How To Write A Video ScriptTV, Film & Digital Media 2015

Objective Students will learn the four scripting formats and scripting basics.

Agenda A Script is A Blueprint of Your Video

Scripting Basics Font

Quick Reference Guide

The Four Formats

The Treatment Format

The Center-column Format

The Full-page Format

The Two-column Or Split-page Format

General Information – The Process

Glossary Of Scriptwriting Terms

A Script is A Blueprint of Your Video

Just as an architect’s blueprint is the foundation for the construction of a building, so too is the script for shooting a video. As the writer, you are essentially the “architect” of what will be shot and recorded by the camera. A video script is a chronological run-down of scenes, shots, action and dialogue specifying who is saying and doing what, and when they’re saying or doing it. Each page of the script represents roughly one minute of screen time. Most shorts run from three minutes to twenty minutes in length, which gives you somewhere between three to twenty pages of script, accordingly.

Scripting Basics - Font Font is always Courier, always size 12. The reason for this particular typeface

is that Courier characters have the same size, so an estimation of how long the finished movie will be is more accurate, as each page should equal a minute of screen time.

Scripting Basics - Quick Reference Guide Font: 12 point courier

Spacing between dialogue and action (two lines)

Left margin 1.5''

Right margin 1.5''

Tab for left dialogue margin 2.5''

Tab for right dialogue margin 2.5''

Capitalize these elements: All camera instructions

All sounds, including music

All character names the first they appear in a description/action line

Every word in the header

The speaker's name, above each line of dialogue

Scripting Basics - Four Formats

The Treatment Format

The Center-column Format

The Full-page Format

The Two-column Or Split-page Format

The Treatment Format

Four Formats - What Is A Treatment? A detailed, scene-by-scene summary of the story

Serves as an extended outline for those developing story

Treatment stage is when all involved may agree upon story structure, tone, message, and selling points

Four Formats - The Treatment Format

This technique works well with testimonial, documentary and any other kind of impromptu production.

Most commonly used to make music videos.

This type of script is actually nothing more than a general description of your video's content, direction and style.

Four Formats - Length Of Treatments Short Films, no dialogue

Half the length of film (1 page for every 2 minutes)

Short Films, with dialogue Half the length of film (1 page for every 2 minutes)

Short documentaries No longer than the proposal (3-5 pages)

Feature film 30 pages, MAXIMUM

Covers all major turning points, detail s sequences, summarizes objective for each scene, 10:1 ratio—major turning point for every 10 pages of script should be 1 page of treatment

Four Formats - Treatment Format Conventions

Write the story: No interruptions, No embellishments

Use active verbs Action verbs are verbs that specifically describe what the subject of the sentence is doing.

Once a week, Tom cleans the house.

Passive verbs are verbs that specifically describe what is being to the subject of the sentence.

Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.

What we see on screen should be conveyed in paragraphs without indentations Hit [return/enter] twice between paragraphs

Avoid Dialogue

Four Formats - Treatment Format Conventions

Characters are introduced in CAPS, followed by age in parentheses JOHN (22) flags the BARTENDER (50s). Orders a drink. John toasts the bartender.

Describe only what is seen and heard on camera—no desires, emotions, or thoughts of characters

Write in third-person, present tense Narrative form

Treatment Checklist – Clear Concept MAIN IDEA IS ARTICULATED

WE GET WHAT STORY IS ABOUT

THEME IS DEVELOPED

A MESSAGE TO THE STORY, ELEVATING THE CONFLICT

THE THEME IS A PREMISE THAT STRUCTURES THE NARRATIVE

Treatment Checklist – Plot Has An Arc CLEAR BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END

PROTAGONIST, GOAL, ANTAGONIST PRESENT

STAKES FOR CHARACTERS ARE CLEAR AND MATTER

CONFLICT IS RESOLVED

Treatment Checklist - Character Has An Arc AVOID STEREOTYPES/CLICHÉS CLEAR AND LOGICAL MOTIVATIONS/GOALS

OVERCOMES ISSUE/WEAKNESS

CHANGES FROM BEGINNING

Treatment Checklist - Descriptive Writing DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

LIMITED TO WHAT IS SEEN AND HEARD

NO CHARACTER DESIRES/EMOTIONS

NO CAMERA DIRECTIONS

ACTION DOESN’T MERELY LIST PLOT POINTS

The Treatment Format - Heading 1. Head the Scenes

Each scene of the treatment should be numbered and have a heading that specifies its location, or where the action takes place.

Detail whether the scene takes place in an interior or exterior location and whether it is day or night.

The heading should be written in capital letters.

For example : 1 – EXT. GARDEN – DAY

The first thing you need to specify is the scene number. Then, write down the location (interior or exterior), and finally add whether it is day or night.

The Treatment Format - Characters 2. The Characters Only Act

In the treatment format, the characters are not described. They are defined by their actions.

Nor do they speak, unless there is a significant fragment of dialogue in the story. In that case, you can enclose it in quotes. EX: The RED QUEEN exclaims: ‘Off with her head!’.

In addition, the character names always appear in capital letters. You must include their age in brackets the first time you mention them. EX: ALICE (7) and the RED QUEEN (40)

The Treatment Format - Language 3. Use Technical Language

The treatment is not a literary text but a practical document, so do not dwell on descriptions, details, metaphors and dialogues. Just list the actions that take place in each scene.

Verbs are always in the present tense (as in a literary script) to show that the action is in process.

Treatment Format Example 1 – EXT. GARDEN – DAY

ALICIA (7) and her SISTER (12) are sitting in the shade of a tree with their textbooks. ALICIA doesn’t pay much attention to the book: she’s distracted. The RABBIT runs around the tree and exclaims: ‘I’m late! I’m late!’ ALICIA looks at him with surprise, whereas her SISTER doesn’t even realize he’s there.

Treatment Format Used for Story Analysis Once the treatment is finished, it should present the locations, the

characters, the time span, and the story structure at a glance. You can use it to decide whether your characters evolve at the pace they should, whether the time span is appropriate or whether the plot is well structured.

Add Notes

In some cases, a treatment is all you need to shot your video. In others, the treatment will just serve as a preliminary stage to the writing of the first draft. In this case, you can add comments and notes that will later help you write your script.

Treatment Format ExampleOut of the Darkness

1 - INT. BEDROOM - DAY SIMON wakes up. He doesn’t know where he is or why he’s there. He can recall fuzzy

memories of a formal party, shaded faces, and little else. His memory is almost completely gone.

Simon doesn’t know what to do. He emerges from the hotel he woke up in and realizes he is in Paris. So, he goes to the police to report his issue.

After waiting at the station for an hour or so, still trying to recall what happened, the detective comes out with an officer and says that he is under arrest. Confused and surprised, SIMON fights his way out of the station, discovering that he has immense fighting capacity.

After escaping the police station, SIMON leads the Parisian police on a wild chase through the city.

The Center-Column Format

Four Formats: The Center-Column Format This scripting style works well for any project that has to follow precisely

planned dialogue or narrative, but needs to remain open to creative interpretation by the actors, camera operators and director.

It uses a narrow center portion of the page for scripting and leaves plenty of room on either side for later notations by the rest of your creative team.

This type of script is designed to communicate general ideas, while leaving the specific methods of presentation open to the actors and crew.

This type of script presents character names in all caps and stage directions in parentheses. The margins are wide to allow handwritten notes by the crew.

Generally, you will begin your video with a FADE IN, after which you must introduce the scene location and time with a Header, also called a Slug Line, written in all caps.

Examples: INT. BELLAGIO – NIGHT

EXT. CENTRAL PARK – DAY

INT. DAVE'S KITCHEN - DAWN

EXT. PIER - DUSK

EXT. and INT. stand for “Exterior” and “Interior” respectively, meaning whether the scene is set outdoors or indoors.

If you have a scene that involves a mix of both types of location, use the one where you think the camera would shoot the scene from. For instance, if you have a scene of a father in his living room observing his children playing in the yard, you should use INT. LIVING ROOM because the active character is doing the action inside his living room.

The Center-Column Format - Header

The Center-Column Format - Header For the time of the day, you only need DAY, NIGHT, DUSK, or DAWN.

There’s no need to be specific with the actual hour. If you need, for some reason, to specify the hour, write it in the description lines. Don’t forget to make how this fact is known obvious to the reader / viewing audience.

Is it said by one of the characters?

Is there a clock on the wall?

Maybe someone’s watch?

Example: The Center-Column Format

The Center-Column Format - Action Following the Header we have the Action and Description line, where you describe

the scenery, characters, and their actions. Unlike what you see in novels and short stories, in screenplays the action is always in present tense. So instead of writing “John pulled out his revolver and fired” write “John pulls out his revolver and fires.”

Descriptions should be kept to a minimum. Something like “A dark, cluttered bedroom.” is better than “The bed is a mess. Books clutter the floor. The closed window lets no light in. It’s dark.”

Lengthy descriptive passages with too much detail are frowned upon. From the example above, you could use the second description if the bed, the books, and the window were relevant to the story. Also, this longer passage would work if you’re introducing a location visited often throughout the script. If it is a one-time-only location there’s no need to go overboard with detail. Use restrain and common sense. Write as if you were reading someone else’s script, and you only want what is relevant.

The Center-Column Format - Dialogue When a character speaks, write his or her name in the center of the page,

using upper case letters. Minor characters are often named after their profession or a trait or both, like Tall Professor or Geeky Tech. The dialogue follows under it in a central column under the name.

EX:

AURORA It's sunrise.

The Center-Column Format - Dialogue Occasionally, parentheses are used between the name and the dialogue to

give extra information on how a character feels or the way he delivers his or her lines. Parentheses should be employed sparingly only when the information is not obvious.

For instance, consider the following dialogue:

VICTOR

(whispering)

Can you keep a secret?

The Center-Column Format - Transition In scriptwriting, the term “transition” refers to how one scene shifts to the

next, therefore transitions either precede the Header or finish the script.

The most used transitional notations are cut to, fade in, fade out, dissolve to, cut to black, and cut from black.

As a screenwriter, you have no idea what the director's plans for the scene will be. Avoid specifying transitions. Let the director figure it out.

If you are the screenwriter working alongside the director and responsible for the shooting script, then this is a different game. You should convene with the director and reach a consensus about which transitional device best fits each scene.

Example: The Center-Column Format

The Full-Page Format

Four Formats - The Full-Page Format This is a complete format that moves the project from one scene to the

next, painting a descriptive chronological picture of the video's sights and sounds.

Each scene has a number and each one usually begins with a description of the setting, then follows with descriptions of the action and dialogue.

This format is the one most often used for television production because it works well with dramatic (as opposed to instructional or documentary) projects.

Example: The Full-Page Format

Four Formats: The Two-Column (Split-Page) Format

This is the most common approach for producers of television commercials and training videos. The page consists of two columns; the video description is on the left side and the audio description is on the right side. It's easy to read and makes perfect sense at a glance.

Example: The Two-Column Format

GENERAL INFORMATION –

THE PROCESS

Master the Standard Script Format Scene and shot descriptions, in CAPS, flush left.

Action, also known as narrative description, is in upper and lower case (Sentence case) and is written in short paragraphs — also flush left.

Dialogue and narration, as well as the characters speaking it, are tabbed and positioned down the middle of the page, flush left from of the tab. Names of characters speaking are in caps and dialogue or narration in upper and lower case.

Other designations such as “FADE IN” and “CUT TO” are also in Caps, and placed flush left and flush right, respectively.

Start Concepting With A Brief Focus on your goals, topic, and takeaways when developing your brief.

A brief doesn't have to be fancy, nor does it have to follow a specific formula, but there are several key questions every questionnaire should include to craft an effective video script.

What’s the goal of this video? Why are we making the video in the first place?

Who are we making this video for?

What’s our narrow video topic? (The more specific, the better. For example, if you’re in the house painting business, you might choose a topic like “buying the right paint brush”).

What are the takeaways of the video? What should viewers learn from watching it?

What’s our call-to-action? What do we want viewers to do after they’ve finished watching the video?

Write Your Script Write in plain, conversational English. Make it thorough. Differentiate the main narrative from B-Roll, text

overlays, and voiceover using different formatting. Script every word. Make it brief. Use a script template.

Do A Table Read Now that you know how to write a script, it’s time for a table read -- the

part where you practice bringing that script to life on camera.

Why practice? Because some words look great on paper, but once you read them aloud, they just don’t sound right. The table read is where you really get to fine-tune the tone and nix anything that sounds too proper, too improper, too robotic, or otherwise inappropriate for the message you aim to convey.

When it’s time to shoot, use a iPad and a chair as a teleprompter.

Glossary Of Scriptwriting Terms Close up (CU) - A close view of an actor or object.

Cut - An instant transition from one scene to the next.

Dialogue- Phrases spoken among actors.

Dissolve- A transition in which one scene fades into another.

Documentary - An essay-style video that provides commentary on its subject matter.

Establishing Shot - An opening, wide-angle view that shows the overall setting of a scene.

Music Bed or Music Under Low-volume - Music that accompanies voice over or dialogue.

Narrative - Spoken information that sets up the mood or context of a scene.

Needle-drop - Sound Same as sound effects.

Pan - The left-to-right or right-to-left rotation of a stationary camera.

Scene - A video event which takes place in one location or accomplishes a single dramatic purpose.

Glossary Of Scriptwriting Terms Script - A piece of writing designed to guide actors and technical staff through the video

production process.

Setting - The time and place in which a scene occurs.

Shot - A single, continuous run of recorded footage from a single camera.

Sound Effects (SFX) - Special sound enhancements to the audio track which do not occur in the live recording.

Talent - The people who appear on the screen or in the narrative voice-over of your production.

Tilt - The up-and-down rotation of a stationary camera.

Truck - The sideways movement of a camera, usually accomplished with a dolly.

Voice Over (VO) - Voice heard without the speaker appearing on screen.

Wide Angle - A shot that makes the main subject a small part of a larger setting.

Zoom In - To move the camera's viewpoint from a wide-angle to a close-up shot.

Zoom Out- -To move the camera's viewpoint from a close-up to a wide-angle shot.

REVIEW Objective: Students will learn the four scripting formats and scripting basics.

Agenda: A Script is A Blueprint of Your Video

Scripting Basics

Font

Quick Reference Guide

The Four Formats

The Treatment Format

The Center-column Format

The Full-page Format

The Two-column Or Split-page Format

General Information – The Process

Glossary Of Scriptwriting Terms

ASSIGNMENTTURN YOUR 3 – ACT SHORT INTO A SCRIPT

Review the four types of scripts gone over in this powerpoint.

Select one the best suits your 3-Act Short.

Indicate the type or scripting format you have chosen at the top of your script with your name.

Write your script.

PAY STRICT ATTENTION FORMAT.

Check for typos! RESUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED!