  Drama
This week: Edited by: Turkey DrumStik  
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| The technical aspects of a script can prove daunting to a novice script writer. In reality, these technicalities should not take precedence over story development. Still, it never hurts to look at what work is involved in the formatting and submission of a script for the screen. |
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I must confess that I had a little difficulty narrowing my topic for this particular issue. When I decided to cover drama as a form in my newsletters, I hadn't expected it to sprawl out for as long as it has. To my readers, I do apologize. I had intended to only devote four issues this year to it, but even with sparse feedback I have am finding many more components of scriptwriting to discuss. Thus, I'm a bit worried that I've been dragging this topic on for too long, and I intend to delve back into the genre of drama in the next issue.
As for scriptwriting itself, I promised to discuss two components: camera angles and submitting scripts. I have to admit everything I know on the subject has come from one source.
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Blum happens to have some semi-local connection to me, as he once worked in the film department at the University of Central Florida in Orlando (and much to my surprise Orlando has a couple notable film schools in the area). Blum addresses both the story development sides and the technical aspects of scriptwriting. Technical aspects refers mostly to camera work, at least in the writing phase. Blum does discuss lighting and sound, and during my one scriptwriting class I did get to tour the college's studio. Here's what I recommend as a writer to other writers. Don't worry about cameras, lighting and editing. There are others who worry about those things.  I say this because a lot of writers like to play with writing in different types of shots. However, odds are those specified shot types will be thrown out by any member of a film crew be it the general director or the principal photographer (the person in charge of cinematography). As well, most scripts accepted into contract contain very few camera directions, anyway. The moral of the story? If you like control, screenwriting may not be for you. Still, it doesn't hurt to know the various types of camera angles. Here are the most basic types of shots and angles.
 extreme long shot- a scenic shot filmed from a distance; used mostly to establish a particular setting
long shot- a shot displaying full subjects (for people, they're seen from head to toe); useful for actions shots, particularly chase scenes when the audience watches the chased character in the middle of his or her run
medium shot- showing half of a person's body; used in dialogue exchanges and some actions. This type of shot has several variations, including the two shot (two people in a shot), three shot (three people) and over the shoulder (showing the face of one actor and the back of the head and shoulders of another actor)
close up-focuses on an actor's face or crucial details such as a written line of text; directors opt for these shots to either persuade the audience into feeling a certain way about a character or to reveal clues to understanding nuances in the plot.
extreme close up- magnification shot usually only showing the mouth and eyes; these shots enlarge details that might be missed by the naked eye.
bird's eye view- a direct overhead camera angle; its closest equivalent camera shot is the extreme long shot and is used in establishing the mood of a setting.
high angle- a less elevated camera angle than bird's eye view but still filmed above the main action; directors use this shot to reduce or downplay the intensity of a character or situation. This shot is also used to make characters appear less significant.
eye level- a camera angle used to show a regular human's straight ahead viewpoint. The cameras are generally positioned at average human head to create a level focus on the actors' heads.
low angle- camera angle tilted upwards to emphasize a subject (be it actor, building, animal or other subject); this angle is used to give the subject an aura of intimidation and boosts the height of shorter actors.
cut- transition between two scenes without any special camera effects
fade in/out- transition between scenes using a gradual gradient change between the scene and (usually) a black screen
From here, the director can add more specific camera instructions including pans, tilts and oblique camera angles.
The other topic I wished to address is script submission. As scribbler  commented in last week's newsletters, plays kill trees. Screenplays are even more notorious for this. Even in the digital, no scripts can be submitted for review or even contests via electronic submission. Everything must be on paper, which can be wasteful and heavy. A script for a two hour movie can log up to 120 pages front side only. That's a lot of paper! On top of that, the front and back covers of submitted scripts must be cardstock, which uses more pulp than your standard printer paper. Another curious factor about script submissions is the font. If it's not typed up on a typewriter, you have to use a courier font (specifically 12 point). Courier is the standard font for screen scripts, but I have also seen it used for stage scripts as well. Finally, to assemble your script, put the stapler away and buy some brads and washers. These two part fasteners are better for large stacks of paper that make up scripts, especially feature films that are over 100 pages in length. Here's an online shop where you can browse the supplies unique to scripts.
http://www.screenstyle.com/scriptsupplies.html
This retailer sells kits, but brads and cardstock can also be purchased separately from other suppliers.
So yes, screen writing has its own set of idiosynchrosies which set it apart from other forms of writing. Like other types of writing, however, it helps to focus on character and plot development first. Still, there's nothing wrong with some background information on the technicalities for when you've got a script ready to submit.
Until next time,
(sig courtesy of panthera |
This month, I decided to feature some dramatic pieces I'd like to see on the silver screen. Enjoy!
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(one of my all time favorite stories on the site  )
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More script comments! Hooray!
From alissaameth: First of all, I'm glad you're writing newsletters about scripts! It's an interesting subject that I'd like to learn more about.
I have a question about scripts for musicals: What differences are there between those and normal stageplays?
Thanks!
Hey, Alissa! The difference between musicals and regular scripts is the addition of song lyrics in the script, and sometimes sheet music will be included to help the actors train their voices for the songs. The script format doesn't change aside from that. However, the biggest thing with musical scripts is that between the additional paper used and additional copyrights incurred with printing sheet music, renting the rights to a musical is quite expensive, especially when you compare that to the cost of a non-musical stageplay. The biggest culprit? The music, of course. You can obtain a script of a non-musical stageplay for around fifty dollars, depending on where you shop. Musicals, however, can run well into the hundreds of dollars. One place where you can see all the intricacies of the musical (including licensing information and the different components available for lease) is Music Theater International's website.
http://www.mtishows.com/default_home.asp
The site will not post the rental fees, but I have found throughout my years of surfing the web that if you have to call or write the company to find out the cost of an item, it's mighty expensive. 
From Deelyte- Chillin' : I don't know much about this type of writing but thanks for some insight into what goes into it. It seems like a very complex form. Just from seeing some beloved books butchered in the final form of a movie, I have often wondered what happens to it behind the scenes. Great info and good job.
Well, Dee, scriptwriting is no walk in the park, especially when it comes to adapting a screenplay. I think that "butchering" tends to originate from studio pressure. Adapting screenplays is a specialty in the world of scriptwriting, as the writer has to fully comprehend the material he or she is adapting and then determine what can be fit into a given time limit. As I mentioned in my letter this month, studios do not favor long scripts (which in turn translate into lengthy movies). So truncating a 350 page novel into a two hour feature film requires cutting various sections from the book. The art of adaptation is knowing what to omit and what to film, hence the rather erratic quality of adapted books on the screen. Not all of them are bad, though. In fact, many critically acclaimed films are indeed adaptations of books or other originally prose works. What you may want to consider watching sometime soon is a movie adapted from a short story. I personally recommend Million Dollar Baby, which was adapted from a short story of the same title by F.X. Toole (a.k.a. Jerry Boyd). The original short story was part of an anthology of boxing stories titled Rope Burns.
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I admit I have yet to read the short story itself, but I have noticed that the better print-to-screen adaptations are never promoted as adaptations. Still, the story in that film is intense aside from top shelf acting. I recommend tissues, though.
From Trisha : Ohhhhh! I can't believe it! My play is an editor's pick! I wish I had been able to check my e-mail way earlier than now! How I long for the college days of forsaking all homework to explore more of writing.com. Thank you so much Elisa. This has made my day!
You got to forsake your college work to prowl Writing.com? Wow! As a current college student, I will say I do spend perhaps more time than I should here, but it still feels like I'm years behind on site and writing things. Of course, having to devote several hours to work tends to robme of precious time as well.  And I agree. Having work featured as an editor's pick is great pick-me-up.
For the next newsletter, I'm going to talk about log lines and how you can use them for any type of writing. Feel free to try to summarize one of your existing writings in one sentence and send it to me. I'll feature your log lines in the next issue.
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+].
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Drama: June 21, 2006 Issue [#1111]
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