the role of screenplay

The role of screenplay

The role of screenplay

By Laura Knowles

So what goes into a script?...

Concept

Characters

Plot

Structure

Concept

This includes:

What the movie is about

What do you want to say in it?

Who is going to pay to see the movie?

How much will it cost?

Why do you think it should be filmed?

Characters

This includes:

Who and what type of people is your movie about?

Protagonist

Antagonist

The plot

This includes:

What drives the story for your movie?

What happens to your character/characters?

What extra things will be included (Why)?

Structure

This includes:

Acts

Scenes

How your idea will be planned out and fit together

When characters will come and go

The end usually ends in a conclusion

What is also included in a script?

The number of actors/actresses

The name of the play

Stage directions/settings/a character profile

Dialogue

Stage directions

What is added in character profiles

Name

Age

Gender

Physical appearance

Employment

Hobbies

Personality

Strengths

Weaknesses

Likes

Dislikes

Also the characters name is always written in capital letters on the script.

Settings

Where do the different scenes take place?

What is happening within the different settings?

What time of the day is it?

What season is it and what is the weather like?

All of this helps to set the scene for the directors and the actors laying in the movie.

Narrative structure

The beginning sets up the situation/roles/relationships/settings

Complications start to build up/problems that the characters encounter

The climax is the most major event that happens, What happens/Who is involved/what happens next?

Resolution

A Screenplay is the script of a film which includes the acting instructions and scene directions, and a Screenwriter is a person who writes these. Here are some important screenwriting skills needed by screenwriters:

Strength is very important for screenwriters because screenwriting is a thinking profession that uses a very specific form of writing to illustrate the screenwriters thoughts.

Speed is needed because as a screenwriter, you have to work hard to work fast. This is because the more scripts the screenwriter produces, writing is rewriting meaning that It can take ten or twenty drafts. This makes sure that the screenplay is written in time.

Stamina is an important factor because if you want to be good at something, you have to do it everyday, and for a long time.

Technique is needed hugely for writing screenplays as the art in screenwriting comes down to the voice of the writer, or in other words meaning his or her technique. An original idea is not necessarily needed to be successful, just a different world, different characters, or different execution.

Endurance is very important for screenwriters as they will fail many times so need the ability to overcome adversity and focus on the next script that they are going to be doing.

Screenwriters are not hired employees but are contracted freelancers. Most screenwriters if not all, start their careers writing on speculation (meaning they write without being hired or paid for it). If a script is sold, it is called a spec script.

A professional screenwriter is different from an amateur screenwriter as professional screenwriters are usually represented by a talent agency. Also, professional screenwriters do no usually go around working for free, however more amateur screenwriters will usually often work for free and are considered "writers in training".

Many screenwriters also work as full or part-time "script doctors. This means that they are trying to make a script better to suit what they are writing it for, also what the director wants. For example, studio management may have a complaint that the actions or what a character is doing may be unclear or the dialogue might be weak and needs to be more clear

This can be good for getting profit and good money, especially if the writer is better known. For example, David Mamet and John Sayles fund movies they direct themselves which will also usually be from their own written screenplays.

Sometimes, writers can be very successful and have profitable careers by not necessarily being the first person with a certain idea. Many new up and coming screenwriters also "ghost write" projects and allow more established screenwriters to take credit for their work that they have done. This is done as it increases the chance of it getting picked.

Script doctors and profit

THE END

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the role of screenplay

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