attention from the police and media, the case grows cold."

Log lines are used to 'pitch' films to producers. They serve to open the dialog and can quickly define whether or not this producer is interested in this story.

(These examples, however, were developed from the finished films and are used to engage audiences to rent the movies. The log line, however, probably hasn't changed much from its original.)

How many pages should a movie treatment be?

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Asked by Wiki User

The number of pages in a treatment depends on two variables:

  • The depth and detail the writer wants to write
  • The depth and detail the buyer wants to read

Since the goal of a treatment is to sell a script idea to someone willing to produce it, it's a good idea to understand the minimum number of pages it takes to tell your story in enough depth so that it stands out as unique and profitable.

Here's how you can start, and then make progress:

  • Write it out. Tell everything. Empty your mind.
  • Start the first re-write by identifying key --
    • characters
    • plot points
    • twists
    • highlights
  • Complete the first re-write (re-write again until it's your best longer version)
  • Sleep on it
  • Condense the story again to its bare bones (re-write it until its your best shorter version)

In the end, you may have about four pages in the bare-bones version, and less than 20 pages in the first re-write.

For both versions, use Courier 10pt font with generous margins.

When you pitch your idea, you'll have the short version to use as a 'sales aid', and the longer version to pass along when a buyer wants more detail.

Are movie scripts copyright protected?

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Asked by Wiki User

Yes they fall under copyright protection as original literary works.

Understand, however, that pro-active action must be taken by any writer interested in protecting a script. For example, you can register your script with:

  • The Writers' Guild of America -- either East or West
  • The Library of Congress

Both offer digital registration options. Their Web sites are listed, below.

Once registered, best practices dictate that the copyright notice be included on the first page of the script.

What do you think about the taslima Nasreen Kameene if she could survive?

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Asked by Wiki User

The first two things I think are those I learn from you. One is that she is a 'kameene' and the other is that she may not survive at all. I am not 'Hindi' or 'urdu' speaking person and hence do not really know what 'kameene' exactly mean, but I guess it is an abusive description, and consequently it reveals that you are not quite fond of her. At the same time, the suggestion that she may not survive is apparently a wishfull thinking rather than a true anxiety or apprehension. Well, sir, it makes me think that you are somewhat disgusted with the path law usually takes to evaluate an offence (to you, I mean, otherwise why call her 'kameene'?) and in a disappointed state of heart want to see her dead by some means (you have not predicted exactly how). So what I primarily think of her is that she must be a lady who is disliked by persons so desperate that they start through the use of a word like 'kameene'. Then what strikes me is that she must be strong enough to defend herself legally, otherwise why should her enemies wish to see her dead before any judgment from competent authorities! These two qualities are potent enough to make any woman famous and if Ms Nasreen is out to earn fame then her enemies are helping a lot by appropriate propaganda, particularly through the language they are using. Well, is not it natural then that I think I need to know more about her and her reputation which may one day make a mark on contemporary history? She must be great!

What is framing and composition in video production?

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Asked by Wiki User

Framing comes from photography, implying that when picking the subject of a shot, one positions the subject within the frame.

Composition as well implies that the subject in the frame is surrounded by other material in the frame that either compliment or oppose the subject, depending on the purpose of the photograph.

These are basic vocabulary words used by people who tell stories on film.

In video production, you may have some ability to adjust the frame and/or distort or modify composition once you have the raw footage.

Where does the format for screenplays and TV scripts come from?

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Asked by Wiki User

history!, its one of those things that developed from play scripts in the Jacobean/Elizabethan era into the playscripts of modern day.

How can presentational devices be used in the setting of a film?

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Asked by Wiki User

If you agree that 'presentational devices' are descriptors that focus on the appearance and organization of text, then you could imagine a story about a graphic designer who works with text.

Insofar as using them in the setting of a scripted story, you could imagine an animated story based on text characters made up of different fonts, font sizes, colours and so forth, giving each character a personality.

How do you write a silent film script?

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Asked by Wiki User

A script for a no-dialog, voiceless film -- essentially a silent film -- is the same as any other script. The story has a beginning, a middle and an end. And there is no dialog to write.

Your challenge as the script writer is to imagine enough visible action to be portrayed by the actors so that you can effectively move the story forward in every scene with action alone.

As well, your one-page: one-minute of film time rule may fall away, because of the longer action descriptions.

Finally, you may want to collaborate with the principals in the film, the director and the actors, in order to leverage their ideas into the story and possibly be able to tell the story more efficiently.

PS: Before you begin, rent a few silent films, so that you understand how they work. As well, you may want to include intertitles -- text commentaries -- between scenes or inserted into scenes for clarification.

You can read more about silent films, below.

What is the imaginary line?

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Asked by Wiki User

The imaginary line in a film preserves the audience's visual point of view. It is a director's axiom for camera placement, and not one dictated by the script. The overarching notion that contains the imaginary line is known as the '180 degree rule'.

You can read more about it and other cinematic terms, below.