Scribd
Upload
4 views11 pages

Sample Script Format Short

Sample Script Format Short

Uploaded by

mariosapereira
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
4 views11 pages

Sample Script Format Short

Sample Script Format Short

Uploaded by

mariosapereira
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
CHAPTER 16 SCRIPT FORMAT FOR FEATURES AND TELEVISION There's a style and tradition involved with the mechanics and layout of a movie script that readers expect and that writers should know. This chapter explains all you need to know about script format Script format is a cramped and somewhat awkward writing form that has evolved over the past half-century or so. Ideally, a movie script threads into the brain of the reader and effortlessly plays out the movie imagined by the screenwriter. Script format also indicates how much the screenwriter knows about writing for motion pictures, so it's important to follow the traditions that apply to the layout and spacing conventions of how scripts are written because mistakes in format tell the reader that the screenwriter is a beginner. While this is riot a death sentence, don't make things harder than they already are: write in the format. ) Today's scripts are tightly. written, though this was not always the case, as this colorful introduction to the original black-and-white classic King Kong indicates: Fade in a general view of skull Island, at dawn. Sea and jungle are still in purple shadow. But high above, the east has drenched the mountains in the glory of its burning. The rose light of che silent domes flushes that heaven about them until the whole sky, one scarlut cancpy, is interwoven with a roof of waving flame, and tossing vault upon vault, as with che dritted wings of many companies of angels. King Kong, written by Merrian C. Cooper and Emnest B. Schoedsack, 1933, Though script format is a bit hobbling, when done properly it gets the job done and can adapt to your writing style, but Story Sense advises that you stick close to traditional format until you sell your first script, ‘This is because screenwriters who Know what they're doing have learned to write in the )format. It's the wey most of us write our scripts and it's what readers and executives are accustomed to reading, so don't annoy these hard-working people by making their job more difficult. The various examples taken from the scripts cited throughout this book illustrate the format. Please leam the format because it will help your script get a fair read, which is all any of us can ask. You're probably aware that agents, readers, and producers spend vast amounts of precious time reading scripts, There are thousands of titles and they are your competition. That's the bad news. The good news is that most of these are weak in story and/or character and will not attract commerdal interest. But one never knows when a script will lead toa movie that can earn hundreds of millions of dollars, which is why so many scripts are read. Good scripts have always been in short supply, and ‘when one comes along, the competition to buy it can be ferocious. . You could be the other of a good script, so don't sabotage your work with a goofy format that confuses or anrioys the reader. ‘A read begins when [Link] -fans the script and notices how many pages must be read-a feature should be about 120 pages long. Simultaneously, the reader will notice the typeface, which should be dark, easy to read, ina standard typewriter style. Do not festoon your script with ‘copyright warnings and official registration marks aimed at protecting the “masterpiece” from scoundrels. Some scripts bear coffee rings and frayed pages that indicate a script that been making the rounds since King Kong was a kid, Still in the first ten seconds, the reader fans again for a sense of how much “air” is in the script-how much paper shows through the black of the typeface. If your stage directions and/or speeches are excessive (repeatedly longer than six or eight lines of type), readers tend to grow tense because good scripts are airy (usually). You'll get a better sense of “airiness” after you've read a few dozen scripts. Here are a few guidelines about packaging your script 197 1, Put your serjot in a simple three-hole, spread-pin binder. A sticker with the title and your fame goes on the 1:5 -2“sexr. HIGHWAY-ARIZONA DESERT - ESTABLISHING - DUSK(2) | An 18-wheeler roars through the silent landscape, past a forlorn roadside DINER, fronted by a “FOR SALE: CLOSER ON THE DINER (3) A dream-killing aluminum box on the wrong side o: road. Off to one side of the diner we notice a “iM: sitting on a box, smoking a cigarette. THE woman (4) Her name is BETTY, a 40-ish sensual women inva was uniform. She is trapped and unhappy with her 1 > APPROX, 4" ss ang yorce/orF (5) - (calling her) Betty! igaretre and The woman (BETTY) stands, flicks away her ENTERS the diner. i DISsoLve To(6) INT. THE DINER Nicer?) The bleak mood continues inside the shabby 1i: SOUND of pots being scrubbed is heard from the which is behind the counter that runs the length of tr cafe. FRAME ON the pass-through window that connects kitchen and we see COOKY, the fifty-ish man who called to Betty. He senses her depression. cooKy > APPROX. 3" ————_-» vowda things look? Great?é APPROX. 2"¢——______ Betty shrugs as Cocky ENTERS the counter area: he's a defeated little man in a tee-shirt and soiled apron who is nervously awaiting a Buyer to show up and make an offer on the cafe. COOKY I think we should ask for more! He's gotta love the place, pe d= a.s" BETTY (cynically) (8) It's the song of my heart. FAVORING BETTY (9) She crosses to the jukebox. flips a switch in the bac} gives her a free play. Something bluesy SOUNDS C¥ Cooky's AD LIB droning about selling the diner : segue into a MONTAGE of how Betty ended up with Cooky. MONTAGE - HOW BETTY AND COOKY GoT TOGETHER (20) 1. Angzy trucker ejects Betty from his big-rig: no sex, ride. 2. Betty walks along highway with her suitcase. 3. Betty checks out the cafe, and ENTERS, (11) 4. Cooky is attracted to Betty's sexy desperation. 5. Cooky gives Betty a piece of pie and they exchange looks. . 6. Betty in uniform, joshing with Cooky: she's his waitress. 7. Cleaning up at night, Cookie slips she's his, COOXY AND BETTY BESIDE JUKEBOX - PRESENT (12) Montage ends when Cooky UNPLUGS the jukebox. He doesn't like Betty dreaming herself away from hin. cooKY Are you with me or what? Betty tosses him a broken smile and shrugs. A long beat, then Cocky heads for the telephone and dials a number. INT. THE BUYER'S OFFICE - NIGHT A sleazy little plastic and formica room. It reflects the BUYER, an unpleasant little man with gold chains and a toupee. He flirts with the aging SHOWGIRL who lounges on the sofa as she does her nails. BUYER You look good in that color-- Blood red. j } SHOWGIRL Blood! This is Tahitian Dawn, dummy! Before the Buyer can grab her, the TELEPHONE anes, (13) BUYER Hello. Yeah . . cooky! INTERCUT DINER/OFFICE PHONE CONVERSATION (14) cooKy | re you coming tonight? BUYER (teasing) (15) I thought it was tomorrow! cooKy : Den't fool around, hunh! BUYER ) Seriously, did I say tonight? (privately to showgirl:) (26) Do we hafta go to chat thing? (Showgirl nods ¥zs) Anyway, I need to think about things, so I'll see you later, okay? cOoKY (as Buyer hangs up:) My offer's final! Hello! you sonova--! INT., ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE AUCTION - NIGHT Buyer and Showgirl push through crowd at an all-night auto auction, Frantic bidding booms over the noisy PA System. SHOWGIRL (over the hub-bub) (17) What about that guy wich the diner? BUYER ) I'm negotiating, doll. Stringing him out--like you do with me! Showgirl laughs and slips through crowd, the Buyer kot cn her tail. EXT. GARAGE NEXT TO HOUSE NIGHT LS shows Cooky tossing a rope over a rafter. INT. BEDROOM OF HOUSE BETTY (calling him) You coming to bed or whac? : cooxy/v.o, (28) I'm gonna hang around for e while. INT. THE GARAGE Cocky removes his apron and places it neatly nearby, soves a small step ladder under the rope, stands on it, ) noose around his neck. : BETTY IN BED She snubs out cigarette and is about to turn ff when she hears an edd THUD SOUND (Cock; hanging himself). (29) She pauses, shrugs, FADE TO BLACK. (20) END (21) EXPLANATION OF NOTES IN SAMPLE SCRIPT (1) FADE IN First images fade in from black. (2) EXT. HIGHWAY - ARIZONA DESERT - ESTABLISHING - DUSK Tells the reader that this is an BETerior scene that takes place at DUSK. There are three or four between Exr. and the location, and three or four spaces between the location and the time designation. Some writers hyphenate these divisions. The usual time designations are either DAY or NIGHT, though DAMN, DUSK, or EVENING can be used. PLEASE NOTE THIS: when you use the DAY/NIGHT time designatfon you are telling the reader that the story has jumped to a new scene and/or a different time, ie, the action is not continuous: If you don't use’ the DAY/NIGHT time designation, the reader will assume the action in your script is contirivous, with no breaks in time. If parallel ) or simultaneous action takes place in another location, you can note this in your stage directions: EXT. 9TN’S HOUSE - SAME TIME ~ DAY. ESTABLISHING orients the reader as to where the story is taking place. This is often an exterior, wide-angle shot. If the script opens in an apartment or office, it may be difficult for the audience to” get’ a fix on the location. The establishing shot or montage informs the audience as to the locationis it up-scale or down-scale? City or country? Isolated or urban? Sometimes you may want this confusion, otherwise let the audience know where the action is taking place. This shot can last for a few seconds or a few minutes, depending. on how interesting the footage is. Establishing shots are typically wide angle that see much as the human. eye sees. Many writers use CAPITAL LETTERS to point out sound effects, 2x7? and ENTER, and the ames of characters the first time they appear. Once, or twice in a script you may have an important ‘moment or story point the reader must notice. If 0. ) NOTE THIS: SET ITEM APART sO I2_WILL BE NOTICED! (3) CLOSER ON THE DINER... Draws the Feader into the story by moving from the wide angle shot of the desert to a shot that is closer to the diner. Note there is no time designation, indicating continuous action, * off to one aide .. | we notice @ woman” directs the reader's attention to the character we want them to notice, (4) "THE WOMAN ... more focusing, this time ona character, sketched as to looks and mood: “ she 4s trapped and unhappy” encourages a dose- up, since the CU involves getting close to her eyes where we can sense her mood. (Generally, the camera communicates a character's inner feelings ‘when it moves to a close up.) We want the reader to identify “Betty” quickly, through such details as her uniform and her business with the cigarette. Suggest the character but give the actor a clue to who she is: “She hates her life, past, present, and future.” “She's. in her flaming forties, blooming with life and crazy dreams.” Quick descriptions help the script stream through . the reader's mind. The reader shouidn’t snag on format, lengthy stage directions, technical mumbo-jumbo, of be confused or lose the thread of the story. We could cut from this shot to Bettys point of view, written as: BETTY’S POV - THE DESERT POV means that the camera sees what Betty sees, ive., a subjective point of view. You indicate the end Of the POV shot with such conventions as: RESUME SCENE, or BACK TO SCENE, or SCENE. ‘Another useful direction is the term INSERT, used to show an object, rather than a character. For example, if someone checks his watch and you want to show what he sees: INSERT WRIST WATCH: THE ‘TIME IS 10:25. Inserts are shots that can be picked up later and edited into the film or tape. Examples: INSERT: BOMB IN CABINET INSERT: TAP LEAKING OIL INSERT: CU NEWS HEADLINE INSERT OF JIM’S FOOT To return to the scene write> SCENE or RESUME SCENE 209 } (5) Max's vorcz/orr means we hear Cooky’s voice but do not see him because he’s off camera. Also means VOICE OVER. Sometimes written as OFF, VO, VOICE/OFF, 0/S, or OFF STAGE. If the voice we hear is over a telephone or intercom. or radio, it is written as BABY/VO/FILTERED. If narrator is used: NARRATOR/VO or JOHN/VO. (6) DISSOLVE TO: Indicates that time has passed. A dissolve is when image A briefly overlaps image B before fading out. The length of the overlap is determined by the director and film editor, and indicates how much time has past. A dissolve (with or without a “shimmer” effect in which the image undulates), can also signal a subjective POV or that indicates the character's inner mood, fear, or a distorted view of reality. (7) INT, THE DINER NIGHT Indicates the action takes place in the roadhouse and (because of the designation NIGHT) that time has passed. If this stage direction were written without the designation NIGHT, the script would be telling the [Link] time had elapsed and the story would be tracking Betty as she ENTERS the diner. Time passing can also be indicated by the term DISSOLVE TO. Your script should communicate the movie you see in your head. Help the reader to track your Story. If you think there will be confusion as to time ‘of location or incident, write it on the nse, so there is no confusion, as in: A short time later. same time. The next day. Three days later. The next morning. Later that night. A different hotel, next night. Use of the term FRAME in these stage directions suggests that the camera pans the diner before settling on Cooky. Used sparingly, this doesn’t contradict our earlier advice on not listing angles, tilts, lenses, trucks, dollies, swish pans, flips, wipes, or other continuity conventions. Let the director, DP, and editor decide things like that. ‘There may also be times when the writer calls for a an antique visual effect for a spoof or period piece, when a keyhole or shimmer dissolve or some such optical might be used. And even here you merely suggest it, as in: IF might be fur fo use an old-fashioned Alp as a transition device on this scene. (8) The parenthetical direction (cynically) indicates the emotional context: Betty's inner anger is loaded into this line. Be sparing in your use of such directions to the actors, unless the line has hidden meaning. (9) FAVORING BETTY . . . suggests that Betty is the center of what could be a more complex tracking or two-shot. The direction encourages visual continuity, helping the reader follow Betty as she crosses to the jukebox. Note the generalized music cue, “ something bluesy," even though the piece f have in mind is Duke Ellington’s version of his Mood Indigo. I ‘also know that the Music director is paid to choose or compose the tunes. IF the story demands a specific piece of music whose lyrics oF sound is essential to the plot, ask for it, but remember that the rights to certain hit singles can cost as much asa large yacht. Also note how the music plays ~ over Cooky’s AD L2B droning about selling the diner." Since Cooky’s lines are “throw- aways" (ie, they are tossed off and aren’t essenticl to the story), we need not write out his speech. If we scripted the throw-away dialogue, importance might be assigned to it and it would slow the read. Don’t tempt fate. Do everything you can to encourage the reader to stay with your Script. You indicate the presence of ad lib throw-away or background talk via: om (over party hub-bub) (over trucker CB babble} (yelling over the batcle) (20) MONTAGE refers to a_ visual compression or summary of shots used to fill in backstory or to compress a longer sequence into a minute or so of screen time. Though less popular than in the past, montage remains a useful storytelling convention Examples of montage can be found in The Natural, Witness, Out of Africa, and the Rocky films. ‘Opinions vary on the best way to write fights, chases, and complex movie action. Some ‘writers imagine in precise and unique detail, and they write the action shot by shot, beat by beat. Examples: the fight scene in Shane runs for nine pages; the donnybrook that climaxes The Quiet Mant runs for 16 pages. In both films, these fights are choreographed in their scripts. ‘Action can also be written as a montage, each beat telling the stunt coordinator what you 210 imagine is happening. Unless the sequence imagined is remarkable and unique, you needn’t over-write action, since the action will be worked out by the director and stunt coordinator on location. This approach eschews a blow-by-blow account of a fight and its peripheries, in favor of something more generalized and suggestive, as with: “There is a wild fight during which the kid karate-kicks and chops the three tgs until they are laid out lke fish in a market.” Some writers prefer to skip over ited action with a general stage direction: “Suddenly a huge army of Huns appear and after a terrific battle, Rome surrenders.” (11) Indicate when characters ENTER or EXIT by using capital letters as shown. (22) COOKY AND BETTY BESIDE JUKE BOX - PRESENT indicates the montage is over and we are back in our scene, in the present. You will discover additional ways of expressing your thoughts as you read other scripts, which ‘usuaily contain distinctive variations and quirks. (13) Capitalize important SOUND cues. (14) INTERCUT DINER/OFFIZ FOR PHONE CONVERSATION is an easy way of handling a phone conversation in separate locations. If two people are talking face to face, the master shot will cover the exchange without ping-ponging stage directions. The intensity of an interchange can be suggested through stage directions (Jim and Bi22. ‘Tom ~ such parentheticals. as. (furtously), (maliciously), (almost a proposition), (smugly). (15) The parenthetical, (teasing him) guides the reader and the performer as to the subtext. Be sparing in your use of instructions to actors; let them make their contribution to the project rather than treating them like puppets who must be told how to speak the lines. (16) (privately to showgirl) stage direction indicates an aside to the showgirl. (she nods yes) quickly registers her response and spares dluttering the script with business, BUSINESS injects visual information into a scene (via dialing a phone, loading a gun, changing spark plugs, etc). Keep descriptions of business simple and brief, so that the read is not slowed down. (27) The parenthetical (over the hub-bub) means the Showgiri’s line is heard over the noise of the auction crowd. Usually you only need indicate the buzz of a big cocktail party, a noisy class reunion, which saves writing a confusion of atmospheric wild lines. (18) COOKY/V.0. See Note 5. ‘Though writing to format may seem like scaling a cliff in a straightjacket, writers lear to operate within its confines. Format is the industry norm, the code writers use to indicate they know their craft. Readers may spook and turn off on scripts that mangle format, since such sloppiness indicates new uoriter, inexperience and someone who is unaware of the traditions and discipline of scriptwriting. (19) Bold type and underline key pieces of business. (20) FADE TO BLACK is traditional ending of fa scene or the story. FADE OUT and = WHITE are also used. (21) END, FINIS, FINI, THE END formally ends the script. 211 REVIEW OF BASIC SCRIPT LAYOUT PAPER Use standard Xerox paper or bond. Do not use rough-textured or sick, erasable, onion skin, or any paper that will smudge. Bind your script into a simple stif folder. Do not send your script out in an expensive or off-beat binding. ‘TYPE FACE Use a standard typewriter typeface (10 pitc’12 point in such types as Pica, Prestige, Courier, etc.). All references in this text are to such standard typewriter typefaces. Don't use strange typefaces. Your script will be more readable if you use a black ribbon and make good Xerax copies. Avoid dot matrix type. if you use a laser printer, use. ‘typewriter typefaces, not book typefaces. Your text should be dark and easy on the eyes. No spidery type or letters that dont print clearly. MARGINS. A) As marked on the script pages attached, stage “directions begin approximately 1 to 1.5 inches from left edge of the paper. 8) Dialogue begins approximately 3 inches from left edge of the 8.5 x 11 page and should not extend beyond 6.5 inches from left edge of the page. Do not extend dialogue to extreme right margin. End lines of dialogue approximately two-inches from the right margin ©) Character names begin approximately 4.5 Jnchos from left edge of the page. 0) The right margin for stage directions should be ‘approximately one inch from right edge, ©) Leave approximately one inch at the top and bottom of the page. F) Do not crowd the page. Make it airy. G) Page numbers go in upper right comer of every page. ‘SPACING A) Break up stage directions so they dont overwhelm the reader. Insert spaces every sx or eight lines to give the reader a break. Be sure you eed the stage directions. Less is usually enough. B) Single-space the dialogue and the stage directions, Single space between the character's name and the dialogue. ) Double space between the scene location and stage directions. D) Double space between stage directions and ‘character names that precede the dialogue. E) Double space between speeches of different characters. (*) PAGE NUMBERS, Page numbers go in the upper right hand ‘comer of each page. SHOT NUMBERS 0 not number shots. These come later, after the script sells. (*) 212

You might also like