ELEMENT OF SCREENPLAY

UNIT-I: INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING

SCREENWRITING
Screenwriting is the process of writing screenplays. Screenwriting is also a process of writing
a script, but this is only used for filmmaking that have narrative elements that involve dramatic
elements and other components of the film that need to be seen on the screen to serve the overall
narrative like the setting, the lighting and movements. Screenwriting provides the visuals that
complement what the characters are doing and saying. The mood accentuates the drama or
humor that the characters are executing based on the script.

Screenplay
A screenplay is a story told with pictures, in dialogue and description, and placed within the
context of dramatic structure. It is the art of visual storytelling.
Two aspects to deal with when writing a screenplay:
When you want to write a screenplay, there are two aspects you have to deal with.
1. One is the preparation required to write it: the research, thinking time, character work, and
laying out of the structural dynamic.
2. The other is the execution, the actual writing of it, laying out the visual images and capturing
the dialogue. The hardest thing about writing is knowing what to write.
A good screenplay:
When you read a good screenplay, you know it—it's evident from page one, word one. The
style, the way the words are laid out on the page, the way the story is set up, the grasp of
dramatic situation, the introduction of the main character, the basic premise or problem of the
screenplay—it's all set up in the first few pages of the script.

VISUAL STORY NARRATION

Narrative structures are embedded in a story to help give the story a framework. Narrative
moves a person through a story in a pleasurable and compelling fashion. A narrative can be
heard, as in a radio play; it can be watched, as in a film; it can be read, as in a novel; it can be
danced to, as in a song; and even seen/read, as in a graphic novel. Narrative structures vary
depending on the medium and the purpose. A traditional linear narrative structure typically
depends on a page-to-page reading for comprehension. A nonlinear narrative allows for the
reader to move independently throughout a piece, often creating new meanings from
discovering connections. But they all share one important and all so human job: to tell us a
story.

Storytelling is a core human experience. Stories help us see how others view the world and
help us find meaning in our lives. They help us grieve, help us celebrate, console us, and
reinvent us. They are used in school to teach, in business to improve work habits, and in
entertainment to escape. Stories are the difference between pain and pleasure in any
communication activity.

Storytelling began as an oral tradition, combining speech with gestures, expressions, and
sometimes music to help storytellers remember the narrative. With the development of writing,
stories could be not only documented and preserved, but further enriched with illustrations.
Finding intersections in your visual and verbal work can strengthen both. Think of your next
visual project as a story to be told.

Shooting Scripts
Once a script is purchased, it often goes through a series of rewrites before it is put into
production. Once that happens, the script becomes a 'Shooting Script' or Production Script.
All the scenes and shots of a shooting script are numbered and each scene and shot are
broken down into all the component pieces required to film it. The production assistants and
director can then arrange the order in which the scenes will be shot for the most efficient use
of stage, cast, and location resources.

Since feature screenplay format is the most popular form of script today, we will begin by
exploring that layout. Later, we'll discuss the other formats, building on what we've
discovered here.

A general comment about script formatting: Although a certain format has become more and
more standardized in recent years, there isn't ONE way, ONE set of margins, ONE style.
There is a RANGE OF CORRECTNESS. All the software program formats and
measurements fall within this range.

What is a “spec script?”

A “spec script” is a movie written on “speculation” — without a deal or sale already in place,
and without being commissioned.

A writer is not paid to write a spec. She does it on her own time with the hopes of selling it to
a buyer, or to use as a writing sample.

In television, “spec” usually refers to a writer’s sample script for an existing television show.
An aspiring comedy writer might write a sample episode of a highly-rated comedy currently
on the air. His intention is not to get this script produced, but rather to show his comedy writing
ability and get staffed on a different show.
Young Hollywood writers’ portfolios usually contain two to three spec features, as well as a
few television samples.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, spec scripts were a primary factor in hiring decisions for
television writers rooms. In recent years, network executives and showrunners are increasingly
asking to read “spec pilots,” which — much like a spec feature — are original pilot scripts
written without a deal or sale in place and without being commissioned.

Most spec pilots are not purchased or produced, but there are exceptions. Matt Weiner wrote
Mad Men as a spec pilot in 2000. As a writing sample, it helped him get hired on The Sopranos.
Only after The Sopranos ended did Mad Men get made.

UNIT-II: ELEMENTS OF SCREENWRITING

Scene Heading
The Scene Heading, sometimes called Slugline, tells the reader of the script where the scene
takes place. Are we indoors (INT.) or outdoors (EXT.)? Next name the location:
BEDROOM, LIVING ROOM, at the BASEBALL FIELD, inside a CAR? And lastly it might
include the time of day - NIGHT, DAY, DUSK, DAWN... information to "set the scene" in
the reader's mind.

The Slugline can also include production information like CONTINUOUS ACTION,
or ESTABLISHING SHOT or STOCK SHOT. Here are examples of Scene Headings:

INT. BEDROOM - MORNING

EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP - SUNSET

INT. OFFICE - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS ACTION

EXT. KEY WEST MARINA - DAWN - ESTABLISHING

EXT. PASADENA - ROSE PARADE - STOCK FOOTAGE

Keeping Scene Headings consistent allows your reader to recognize locations and places and
not have to figure out if this is a new set (location). You don't want to take the reader's mind
off your story, ever.

Here is a sample in Scene Heading sample in script form:

FADE IN:

EXT. KEY WEST MARINA - DAWN - ESTABLISHING

We have 'established' that we're in a marina at dawn(the first appearance of light in the sky
before sunrise).

Action
The ACTION or Description sets the scene, describes the setting, and allows you to introduce
your characters and set the stage for your story. Action is written in REAL TIME.

FADE IN: EXT. KEY WEST MARINA - DAWN - ESTABLISHING

Sailboats, yachts, and cabin cruisers all bob up and down in the warm blue water.

INT. MASTER SUITE - MORNING

Expensive designer sheets and comforter covers the nude, shapely body of drop dead
gorgeous JULIE COOPER, 25. Sunlight filters through portholes over the muscled, tan body
of FRANKIE CAMPISI, 38. He pulls the comforter down and begins kissing Julie's naked
body.

The reader begins to form an idea about the setting and the action taking place. We know
we're on a boat, two characters have been introduced to us, we have some idea about their
physical appearance. And we have a clue to their relationship.

Avoid a compulsion to write camera angles and shots. If you must emphasize some shot,
write it on a single line. Angles and shots are the domain of the director an will likely be
added in the Shooting Script.

Expensive designer sheets and comforter covers the nude, shapely body of drop

dead gorgeous JULIE COOPER, 25. Sunlight filters through portholes over the

muscled, tan body of FRANKIE CAMPISI, 38. He pulls the comforter down and grins

at Julie's naked body. Suddenly, Frankie recoils.

There's a devil tattoo on her shoulder that he's never seen before.

The Rules:
Action runs from left to right margin, the full width of the text on the page, the same as the
Scene Heading. Be sure to use the word wrap function of your script writing software, to
make editing and rewrites easy. Text is single-spaced and in mixed case.

When you introduce a speaking character for the first time, you should put the name in all
caps.
Writing Tip:
Every moment in a screenplay takes place NOW. Use the active voice (a window slams shut)
not the passive voice (a window is slammed shut).

Always write in PRESENT TIME, not the past. (There are rare exceptions to this; for
example, John Milius' The Wind and the Lion had description in past tense like a novel, but
then, he also directed the film.)

Keep your paragraphs short... don't let them go on and on over 4 or 5 lines. The reader may
scan long action paragraphs without really reading them.

Character Name
Before a character can speak, the writer inserts a CHARACTER NAME to let the reader
know this character's dialogue follows.

A character name can be an actual name (JOHN) or description (FAT MAN) or an

occupation (DOCTOR). Sometimes, you might have COP #1 and then COP #2 speaking. It is
okay to identify the speaking parts like this, but actors will like you more if you personalize
their part with a name. Try to be consistent.

FADE IN:

EXT. KEY WEST MARINA - DAWN - ESTABLISHING

Sailboats, yachts, and cabin cruisers all bob up and down in the warm blue

water.

INT. MASTER SUITE - MORNING

Expensive designer sheets and comforter covers the nude, shapely body of drop

dead gorgeous JULIE COOPER, 25. Sunlight filters through portholes over the

muscled, tan body of FRANKIE CAMPISI, 38. He pulls the comforter down and begins

kissing Julie's naked body.

FRANKIE

The Rules:
The CHARACTER NAME is formatted in uppercase letters and indented 3.5" from the left
margin.

Software Tip:
When you use script writing software the use of long, difficult to type character names is a
breeze. The programs automatically learn and keep track of the CHARACTER NAMES you
use, allowing for consistency and ease. No need fear those JACQUELINEs and DR.
FRANKENSTEINs; two quick keystrokes are all you will need to make them appear on the
screen.

Script writing software will also insert the correct spacing from the previous paragraph style,
saving you thousands of keystrokes during the writing process.

Dialogue
DIALOGUE rules apply when anyone on screen speaks. During a conversation between
characters. When a character talks out loud to himself... even be when a character is off-
screen and only a voice is heard.

FADE IN:

EXT. KEY WEST MARINA - DAWN - ESTABLISHING

Sailboats, yachts, and cabin cruisers all bob up and down in the warm blue

water.

INT. MASTER SUITE - MORNING

Expensive designer sheets and comforter covers the nude, shapely body of drop

dead gorgeous JULIE COOPER, 25. Sunlight filters through portholes over the

muscled, tan body of FRANKIE CAMPISI, 38. He pulls the comforter down and begins

kissing Julie's naked body.

FRANKIE

Rise and shine, Bluebird. Time

to spread your wings and fly.

The Rules:
DIALOGUE margin is indented 2.5" from the left margin. A line of dialogue can be from 30
spaces to 35 spaces long, so the right margin is a bit more flexible, usually 2.0" to 2.5".

Writing Tip:
Great dialogue is a window into the soul of your character. It sounds real... It's
conversational. The audience feels like a fly on the wall, hearing natural interplay between
characters. Great dialogue may use common language but express great passion, and even
become a catch phrase in popular culture, as the line from Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry
Callahan "Go ahead. Make my day."

It's not a bad idea to read your dialogue aloud to see how it really sounds. If you have a
difficult time reading a line, it may not be good dialogue. You'll definitely be able to tell if
you organize a reading of your script and hear it that way (best with professional actors, like
they do in Hollywood and on Broadway).

Software Tip:
Script writing software now has the capacity to read your dialogue back to you via your
computer's sound system. You assign a gender to your character name, even different
inflections, and you can have a staged reading of your script right there in your living room.

Parenthetical
Parentheticals are left indented at 3.0" and the right margin is 3.5" although that is a bit
flexible. As seen in our examples, 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. Parentheticals should be short, to the point, descriptive, and only
used when absolutely necessary.

These days, Parentheticals are generally disfavored, because they give direction to an actor
that may not be appropriate once on the set. The slang term for them is "wrylies" as in:

FRANKIE

(wryly)

Good mornin', Bluebird.

JULIE

(sleepily)

What? What time is it?

FRANKIE

(getting out of bed)

After six. You're gonna be late

again and I don't want to hear

it.

Parentheticals are also used in some scripts as the (continuing) notation. If a character is
speaking followed by an action line and then the same character continues speaking, this
notation can be used, but the New Spec Script frowns on all such superfluously inserted
notations.

FRANKIE

(getting out of bed)

After six. You're gonna be late

again and I don't want to hear

it.

Frankie pulls all the covers off of Julie. She sits up in bed, pulls on a long

T-shirt, and shuffles to the bathroom.

FRANKIE

(continuing)

You're welcome.

Software Tip:
Script writing programs may give you the option of placing the (continuing) as a
parenthetical remark or on the same line as the Character name, looking much like an
Extension.
FRANKIE

(getting out of bed)

After six. You're gonna be late

again and I don't want to hear

it.

Frankie pulls all the covers off of Julie. She sits up in bed, pulls on a long

T-shirt, then swings her legs onto the floor and shuffles off to the bathroom.

FRANKIE (CONT'D)

You're welcome.

Extension
An Extension is a technical note placed directly to the right of the Character name that
denotes HOW the character's voice will be heard by the audience. An Off-Screen voice can
be heard from a character out of the camera range, or from another room altogether.

Frankie pulls all the covers off of Julie. She sits up in bed, pulls on a long

T-shirt, then swings her legs onto the floor and shuffles off to the bathroom.

FRANKIE

(continuing)

You're welcome.

(beat)

Hey, how long you gonna be? I've

got a meeting and I need to

shower.

JULIE (O.S.)
Twenty minutes.

Some writers use O.C. (off camera) in place of O.S. The "beat" used above simply denotes
that Frankie pauses (perhaps formulating his next thought) before uttering his next bit of
dialogue.

Another common extension is V.O. That stands for Voice Over. Think of a V.O. as a
narration, or a character speaking while s/he isn't in the scene. Or s/he can be in the scene, but
also acting as narrator, reflecting on and describing some time gone by. This dialogue is
recorded and then laid in over the scene in editing.

FRANKIE (V.O.)

I knew I wasn't gonna get in

that shower for at least 45

minutes, so I went for a run.

Our character Frankie is reminiscing about the morning on the boat in a Voice Over.

O.S.
Abbreviation for Off Screen, denoting that the speaker is not resident within the scene.

V.O.
Abbreviation for Voice Over, denoting that the speaker is narrating the action onscreen.

Transition
We must begin with this remark: Nowadays, in Spec Scripts, transitions are frowned upon, a
waste of a couple of lines you could better use for brilliant dialogue, and are only used when
absolutely necessary.

The Rules:
When you DO use a Transition, the left margin is at 6.5" and a right margin of 1.0".
Transitions are formatted in all caps and almTransitions you may be familiar with are:

CUT TO:

DISSOLVE TO:

SMASH CUT: (A quick or sudden cut from one scene to another.)

QUICK CUT:

FADE TO:

FADE OUT (never at the end of the script)

ost always follow an Action and precede Scene Headings.

Writing Tip:
The only time to use a Transition in a spec script is if it's integral to telling the story. For
instance, you might use a TIME CUT: to indicate passage of time. More commonly, a
DISSOLVE TO: indicates that time has passed. Or, you might need to use MATCH CUT: if
you want to illustrate that there is some correlation between something we just saw and
something in the new scene. The point is, unless you become quite skilled in screenwriting
don't use these things unless absolutely necessary, because the director of the film will
probably think of something different.

Shots
The Rules:
Shots are formatted like Scene Headings, flush left margin, all uppercase. Blank line before
and after.

A SHOT tells the reader the focal point within a scene has changed. Here are some examples
of shots:

ANGLE ON --

EXTREME CLOSE UP --

PAN TO --

FRANKIE'S POV --

REVERSE ANGLE --

Writing Tip:
As the writer, for reasons already mentioned you should be very judicious using a SHOT to
redirect the reader's focus. Your "directing" runs the risk of interrupting the flow of your
storytelling. If what you really want to do is direct films, do yourself a favor and DON'T do it
in a script you're trying to sell... wait until it sells and try to negotiate a package deal with you
on board as the director. This most often is a possibility after you've already had one of your
screenplays filmed.

Once in a while, calling a shot is necessary. You want the reader to see something not
obvious in the scene or you want to achieve a particular emotion or build to a climax. This
device allows you to achieve this goal.

If you are describing a prison riot, with a prisoner holding a guard at knifepoint, and you
want the audience to see a sharpshooter aiming at the prisoner, you might use a shot like this:

A PRISONER shoves a homemade shiv against the throat of a PRISON GUARD.

PRISONER

(trembling)

I'll kill him! I mean it.

PRISON GUARD

Take him out! Now! Do it!

ANGLE ON - A PRISON GUARD SHARP-SHOOTER

as he lines up the shot, finger poised on the trigger.

PRISONER

I want to talk to the Warden. NOW!

Another shot used from time to time is INSERT. INSERT is used solely as a direction - to
focus on something integral to the scene, often something that the audience needs to read or
what would otherwise be too small to be clearly seen in a full, wide scene.

INSERT - RANSOM NOTE

Writing Tip:
A well-constructed action paragraph or a single line might achieve the same goal without
distracting the reader. Be vigilant of the flow of the story, and try not to interrupt it.

Page Breaking
Never end a page with a Scene Heading. The ONLY time this is acceptable is if another
Scene Heading or Shot follows. (An example would be an Establishing shot and then an
interior scene heading.)

Never start a page with a Transition.

Automatically place Continued: notations when it breaks an Action paragraph or a Dialogue.

Never end a page with a Character Name line. At least two lines of Dialogue if there are that
many (including a Parenthetical, if used) must follow.

Never end a page at a Parenthetical. Dialogue MUST follow.

If you have Dialogue, a Parenthetical and then Dialogue again, break the page BEFORE the
Parenthetical.

Dual Dialogue or Side-By-Side Dialogue

When two of your characters speak simultaneously, that's called dual dialogue or side by side
dialogue. In the script we've been following, our characters might have this conversation:

Frankie and Julie are in a heated argument.

FRANKIE JULIE

Get out of my life! I can't Don't you yell at me! I'll leave

stand the sight of you any when I'm when I'm good and

more!! ready! Tough!!

Writing Tip:
Amateur screenwriters often do it in emulation of some old favorite scene, or to try to
interject "conflict." However, you are more likely to distract the reader and disrupts the flow
of the story. Don't give them a reason to put your script down by interjecting unclear scenes
and dialogue.

Adlibs
Sometimes in a script it's acceptable or even necessary to have a crowd scene with ad lib
dialogue. There are two basic ways of writing this.

The first way to do it is in an action line.

The CROWD in the bleachers taunts the pitcher: "You stink!" "Rubber arm!"

"Ball!" "You throw like my sister!"

The second choice is to do it is as a character and dialogue.

CROWD

You stink! Rubber arm! Ball! You

throw like my sister!!

Abbreviations
The film industry uses several abbreviations as shortcuts in scripts. It's up to you whether you
use these abbreviations or not. Some readers find them distracting, while others prefer the
shorthand. We've already discussed several -- O.S., O.C., V.O. -- which are specific to
scripts. Here are some others.

b.g. = background

b.g. is used in an action paragraph.

Frankie sits on the bed tying his shoes. In the b.g., Julie takes money out of

his wallet. She also pockets his car keys.

CGI = computer generated image

CGI denotes action that cannot be filmed normally and will require the use of computers to
generate the full imagery, as used in films like The Matrix.

CGI: His mouth begins to melt, then disappears entirely.

f.g. = foreground

f.g. is used in action the same as b.g., except the action takes place in the foreground.

SFX = sound effects

SFX tells the sound people an effect is needed.

SFX: The BLAST of a train whistle

SPFX = special effects

SPFX announces that a special effect is necessary (one that might not require the use of CGI).

SPFX: A beam of light illuminates Frankie's face. His features slowly melt like

a wax figure.

M.O.S. = without sound

The story goes that a German-born director (perhaps Josef von Sternberg, who discovered
Marlene Dietrich) wanted to shoot a scene without sound and told the crew to shoot "mit out
sound," a phrase which the crew found humorous and thus proliferated it. It is most
commonly used to show impending impact of some kind.

M.O.S. Horses stampeding down Main Street.

POV = point of view

The camera 'sees' the action from a specific character's position

JULIE'S POV - Frankie sits on the bed tying his shoes.

Montages
A MONTAGE is a cinematic device used to show a series of scenes, all related and building
to some conclusion. Although a French word, it was created by Russian director Sergei
Eisenstein as a "montage of attractions" to elicit emotions on several levels. Most often it is
used as a passage of time device. Think of a baby being born, then rolling over, then taking
its first steps, and finally running through the sprinklers. For example:

MONTAGE

1) Josh is born. The doctors clean him and hand him over to his smiling mother.

2) Josh rolls over in his playpen. His mother applauds.

3) Holding on to the coffee table, Josh takes his first steps. His mother

joyously hugs him.

4) Clad in droopy diapers, Josh runs gleefully through the sprinklers. His

mother sighs, and reaches for the diaper bag.

You can also number the scenes A), B), C) if you prefer. Either numbering format is correct.
(Note that the mother's emotions change through the montage from joy to weariness, once
Josh is completely ambulant there should be some element of the story that a montage will
illustrate.)

The MONTAGE is formatted as a single shot, with the subsequent scenes action elements of
the complete sequence. It isn't necessary, but some writers write END OF MONTAGE when
the montage is completed.

A Series of Shots
A SERIES OF SHOTS is similar to a Montage, but it usually takes place in one location and
concerns the same action. Think of the movie Earthquake...

SERIES OF SHOTS

A) Store windows start to rattle and shake.

B) Hanging signs swing back and forth.

C) Bricks and shards of glass begin to fall onto the sidewalks.

D) People run for cover.

A SERIES OF SHOTS is formatted as a SHOT. Just like a Montage, the shot series are action
paragraphs and may also be numbered 1) 2) 3).

A MATTER OF STYLE

Some writers will incorporate a series of shots into a script without noting it as such. This
generally contributes to a smoother flow of the action. The action lines might be short,
descriptive sentences on separate lines.

The Piazza de Palma is packed with Saturday shoppers.

A LOUD SHOT rings out.

Pigeons take flight, WINGS FLUTTERING EN MASSE.

Heads turn in the direction of ANOTHER GUNSHOT.

A frightened child drops his ice cream cone and CRIES.

A woman SCREAMS.

Another style for writing the sequence above is:

THE PIAZZA DE PALMA

is teaming with Saturday shoppers.

A LOUD SHOT

rings out. Pigeons take flight. Heads turn in the direction of ANOTHER GUNSHOT.

A FRIGHTENED CHILD

drops his ice cream cone and CRIES. A SCREAM is heard.

Writing Tip:
This particular style of writing takes more space on the page, but it also is a faster read. Why?
Look at all the white space in the second example... the reader's eyes can read that passage
very quickly.

Another style of writing has to do with EMPHASIS in the action element. Too often, readers
will skim a script, particularly if the action paragraphs are overly long. Here's an option of
how to get the necessary points across. Italics, bold or underlining are not used for emphasis

Terry DROPS to the floor as a BEAM OF LIGHT sweeps across the room. He hears the

FLOOR SQUEAK in the outer office. Terry HOLDS HIS BREATH as a big, bulky

SECURITY GUARD enters.

Short Lines/Poetry/Lyrics

Once in a while, it's necessary to write dialogue with a series of SHORT LINES. One
example might be if your character is reciting poetry, or singing a song.

JULIE

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I'm writing a script,

How 'bout you?

Song lyrics are typically written in all caps.

JULIE

(singing)

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT

GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM

MERRILY, MERRILY, MERRILY, MERRILY

LIFE IS BUT A DREAM.

Intercuts
Occasionally in a script, you might want to cut back and forth between two or more scenes.
These scenes are occurring at the same time. Instead of repeating the Scene Heading for each
scene over and over, an INTERCUT is used. This gives the reader the sense that the scene is
moving rapidly back and forth between locations. There is a great sequence of intercuts
in The Deer Hunter of shots of hunters out in the woods with a wedding going on
simultaneously, at a different location. Here's another example:

INT. SHERRI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Sherri starts disrobing in front of her open bedroom window.

INT. LENNY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Lenny gets up to cross to the fridge to get a beer. He looks out his window and

catches a glimpse of Sherri across the courtyard. He freezes, watching her.

INTERCUT BETWEEN LENNY AND SHERRI

Sherri sits on the bed and unbuttons her double-breasted suit jacket.

Lenny moves closer to the window for a better vantage point.

Sherri stands, hopping a few feet, trying to step out of her skirt.

Lenny, eyes glued to Sherri, moves to keep her in view. He slams his bare foot
into a dumbbell on the floor.

LENNY

Ow!

Sherri hears the yelp and looks in Lenny's direction.

Lenny sees Sherri and DROPS from her view.

Another type of INTERCUT is used when two characters are on the phone and you don't
want one half of the conversation to be O.S. - you want to show them both.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Sherri, comfy on the couch, is reading a book when the phone rings. She answers

it.

SHERRI

Hello?

EXT. PHONE BOOTH - REST AREA

Lenny sips a Coke as he talks.

LENNY

Hey Honey, I'm in Barstow.

INTERCUT BETWEEN LENNY and SHERRI

SHERRI

Oh, Honey, that's great...

you'll be here by morning.

LENNY

Yep... I've got the pedal to the

metal.

In older films it was common to use a split-screen to show such a conversation. It's not
common these days, and unless you have a very good reason for writing it in, it is best to
INTERCUT.

Titles or Opening Credits

In some scripts you read, you'll see this notation:

BEGIN TITLES or BEGIN OPENING TITLES followed by END TITLES or OVER

OPENING CREDITS followed by END OPENING CREDITS. An example:

FADE IN:

EXT. KEY WEST MARINA - DAWN - ESTABLISHING

Sailboats, yachts, and cabin cruisers all bob up and down in the warm blue

water.

EXT. BEACH - DAY

TITLE PAGE
The Title page includes only three or four elements, and nothing more. These elements
include: 1) the title of your script, 2) your byline, 3) your contact information, and (if
applicable) 4) your agent's contact information.
Now that we know the margin sizes, typeface and font size, we can go ahead and create the
Title page for your script.
Step 1: To center your title both vertically and horizontally on the page, insert approx. 20-22
line spaces below the top margin. (This brings the title about 1/4 below the one-inch top
margin.) Center and capitalize the title and enclose it in quotation marks.
Step 2: Double-space once below the title and add "by" or "written by" (without the
quotation marks) in lowercase, also centered. NEVER use any alternative words such as
"penned by," "authored by," "scripted by," "created by," etc.
Step 3: Double-space once and add your full name, also centered.
(Note: It is also acceptable to triple space, instead of double space, between these elements.
It's more common to double space though).
Step 4: Add your contact information (phone #, physical address, email address, etc.) at the
bottom right hand side of the page. Single space and right-justify this information.
Step 5 (optional): If you have an agent, then you need to put your own contact information at
the bottom left hand side of the page (left-justified text), and add the agent's contact
information at the bottom right hand side of the page (right-justified text).
If you do not have an agent to list, it really does not matter if you add your contact
information at the bottom left hand side or right hand side of the page. I prefer the right hand
side because it is easier to see and the left hand 3-hole binding won't distort it.

PRODUCTION DRAFTS
Once your script has been accepted for production in the screenwriting industry, you are
going to need to create a production draft. The point of this draft, as insinuated by the name,
is to make production easier and to make further revisions and rewrites more organized.

Step 1: Choose Your Scriptwriting Software

While a first draft script can be written on almost anything, once your script has been selected
for production you really need to pick up some software to help guide you in the process, as
well as give your final drafts a professional and easily understood appearance. The further
along in the process of scriptwriting you get, the more people are going to look at your work.
At this point, many people who will be an integral part of the production of your film will be
viewing your drafts; presenting it accurately and professionally is a must.

There are many great scriptwriting software packages out there, but do your research and find
the one that best fits your understanding and experience level in both screenwriting and
computation.

Step 2: Rewrite, Reorganize and Reedit

At this point, your script has been accepted, so it is a good bet that the production company
saw something in it they liked. For this reason, you do not want to go in and butcher what
you have written thus far, because it is possible you will rework or remove something that the
producers particularly liked. This does not, however, mean that you should not revise your
work at all.
Many writers get timid or lazy at this point because they are either too afraid to mess up the
already-accepted script or they do not think it is necessary for them to work anymore. This is
not correct though. As a screenwriter, you should once again proofread your script and ask
others, in whom you have confidence, to do the same. Make any final corrections.

Step 3: Number and Lock Your Scenes

The first step you will take is to number and lock your scenes. Scenes are generally and most
easily numbered chronologically in this draft, but once a scene is given a number, it keeps it.
If scenes are later reorganized or thrown out, the sequence of the numbers will no longer be
chronological because each scene retains its original number with new scenes earning a new
number at the end of the chronological chain or with a number and letter combination. This is
called locking your scenes and the purpose of it is to easily identify where major changes
have been made to the script.

Step 4: Create the Presentation

Do not become indolent about the presentation now. At every step of the scriptwriting
process, you want to present the best looking script you possibly can. Be sure that the pages
are neatly printed with no smudges or stains. Bind your draft with an attractive and sturdy
binding that can handle the mass without making page turning difficult. Do not add too much
extra information, such as quotes or a synopsis. Be sure your digital copy is also pristine and
provide a copy in the digital format as well for easy printing and editing.

UNIT-III: BUILDING A SCREENPLAY

THE SUBJECT
You need a subject: You need more than just an idea to start writing a screenplay. You
need a subject to embody and dramatize the idea. A subject is defined as an action and a
character. An action is what the story is about, and a character is who the story is about.

Every screenplay has a subject—it is what the story is about. If we remember that a screenplay
is like a noun, about a person in a place, doing his/her "thing," we can see that the person is the
main character and doing his/her "thing" is the action.

So, when we talk about the subject of a screenplay, we're talking about an action and a character
or characters. Every screenplay dramatizes an action and a character. You, as the screenwriter,
must know who your movie is about and what happens to him or her. It is a primary principle
in writing, not only in screenplays but in all forms of writing.

Knowing your subject is the starting point of writing the screenplay.

Dramatic premise: It's essential to isolate your generalized idea into a specific dramatic
premise. And that becomes the starting point of your screenplay.
Reducing the story line: It may take several pages of free-association writing about your
story before you can begin to grasp the essentials and reduce a complex story line to a simple
sentence or two. Don't worry about it. Just keep doing it, and you will be able to articulate your
story idea clearly and concisely.

Creative decisions: Every creative decision must be made by choice, not necessity. If your
character walks out of a bank, that's one story. If he runs out of a bank, that's another story.

Your subject will find you, given the opportunity. It's very simple. Trust yourself. Just
start looking for an action and a character. When you can express your idea succinctly in terms
of action and character—my story is about this person, in this place, doing his/her ”thing"—
you're beginning the preparation of your screenplay.

Expressing the story clearly: When you can express your idea succinctly in terms of
action and character—my story is about this person, in this place, doing his/her ”thing"—you're
beginning the preparation of your screenplay. The next step is expanding your subject. Fleshing
out the action and focusing on the character broadens the story line and accentuates the details.
Gather your material any way you can. It will always be to your advantage.

Research: By doing research you acquire information. The information you collect allows
you to operate from the position of choice, confidence, and responsibility. You can choose to
use some, or all, or none of the material you've gathered; that's your choice, dictated by the
terms of the story. Not using it because you don't have it offers you no choice at all, and will
always work against you and your story.

The principle rule of storytelling: The more you know, the more you can communicate.

The character's need determines the creative choices he/she makes during the screenplay,
and gaining clarity about that need allows you to be more complex, more dimensional, in your
character portrayal.

The key to a successful screenplay, Waldo emphasized, was preparing the material.
Dialogue, he said, is "perishable," because the actor can always improvise lines to make
something work. But, he added forcefully, the character's dramatic need is sacrosanct. That
cannot be changed, because it holds the entire story in place. Putting words down on paper, he
said, is the easiest part of the screenwriting process; it is the visual conception of the story that
takes so long.

There are two kinds of action - physical action and emotional action. Physical action
can be a battle sequence. Emotional action is what happens inside your characters during the
story.

Ask yourself what kind of story you are writing. Is it an outdoor action-adventure
movie, or is it a story about a relationship, an emotional story? Once you determine what kind
of action you're dealing with, you can move into the life of your character. First, define the
dramatic need of your character. What does your character want? What is his/her need? What
drives him to the resolution of your story?

The primary ingredients: Conflict, struggle, overcoming obstacles, both inside and
outside, are the primary ingredients in all drama—in comedy, too. It is the writer's
responsibility to generate enough conflict to keep the reader, or the audience, interested. The
job of the screenwriter is to keep the reader turning pages. The story always has to move
forward, toward its resolution. And it all comes down to knowing your subject.

Without action, there is no character. Action is Character. What a person does is what he is,
not what he says.

THE CREATION OF CHARACTER

The Creation of Character Events in a screenplay are specifically designed to bring out the truth
about the characters so that we, the reader and audience, can transcend our ordinary lives and
achieve a connection, or bond, between "them and us." We see ourselves in them and enjoy a
moment, perhaps, of recognition and understanding.

Incidents: Henry James says that the incidents you create for your characters are the best
ways to illuminate who they are—that is, reveal their true nature, their essential character. How
they respond to a particular incident or event, how they act and react, what they say and do is
what really defines the essence of their character.

Film is behavior: Because we're telling a story in pictures, we must show how the
character acts and reacts to the events that he/she confronts and overcomes (or doesn't
overcome) during the story line.

Main character: You can have more than one main character, of course, but it certainly
clarifies things if you identify a single hero or heroine.

Character Creation Process

First, establish your main character. Who is your story about? Separate the
components of his/her life into two basic categories: interior and exterior. The interior life of
your character takes place from birth up until the time your story begins. It is a process that
forms character.

The exterior life of your character takes place from the moment your film begins to the
conclusion of the story. It is a process that reveals character. Film is a visual medium. You
must find ways to reveal your character's conflicts visually.
You cannot reveal what you don't know. Thus, it's important to make the distinction between
knowing your character as a thought, notion, or idea in your head and revealing him or her on
paper.

The Character Biography is an exercise that reveals your character's interior life,
the emotional forces working on your character from birth. When you begin formulating your
character from birth, you begin to see your character build. Pursue his/her life through the first
ten years; include his/her preschool and school years, relationships with friends and family and
teachers. Continue to trace your character's life until the story begins.

Questions and answers: Writing is the ability to ask yourself questions and wait for
the answers. As a side note, it's important to phrase your creative questions to begin with the
word what, not why. Try to phrase any questions using the word what: What causes my
character to react in this manner?

The interior life: You're building the interior life of your character, the emotional life,
on a firm foundation so that your character can move and evolve in a definite character arc
through the story, can change and grow through certain emotional stages of the action.

The exterior life: Once you've established the interior aspect of your character in a
character biography, you can move into the exterior portion of your story. The exterior aspect
of your character takes place during the actual time of the screenplay, from the first fade-in to
the final fade-out.

Three basic components: How do you make your characters real, believable, and
multi-dimensional people during your story? From fade-in to fade-out? The best way to do this
is to separate your characters' lives into three basic components—their professional life, their
personal life, and their private life.

1. Professional: What does your main character do for a living? The clearer you are, the more
believable your characters become. In a free-association essay of about a page or two, define
your character's professional life. Don't try to censor yourself; just throw it all down on the
page.

2. Personal: Is your main character married, single, widowed, divorced, or separated?

3. Private: What does your character do when he or she is alone?

Why three components: What's so beneficial about knowing your characters'

professional, personal, and private lives is that you have something to cut away to; if you are
writing your screenplay and don't know what happens next, you can go into the professional,
personal, or private aspects of your character's life and find something to show to move the
story forward.
Activity: Your character has to be active, has to be doing things, causing things to happen,
not just reacting all the time.

Break your character's life down into the first ten years, the second ten years, the
third ten years, and beyond. Write about five to seven pages in free association, and if you
choose, write more.

BUILDING A CHARACTER
Four essential qualities that seemed to go into the making of good characters:
1. The characters have a strong and defined dramatic need
2. They have an individual point of view
3. They personify an attitude
4. They go through some change, or transformation.
Those four elements, those four qualities, make up good character.

Dramatic need
Dramatic need is defined as what your main characters want to win, gain, get, or achieve during
the course of your screenplay. The dramatic need is what drives your characters through the
story line. It is their purpose, their mission, their motivation, driving them through the narrative
action of the story line.
EXAMPLE: In Thelma & Louise, the dramatic need is to escape safely to Mexico.

Point of view
The second thing that makes good character is point of view. Point of view is defined as the
way a person sees, or views, the world. Every person has an individual point of view. Point of
view is a belief system, and as we know, what we believe to be true is true.
Point of view is neither right nor wrong; it is as singular and distinctive as a rose on a rosebush.
No two leaves, no two flowers, no two people are ever the same.
Your character's point of view may be that the indiscriminate slaughtering of dolphins and
whales is morally wrong because they are two of the most intelligent species on the planet,
maybe smarter than man.
Your character supports that point of view by participating in demonstrations and wearing T-
shirts with Save the Whales and Dolphins on it. Look for ways your characters can support and
dramatize their points of view. Knowing your characters' points of view becomes a good way
to generate conflict.

Attitude
The third thing that makes good character is attitude. Attitude is defined as a manner or opinion,
and is a way of acting or feeling that reveals a person's personal opinion. An attitude,
differentiated from a point of view, is an intellectual decision, so it can, and probably will, be
classified by a judgment: right or wrong, good or bad, positive or negative, angry or happy,
cynical or naive, superior or inferior, liberal or conservative, optimistic or pessimistic. Being
”right" all the time is an attitude; so is being "macho."
Understanding your character's attitude allows him/her to reach out and touch his/her humanity
in an individual way.

Transformation
The fourth element that makes up good character is change, or transformation. Does your
character change during the course of your screenplay? If so, what is the change? Can you
define it? Articulate it? Can you trace the emotional arc of the character from the beginning to
the end? Having a character change during the course of the screenplay is not a requirement if
it doesn't fit your character.

Film is behavior: it's important to remember that when you're writing a screenplay, the
main character must be active; she must cause things to happen, not let things happen to her.
Its okay if she reacts to incidents or events some of the time, but if she is always reacting, she
becomes passive, weak, and that's when the character seems to disappear off the page.
Minor characters appear more interesting than main character and seem to have more life and
flamboyance. Film is behavior; action is character and character, action; what a Person does is
who he is, not what he says.

Let them do what they want: When you're writing you'll find it may take you about sixty
pages before you make contact with your characters, before they start talking to you, tell you
what they want to do and say. Once you've made contact and established a connection with
them, they'll take over. Let them do what they want. Just don't expect your characters to start
talking to you from page one. It doesn't work that way.

Writing dialogue is a learning process, an act of coordination. The more you do it, the
easier it gets. Dialogue serves two main purposes: Either it moves the story forward, or it
reveals information about the main character. If the dialogue does not serve either one of these
functions, then take it out. It's okay for the first sixty pages of your first draft to be filled with
awkward dialogue.
The end result of all your work and research and preparation and thinking time will be
characters who are authentic and believable, real people in real situations. And that's what it's
all about.

STORY AND CHARACTER

There are really only two ways to approach writing a screenplay. One is to get an idea, then
create your characters to fit that idea.
Another way to approach a screenplay is by creating a character, then letting a need, an action,
and, ultimately, a story emerge out of that character.

ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

Remember that the definition of screenplay structure is "a linear progression of related
incidents, episodes, and events leading to a dramatic resolution." That means your story moves
forward from beginning to end.

You've got approximately ten pages (about ten minutes) to establish three things to your reader
or audience:

(1) Who is your main character?

(2) What is the dramatic premise—that is, what's your story about?

(3) What is the dramatic situation—the circumstances surrounding your story?

The ending is the first thing you must know before you begin writing.
It's obvious, when you think about it. Your story always moves forward—it follows a path, a
direction, and a line of progression from beginning to end. Direction is defined as a line of
development, the path along which something lies.

In the same way, everything is related in the screenplay, as it is in life. You don't have to know
the specific details of your ending when you sit down to write your screenplay, but you have
to know what happens and how it affects the characters.

Resolution:
Understanding the basic dynamics of a story's resolution is essential. By itself, resolution
means "a solution or explanation." And that process begins at the onset, at the very beginning
of the screenwriting process. When you are laying out your story line, building it, putting it
together, scene by scene, act by act, you must first determine the resolution.

What is the solution of your story? At the moment of the initial conception of your screenplay,
when you were still working out the idea and shaping it into a dramatic story line, you made a
creative choice, a decision, and determined what the resolution was going to be.

The resolution must be clear in your mind before you write one word on paper; it is context, it
holds the ending in place. Billy Wilder once remarked that if you ever have a problem with
your ending, the answer always lies in the beginning. To write a strong opening, you must
know your ending.

Thirty pages:
 As a reader, I give writers thirty pages to set up the story, and if it ́s not done by then I reach
for the next script on the pile.

Ten pages:
You've only got about ten pages to grab the attention of your reader or audience; that's why so
many films open with an attention-grabbing sequence. The screenwriter's job is to keep the
reader turning pages. The first ten pages of your screenplay are absolutely the most crucial.

Inciting incident:
Once you establish the inciting incident, you can set up the rest of your story.

Before you write one shot, one word of dialogue on paper, you must know four things:

• Your ending

• Your beginning

• Plot Point I

• Plot Point II

In that order. These four elements, these four incidents, episodes, or events, are the
cornerstones, the foundation, of your screenplay.

The opening of your script will determine whether the reader continues reading your
screenplay or not. He or she must know three things within these first few pages of the script:

• The character—who the story is about

• The dramatic (or comedy)

• Premise—what the story is about

• The situation—the circumstances surrounding the action.

Within those first ten pages, the reader is going to make a decision about whether he/she likes
or dislikes the material.

Loose ends: It's important to tie together all the loose ends of the narrative line so the
screenplay becomes a complete reading and visual experience (in the mind's eye) that rings
true and is integral to the action and the characters.

So what makes a good ending? It has to work, first of all, by satisfying the story; when
we reach the final fade-out and walk away from the movie experience, we want to feel full and
satisfied, much as if we were leaving the table after a good meal. It's this feeling of satisfaction
that must be fulfilled in order for an ending to work effectively. And, of course, it's got to be
believable.
The ending comes out of the beginning: If I could sum up the concept of endings and
state the one most important thing to remember, I would say: The ending comes out of the
beginning. Someone, or something, initiates an action, and how that action is resolved becomes
the story line of the film.

SETTING UP THE STORY

Everything is related. If we go back to the second definition of structure, it states that
there is a causal "relationship between the parts and the whole." If you change a scene or a line
of dialogue on page 10, it impacts and influences a scene or a line of dialogue on page 80.
A screenplay is a whole, and exists in direct relationship to its parts. Therefore, it becomes
essential to introduce your story from the very beginning, from page one, word one.

Setup your story visually: Setting up your story by explaining lings through dialogue
slows down the action and impedes the story progression. A screenplay is a story told with
pictures, remember, so it's important to set up your story visually.

TWO INCIDENTS
:"a specific event or occurrence that occurs in relation to something else."

The inciting incident serves two important and necessary functions in the craft of storytelling:

1. It sets the story in motion 2. It grabs the attention of the reader and audience.

Seeing the relationship between this first incident and the story line is essential to an
understanding of good screenwriting.

Seeing the relationship between this first incident and the story line is essential to an
understanding of good screenwriting.

Essence of tragedy: Hegel, the great eighteenth-century German philosopher, maintained

that the essence of tragedy derives not from one character being right and the other being
wrong, or from the conflict of good versus evil, but from a conflict in which both characters
are right, and thus the tragedy is one of "right against right," being carried to its logical
conclusion.

All drama is conflict: Without conflict you have no action; without action you have no
character; without character you have no story; and without story you have no screenplay.

The inciting incident

Depending on the kind of story you're writing, the inciting incident will either be action-driven
or character-driven. It does not have to be a tense action or dramatic sequence
The inciting incident always leads us to the key incident, which is the hub of the story line, the
engine that powers the story forward. The key incident reveals to us what the story is about.

Key incident
Many times the key incident and Plot Point I are the same. When you begin writing your
screenplay, it's essential that you know the distinctions between the inciting incident and the
key incident.

The dramatic premise could be said to be a conceptual description of what the story is about,
while the key incident would be that specific scene or sequence that is the dramatic
visualization of what the story is about.

Act I is a unit of dramatic action that is approximately twenty or thirty pages long; it
begins at the beginning of the screenplay and goes to the Plot Point at the end of Act I. It is
held together with the dramatic context known as the setup. If you recall, context is the empty
space that holds the content in place.

This unit of dramatic action sets up your story; it sets up the situation and the relationships
between the characters, and establishes the necessary information so the reader knows what's
happening and the story can unfold clearly. The first ten pages of your screenplay, as
mentioned, establish three specific things. The main character is introduced so we know who
the story is about.

Dramatic premise
The second thing we create within this first ten-page unit of action is the dramatic premise.
What is this story about? We can state it through dialogue, as in Chinatown, or show it visually,
through the inciting incident, as in Crimson Tide.
The third thing we need to establish is the situation, the circumstances surrounding the action,
as in Mystic River, or Finding Neverland, or Sideways. The two incidents provide the
foundation of the story line. The 138 inciting incident sets the story in motion and the key
incident establishes the story; it is the dramatic premise executed.

Structure is not something embedded in concrete, or something that is unbending, or

unyielding; rather, it is flexible, like a tree that bends in the wind but doesn't break.
Understanding this concept allows you to play with the break. Understanding this concept
allows you to play with the plotline so you can tell your stories visually, with narrative action
rather than explanation.

THE SCENE
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself"

Good scenes make good movies. When you think of a good movie, you remember
scenes, not the entire film.
The scene is the single most important element in your screenplay . It is where
something happens—where something specific happens. It is a particular unit, or cell, of
dramatic (or comédie) action—the place in which you tell your story.

The purpose of the scene is twofold: Either it moves the story forward or it reveals
information about the character. If the scene does not satisfy one, or both, of these two
elements, then it doesn't belong in the screenplay.

It is the story that determines how long or how short your scene is. There is
only one rule to follow: Tell your story. The scenes will be as long or as short as they need to
be; just trust the story and it will tell you everything you need to know.

Place and time

Two things are necessary in every scene— place and time. They are the two components that
hold things in context. Every scene occurs at a specific place and at a specific time.

Time: What time of the day or night does your scene take place? In the morning? Afternoon?
Late at night? All you have to do is specify either day or night. But sometimes you may want
to be more specific: sunrise, early morning, late morning, midafternoon, sunset, or dusk. All
you need to indicate is DAY or NIGHT.
If you change either place or time, it becomes a new scene. Why? Because each time you
change one of these elements, you have to change the lighting of the scene and, almost always,
the camera placement

Place: If your scene takes place in a house, and you move from the bedroom to the kitchen to
the living room, you have three individual scenes.

Scene construction: A scene can be constructed in several different ways, depending on

the type of story you're telling. For many types of scenes you can build the action in terms of
beginning, middle, and end; a character enters the place—restaurant, school, home—and the
scene unfolds in linear time, much the way a screenplay unfolds.
Or you can begin a scene, cut away to a flashback, as in The Bourne Supremacy or Ordinary
People, then bring it back to the present and end it in real time.

Reveal: Every scene must reveal one element of necessary story information to the reader or
audience; remember, the purpose of the scene is to either move the story forward or to reveal
information about the character. Rarely does a scene provide more than one piece of
information.

There are two kinds of scenes. One is where something happens visually, the other is a
dialogue scene between two or more characters. Most scenes are a combination.

Dialogue length: most dialogue scenes need be no longer than two or three pages.
Your story always moves forward: Within the body of the scene, something specific
happens— your characters move from point A to point B in terms of emotional growth or
reaching a decision; or your story links point A to point B in terms of the narrative line of
action, the plot. Your story always moves forward, even if parts of it are told in flashback.
The flashback is a technique used to expand the audience’s comprehension of story,
characters, and situation. The purpose of the flashback is the same as the scene—either it moves
the story forward or it reveals information about the characters.

Creating a scene
How do you go about creating a scene? First create the context of the scene, then determine the
content, what happens.
• What is the purpose of the scene?
• Why is it there? How does it move the story forward?
• What happens within the body of the scene?
• Where has the character just been before he enters the scene? What are the emotional forces
working on the character during the scene?
• Do they impact the purpose of the scene?
• What is his/her purpose in the scene?
• Why is he/she there? To move the story forward or to reveal information about the character?

By creating context, you determine dramatic purpose and can build your scene line by line,
action by action. By creating context, you establish content. How do you do this? By finding
the components or elements within the scene. What aspect of your character's professional life,
personal life, or private life is going to be revealed?

Against the grain: When you're approaching a scene, look for a way that dramatizes the
scene "against the grain" or a location that could make it visually interesting.
When you're preparing to write a scene:
1. First establish the purpose

2. Then find the components, the elements contained within the scene
3. Then determine the content
Within the context of the scene you can influence tone, feeling, and mood by the descriptions
you write.

In comedy, you can't have your characters playing for laughs; they have to believe what
they’re doing, otherwise it becomes forced and contrived, and therefore unfunny. In comedy,
Woody Allen says, "Acting funny is the worst thing you can do."
Comedy, like drama, depends on "real people in real situations." When you set out to write a
scene, find the purpose of the scene and root it in place and time. Then establish the context
and determine the content, and find the elements or components within the scene to build it and
MAKE IT WORK.

THE SEQUENCE
A screenplay is a system: The screenplay is comprised of a series of elements that can be
compared to a system, a number of individually related parts arranged to form a unity, or whole.
A screenplay is really a system of sorts, comprised of specific parts that are related and unified
by action, character, and dramatic premise. We measure it, or evaluate it, in terms of how well
it works or doesn't work.

The sequence is perhaps the most important element of the screenplay. A sequence is a
series of scenes connected by one single idea with a definite beginning, middle, and end. It is
a unit, or block, of dramatic action unified by one single idea. It is the skeleton, or backbone,
of your script.

A series of scenes connected by one single idea: A sequence is a series of scenes

connected by one single idea, usually expressed in a word or two: a wedding, a funeral; a chase;
a race; an election; a reunion; an arrival or departure; a coronation; a bank holdup.

The context of the sequence is the specific idea that can be expressed in a few words or
less. The race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, for example, is a unit, or block, of dramatic
action; it is the context, the idea that holds the content in place.

The content of the sequence: Once we establish the context of the sequence, we build it
with content, the specific details, or ingredients, needed to create the sequence. The sequence
is a key part of the screenplay because it holds essential parts of the narrative action in place,
much like a strand holds a diamond necklace in place. You can literally string or hang a series
of scenes together to create chunks of dramatic action.

A creative, limitless context: Sequences can be written any way you want; they are a
creative, limitless context within which to paint your picture against the canvas of action. It
should be noted that there are no specific number of sequences in a screenplay; you don’t need
exactly twelve, eighteen, or twenty sequences to make up your script. Your story will tell you
how many sequences you need.

Action sequence: When you're writing an action screenplay, like The Bourne Supremacy
or Collateral, the focus must be on action and character; the two must reside in and interact
with each other. Writing an action sequence is a definite skill, and good action scripts are
written with color, pacing, suspense, tension, and, in most cases, humor.
Sometimes, if a script does not seem to be working as well as it should, or you feel there's a
problem in terms of pacing, or things seem dull and boring, you might think about adding some
kind of action sequence to keep the story moving and the tension taut. Sometimes you have to
make some drastic creative choices to pump up the story line.
More ways to say that someone runs: The material has to be designed for and
incorporated into your story line, then executed to the best of your ability. Often the easy way
out—a car chase, or a kiss, or a shoot-out, or a murder attempt—draws attention to itself and
therefore doesn't work. The key to writing a good action sequence is finding more ways to say
that someone "runs."

Choreograph the action: So what's the best way to write an action sequence? Design it;
choreograph the action from the beginning, through the middle, and on to the end. Choose your
words carefully when you're writing.
Action is not written with a lot of long and beautifully styled sentences. Writing an action
sequence has got to be intense, visual. The reader must see the action as if he or she were seeing
it on the screen.
But if you write too little, and don't flesh out the action as much as you should, the action line
becomes thin and doesn't carry the gripping intensity that you must have in a good action
sequence.

Action Sequence Example:

Here's an example of an excellent action sequence; it’s lean, clean, and tight, totally effective,
extremely visual, and not bogged down with details. This is a little piece out of Jurassic Park.
• The scene takes place on the island off Costa Rica just as it has been hit by a violent tropical
storm, and an employee trying to smuggle out dinosaur embryos has shut down the security
systems. The two remote-controlled electric cars, one carrying two children and the attorney
Gennaro, the other the Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum characters, are stalled next to the massive
electric fence that keeps the dinosaurs enclosed in their restricted area.

• The power is out all over the island, and the kids are scared. They wait nervously. Tim pulls
off the goggles and looks at two clear plastic cups of water that sit in recessed holes on the
dashboard. As he watches, the water in the glasses vibrates, making concentric circles— then
it stops — and then it vibrates again. Rhythmically. Like from footsteps. BOOM. BOOM.
BOOM.

• Gennaro's eyes snap open as he feels it too. He looks up at the rearview mirror. There is a
security pass hanging from it that is bouncing slightly, swaying from side to side. As Gennaro
watches, his image bounces too, vibrating in the rearview mirror. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
GENNARO (not entirely convinced) M- Maybe it's the power trying to come back on. Tim
jumps into the backseat and puts the night goggles on again. He turns and looks out the side
window.

• He can see the area where the goat is tethered. Or was tethered. The chain is still there, but
the goat is gone. BANG! They all jump, and Lex SCREAMS as something hits the Plexiglas
sunroof of the Explorer, hard. They look up. It's a disembodied goat leg. GENNARO: Oh,
Jesus. Jesus. When Tim whips around to look out the side window again his mouth opens wide
but no sound comes out.

• Through the goggles he sees an animal claw, a huge one, gripping the cables of the
"electrified" fence. He whips off his goggles and presses forward, against the window. He looks
up, up, then cranes his head back farther, to look out the sunroof. Past the goat's leg, he can
see— Tyrannosaurus Rex.

• It stands maybe twenty-five feet high, forty feet long from nose to tail, with an enormous,
boxlike head that must be five feet long by itself. The remains of the goat are hanging out of
the Rex’s mouth. It tilts its head back and swallows the animal in one big gulp.

Generally, a good action sequence builds slowly, image by image, word by word,
setting things up, drawing us into the excitement as the action gets faster and faster. Good
pacing allows the tension to build upon itself,

Action and character, joined together, sharpens the focus of your screenplay and makes
it both a better reading and a better viewing experience. The sequence is a major building block
in laying out the story. The next step is building your screenplay.

BUILDING THE STORYLINE

How do we build our story line?
Up until now we've discussed the four basic elements that are needed to write a screenplay—
ending, beginning, Plot Point I, and Plot Point II. Before you can write the words Fade In,
before you can put one word of screenplay down on paper, you need to know those four things.
Each act is a unit, or block, of dramatic action, held together with the dramatic context: Set-
Up, Confrontation, Resolution.

Act 1
 Act I is a unit of dramatic (or comédie) action that goes from the beginning of the
screenplay to the Plot Point at the end of Act I. There is a beginning and an end point.
Therefore, it is a whole, complete unto itself, even though Act I is a part of the whole
(the screenplay).

 As a complete unit of action, there is a beginning of the beginning, a middle of the

beginning, and an end of the beginning. It is a self-contained unit, approximately twenty
to twenty-five pages long, depending on the screenplay.

 The end is Plot Point I: the incident, episode, or event that hooks into the action and
spins it around in another direction, in this case, Act II. The dramatic context, which
holds the content in place, is the Set-Up. In this unit of dramatic action you set up your
 story—introduce the main character, establish the dramatic premise (what the story is
about), and sketch in the dramatic situation, either visually or dramatically.

Act 2
 Act II is also a whole, a complete, self-contained unit of dramatic (or comédie) action;
it is the middle of your screenplay and contains the bulk of the action. It begins at the
end of Plot Point I and continues through to the Plot Point at the end of Act II.
 So we have a beginning of the middle, a middle of the middle, and an end of the middle.
It is approximately sixty pages long, and the Plot Point at the end of Act II occurs
approximately between pages 80 and 90 and spins the action around into Act III.
 The dramatic context is Confrontation, and in this unit of dramatic action your character
encounters obstacle after obstacle that keeps him/her from achieving his/her dramatic
need.

Act 3
 Like Acts I and II, Act III is a whole, a self-contained unit of dramatic (or comédie)
action. As such, there is a beginning of the end, a middle of the end, and an end of the
end. It is approximately twenty to thirty pages long, and the dramatic context is
Resolution. Resolution, remember, means "solution," and refers not to the specific
scenes or shots that end your screenplay, but to what resolves the story line.

In each act, you start from the beginning of the act and move toward the Plot Point at the
end of the act. That means each act has a direction, a line of development that begins at the
beginning and ends at the Plot Point. The Plot Points at the end of Acts I and II are your
destination points; that's where you're going as you're building or constructing your screenplay.

PLOT
Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a
story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel
depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

Plot is known as the foundation of a novel or story which the characters and settings are built
around. It is meant to organize information and events in a logical manner. When writing the
plot of a piece of literature, the author has to be careful that it does not dominate the other parts
of the story.

There are five main elements in a plot. The first is the exposition or the introduction. This is
known as the beginning of the story where characters and setting are established.
The conflict or main problem is introduced as well. The second element of a plot is known as
the rising action which occurs when a series of events build up to the conflict. The main
characters are established by the time the rising action of a plot occurs and at the same time,
events begin to get complicated. It is during this part of a story that excitement, tension or crisis
is encountered. The third element of a plot is known as the climax or the main point of the plot.
This is the turning point of the story and is meant to be the moment of highest interest and
emotion. The reader wonders what is going to happen next. The fourth element of a plot is
known as falling action or the winding up of the story. Events and complications begin to
resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are put forward. The last element of a
plot is the resolution or the conclusion. It is the end of a story and ends with either a happy or
a tragic ending.

Plot Examples

Example #1

Among the examples of plot in modern literature, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
(written by J.K. Rowling) is probably the most familiar to both readers and moviegoers. The
plot of the story begins when Harry learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The Professor lets loose a troll, who nearly kills Harry and his friends. In addition, Harry finds
out that Hagrid let out the secret of the giant dog to a stranger in return for a dragon which
means that Snape can now reach the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Example #2

Romantic fiction plot examples in the 1800 include the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane
Austen. The plot of the story begins when Lizzie’s sister, Jane, falls in love with Darcy’s friend
named Mr. Bingley. Lizzie develops and interest in for Mr. Wickham, who accuses Darcy of
destroying him financially. When Lizzie goes to meet her friend, she runs into Mr. Darcy, who
proposes and Lizzie rejects. She then writes him a letter telling him why she dislikes him. He
writes back, clearing up all misunderstandings and accusations. Jane runs away with Mr.
Wickham and Lizzie realizes that Mr. Darcy is not as bad a man as she thought him to be.

Functions of a Plot

A plot is one of the most important parts of a story and has many different purposes. Firstly,
the plot focuses attention on the important characters and their roles in the story. It motivates
the characters to affect the story and connects the events in an orderly manner. It creates a
desire for the reader to go on reading by absorbing them in the middle of the story, wanting to
know what happens next. The plot leads to the climax, but by gradually releases the story in
order to maintain the reader’s interest. During the plot of a book, a reader gets emotional and
connects with the book, not allowing himself to put the book down. Eventually, the plot reveals
the entire story and gives the reader a sense of completion that he has finished the story and
reached a conclusion.

The plot is what forms a memory in the readers’ mind, allowing them to think about the book
and even making them want to read it again. By identifying and understanding the plot, the
reader is able to understand the message being conveyed by the author and the explicit or
implicit moral of the story.
 UNIT-IV: ADAPATATIONS

ADAPTATIONS

To adapt means to transpose from one medium to another. It is the ability to make fit or suitable
by changing, or adjusting. Modifying something to create a change in structure, function, and
form, which produces a better adjustment.

Adapting a novel, book, play, or article into a screenplay is the same as writing an original
screenplay. It only starts from the source material: the novel, book, play, article or song.

The screenplay must provide visualization of the action that can be captured on film.

When screenwriters adapt from another medium it must be a visual experience. That is the
primary job of the screenwriters who must remain true only to the integrity of the source
material.

Adapting another form of writing to the screen means finding cinematic equivalents in the
original piece.

The screenwriters only has 120 pages to tell the story and has to choose story events carefully
so they highlight and illustrate the screenplay with good visual and dramatic components.

ADAPTING NOVELS

A novel usually takes place inside the character’s head. A play deals with the language of
dramatic action. A screenplay deals with externals, with details – the ticking of a clock, a child
playing in an empty street, a car turning the corner. Up to 25% of all feature films have been
literary adaptations.

After seeing the film version of a well-known novel, most of us have commented that the book
was better, or different in some part. Adapting a book into a screenplay means to change one
(book) into another (screenplay), not to superimpose one onto the other.

A novel usually deals with the internal life of someone, the character’s thoughts, feelings,
emotions, and memories occurring within the mindscape of dramatic action. In a novel you can
write the same scene in a sentence, a paragraph, a page, or chapter, describing the internal
dialogue, the thoughts, feelings, and impressions of the character. A novel usually takes place
inside the character’s head.

Narrative film and the novel

The novelist conveys his narrative thought through the use of verbal language. The screenwriter
conveys narrative thought through visual and verbal means.
  The novelist will write: A woman entered the room.
 The screenwriter must show a specific woman enter a specific room.

Because film is a visual medium and tells us much more than the novel possibly could about
the physical nature of people, places and things, the filmmaker is more limited than the novelist
in the images he presents, but has much more control over how his audience receives such
images.

THEATRICAL ADAPTATION
Films sometimes use plays as their sources. William Shakespeare has been called the most
popular screenwriter in Hollywood. There are not only film versions of most of Shakespeare's
works but also multiple versions of many of the plays. Numerous spinoffs adapt Shakespeare's
plays very loosely, such as West Side Story, Kiss Me, Kate, The Lion King, O, and 10 Things
I Hate about You. Adaptations in languages other than English flourish around the globe, such
as Akira Kurosawa's two epic films Throne of Blood (1957) and Ran (1985), and Éric
Rohmer's Conte d'hiver (A Tale of Winter,1992).
Similarly, hit Broadway plays are frequently adapted, whether from musicals or dramas. On
one hand, theatrical adaptation does not involve as many interpolations or elisions as novel
adaptation, but on the other, the demands of scenery and possibilities of motion frequently
entail changes from one medium to the other. Film critics will often mention if an adapted play
has a static camera or emulates a proscenium arch. Laurence Olivier consciously imitated the
arch with his Henry V (1944), having the camera begin to move and to use color stock after
the prologue, indicating the passage from physical to imaginative space. Sometimes, the
adaptive process can continue after one translation. Mel Brooks' The Producers was a film that
was adapted into a Broadway musical and then adapted again into a film.

TELEVISION ADAPTATION
Feature films are occasionally created from television series or television segments. In these
cases, the film will either offer a longer storyline than the usual television program's format or
will offer expanded production values. In the adaptation of The X-Files to film, for example,
greater effects and a longer plotline were involved. Additionally, adaptations of television
shows will offer the viewer the opportunity to see the television show's characters without
broadcast restrictions. These additions (nudity, profanity, explicit drug use, and explicit
violence) are only rarely a featured adaptive addition (film versions of "procedurals" such
as Miami Vice are most inclined to such additions as featured adaptations) – South Park:
Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a notable example of a film being more explicit than its parent TV
series.
At the same time, some theatrically released films are adaptations of television miniseries
events. When national film boards and state-controlled television networks co-exist,
filmmakers can sometimes create very long films for television that they may adapt solely for
time for theatrical release. Both Ingmar Bergman (notably with Fanny and Alexander but with
other films as well) and Lars von Trier have created long television films that they then recut
for international distribution.
Even segments of television series have been adapted into feature films. The American
television variety show Saturday Night Live has been the origin of a number of films, beginning
with The Blues Brothers, which began as a one-off performance by Dan Aykroyd and John
Belushi. Mr. Bean was adapted into Bean and the sequel, Mr. Bean's Holiday.

RADIO ADAPTATION
Radio narratives have also provided the basis of film adaptation. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy, for example, began as a radio series for the BBC and then became a novel that was
adapted to film. In the heyday of radio, radio segments, like television segments today,
translated to film on several occasions, usually as shorts. Dialog-heavy stories and fantastic
stories from radio also adapted to film (e.g. Fibber McGee and Molly and The Life of Riley).

COMIC BOOK ADAPTATION

Comic book characters, particularly superheroes, have long been adapted into film, beginning
in the 1940s with Saturday movie serials aimed at children. Superman (1978)
and Batman (1989) are two later successful movie adaptations of famous comic book
characters. In the early 2000s, blockbusters such as X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002) have
led to dozens of superhero films. The success of these films has also led to other comic books
not necessarily about superheroes being adapted for the big screen, such as Ghost
World (2001), From Hell (2001), American Splendor (2003), Sin
City (2005), 300(2007), Wanted (2008), and Whiteout (2009).
The adaptation process for comics is different from that of novels. Many successful comic book
series last for several decades and have featured several variations of the characters in that time.
Films based on such series usually try to capture the back story and “spirit” of the character
instead of adapting a particular storyline. Occasionally, aspects of the characters and their
origins are simplified or modernized.

VIDEO GAME ADAPTATION

Video games have also been adapted into films, beginning in the early 1980s, although films
closely related to the computer and video game industries had been done previously, such
as Tron and The Wizard, but only after the release of several films based on well-known brands
has this genre become recognized in its own right.
Similar to comic book-based films in the past (especially from 1980's), films based on video
games tend to carry a reputation of lackluster quality and receive negative reaction from both
film critics or fans of the games on which they are based. A number of films have been
successful at the box office(such as Mortal Kombat, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Silent
Hill, Resident Evil, and Prince of Persia), but all critical reception of the films are either mixed
to poor.
Some, such as Super Mario Bros., were particularly negatively received and are considered
among the worst films ever made. The aforementioned adaptation was criticized for being too
dark, violent and unfaithful(in plot) to the popular video game series. Many anime Original
Video Animations (OVAs) based on popular games have been released such as Dead Space:
Downfall, Halo Legends, Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, and numerous films based on
the video game series Pokémon.

FILM ADAPTATION
A film adaptation is the transfer of a written work, in whole or in part, to a feature film.
Although often considered a type of derivative work, recent academic developments by
scholars such as Robert Stam conceptualize film adaptation as a dialogic process.
A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film. Other
works adapted into films include non-fiction (including journalism), autobiography, comic
books, scriptures, plays, historical sources, and even other films. From the earliest days of
cinema, in nineteenth-century Europe, adaptation from such diverse resources has been a
ubiquitous practice of filmmaking.

UNIT –V: COMPUTER AIDED SCREENWRITING

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL SCREENWRITING

DIGITALSTORYTELLING
Digital Storytelling combines the best of two worlds: the 'new world' of digitised video,
photography and art, and the "old world" of telling stories. This means the "old world" of
PowerPoint slides filled with bullet point statements will be replaced by a "new world" of
examples via stories, accompanied by evocative images and sounds.

- William Dauphinais

A Digital Story can be made from a range of audio and visual elements. The backbone of a
Digital Story is a written script - approximately 250 words long. Before you begin it is
important to understand copyright. The best way to avoid breaking copyright laws is to create
all the elements of your story yourself. However, if you do use other peoples* work then
check that you have the right to use it, otherwise you will not be able to show your story in
public or place it on a public website, such as YouTube or Facebook. The copyright section
of this guide provides an overview of the issues.
Digital Storytelling, as the name suggests, can refer to any form of storytelling that uses
digital technology to create and share a story with an audience.

ADVANTAGES
Sharing stories is a great way to connect with people. In hearing a story, you may relate to
another person and identify with their situation. Digital storytelling adds to regular
storytelling by allowing the storyteller to include images, pictures, music, and other things to
their story.

The great thing about digital storytelling is that you don’t need to be an expert to do it.
Anybody can develop a short video that shows their unique experience, using tools they
already likely have. If you are interested in sharing your story, this guide can help you create
a digital story that reflects your voice and your story

Stories engage people by making a topic relatable. Digital storytelling uses different things
like video, audio, and pictures to show the story in a unique way. The format of digital stories
and the way they can be shared creates an emotional connection to the topic, inviting people
to engage with a story and take action as a result of seeing it.

Digital storytelling is something anyone can do no matter what level of experience they have
telling stories or using technology. It allows people to share their stories of recovery in
creative ways. In sharing their own messages of healing, storytellers can support the recovery
and healing of others. Negative attitudes about mental health are reduced and help seeking is
increased when people have positive interactions with other people who have behavioral
health conditions. The process of sharing one’s recovery experience can be a healing and
empowering exercise for storytellers, as well.

OUTLINE & ARRANGING SCENES

OUTLINE/SCRIPT
The outline for a digital story is a key part of the process. Having a well thought-out, written
or drawn outline helps reach goals related to time and purpose. If you plan to use an
interviewer, develop the outline together so that you and the interviewer are comfortable with
the script and can create a great product.
Storytellers often seem the most honest if they are able to speak off the cuff from an outline
rather than reading word-for-word from notes. Choose an outlining method that is
comfortable for you and helps you reach your goals.
An outline template is available on page 30.
Storyboard
Storyboarding refers to a way of planning for all the things that will appear in the digital
story, such as music, pictures, words, text, photos, and video. Storyboards help storytellers to
picture the entire story from start to finish.

Storyboards are created in the order of things that happened and help to show what things
will appear in the video, and when. They often inspire new ideas for organization or visual
effects, show gaps, and help improve the video’s quality. Think about the place where you
will be filming or recording and any challenges you may need to address (e.g., lighting, noise,
background).

Creating a storyboard can be as simple as sketching out your plans on paper. If you prefer to
use your computer, Microsoft Word or PowerPoint are other options, along with many
software programs or apps for the more advanced developer.

APPLICATIONS FOR SCREEN WRITING

some of the best screenwriters wrote their masterpieces without relying on apps or even
computers, but sometimes an app is just what you need to organize your thoughts or
streamline the writing process. Here some scriptwriting apps for writing.
DubScript
This powerful and easy-to-use screenwriting app is a revelation for writers wanting to work
on-the-go. The app is available on the Play store and downloaded by thousands of
screenwriters from around the world for adding convenience to their work.

Create unlimited scripts, change formats of script text, adjust fonts and use multiple keyboard
shortcuts to work without any interruptions. This script writing app also provides a feature
which enables reading scripts out loud whenever you want to take a look at already written
material.
Fade In Mobile
Now screenwriters can easily and comfortably edit their scripts on-the-go with this complete
editor app of the Fade In Professional Screenwriting software. You can download this
premium app on your iPad or iPhone for a complete range of editing tools and options.
For Apple users only.
Celts

This app is equally popular among screenwriters using Apple and Android phones for
screenwriting. It lets the users write formatted scripts, collaborate with their partners and use
free backup storage for scripts. Some of the features that make Celtx a must-have app are:
 Comic formats
 Free online storage for scripts
 Discuss scripts with the entire team and writing partners
 Universal app; for all iPad, iPhone and android phone users
 Automated syncing and backup

Scripts Pro

Another Apple only screenwriting app, but what’s great about it is that it’s optimized for both
iPhone and iPad, so you don’t need to purchase it twice. The Scripts Pro app provides a user-
friendly interface along with useful editing tools for professional screenwriters. Some of the
prominent features of this amazing app include:
 Import and export of CELTX, TXT and FDX files
 Preview and read mode; lets you go through the entire script like an iBook
 iCloud support; lets you stay up-to-date with automatic syncing between all apple
devices
 Airprint support; enables you to print out the script wirelessly anytime and anywhere

Storyist

This powerful screenplay app is ideal for creating, editing, reviewing and revising
screenplays anywhere and everywhere. Some prominent features of this app are:
 Text editing which includes fonts, colors, images, header and style sheet changes
 Color-coded index cards
 DropBox and iCloud sync
  Return key shortcuts and automatic manuscript formatting
 Customizable story sheets
The best thing about using this screenplay app is how organized it is. With just a few taps,
you can access any script, or any part of it, conveniently from your iPhone or iPad.

COLLABORATION
A collaboration script is a set of instructions designed for structuring collaborative learning.

Scripting collaborations is a pedagogical method which instead of leaving team members

completely free, prescribes the organization of the task and the organization of the collaborative
process. More specifically, collaboration scripts specify team composition, roles
differentiation, activity steps and modes of communication.
Comments on the history

 Division of labor and how the money is split. In the absence of a written agreement,
an equal split is the default position.

 Who owns the story idea? Who will get the story credit? This is a matter of who came
up with the story concept and who developed it. More often than not, it is a
combination of all the credited writers.

 What happens in the event of death or incapacitation of a co-writer? Have

arrangements been made to transfer the intellectual property to an estate and its heirs.
What decision making power does the executor of the estate have in terms of royalties
and ongoing revenue and rights.

 Who’s name comes first on the credits? This is something for the screenwriters to
decide if there is equal screenwriting credit. Otherwise, you can play rock, paper,
scissors, go in alphabetical order or even a lucky dip.

 Who has the final say on business deals. It’s common to have an external third party
arbitrator when writing partners can’t agree.

 What are the time points and delivery dates? What are the penalties if one partner
does more work than the others? Are they enforceable?

 How are non-writing duties handled? Who attends meetings? Who is the
spokesperson? How are expenses handled such as travel and lunch meetings?

 How are research duties divided? Who attends a court case to find out what legal
proceedings look like?
  How are penalties divided? What happens when one screenwriter doesn’t deliver or is
constantly late.

There have been many successful writing partnerships, so it’s not all ominous. Many fall-outs
between co-writers are due to creative differences.