Whats the difference between a screenplay and a script?
There are many kinds of script, but context usually keeps you from having to specify. If you're talking with film producers, they'll know that you mean a movie script. If you're in a radio drama club, they'll know that you mean a radio script (yes, they still use them.)
A screenplay is any script that can be made into a visual medium, like a movie or a television show.
Im planning to do Film Studies for A-Levels and one of the units is to write a screenplay. What makes up one?
Three acts (usually), headers, sluglines, action, and dialogue.
Currently accepted formatting is constantly changing. Normally, most
transitions are no longer used.
In action lines,
names are generally capitalized the first time the character appears. After that, they're in lowercase. Every
cue, however, is still capitalized.
Sounds are no longer capitalized. Neither are
props.
Scenes are not numbered until the
shooting script is written.
Here's an example I made up off the top of my head:
__________________________________
------------------------------------------------
ACT 1
FADE IN:
INT. GONZO'S STORE -- DAY
GONZO, 40-ish with hippy hair and denim overalls, pulls out a baseball bat and leaps over the counter. He falls on his pratt with a huge crash.
Two YOUNG PUNKS run out the door carrying armloads of snacks.
GONZO
(winces)
I'm getting too old for this!
CUT TO:
INT. EMERGENCY ROOM -- DAY
Gonzo grits his teeth as a CANDYSTRIPER places an icepack on his bruised bum.
CANDYSTRIPER
You're getting too old for this, Gonzo!
FADE OUT:
------------------------------------------------
Ok, here we go.
This is a
heading. Most TV scripts use them. Movie scripts may or may not.
This is a
transition. FADE IN: is still commonly used at the beginning of a script.
INT. GONZO'S STORE -- DAY
This is a
Scene Heading, commonly called a
Slugline. It establishes that the scene takes place indoors ("INT."), that it is in the set for Gonzo's Store, and that it occurs during daylight hours ("DAY"). Every scene has one.
Outside scenes would start "EXT." Night scenes would end "NIGHT".
GONZO, 40-ish with hippy hair and denim overalls, pulls out a baseball bat and leaps over the counter. He falls on his pratt with a huge crash.
This is
action. It shows what's happening in the scene.
Notice that it uses active words ("pulls out", "leaps", "falls") -- always use active words, never passive ones ("is", "seems").
Notice also that it's written in "real time" -- everything is in present tense, as if it's happening right now.
Since this is the first time Gonzo's been shown, his name is capitalized. The prop "baseball bat" and the sound "crash" are not capitalized. Many older scripts still use the old method, but it's fallen out of favor.
Two YOUNG PUNKS run out the door carrying armloads of snacks.
More
action. The Young Punks need to be capitalized because this is their first mention. If they were more important to the story, they'd have more description, and maybe even a line or two.
This is a
cue. They are always capitalized. It simply shows who's about to speak.
This is a
parenthetical, more commonly called a
wrylie. Don't overuse them; let the actors act.
I'm getting too old for this!
This is
dialogue.
Another
transition. You'll see a lot of CUT TO: and FADE TO: ( and even stranger ones like POP FLASH TO: ) in scripts. You can use them, but they're falling out of style.
INT. EMERGENCY ROOM -- DAY
The
slugline for the next scene. It takes place inside the E.R. during the day.
Gonzo grits his teeth as a CANDYSTRIPER places an icepack on his bruised bum.
The action for the scene. Since Gonzo has already been introduced, his name isn't capitalized. The new character, Candystriper, is capitalized.
Another
cue. Always capitalized.
You're getting too old for this, Gonzo!
More
dialogue.
FADE OUT: is generally still used at the end of an act. FADE TO BLACK: is still used at the end of a script. They are, of course,
transitions.
What you did
NOT see:
1. INT. GONZO'S STORE -- DAY
Scene numbers. They're only used in the final script, also called the Production Script or the Shooting Script.
Camera instructions. Not your job. You can probably get away with using a couple in a script, but more than that will upset the Director. Let the actors act, and let the director direct. You're the writer, you write.
Gonzo feels sad about his bruised bum.
That's telling, not showing. Always show. Maybe something like:
Gonzo studies his bruised bum in a mirror. A single tear drips from his eye.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the limitations of the board software, the spacing of the various elements in the script snippet are not correct. Each element is supposed to be a certain number of characters from the left edge of the paper. You can find a list of where to set your tabs online.
This should get you started on the basics. There are lots of other elements a script can use, such as different types of montages, telephone conversations, voice overs, match cuts, and captions. You'll learn about them later. Just bear in mind that a voice over (V.O.) is different from an offscreen (O.S.)
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How long does it have to be?
In general, a properly formatted screenplay should
average one minute per page. A two-hour movie script would be about 120 pages. A two-hour comedy, however, runs about 90 pages or so. A dialogue-heavy drama may run 130 pages.
Im really interested in the film industry, my dream is to make a movie. I have just awesome ideas for movies and TV dramas. Its just i dont know where to start...
What advice can you give me?
Write.
(I am
reallllly interested in seeing how this post looks after I push SUBMIT.)
