Screenplay

Last updated

A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show, or video game (as opposed to a stage play) by screenwriters. A screenplay written for television is also known as a teleplay . Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. A screenplay is a form of narration in which the movements, actions, expressions and dialogue of the characters are described in a certain format. Visual or cinematographic cues may be given, as well as scene descriptions and scene changes.

Contents

History

In the early silent era, before the turn of the 20th century, "scripts" for films in the United States were usually a synopsis of a film of around one paragraph and sometimes as short as one sentence. [1] Shortly thereafter, as films grew in length and complexity, film scenarios (also called "treatments" or "synopses" [2] : 92 ) were written to provide narrative coherence that had previously been improvised. [1] Films such as A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Great Train Robbery (1903) had scenarios consisting respectively of a list of scene headings or scene headings with a detailed explication of the action in each scene. [1] At this time, scripts had yet to include individual shots or dialogue. [1]

These scenario scripts evolved into continuity scripts, which listed a number of shots within each scene, thus providing continuity to streamline the filmmaking process. [1] While some productions, notably D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), were made without a script, preapproved "continuities" allowed the increasingly powerful studio executives to more accurately budget for film productions. [1] Movie industry revolutionary Thomas H. Ince, a screenwriter himself, invented movie production by introducing an "assembly line" system of filmmaking that utilized far more detailed written materials, clearly dedicated to "separating conception from execution". [1] Film researcher Andrew Kenneth Gay posits that, "The process of scripting for the screen did not so much emerge naturally from other literary forms such as the play script, the novel, or poetry nor to meet the artistic needs of filmmakers but developed primarily to address the manufacturing needs of industrial production." [1]

With the advent of sound film, dialogue quickly dominated scripts, with what had been specific instructions for the filmmaker initially regressed to a list of master shots. [1] However, screenwriters soon began to add the shot-by-shot details that characterized continuities of the films of the later silent era. [1] Casablanca (1942), is written in this style, with detailed technical instructions interwoven with dialogue. [1] The first use of the term "screenplay" dates to this era; [2] : 86  the term "screen play" (two words) was used as early as 1916 in the silent era to refer to the film itself, i.e. a play shown on a screen. [2] : 82  [1]

With the end of the studio system in the 1950s and 1960s, these continuities were gradually split into a master-scene script , which includes all dialogue but only rudimentary scene descriptions and a shooting script devised by the director after a film is approved for production. [1] While studio era productions required the explicit visual continuity and strict adherence to a budget that continuity scripts afforded, the master-scene script was more readable, which is of importance to an independent producer seeking financing for a project. [1] By the production of Chinatown (1974), this change was complete. [1] Andrew Kenneth Gay argues that this shift has raised the status of directors as auteurs and lowered the profile of screenwriters. [1] However, he also notes that since the screenplay is no longer a technical document, screenwriting is more of a literary endeavour. [1]

Format and style

Page from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions, as well as scene cuts Screenplay example.svg
Page from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions, as well as scene cuts

The format is structured so that (as a ballpark estimate) one page equates to roughly one minute of screen time, though this often bears little resemblance to the runtime of the final production. [3] The standard font is 12 point, 10 pitch Courier typeface. [4] Wide margins of at least one inch are employed (usually larger for the left to accommodate hole punches).

The major components are action (sometimes called "screen direction") and dialogue. The action is written in the present tense and is limited to what can be heard or seen by the audience, for example descriptions of settings, character movements, or sound effects. The dialogue is the words the characters speak, and is written in a center column.

Unique to the screenplay (as opposed to a stage play) is the use of slug lines. A slug line, also called a master scene heading, occurs at the start of each scene and typically contains 3 pieces of information: whether the scene is set inside or outside (INT. or EXT.; interior or exterior), the specific location, and the time of day. Each slug line begins a new scene. In a "shooting script" the slug lines are numbered consecutively for ease of reference. [5]

Physical format

US

American screenplays are printed single-sided on three-hole-punched paper using the standard American letter size (8.5 x 11 inch). They are then held together with two brass brads in the top and bottom hole. The middle hole is left empty as it would otherwise make it harder to quickly read the script.

UK

In the United Kingdom, double-hole-punched A4 paper is normally used, which is slightly taller and narrower than US letter size. Some UK writers format the scripts for use in the US letter size, especially when their scripts are to be read by American producers since the pages would otherwise be cropped when printed on US paper. Because each country's standard paper size is difficult to obtain in the other country, British writers often send an electronic copy to American producers, or crop the A4 size to US letter.

A British script may be bound by a single brad at the top left-hand side of the page, making flicking through the paper easier during script meetings. Screenplays are usually bound with a light card stock cover and back page, often showing the logo of the production company or agency submitting the script, covers are there to protect the script during handling which can reduce the strength of the paper. This is especially important if the script is likely to pass through the hands of several people or through the post.

Other

Increasingly, reading copies of screenplays (that is, those distributed by producers and agencies in the hope of attracting finance or talent) are distributed printed on both sides of the paper (often professionally bound) to reduce paper waste. Occasionally they are reduced to half-size to make a small book which is convenient to read or put in a pocket; this is generally for use by the director or production crew during shooting.

Although most writing contracts continue to stipulate physical delivery of three or more copies of a finished script, it is common for scripts to be delivered electronically via email. Electronic copies allow easier copyright registration and also documenting "authorship on a given date". [6] Authors can register works with the WGA's Registry, [7] and even television formats using the FRAPA's system. [8] [9]

Screenplay formats

Screenplays and teleplays use a set of standardizations, beginning with proper formatting. These rules are in part to serve the practical purpose of making scripts uniformly readable "blueprints" of movies, and also to serve as a way of distinguishing a professional from an amateur.

Feature film

Screenplay for the 1974 film The Godfather Part II, written by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, held at the National Museum of Cinema in Italy The Godfather Screenplay.JPG
Screenplay for the 1974 film The Godfather Part II , written by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, held at the National Museum of Cinema in Italy

Motion picture screenplays intended for submission to mainstream studios, whether in the US or elsewhere in the world, are expected to conform to a standard typographical style known widely as the studio format which stipulates how elements of the screenplay such as scene headings, action, transitions, dialogue, character names, shots and parenthetical matter should be presented on the page, as well as font size and line spacing.

One reason for this is that, when rendered in studio format, most screenplays will transfer onto the screen at the rate of approximately one page per minute. This rule of thumb is widely contested — a page of dialogue usually occupies less screen time than a page of action, for example, and it depends enormously on the literary style of the writer — and yet it continues to hold sway in modern Hollywood.

There is no single standard for studio format. Some studios have definitions of the required format written into the rubric of their writer's contract. The Nicholl Fellowship, a screenwriting competition run under the auspices of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has a guide to screenplay format. [10] A more detailed reference is The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats. [11]

Speculative screenplay

A speculative screenplay or "spec script" is a script written to be sold on the open market with no upfront payment, or promise of payment. The content is usually invented solely by the screenwriter, though spec screenplays can also be based on established works or real people and events. [12]

Television

For American TV shows, the format rules for hour-long dramas and single-camera sitcoms are essentially the same as for motion pictures. The main difference is that TV scripts have act breaks. Multi-camera sitcoms use a different, specialized format that derives from stage plays and radio. In this format, dialogue is double-spaced, action lines are capitalized, and scene headings, character entrances and exits, and sound effects are capitalized and underlined.

Drama series and sitcoms are no longer the only formats that require the skills of a writer. With reality-based programming crossing genres to create various hybrid programs, many of the so-called "reality" programs are in a large part scripted in format. That is, the overall skeleton of the show and its episodes are written to dictate the content and direction of the program. The Writers Guild of America has identified this as a legitimate writer's medium, so much so that they have lobbied to impose jurisdiction over writers and producers who "format" reality-based productions. Creating reality show formats involves storytelling structure similar to screenwriting, but much more condensed and boiled down to specific plot points or actions related to the overall concept and story.

Documentaries

The script format for documentaries and audio-visual presentations which consist largely of voice-over matched to still or moving pictures is different again and uses a two-column format which can be particularly difficult to achieve in standard word processors, at least when it comes to editing or rewriting. Many script-editing software programs include templates for documentary formats.

Screenwriting software

Various screenwriting software packages are available to help screenwriters adhere to the strict formatting conventions. Detailed computer programs are designed specifically to format screenplays, teleplays, and stage plays. Such packages include BPC-Screenplay, Celtx, Fade In, Final Draft, FiveSprockets, Montage, Movie Draft SE, Movie Magic Screenwriter, Movie Outline 3.0, Scrivener, and Zhura. Software is also available as web applications, accessible from any computer, and on mobile devices, such as Fade In Mobile Scripts Pro and Studio Binder, and WriterDuet, which is available as a mobile application and a website.

The first screenwriting software was SmartKey, a macro program that sent strings of commands to existing word processing programs, such as WordStar, WordPerfect and Microsoft Word. SmartKey was popular with screenwriters from 1982 to 1987, after which word processing programs had their own macro features.

Script coverage

Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the script-development department of a production company. While coverage may remain entirely verbal, it usually takes the form of a written report, guided by a rubric that varies from company to company. The original idea behind coverage was that a producer's assistant could read a script and then give their producer a breakdown of the project and suggest whether they should consider producing the screenplay or not. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screenwriter</span> Writer who writes for films, TV shows, comics and games

A screenwriter is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs, and video games, are based.

A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or an episode of an anthology series. In internal industry usage, however, all television scripts are teleplays, although a "teleplay by" credit may be classified into a "written by" credit depending on the circumstances of its creation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Script breakdown</span> Aspect of creating a performance

A script breakdown is an intermediate step in the production of a play, film, comic book, or any other work that is originally planned using a script.

Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwriting, casting, pre-production, shooting, sound recording, post-production, and screening the finished product before an audience, which may result in a film release and exhibition. The process is nonlinear, as the director typically shoots the script out of sequence, repeats shots as needed, and puts them together through editing later. Filmmaking occurs in a variety of economic, social, and political contexts around the world, and uses a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques to make theatrical films, episodic films for television and streaming platforms, music videos, and promotional and educational films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screenwriting</span> Art and craft of writing screenplays

Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGA screenwriting credit system</span> Credit system for motion pictures and TV programs in the US

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) credit system for motion pictures and television programs covers all works under the jurisdiction of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW). The WGA, originally the Screen Writers Guild, has since 1941 been the final arbiter of who receives credit for writing a theatrical, television or new media motion picture written under its jurisdiction.

William Froug was an American television writer and producer. His producing credits included the series The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, and Bewitched. He was a writer for, among other shows, The Dick Powell Show, Charlie's Angels, and Adventures in Paradise. He authored numerous books on screenwriting, including Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade, Zen and the Art of Screenwriting I and II, The Screenwriter Looks at The Screenwriter, and How I Escaped from Gilligan's Island: Adventures of a Hollywood Writer-Producer, published in 2005 by the University of Wisconsin Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Rossio</span> American screenwriter

Terry Rossio is an American screenwriter and film producer. He co-wrote the films Aladdin, Shrek, and all five of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Shrek, and won the Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Shrek. He often collaborates with fellow screenwriter Ted Elliott.

The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video, and new media. The AWG was established in 1962, and has conferred the AWGIE Awards since 1968, the Monte Miller Awards since 1972, and the John Hinde Award since 2008.

Television crew positions are derived from those of film crew, but with several differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert McKee</span> American academic specialized in seminars for screenwriters

Robert McKee is an author, lecturer and story consultant who is known for his "Story Seminar", which he developed when he was a professor at the University of Southern California. McKee is the author of Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, Dialogue: the Art of Verbal Action for Stage, Page and Screen, Storynomics: Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World and Character: The Art of Role and Cast Design for Page, Stage, and Screen. McKee also has the blog and online writers' resource "Storylogue".

A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio.

Screenwriting software are word processors specialized to the task of writing screenplays.

A scriptment is a written work by a movie or television screenwriter that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements, which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. It is a more elaborate document than a standard draft treatment. Some films have been shot using only a scriptment.

Robin Stender Swicord is an American screenwriter, film director, and playwright, best known for literary adaptations. Her notable screenplays include Little Women (1994), Matilda (1996), Practical Magic (1998), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), the latter of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay. She wrote and directed the 2007 film The Jane Austen Book Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhura</span>

Zhura is a free, web-based screenwriting software application for writing and formatting screenplays to the film industry standard, as well as other formats. Zhura allows users to collaborate on scripts in public or private groups and uses Creative Commons Licensing for all work in the public workspace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophocles (software)</span>

Sophocles was a Windows-based screenwriting software application used for writing feature film and television screenplays. The program first became available on the Internet in 1999. Its distinguishing features included a two window screen setup, showing the script and screenplay outline simultaneously.

Blake Snyder was an American screenwriter, consultant, author and educator based in Los Angeles. His screenplays include the comedies Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992) and Blank Check (1994).

Articles related to the field of motion pictures include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fade In (software)</span>

Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software is screenwriting software for writing screenplays in the professional, industry standard format used in Hollywood and elsewhere. It can also be used for teleplays, stage plays, radio plays, multimedia, graphic novels, and other similar script formats.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Andrew Kenneth Gay. "History of scripting and the screenplay" at Screenplayology: An Online Center for Screenplay Studies. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Steven Maras. Screenwriting: History, Theory and Practice. Wallflower Press, 2009. ISBN   9781905674824
  3. ↑ JohnAugust.com "How accurate is the page-per-minute rule?
  4. ↑ JohnAugust.com "Hollywood Standard Formatting"
  5. ↑ Schumach, Murray (August 28, 1960). "HOLLYWOOD USAGE Experts Analyze the Pros and Cons Of Time-Tested 'Master' Scene". The New York Times . Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  6. ↑ Zerner ESQ, Larry. "Writers Guild of America-West Registration vs. Copyright Registration". www.writersstore.com. Retrieved 2020-03-29. If the writer registers the script with the Copyright Office only after the infringement has taken place, he will be barred from recovering attorneys fees or statutory damages in the lawsuit.
  7. ↑ "WGA West Registry". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved 2020-03-29. Any file may be registered to assist you in documenting the creation of your work. Some examples of registerable material include scripts, treatments, synopses, and outlines... The WGAW Registry also accepts stageplays, novels, books, short stories, poems, commercials, lyrics, drawings, music and various media work such as Web series, code, and other digital content.
  8. ↑ Sonia Castang; Richard Deakin; Tony Forster; Andrea Gibb; Olivia Hetreed (Chair); Guy Hibbert; Kathy Hill; Terry James; Line Langebek; Dominic Minghella; Phil Nodding; Phil O’Shea; Sam Snape (April 2016). "Writing Film : A Good Practice Guide" (PDF). Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. p. 11. Retrieved 29 March 2020. In the UK there is no legal necessity to register your work – copyright is automatic. Registration is more important if you intend to offer your work to overseas producers. The Writers Guild of America in New York and Los Angeles offer a cheap and easy-to-use internet-based script registration system that involves uploading a digital copy. If you are offering your work in the USA you should also register it with the US Copyright Office – if you don't, your right to legal damages for copyright infringement may be much reduced.
  9. ↑ Ricolfi, Marco; Morando, Federico; Rubiano, Camilo; Hsu, Shirley; Ouma, Marisella; De Martin, Juan Carlos (September 9, 2011). "Survey of Private Copyright Documentation Systems and Practices" (PDF). World Intellectual Property Organization. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2020. Established in 1927, Writers Guild of America, West Registry (WGAWR) is one of the oldest private copyright registries. Alt URL
  10. ↑ Guide to screenplay format from the website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  11. ↑ The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats (2002) Cole and Haag, SCB Distributors, ISBN   0-929583-00-0.
  12. ↑ "Spec Script". Act Four Screenplays. 29 July 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ "What is Script Coverage?". WeScreenplay. Retrieved 5 July 2016.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.