Scriptwriting
Lecture 01
Danish Maqsood
Lecture 01:
Introduction to Scriptwriting.
Important Terms etc.
Script
• Script (styles of handwriting)
• Script (Unicode), collections of letters and other written signs, each
assigned to a Unicode number
• Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific
elements or symbols, or that repertoire
• Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handwriting
Scriptwriting
Screenwriting, also called scriptwriting, is the art and craft of writing scripts
for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games.
• Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, developing the
narrative, writing the screenplay and delivering it, in the required format,
to development executives.
• Screenwriters therefore have great influence over the creative direction
and emotional impact of the screenplay and, arguably, of the finished film.
• Screenwriters either pitch original ideas to producers, in the hope that
they will be optioned or sold; or are commissioned by a producer to create
a screenplay from a concept, true story, existing screen work or literary
work, such as a novel, poem, play, comic book or short story.
Scriptwriting
• Is there a difference between scriptwriting and screenwriting?
• Not much.
Screenplay
• The screenplay consist of a number of elements of the script such as
dialogues, shooting directions, description of characters, set and
important props.
• Although both the terms ‘script’ and ‘screenplay’ are quite
interchangeable.
Screenplay
The screenplay consist of a number of elements of the script such as
dialogues, shooting directions, description of characters, set and
important props.
Script VS Screenplay
• The main difference between the terms script and screen play (or
screenplay as one word) is that typically people think of a script as for
theater whereas a screenplay is clearly for the film industry.
• However, since a script can also be a screen play, it is interchangeable
in that way.
Script VS Screenplay
• The main difference between the terms script and screen play (or
screenplay as one word) is that typically people think of a script as for
theater whereas a screenplay is clearly for the film industry. However,
since a script can also be a screen play, it is interchangeable in that
way.
• A screenplay is always written to be played on a screen — movie,
television or computer screen. But a script may also apply to a stage
play, a video game, a radio program or computer programming script,
so make sure you’re clear in your pitch.
What is the difference between screenplay
and written by?
• A “screenplay by” credit is given to the person or team
who wrote the scenes and dialogue of a screenplay but didn't
generate the idea for the story.
• A “written by” credit is given to the person or team who both
conceived of the story and wrote the screenplay. It usually merges
“story by” and “screenplay by”.
Genre
Can also be called as category. For instance: comedy, drama, rom-com,
suspense, mystery, action, sci-fi etc.
Dialogue
A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book,
play, or film.
Pitch VS One-liner.
One-liner:
A one-liner gives an idea of your script to the person to whom you’re
pitching your idea to.
One-liner usually gives a synopsis of the story, important characters,
major twists and turns.
Although it depends on the writer if he or she wants to reveal the
ending of the story.
One-liners are different for telefilms, sitcoms, soaps and movies.
Plot
The main events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised and
presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.
In the narrative sense, the term highlights the important points which
have important consequences within the story. The term is similar in
meaning to the term storyline.
Utopia and Dystopia
• Since its original conception, utopia has come to mean a place that
we can only dream about, a true paradise.
• Dystopia, which is the direct opposite of utopia, is a term used to
describe a utopian society in which things have gone wrong.
• Both utopias and dystopias share characteristics of science fiction and
fantasy, and both are usually set in a future in which technology has
been used to create perfect living conditions. However, once the
setting of a utopian or dystopian story has been established, the focus
of the story is usually not on the technology itself but rather on the
psychology and emotions of the characters who live under such
conditions.
Utopia and Dystopia
• In the United States, people have attempted to create real-life
utopias. Although the founders of these utopian communities had
good intentions, none of the communities flourished as their creators
had hoped.
• Dystopias are a way in which authors share their concerns about
society and humanity. They also serve to warn members of a society
to pay attention to the society in which they live and to be aware of
how things can go from bad to worse without anyone realizing what
has happened. Examples of fictional dystopias include Aldous
Huxley's Brave New World (1932), Ray Bradbury's.
The Three Act Structure
The three-act structure is a model used in narrative fiction that divides
a story into three parts (acts), often called the Setup (Exposition), the
Confrontation and the Resolution.
The Three Act Structure
• The first act is usually used for exposition, to establish the main
characters, their relationships and the world they live in.
• Later in the first act, a dynamic, on-screen incident occurs that
confronts the main character (the protagonist), whose attempts to
deal with this incident lead to a second and more dramatic situation,
known as the first turning point, which (a) signals the end of the first
act, (b) ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist
and (c) raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax
of the film. The dramatic question should be framed in terms of the
protagonist's call to action, (Will X recover the diamond? Will Y get
the girl? Will Z capture the killer
The Three Act Structure
• The second act, also referred to as "rising action", typically depicts the
protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning
point, only to find him- or herself in ever worsening situations.
• Part of the reason protagonists seem unable to resolve their problems is
because they do not yet have the skills to deal with the forces
of antagonism that confront them.
• They must not only learn new skills but arrive at a higher sense of
awareness of who they are and what they are capable of, in order to deal
with their predicament, which in turn changes who they are. This is
referred to as character development or a character arc. This cannot be
achieved alone and they are usually aided and abetted by mentors and
co-protagonists.
The Three Act Structure
• The third act features the resolution of the story and its subplots.
• The climax is the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the
story are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic
question answered, leaving the protagonist and other characters with
a new sense of who they really are.
Class Quiz 01:
Prepare a storyline or plot using the three act structure.
