Screen Writing

Vs.

Research

Screen Writing

Why do we research?

Screen Writing

Why do we research?

So our characters, story lines and setups aren’t tired, cliched, false…..

Screen Writing

A good script is built on great research

Like every other part of film & TV

screen writing involves research.

Events, characters, jobs, places, periods in history, fashion, language & dialect, laws,

culture, societies…..

Screen Writing

Good research helps you to write your script.

It gives colour & texture to our stories, it adds depth & realism, it makes writing

easier, it makes writing better.

Research

You’ve already done some research….

By the end of this unit I want everyone to hand me a research portfolio, with primary & secondary research inside.

Finish it up with a research report (one side of A4) with graphs & charts.

Examples of research

Working title: The Cell

Synopsis: A high society Manhattan cat burglar wakes up in a prison cell in Rio De Janeiro

Location

Fits with the theme of redemption for main character

‘Francis Buckingham”

Weather: Sunny, hot, bright

Characters job

Possible back story?

Issues affecting Rio’s prisons

Conditions inside

Living Conditions

Prisons architecture

Research

ETC……

Research

Your portfolio should also contain some primary research: who is your audience? What do they want to see in a film from this genre?

What research technique can you use to get this info?

ResearchYour portfolio should be handed in as a printed hard copy in a folder.

Your report should sum up your findings, and how this has influenced your screenplay.

But how much research do I need Iain?

I would expect (at a minimum) to have at least 20 sides of A4.

Print screens of websites / news articles are fine, so long as you annotate them (why are they useful) and reference them.

Secondary research is easy…. You find something relevant, you print it, you scribble on it, you put it in the folder. Job done.