What makes a script?

In this document I wanted to explore what makes a script. I feel that by learning this information it will help me create an overall better script when it comes to me writing my film.

The first aspect of script writing that became apparent to me is that there are many types of scripts. Each type serves their own function in the media they are used in. Here are some examples:

·         Manuscript, any written document often story based and unpublished

·         Play (theatre), the dialogue and stage directions for a theatrical production

·         Screenplay, the dialogue and language for a film or show

·         Script (comics), the dialogue for a comic book or comic strip

·         Scripted sequence, a predefined series of events in a video game triggered by player location or actions

As much as I would like to explore all these aspects of script writing, I am going to focus on the form of script writing that applies to the creation that I want to make, which is a film (screenplay).

According to ‘Writersstore.com’ the definition for a screenplay is “…  a 90-120 page document written in Courier 12pt font on 8 1/2" x 11" bright white three-hole punched paper.” Since my film will only be 5 minutes long I will only need to write 5 – 6 pages long, as 1 page tends to equate to 1 minute of screen time. Screenplays can either be an original piece, or based on a true story or previously written piece, like a novel, stage play or newspaper article. Since my plot is a comedy about a man whose car breaks down in the woods and him trying to survive the night, mine would be consider to be an original piece. 

Something that I need to consider when I begin writing my script is that film is a visual medium. So I need to remember that many of the emotions conveyed in my film will be visual and not require dialogue. This is especially true as there is only one character throughout the whole film. So instead of writing elongated paragraphs depicting the shot or scenes I need to remember the images will be more important than the script. For example, instead of writing many sentences about what should be achieved in a shot or shots I should just write “close-up on characters sad face”.

Below I have included a picture of a script and I have noted the key elements that need to be included. A script writing tool that is not included in this example, that I will be using, is ‘Mores and Continueds’. These are used between pages to indicate that the same character is still speaking.  

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question 3

I wanted to receive some more audience feedback and see how people outside my target audience would perceive the film. That is why I asked a select group of individuals, all above my target audience age range, to ask their opinions on the film. These are the results that I gathered.

 

 

The feedback to the first question"Who do you think are the intended audience for this media text?" all pretty much concurred with each other. One person said the intended audience was 16 - 22 years old. Another said it was 16+ and the other said it was 15+. These all fit within my target audience, which I was trying to aim for in the film through the use of semi-nudity and rude language. This is good as it indicates that I have achieved my aim of making a 15+ rated film.

The feedback to the second question "Do you think that the text is appropriate or suitable for the target audience? Why?" the answers concurred once again. They all agree that the vernacular was appropriate for the age group that I was appealing to (15+ year old's). This is good as it shows that the strong language to include had a positive effect on my reaching my target audience.

The feedback to the third question "What do you think are the strengths of this piece of work?" was positive and talked about a range of aspects include in my film. For example, one persons mentioned that they thought the "movement" and "shades of colour" had a good impact on the film. Another person mentioned that "the limited use of speech make it suitable for a wider audience (foreign and deaf listeners)." This is an advantage I had not previously considered when using slapstick humour. This is good as it enable my film to have an international audience that can still interpret the humour without knowing English.

The feedback to the fourth question "What do you think could have been improved?" proved to be very constructive. Two of my participants said that the main character should have more dialogue. When creating this film I thought a limited amount of dialogue would only be need to set up a few scenes. However, after reading these comments I think I should reconsider and possibly include more dialogue in future projects, even if they are slapstick comedy's.

Regarding the statements that I asked them to rate from 1 (disagree) to 6 (agree) I found that the results are positive. For the statement "The text is technically convincing" I received a 4, a 5 and a 6 rating. This tells me that the technical aspects such as colour grading, cuts and so forth are all enjoyed by these participants. For the statement "The media text is successful"I received a 5, a 5 and a 6. This tells me that my participants really enjoyed the narrative of my film. All these positive reviews tell me that even people outside my target audience can enjoy my film just as much or even more so.