Script Examples

INT. THE HOUSE. BEDROOM. DAY J. 16:42.

Annie looks out of the bedroom window at the street below.

George and Mitchell are just arriving, bags in hand. George

looks up at the house, looks at Annie.

ANNIE (V.O.)

These flotsam and jetsam of

death.

He double-takes. Did he see something?

It makes Annie flinch and move back out of sight. She

frowns. That was weird.

14 INT. THE HOUSE. KITCHEN. DAY K. 12:32. 14

George and Mitchell are in the kitchen. Talking, laughing.

George washes up. Mitchell, bored, flicks bubbles at him.

George tries to keep his cool, tries not to laugh. Don’t do

that. I said don’t do that. Stop. Please stop. I mean it.

ANNIE (V.O.)

Maybe, if they still deserve such

a thing as mercy...

Annie watches them, through the crack in the door.

Frightened. Mesmerised.

ANNIE (V.O.) (CONT’D)

... they find each other.

She just watches. And watches.

AND WE FADE TO:

BLACK.

Then a sound. The put-put of a moped. A squeak of brakes.

16 EXT. STREET. AFTERNOON 1. 15:01. 16

A pizza delivery guy, 17 maybe, climbs off his moped,

trudges to a door and rings the bell. It flies open.

There’s Annie. Beaming.

ANNIE

Hello!

PIZZA GUY

12 inch ‘Mess of Meats’?

Mitchell appears, scoops the pizza out of his hands, stuffs

some money into his fist and disappears again.

Link: http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Being_Human_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf

Example 2

 Link: http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Heroes_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf

Internet Research

Internet Research

Source - http://www.storyinsight.com/profession/business/layout.html

If you look at a sample page, you’ll see it’s broken into lines and paragraphs. The positioning of these on the page indicates what kind of element it is:

page number — this (obviously) is the page number,

scene number — again, pretty obvious,

scene header — the description of where and when the scene takes place,

action — description of what characters do and what action takes place,

character name — the character’s name just above the dialogue, to indicate who speaks the following lines,

character tag — special instructions for dialogue where the speaker is unseen (e.g. ‘OS’ for a character who is off-screen in a different room, or ‘VO’ for an invisible voice-over),

parenthetical — a small note about how the dialogue is delivered (e.g. ‘shouts’),

dialogue — the words actually spoken,

transition — directions on how to change from one scene to the next (e.g. ‘CUT TO:’).

Source – https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/getmedia/ffd1fc7d-1bc1-48a5-92e1-4b6db107fcde/SuggScriptLayout.pdf

FONT - Courier 12 point.

Source - http://2012.scriptfrenzy.org/node/2000004

·         The DESCRIPTION of the character that followed his introduction. Your character descriptions can be as detailed as you’d like, but avoid making them so long that they interrupt the momentum of your script.

·         Slug lines are made up of these three elements:

INT. or EXT. Short for interior and exterior. If it’s both, such as when a drunken cop is thrown through the doorway of his favorite bar, you can write INT./EXT.

Location. Where the scene takes place. These should be short, and avoid emotive description. It’s not INT. SUPER COOL 1970s SPORTSBAR, just INT. BAR. Don’t worry—they’ll be room for the fun stuff later.

Time. Usually just DAY or NIGHT, but can also be a specific time, like 3:00 PM, if it’s an important detail to the plot. Don’t use demarcations like DUSK, MORNING, MIDNIGHT, or LATER. Again, save that for the next section.

Report on TV drama programmes

Report on TV drama programmes

Name of show: Atlantis

Episode 1, Series 1

We can see that the show “Atlantis” is a new series set around the ideas of greek mythology about the mythical city of Atlantis with a modern twist. When the programme starts we can see that it opens straight to a title scene and some credits which show who the stars are within it considering it is a new series and episode within it.

As we progress through watching the drama we see that it uses a variety of camera shots such as how it tends to focus on faces (from the neck upwards) indicating they are fond of using ‘close ups’ to indicate who is speaking throughout the scene as well as showing various detail such as facial reactions. As well as that the show does use over the shoulder camera shot to involve the two characters having a conversation more as opposed to just showing one character, however this show only uses them briefly .

The show itself uses various transitions to smoothly exit and enter scenes. The transition this show uses is a fading in colours as opposed to just using sound which is widely used throughout numerous TV dramas.

Lastly, the show helps ease actions along with the aid of music to create atmosphere before something big happens such as how the music rises in volume before a chase scene occurs. As well as that the show uses music to aid pauses in dialogue such as how when characters are speaking the music will dim down whereas when the characters are not speaking the music will rise in volume.

Name of show: The Kennedys

Episode 4, Series 1

Firstly we can see that the narrative of the show is set around “John F Kennedy” (or more commonly known as “JFK”) and his family. The scene opens up with a transition of scenes quickly changing from each other to a muffled sound of a character’s dialogue which cannot be made out. The opening scene lasts for around a mere 20 seconds before changing to the main title scene with patriotic American music to set the mood since it is set around one of the most famous American presidents in history.

We can see that after the opening scene finishes it continues to use a fast transitioning of scenes giving the audience a feel as to what to expect from the program whilst accompanied by the patriotic music from the title screen. After a while the transitioning stops and there is dialogue made from the characters at a dinner table which means it includes an “over the shoulder” camera shot to involve both characters within the conversation. 

Focus Group Report

I have learnt that my current state of my script (draft 2) has strengths as well as weaknesses which I now know of via the help of my focus group.

Firstly, I have learnt that a strength within my script is that I have a strong foundation in terms of characters meaning that they are not too serious nor too silly but are realistic which is a primary base for any story. Not only that, but a number of the people involved in the focus group stated that they were “relatable” which was what I initially sought out to do due to the intended audience being teenagers and the show itself involving teenagers which I feel is vital with my storyline.

Secondly, the setting. From what was said within the Focus group it seems they share quite similar views on this with one of them stating: “it would suit being at night to add mystery and it would give an excuse for the characters to be out since they failed their GCSEs” which shows that the show’s script is providing the right connotations to the reader due to how I originally thought out the scene to be.

Next, I asked the group as to what they would think the characters would dress like from what they have interpreted from the script itself. The majority of the group agreed that the characters would dress rather “poorly” due to them coming across as quite unintelligent with some relating back to the text such as “how it mentions one of them failed their science GCSE” which shows the script is entertaining as to how they remember specific parts which some of the group backed up their answers with. 

Carrying on from that, the group as a whole agreed that they seem very ‘chavy’ due to the words they use and as a result they thought the characters would wear clothing like tracksuits.

However, when asking the group whether they thought the plot was realistic there was some controversy present over whether it is or whether it isn’t, some of the people said it was due to “how the characters are relatable” whereas others argued that it wasn’t “due to them having superpowers” and how there is not explanation for the meteor to land considering it is the first episode that is pitched, that being said I want to make viewers want to continue to watch the show to learn how and why the meteor landed hence why perhaps some of the focus group said it is “realistic with a twist”.

Another talking point within the group was people’s thoughts on each individual character. The group as a whole agreed that Scott comes across as the “leader” due to how the other characters run their ideas by him. However the controversy of the group’s interpretations occur when deciding on the characters; “Josh” and “Liam” as some interpreted as Josh as the unintelligent one and others thinking Liam is the unintelligent one, which is not how I wanted my script to come across to the readers and thus will have to be tweaked via the use of more stage directions and directions on how the characters say certain lines such as “(bluntly)”, “(Mockingly)” etc.

I feel that the focus group has been a vital stepping-stone in terms of what weaknesses were present in this current draft of my script and with me now being aware of the weaknesses and I can now address them in order for my script to improve.

Focus Group

1.       Are the characters believable and why?

2.       From reading the script what do you imagine the setting to look like?

3.       What do you feel about the plot? Is it realistic and consistent?

4.       What do you think each character would look like?

5.       What do you think each character’s personality is like?

Person 1

1.       I feel the characters are realistic and believable. I feel that Scott, Liam and Josh are your everyday teenagers but obviously with a twist considering they have super-powers.

2.       I imagine the setting to be very dark at night due to the character’s personalities coming across as very ‘chavy’ and chavs hang around the streets at night

3.       I feel the plot is somewhat realistic due to the characters however depending on the viewer depends on whether the ‘superpowers’ aspect works. However regarding it being it consistent, I feel that it is very consistent as it sticks to the superpowers throughout and doesn’t jump around as it has meaning behind it (how they obtain their powers)

4.       I think Liam and Josh characters would look very chavy which again is down to their personalities whereas Scott would dress very casual and more stylish due to him seeming a lot smarter compared to the other to.

5.       I feel Scott is very aware of things and is the leader of the group. I feel that Josh is a very shady character due to him doing things out of impulse with no consideration for other characters. I feel that Liam is very slow to catch on to things and is easily manipulated by Josh.

Person 2

1.       I feel the characters are realistic due to them being relatable to the viewer.

2.       I imagine the setting to be misty and heavy with smoke due to the meteor hitting the city.

3.       I feel the plot isn’t that realistic due to super-powers not existing however it makes the script unique with its twist.

4.       I feel they would dress very poorly due to how one of them mentions failing GCSE Science which means they aren’t very smart so I wouldn’t think they’d dress very smartly

5.       I feel they all are quite close due to how they insult each other for fun. I feel that Scott comes across as the most mature one whereas Liam seems very immature. I feel Josh is a very lonely and untrustworthy character due to how he is very demanding and wants things to be done how he wants them to be done.

Person 3

1.       I feel the characters are believable due to how they all are very similar within their friendship group like most friendship groups within modern day life however due to them being similar I feel they aren’t very entertaining due to how they all do the same thing such as insulting each other throughout the script.

2.       I imagine the setting to be heavy ridden with abandoned cars, shops etc with a constant background noise like a car alarm as stated within the script.

3.       I feel the plot of the script is fairly unrealistic not down to the superheroes but more towards the meteor hitting the city which wouldn’t happen nor would you expect to happen.

4.       I feel that the characters would dress bad due to how often they swear and how uneducated they come across almost like a chav so I would guess that they’d wear a tracksuit or something.

5.       I feel that Scott is the smarter one and with the superpower he acquires is now the one who has to look out for the other two. I feel that Josh comes across very untrustworthy with how he only looks out for himself and always wants to do something when he wants. Liam comes across very vulnerable due to him sounding very dumb and gullible.

Person 4

1.       I feel the characters are believable due to how common they are due to how they insult each other regularly which most friends do.

2.       I imagine the setting to be heavily run-down such as broken windows, destroyed buildings, fires etc due to the meteor hitting the city.

3.       I don’t feel the plot is realistic due to the characters just stumbling upon meteor crash but more importantly not even being aware it happened

4.       I feel the characters would dress casually in things like joggers and such due to how they are not very intelligent and people who are not very intelligent we don’t assume to dress very well.

5.       I feel that Scott would come across as the responsible one like the leader. I feel that Josh is the rude one with how he uses ‘vulgar’ language and the most childish. I feel that Liam is the childish one.

Internet Research Report

Firstly, the standard font used on all scripts is “Courier” and the standard size is “12pt” which I will apply within my 4^th Draft to make the format of my script look professional. The reason to use “Courier” and in the size of “12pt” is because it was the standard font used by all typewriters. Carrying on from that, you are not allowed to use any text effects such as “bold”. Another reason courier is used is because It's a timing issue. One formatted script page in Courier font equals roughly one minute of screen time.

Another thing which I have gathered from my research is that certain areas within a script have to have precise sizes and placement, things such as “Scene Heading” has to have “Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0", an “Action” has to have “Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0", the “Character” has to have an indent of “Indent: Left: 2.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 4.0" etc.

I have also gathered that there are a variety of shots used within a script when it is written such as “Angle”, “Extreme Close up”, “Pan to” and “POV” which should be included within scenes and will look to implement within my 4^th Draft.

Another thing I have learnt to do is to now write the transitions of each scenes on the actual script itself such as “Dissolve to:” for the “film editing instructions” of the script. I will look to add this into my 4^th script to make the scenes close and enter smoother.

As well as those, I have learnt that every scene should be wrote on the script as a scene heading with a brief narrative description below it to set the scene which then has a transition underneath to introduce the coming scene. Carrying on from that, after every new character there needs a description of what they come across as with their name in capitals such as “SCOTT a slim, tall boy wearing a heavy coat, strolls across the room” which I will look to add into my 4^th draft to make it more professional and believable.

Lastly, I have learnt that when nearing the end of the page ‘continueds’ need to be used to help aid the reader if the character carries on with what they were saying and I will add this in my 4^th draft. As well as that, at the start of the page there needs to be page numbers at the top right as opposed to what it currently is which is in the footer of the page which is factually wrong. I will look to correct this in order for my script to be believable.

Questionnaire Report

Questionnaire Report

1) What is your favourite genre?

As you can see most people enjoy comedy based TV shows and films. As comedy is the most favourited I will continue to use this like I initially choose to within my initial ideas. 

2) How many characters do you feel work best as main characters?

As you can see there is an equal amount on the opinion on using either 4 characters or 2 characters. I have to choose between them so I will choose to ignore both and go with my original plan and use 3 characters to create a bond that is only created by using 3 characters and not 2 or 4. 

3) What is your view on the use of strong language within a TV Show?

From this we can see that a majority of the people who answered the questionnaire would want a TV show to be based within a city. I will look to follow the response of the questionnaire as it will make my TV series have the biggest amount of viewers which is indicated by how many people chose it on the questionnaire.

4) What are you views on teenagers being used as main characters?

 From this we can see the most of the people who answered the questionnaire went with swearing being acceptable or okay as long as it is used on a minor scale.  I will ignore the majority of the vote and I will choose to use swearing on a minor scale to avoid any possible offensives it may cause if used excessively.

5) Which of the following shows do you enjoy to watch?

As you can see the majority of responses to my questionnaires would watch occasionally as opposed to all the time which got fewer responses. I will look to ignore the feedback and continue with my idea of using teenagers as the main characters to create a comedic element.

6) Where do you feel works best as a setting within a TV show?

As you can see the majority of the responses for my questionnaire most watch Inbetweeners and Big Bang Theory which gives the impression that people like the idea of awkward teenagers as the main characters. However with people mass choosing Big Bang Theory shows they aren’t keen on too much swearing and such as it’s a very clean show with swearing to a minimal.

7) Do you enjoy having mini-plots and situations running alongside the main plot?

 As you can see the majority of the responses from the questionnaire are not fan s of having mini-plots stemming from the main plot. I will choose to acknowledge this and only stick to one plot line throughout the 6 part TV series to maximise the odds of the viewer understanding the plot line.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1.      What is your favourite genre?

Comedy

Action

Romance

Horror

Sci-Fi

Reality

Fantasy

2.      How many characters do you feel work best as main characters?

1

2

3

4

5

5 or more

3.      What is your view on the use of strong language within a TV show?

Acceptable (Don’t Mind)

Okay on a minor scale

Do not enjoy it being used

4.      What are your views on teenagers being used as main characters?

Would watch

Would watch occasionally

I prefer adults as the main characters

5.      Which of the following shows do you enjoy to watch?

Inbetweeners

Misfits

Big Bang Theory

Bad Education

None of the above

6.      Where do you feel works best as a setting within a TV show?

 

City

Town

Village

7.      Do you enjoy having mini-plots and situations running alongside the main plot?

Yes

No

Don’t really notice

8.      What would you suggest is a good name for a super powers based TV series?