(P1.8) Other Script Media Products

Scripted media products

- film, i.e.:

o UK

o European

o World cinema

- TV, i.e.

o news broadcasting

o soaps

o documentaries

o dramas

- radio, i.e.:

o drama

o current affairs programmes

o news

- computer games, i.e.:

o scripts for computer games

 

Film scripts

See P1.2 – Language of Scripts and P1.3 – Format and Layout for features of film screenplays.

The format and layout of film screenplays is fairly constant around much of the world, for example across Europe and in the ‘Bollywood’ (Indian) and ‘Nollywood’ (Nigerian) film industries. Some use English as an international language for the action, sluglines etc, with only dialogue in the local language. Others may retain the overall layout and format but use the local language throughout. European, Scandinavian and South American scripts are likely to this approach, and English-language translations may sometimes also be available. Where languages differ significantly from English (e.g. in the direction in which text is read), script formats can very more significantly, for example, if written in Arabic or Mandarin (for instance, for the large Hong Kong film industry).

Examples:

 From PK, an Indian movie, with some dialogue in Hindi.

 From New Money, a Nigerian screenplay, entirely in English

TV scripts

Soaps and dramas typically use the same screenplay format as films.

 Example from Doctor Who.

 

News broadcasting – See P1.5 – The Angle of an Article for examples and annotation.

Documentaries. These typically use a similar format to television news, allowing the organisation and editing together of audio and visual from potentially various sources (e.g. A-roll footage of interviews and presenters, B-roll footage adding context and setting scenes, archival footage) and managing timings:

Radio

 

Drama Radio drama scripts are differently formatted from TV drama. Character names and sound effects (FX) cues are left formatted whilst description and dialogue are indented around a third of the way into the page. Sometimes, underscoring is used, keeping cues and their associated description clearly connected.

 

Example radio drama:

From A Summer Night by Jack Thorne

 

News Radio news scripts often follow quite a simple, linear format, clearly demarcating in sequence who speaks and what they say. Formatting can vary with different news broadcasters, for instance in how the expected duration of each item is measured (e.g. by controlling the lengths of lines, listing timings alongside the dialogue or including timings at intervals, between speech). Different formatting (e.g. bold or underscores) may be used for any other sound effects, trailers or pre-recorded items played.

Example provided by BBC for educational purposes.

Entertainment news script example

 

 

Radio current affairs Radio current affairs programmes (e.g. Today and PM on BBC Radio 4) will combine scripted elements (e.g. summaries of headlines) with unscripted interviews, in which presenters speak live with interviewees, using their prior research and responding to the answers given. Additionally, contributions from other presenters (e.g. specialist correspondents, weather presenters) and pre-recorded items (news reports from correspondents around the world) must be worked into the schedule. As a result, scripting for current affairs programmes will often be more a list of items and timings that the show must adhere to, rather than an actual script of what is said.

 

Example (with generic titles rather than specific items):

Video games

Video game scripts may take a wide range of forms, depending on the type of game and the element of that game being scripts. See P1.1 – Introduction to Media Scripts for examples.

Some narrative-driven games have fixed, linear sections (e.g. cutscenes) for which a standard screenplay format is appropriate.

Where players interact with NPCs (e.g. in adventure games) dialogue trees displaying options and the resultant possible branches of conversation may be used.

For sections where players move and explore freely, tables of short dialogue pieces and requires sound effects can be used to record events and the actions and situations that will cue them.

Elsewhere, where planning sequences of action, flow diagrams may be appropriate.

Some game genres and formats will not require scripting, or will not require it for large sections (e.g.  puzzle games). Instead, gameplay mechanics may be planned using whatever form (diagrams, charts, flow diagrams etc) best express the specifics of the game.