8 Scriptwriting © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Identify each of the program formats presented

8 Scriptwriting

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

• Identify each of the program formats presented and summarize the unique characteristics of each.

• Identify the expected components of a program proposal.

• Explain the format of a program treatment.

• Recall the elements in each type of script used in television production.

Objectives


Program Formats

• Lecture, BTF (big talking face), talking head

• Lecture demonstration

• Panel discussion• Interview• Documentary

• Newscast• Magazine• Drama• Public service

announcement (PSA)/Ad

• Music video


Lecture

• Also known as BTF (big talking face) or talking head

• Lack of camera movement & talent action• Dull, uninteresting• Lowest viewer retention of information• Amateurish• Script may be simple outline


Lecture/Demonstration

• More interesting to watch• Includes action and many props• Examples:

• Cooking show• Infomercials• How-to shows

• Script will need more detail due to multiple cameras or action


Panel Discussion

• Often called “talk shows”• Program driven by content–not action• Too many people on panel creates shot too

wide for shape of the screen• Script may be outlined with just topics for

moderator to throw out to the panel


Interview

• Often shot with only one camera• Shoot interviewee answering questions• Later shoot interviewer asking questions• Shoot nod shots• Edit them together to make seamless

conversation

• Script may be just questions, or there may be no script at all


Documentary

• Can take many forms• Topic researched, information outlined,

script written• Shot sheet developed to support audio• Audience interest can vary with topic• Script generally is detailed because the

entire documentary is pre-planned


Newscast

• Each story produced by different people • Each story may have unique style of script


Magazine

• Also collection of stories produced by several production teams

• Stories are not news or timely• Stories are usually longer than those in

newscasts• “60 Minutes” generally has four stories in 60

minutes


Drama

• Includes comedy and drama• Generally includes storyboards• Nearly all require completely detailed

scripts for actors to memorize


Public Service Announcement (PSA)

• Scripts are fully detailed with storyboards


Music Video

• Concert style music video• Story style music video• Hybrid


Visualization

• Taking daydream or vision from your head, then:• Transcribing it to paper (now others can join in

your vision)• Converting the vision to reality on screen


Program Proposal

• Basic idea of program• Applicable program format• Message to be imparted to audience• Program’s intended audience• Budget considerations• Shooting location considerations• Rough program shooting schedule


Storyboards

• Resemble comic books• Rough sketches to indicate viewfinder

images to help plan shots• Rough scripting under sketch• Computer programs available to do

storyboards that allow “click and drag” of picture elements—no actual drawing ability is necessary!


Storyboards (Cont.)


Basic Outline for Program Formats

• Dramas, lectures, lecture demonstrations, and documentaries use the same basic outline

• Each major point/event on different line• As few words as possible• Each line indicates location• No dialogue


Basic Outline for Program Formats (Cont.)


Outline for Panel Discussion or Interview

• List at least 20 questions that do not elicit one word or short answers

• Interviewer/host may stray from list but list provides “starters” if conversation lags

• Interviewer/host is free to initiate questions and follow-ups that are not on list

• Not every question must be asked


Music Video Outline

• Concert style does not need outline• Story style and hybrid style need outline

similar to drama outline


Music Video Warning!

• Pay particular attention to copyright law–see Chapters 12 and 13

• Lyrics of some songs may cause issues with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) if broadcast over public airwaves

• Your school or facility may also have regulations on lyrics


Expanding Outline

• Take each line of the basic outline and try to divide it into 5-7 smaller detail lines

• If each line is a scene, expand to 5-7 more details (sub-topics) that must occur in the scene


Expanding Outline (Cont.)


Treatment

• Not all programs will require treatment• Usually drama, music video story style, PSA

• Entire outline is converted to paragraph-style narrative with little or no dialogue

• Each scene is a complete paragraph• After reading treatment, a person

understands program’s story


The Script

• Television scripts are in two columns• Left column contains video and camera notes• Right column contains audio and stage

directions for performers

• Use word processor if possible• Save every revision as a different file


The Script (Cont.)

• Break up video or audio however necessary in order to make them line up with each other

• Do not write/print on both sides of page!• In video column, use abbreviations as much

as possible• For example: ZO-2S Brian/Mike


What are the advantages of using a word processor to write scripts?

Discussion


Why should you not write on both sides of a page?

Discussion


Types of Scripts

• Word-for-word script• Outline script• Format script


Word-for-Word Script

• Used for drama, music video, lecture, documentary, PSA/Ad

• Audio column written first, contains audio and stage direction for actors• Visualize camera angles and switches• Content specialist verifies

• Then video column written, contains video/camera direction, sound cues, and lighting cues

• Plan to change shots about every seven seconds


Outline Script

• Used for lecture/demonstration, some interviews, how-to shows

• For interviews: list of questions• For lecture/demo: major points of process

listed• Plan to change shots about every seven

seconds• This requires many shots of B-roll


Format Script

• Used for panel discussions, talk shows, game shows, and other programs where format does not change from episode to episode

• Lines and talent change but from production point of view, each show is nearly identical


What are the three types of scripts? Give an example of a program currently on the air that would use this type of script.

Discussion


Writing Style

• Write the way people speak• Use informal language• Do not use formal language with complex

sentences• Use shorter sentences than those written

for print


Montage

• Use the shot sheet example from the montage section of the chapter just before “Wrapping Up”


• Screenwriters Federation of America• Formerly Screenwriters Guild of America

• Training opportunities, networking, feedback, and mutual aid for screenwriters

• http://screenwritersfederation.org/

Career Page


Given the steps needed to write a script (research, outline, expanded outline, treatment, script) why should executive producer approval be obtained before moving to the next step?Because e.p. may not approve up to this point, causing scriptwriter to do re-write before he can proceed.

Review Question


Name the 10 program formats.Lecture, lecture/demonstration, panel discussion, interview, documentary, newscast, magazine, drama, PSA/Ad, music video

Review Question


What are the three kinds of music videos?Concert style, story style, hybrid

Review Question


What information should be in a program proposal?Basic idea, format, message, audience, budget, locations, rough shooting schedule

Review Question


• actors: Individuals who participate in a drama or comedy program, performing as someone or something other than themselves.

• concert style music video: A type of music video in which the audience sees the band perform the music that is heard.

Glossary


• documentary: A program format that is essentially a research paper for television. The audio in the program may include both on-camera and off-camera narration. The video footage used in the program is determined by the topic research and should support the audio of the program.

Glossary


• drama: A program format that includes both dramas and comedies and requires actors to portray someone or something other than themselves.

• format script: A program script that is very brief and used for programs in which the order of events is predetermined and the sequence of each episode is consistent.

Glossary


• interview: A program format that involves a conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee.

• lecture: A program format in which the talent speaks and the camera shoots almost entirely in a medium close-up. Also known as big talking face (BTF) and talking head.

Glossary


• lecture/demonstration: A program format that provides action and makes use of props in addition to lecture. Examples of this format include cooking shows, how-to shows, and infomercials.

• magazine: A program format comprised of feature packages, each addressing a different story for seven to eleven minutes.

Glossary


• montage: A production device that allows a gradual change in a relationship or a lengthy time passage to occur in a very short amount of screen time by showing a series of silent shots accompanied by music.

• music video: A program format in which all or most of the audio is a song.

• newscast: A program format that is a collection of individual news stories.

Glossary


• nod shots: A cutaway shot often used in interview programs and usually recorded after the interviewee has left the set. In a nod shot, the interviewer does not say anything, but simply “nods” naturally as if listening to the answer to a question.

Glossary


• outline script: A program script that usually has a word-for-word introduction and conclusion, but an outline for the body of the script.

• panel discussion: A program format that presents a group of people gathered to discuss topics of interest. Daytime talk shows are an example of this format.

Glossary


• program proposal: A document created by the scriptwriter that contains general information about the program, including the basic idea, applicable format, message to be imparted to the audience, intended audience, budget considerations, shooting location considerations, and rough shooting schedule. Used to present the program to the executive producer to obtain permission and funding for the production.

Glossary


• public service announcement (PSA): A program that is 30 or 60 seconds in length and aims to inform the public or to convince the public to do (or not to do) something in the interest of common good.

• script: An entire program committed to paper, including dialog, music, camera angles, stage direction, camera direction, and computer graphics (CG) notations.

Glossary


• story style music video: A type of music video in which the audience hears the music, but does not see the band perform. Instead, actors act out a story line that is supported by the lyrics of the song.

• storyboards: Sketches that portray the way the image on television should look in the finished program.

Glossary


• treatment: A narrative written from a program outline that tells the program’s story in paragraph form.

• visualization: The ability to mentally picture the finished program.

• word-for-word script: A program script in which every word spoken by the talent is written out.

Glossary

Documents

8 Scriptwriting © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Identify each of the program formats presented