Unit 19 learning aim A

 Unit 19 

Introduction 

A script is the written form of a speech, play, film. The purpose of scriptwriting is to create the main idea of your production in written form. It supplies a preproduction look at what will be said and what scenes will be shot to match the overall message you are trying to portray. Your script will help you plan as you prepare to make the final product. Writing a script will also give you a better idea of the direction you would like to go with your production role in. It may give you a better idea of who you want to be in the video and what there will be. A screenwriter handles the concept, idea, and initial vision for the film. Once the screenwriter has an idea or concept, it is general practice for the writer to map out the script. It may be mapped out as a treatment, or in shorter form as a synopsis. But standard practice is a screenwriter takes their idea and writes it out, long-form. Sometimes it is detailed, sometimes it just includes the major turns or plot points, sometimes this long-form storytelling is just a few sentences long.  

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SCRIPTWRITERS IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY 

 

Rewriting is how most screenwriters get hired nowadays. According to professional screenwriter Mark Sanderson he sometimes lives off rewrite work. They might have a script that was developed in house or by another writer. For some reason, the writer on the project was fired and then another writer or several were then brought in to fix the screenplay. Therefore, you sometimes see multiple credits to different writers on one project.  

Looking for a mentor can also get you involved and a job in the industry making connections (networking). Also building and progressing your skills in scriptwriting. This is someone who’s willing to help you, often for free. Your mentor should have expertise, such as having once worked in the industry themselves. Most screenwriters are freelance so to develop your career you'll need to network widely in the industry to secure your place in the industry. 

If you want to get directly into this job, you may have an advantage if you have writing and storytelling experience from another field like journalism, advertising copywriting or acting. You'll normally start by producing your own screenplays and ideas and trying to sell them to agents and producers. Once you have had some work accepted and started to build a professional reputation, producers might then commission you to produce scripts for them. 

Case study 

Quentin Tarantino Known for his unpredictable, violent films he is a Producer, Screenwriter, Director. Quentin was Born in Tennessee in 1963, Quentin Tarantino moved to California at age 4. His love of movies led to a job in a video store, during which time he wrote the scripts for True Romance and Natural Born Killers. Tarantino's directorial debut came with 1992's Reservoir Dogs, but he received widespread critical and commercial acclaim with Pulp Fiction (1994), During his time at Video Archives, Tarantino worked on several screenplays, including True Romance and Natural Born Killers. He also landed a guest spot on the popular sitcom The Golden Girls, playing an Elvis Presley impersonator. In 1990, Tarantino left Video Archives to work for Cinetel, a production company. Through one of the producers there, he was able to get his script for True Romance in the hands of director Tony Scott. Scott liked Tarantino's script and bought the rights to it. Working with producer Lawrence Bender, Tarantino was able to secure funding for his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992), for which he had also written the screenplay. Actor Harvey Keitel was impressed when he read the script, saying "I haven't seen characters like these in years." He signed on as an actor and a producer for the project. Other cast members included Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Tarantino himself. In 1992, audiences at the Sundance Film Festival were entranced by Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino's ultraviolent crime caper gone wrong. The independent film helped make Tarantino one of the most talked-about figures in Hollywood. While not a big hit in the United States, it became a popular title on video and did well overseas. This is where his career took off and he continued the working hard and proceeded to direct 10 great films. 

“I started writing during the daytime. I get up, so you know, it is 10:30, or 11:00 o’clock, or 11:30, and I sit down to write…Like a normal workday, I would sit down, and I would write until 4, 5, 6, or 7. Somewhere around there, I would stop. And then, I have a pool, and I keep it heated, so it is nice, so I go into it…and just kind of float around in the warm water and think about everything I have just written, how I can make it better, and what else can happen before the scene is over, and then a lot of shit would come to me, a lot of, a lot of things would come to me. Then I would get out and make little notes on that, but not do it, and that would be my work for tomorrow.” Quentin Tarantino explaining how he writes his scripts in his years of creation and directing numerous films Hes won many awards over the years winning bafta/Oscar for best writing original screenplay for the film Django unchained (2012), best writing screenplay written directly for the screen in pulp fiction (1994), winning best writing for once upon a time also bring in the top 10 of the year 0f 2019. A Band Apart Films was a production company founded by Quentin Tarantino, Michael Bodnarchek, and Lawrence Bender that was active from 1991 to 2006. Tarantino has currently been working on a book which will be release later in 2022 before his 10th and final film. 

Demands and requirements 

Scriptwriters are typically creative individuals who use their imagination to develop characters, establish clear settings and tell engaging stories in their scripts. Their creativity can help them invent original content, portray complex issues through characters and storylines and tell dynamic stories that connect with their audiences. Creativity can be an important skill for scriptwriters to develop original ideas and write satisfying endings to their stories. This is important because if the audience doesn’t find your story creative or intriguing then they won't want to watch it or if someone were reading it, they wouldn’t feel connected to the story and could find it dull. It can take time, patience, and persistence to become a successful scriptwriter, so it's important for new scriptwriters to continue to network, develop their craft and take opportunities to work with established industry professionals.  

Professionalism is an important quality for scriptwriters because the job often requires them to meet with network executives and producers. Having a professional demeanor can help scriptwriters make a good impression on these industry professionals. Some characteristics of professionalism include communicating politely with others, being punctual at meetings and showing respect to others in the industry. 

In films and television, there is a very defined arc with a setup, inciting incident, rising action, midpoint twist, crisis, and resolution. But in an interactive game where the players make different choices with different outcomes, this arc is loose. In screenwriting, the general rule is to keep scenes as short as possible. Everything that is said and done in the scene must relate to the plot; anything that doesn’t should be cut off. However, in game writing, long scenes are necessary because the Player needs to explore their options, gather information, and make choices. Longer scenes make for a more valuable gaming experience. 

 In screenwriting, action moves the plot forward. The audience sees the hero do things, not think about things, or talk things through. Often, the only way we know the hero is thinking about something is a two-second reaction shot. And we rarely see the hero talk through his next move with his sidekick, and if we do the scene is brief and probably purposefully vague. Instead, the audience finds out the hero’s plan when they see it in action. But in game writing where the player is the hero and must make all these “next move” decisions, reaction and planning scenes are crucial. Well, no, because gaming isn’t about showing an audience something, it’s about the player’s experience. 

Audience vs Player Experience. When writing for an audience, it’s all about holding back information. The fact that the audience doesn’t know things is what keeps them entertained. That’s why screenplays don’t have many reactions or planning scenes, or voice over, or long scenes. The less the audience knows, the better! Not knowing exactly what the hero is thinking is intriguing. Having the story unfold through action without knowing the hero’s plan is suspenseful. But it’s the opposite for a game because instead of watching a story, the player is influencing the story. There is still a lot of suspense because the player doesn’t know what the other characters will do, but the excitement comes from making the decisions and agonizing over the various choices. 

Legal and ethical considerations 

Screenwriters must take into consideration the legal and ethical issues when writing. These ethical issues involve bias and conflict of interest while the legal issues are copyright, libel, and censorship. 

Screenwriters must copyright their work otherwise their ideas can be stolen by other writers or their whole script can be copied. Copyright should be shown on the front of their scripts and on the bottom of every page. Legal action can take place if anybody’s work plagiarisms somebody’s work. Screenwriters also must write truthfully if they are basing a script on a true story. Otherwise, they could face a libel issue which can be career ending. Writers must also consider censorship, as when writing a film script, things such as sexual content cannot be shown to a certain extent.  

Censorship differs depending on what rating a film has, so scriptwriters should take this into account and make sure the content is suitable for the audience. Another issue some scriptwriters may face is the watershed. Before 9pm, any content containing sex, violence etc. cannot be shown. If writers are writing a script for a TV show that will be shown before the watershed, they must ensure everything is suitable for a young audience. 

A film produced that can be considered in poor taste could be a film that has excessive violence or a vile premise. an example could be Drill Killer or the Bad Lieutenant both have immoral characters who act out their fantasies without the consideration of their actions. The Bad Lieutenant is a corrupt police officer who uses his power to do what he wants to whoever he wants and take whatever he wants – not a great depiction of the police. Also, a movie like Evil Dead with its gratuitous violence and tree sexual assault. This is showing something which may be indecent, often linked to sexual acts and may offend those that watch it. The Human Centipede could be an example of this as it sells itself on the idea it is medically accurate that you could join three people together. An audience viewing this may consider it indecent. 

Evaluation
The purpose of scriptwriting is to create the main idea of your production in written form. It supplies a preproduction look at what will be said and what scenes will be shot to match the overall message you are trying to portray. Writing a script will also give you a better idea of the direction you would like to go with your production role in. It may give you a better idea of who you want to be in the video and what there will be. A screenwriter handles the concept, idea, and initial vision for the film. Once the screenwriter has an idea or concept, it is general practice for the writer to map out the script. For some reason, the writer on the project was fired and then another writer or several were then brought in to fix the screenplay. Looking for a mentor can also get you involved and a job in the industry making connections. Most screenwriters are freelance so to develop your career you will need to network widely in the industry to secure your place in the industry. His love of movies led to a job in a video store, during which time he wrote the scripts for True Romance and Natural Born Killers. He signed on as an actor and a producer for the project. And then, I have a pool, and I keep it heated, so it is nice, so I go into it...and just kind of float around in the warm water and think about everything I have just written, how I can make it better, and what else can happen before the scene is over, and then a lot of shit would come to me, a lot of, a lot of things would come to me. Everything that is said and done in the scene must relate to the plot; anything that does not should be cut off. But it's the opposite for a game because instead of watching a story, the player is influencing the story. Censorship differs depending on what rating a film has, so scriptwriters should take this into account and make sure the content is suitable for the audience.

Bibliography

2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.slashfilm.com/879731/quentin-tarantinos-next-project-is-a-nonfiction-novel-titled-cinema-speculation/> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-be-a-good-script-writer> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Biography. 2022. Quentin Tarantino. [online] Available at: <https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/quentin-tarantino#synopsis> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Blog.finaldraft.com. 2022. What Are The Responsibilities Of a Screenwriter?. [online] Available at: <https://blog.finaldraft.com/what-are-the-responsibilities-of-a-screenwriter> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Calnewport.com. 2022. Notes on Quentin Tarantino’s Writing Routine - Study Hacks - Cal Newport. [online] Available at: <https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2021/06/30/notes-on-quentin-tarantinos-writing-routine/#:~:text=Here's%20how%20he%20described%20it,5%2C%206%2C%20or%207.> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

IMDb. 2022. Quentin Tarantino - IMDb. [online] Available at: <https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/awards?ref_=nmawd_ql_1> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Jackson, V., 2022. Screenplays vs Game Scripts: 5 Differences. [online] WriteOnSisters.com. Available at: <http://writeonsisters.com/writing-craft/screenplays-vs-game-scripts-5-differences/> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Knowledge, I., 2022. The Secret How 97% of Screenwriters are Hired. [online] Freshmenscreenplay.com. Available at: <https://freshmenscreenplay.com/the-secret-how-97-of-screenwriters-are-hired/> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Ldoceonline.com. 2022. script | Definition from the Media topic | Media. [online] Available at: <https://www.ldoceonline.com/Media-topic/script> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. 2022. Screenwriter | Explore careers | National Careers Service. [online] Available at: <https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/screenwriter> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

racheldayscriptwriting. 2022. Legal and Ethical Concerns in Scriptwriting. [online] Available at: <https://racheldayscriptwriting.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/legal-and-ethical-concerns-in-scriptwriting/> [Accessed 23 September 2022].

Topnotchcinema.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://topnotchcinema.com/blog/why-is-script-writing-important/> [Accessed 23 September 2022].