For my 8th and final impuls I have done some YouTube tutorial research on how to properly write a script. Even though we have roughly learned that at FH as well, I wanted to have a quick update before starting to write my own script over the winter break.
Tutorial #1 – Basic Elements of a Film Script for BEGINNERS! (How To Format, Read and Write a Screenplay!)
This tutorial by Makayla Lysiak deals mostly with the beginners rules and standards for scriptwriting. That is why I decided to watch it first. Makayla is a professional actress and gives advice to people who are new and aspiring in the film industry. I have already watched a handful of videos by her and am a big fan of how she structures them and gives information really well.
In her video she talks about how to build your script in four (or five) steps:
- Slug Line (where, when)
- Action Line (what, who)
- Dialogs
- Parentheticals
- (Cuts)
Slug line
A slug line consists of: INT./EXT. – Setting – Time. INT. or EXT. describes the nature of where our scene takes place (either interior or exterior). Setting tells the reader and actors where we are. Does the scene play in a coffee house or in space? The time is not the exact numbers on the clock but rather day or night or anything in between. An example for a slug line could be:
EXT. Beach – Towel Bar – Day
Slug lines can be very practically written, be a more artsy approach or anything in between. Depending on your film and writing style you will soon find what fits you best.
Action Line
The action line tells us what is happening and who is involved. It can also already hold important details about the character or scene which will need to be included in the movie. For emphasizing their importance we can write them in CAPS. Character names who appear for the first time in a script will also be written in CAPS.
Dialogs
A dialog starts with the character name in their own line and with information about where the dialog comes from and how the character is talking (remembering, exciting, etc.). The origin of the voice can be described in four different ways:
- No additional description normally means the character is visible and audible for the audience
- V.O. = Voice Over and means the voice is an overlay over what we see in the frame
- O.S. = Off Screen and means the character is not in the same space as the other person they’re interacting with
- O.C. = Off camera and means the character is in the same room as the other person they’re interacting with but not visible in the frame. The camera could easily pan to this person
Parentheticals
These include more specific information for your character or the reader. One special way is (re: …) which means the character is referring to something. This is especially important for the actors. They will then know if they are reacting to the coffee which is hot or the person they’re talking to. There is a huge difference between
Lukas
I bought a new bike
Hannah (re: coffee cup)
Wow, that’s hot!
and
Lukas
I bought a new bike
Hannah
Wow, that’s hot!
Transitions / Cuts
On the bottom left of a finished scene there is the possibility to describe what type of transition we want for the current and following scene. There are a ton of different transitions which is why the video did not provide any further information on them. I think it’s just important to know they exist and read more about them when you actually want to use them.
Tutorial #2 – 3 Rules Beginning Screenwriters Need To Know – Dr. Ken Atchity
The second video I watched was about 3 rules beginning screenwriters need to know. Dr. Ken Atchity is a producer and author and he made this video for Film Courage’s YouTube channel.
#1 Everything has to be connected to everything else
.According to Atchity this is the biggest difference between a screenplay and a novel. Everything you say in a screenplay needs to have a reason why it’s said. This makes it much more challenging.
#2 Dramatic order over chronological order, logical order and phycological order
This was an interesting point and can be summarized like this: If the audience is hooked, we don’t care where we go after the hook. Everything that follows will make sense and feel justified.
#3 The audience is the main character in the story
Know what the audience is waiting for, then you will be a good director and screenwriter. Albert Hitchcock makes his characters stand and halt for a second for the audience to catch up with the horror story. After that, people get exactly what they paid for: getting scared. Or as Dr. Ken Atchity would put it: Grab your audience by the throat and never let go of it!
