Script Research

The script describes the movement, actions, expressions, and dialogue of the characters in the film. There is a common conception that the script is just the dialog of the actors, but the script is much more. The script is a vital part of the production process and without it, it's an imperative part of the filmmaking process and includes a detailed convention of the script format. First, the screen heading with the INT or EXT, with the INT meaning interior, such as an indoor kitchen or bedroom, and the EXT meaning exterior, meaning outside in a forest or field, you may write INT/EXT or EXT/INT. is the first item production adds next to the shot number. After that is the description of the settings, like a kitchen, classroom, or party, and if it's like night, day, or noon in the setting. The transition to the next shot is at the bottom right. The action of the shot is in the middle of the transition and the setting. The action describes what is occurring in the shot and the type. For example, "Makayla cuts off the crust of her PB & J." would be the action of the shot. Underneath this is the dialog, which entails what the line the actor is supposed to say. This is the basic format of the shot.

This is the script of the 2018 Slender Man, a thriller movie. The script follows the conventions of the script with everything mentioned above. I annotated the script below, highlighting the transition, which is a fade-in in this case. The setting is the park, underlined in blue, and the time of the day, circled in black. The blue brackets are the action of the script. The characters are also circled in black, with the dialogue circled in red. 

This is the script for the opening scene of Jurassic Park. These are two establishing shots that let the audience know the location of the film. I annotated the script to make it clear of the INT and EXT the setting underlined in blue and the action of the film. This script has an extremely detailed action description and capitalizes the names when introducing the new characters.

This is my script. I produced it following the conventions of the script. This is for the opening scene of my portfolio project. Our group members spent the majority of the week brainstorming and researching for our script for the opening scene. We amassed a total of 26 shots describing the flashback Cassandra has; we had some trouble fitting the script into the short film, but I think this is a perfect opening scene. When I was writing the script, I would imagine how it would play out in my head and trying to express this to my group members was frustrating, but when I wrote it in the script, they would ascertain my ideas and elaborate on them, getting everyone's input and working as a team.

Reflection

In retrospect, the scripts that my group and I wrote were formatted incorrectly. I accidently formatted the individual shots as scenes in Studio Binder. I quickly updated the script and re-attached it to the blog. Overall, the script could have been more detailed, but we will add it to the storyboard, and I gained a newfound importance for script writing. 

StudioBinder, et al. “How to Format a Screenplay.” StudioBinder, 4 Sept. 2021, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/brilliant-script-screenplay-format/.