U64022 SCREENWRITING ADVANCED WEEK 2 SCREENPLAY STANDARDS (1) FINAL DRAFT

TOPICS TODAY  Lecture: screenplay standards (1)  Seminar: class discussion on “Shrek 2” (homework)  Tutorial: Final Draft  Homework/Exercise for week 3 U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level Week 2 - Screenplay Standards

SCREENPLAY FORMAT GENERAL RULES  Font: Courier New 12 (1page=1minute rule of thumb)  Page numbering: top right  Single spacing: applies to  Action  Dialogue  Double carriage return: between  Scene headings and action and dialogue  Scenes (?) U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level Week 2 - Screenplay Standards

SCREENPLAY FORMAT/STANDARDS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level  HEADINGS (scenes, shots, slug lines)  BUSINESS (action, direction, description)  DIALOGUE  TRANSITIONS  PUNCTUATION  DRAFTS & SPECIAL PAGES

SCREENPLAY FORMAT – SCRIPT ELEMENTS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level Week 2 - Screenplay Standards SCENE HEADING / SLUG LINE (all caps) Scene intro (location) EXT./INT. Description (location) DAY/NIGHT (DAWN/SUNSET Info for production manager Production plan Production design (sets) Photography ACTION / BUSINESS Description of action, people, places Single-spaced Margin-to-margin (not justified) Sound effects capitalized

SCREENPLAY FORMAT – SCRIPT ELEMENTS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level Week 9 - Screenplay Format... DIALOGUE Character’s name (capitalized) Character’s extension (O.S. or V.O.) Parentheticals (stage direction; keep to a minimum, only if essential, e.g. reactions) Dialogue lines: single- spaced TABS (from left margin) Action / Business = 0 Dialogue = 2 Parentheticals = 3 Character’s name (before dialogue) = 4 TRANSITIONS Only if/when necessary

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - HEADINGS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level LOCATION -Always from GENERAL to SPECIFIC, separated by comma -If interior plus name of city, name of city in brackets at end -Multiple locations: separated by hyphen (short) -No articles -ALL CAPS

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - HEADINGS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level TIME -Mainly DAY or NIGHT, but also DAWN, SUNSET, MORNING, EVENING -Separated by hyphen -More specific: e.g. FIVE MONTHS EARLIER, SAME TIME, 15 MINUTES LATER (only if necessary) -CONTINUOUS or CONTINUOUS ACTION, don’t overuse (don’t use if evident from context) -Dates: DAY (1966) -Weather within brackets: e.g. NIGHT (RAIN) -DAY (NEWSREEL FOOTAGE)

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - HEADINGS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level SHOTS -Don’t overuse -Limit to special situations (establishing shots, aerial, POV shots)

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - HEADINGS U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level NEW HEADING -Change in location or time -Logic flow of narrative -Special cases: SAME – 90 MINUTES LATER

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - HEADINGS Spacing between scenes Usually double (one blank line). More material on one page. Possible triple (two blank lines). Longer but more readable. Not recommended. Style Always present tense Short, direct sentences Visual Break blocks into smaller paragraphs Underscoring Continuous but no final period Looks amateurish, don’t overuse. U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - HEADINGS Page breaks At least after one sentence of action after heading Never after just heading (except if ESTABLISHING SHOT) Never in the middle of a sentence. U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - DIRECTIONS CAPITALIZATION Introducing a speaking character (each scene, ONLY first occurrence) If name soon after generic description, only name If name well after generic description, first description then name too If characters played by two actors at different ages, two different descriptions (ex. YOUNG HARRY, HARRY) Describing sound effect onscreen (ALL but not living characters) Both sound and source of sound Describing ALL offscreen sound Do not add O.S. if evident from context U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - DIRECTIONS CAPITALIZATION Describing camera direction The word CAMERA Camera movement All prepositions related to camera or movement Other INTO FRAME, INTO VIEW, OUT OF FRAME, OUT OF VIEW FREEZE FRAME – MILLS SUPERIMPOSE: “THEN NEW LINE, CENTRED” SUPER: “THURSDAY” U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - DIRECTIONS ALWAYS CAPITALIZE AD LIB(s) V.O. O.S. Signs, banners, headlines (within action, within commas) Anything written and seen on screen NEVER capitalize “We see” (never capitalize and use sparingly, usually only with POV shots) b.g. f.g. U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - DIALOGUE CHARACTER’s name (O.S.) and (V.O.): ALL CAPS O.S.  physically present in the scene but not in view V.O.  all other cases NO BOLD, NO ITALICS

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - DIALOGUE Spell out all spoken words (no abbreviation) Don’t overdo incorrect grammar and colloquialism Underline accepted to give emphasis Never break a page in the middle of a line of dialogue Add (MORE) and (CONT’D) beside character name Speech broken by direction (cont’d) is no longer used

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - DIALOGUE Parentheticals (character directions) Never capitalize Never add period at the end No more than 4 lines Not at the end of a speech Never break page with parenthetical (instead, new page, name of character (CONT’D) then parenthetical) (sotto voce) or (sotto) (beat)

SCREENPLAY STANDARDS - TRANSITIONS Always begin script with FADE IN: Always end script with FADE OUT or THE END (centred, after 5 blank lines) Use CUT TO: and FADE TO BLACK. to underline particular situations only Other QUICK CUT TO: HARD CUT TO: CUT TO BLACK. DON’T OVERUSE. ONLY IF ESSENTIAL.

SEMINAR -View and analyse Shrek 2 plot and apply Vogler’s hero’s journey model (12 steps) -Grab screenshots for every step to use as slideshow/storyboard; write down your analysis of the 12-step pattern. Save on pendrive and bring to class -Be ready to discuss your findings in class at next week’s seminar U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

EXERCISE FOR WK 2 -Analyse Shrek 2 plot and apply the hero’s journey model (12 steps) U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

PLOTS Prologues 1 and 2 Summary of Shrek 1 Antagonist  Plot A (main plot)  action (goal/quest) Charming / Fairy Godmother Romance  Plot B (subplot)  themes (moral, change) Fiona / Family Themes and character pattern/relations  structure (parallel threads A/B) U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

SCENE BREAKDOWN U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

3-ACTS & STORY ELEMENTS (Field) U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

3-ACT STRUCTURE - Summary ACT I – SETUP, pp.1-30 What? Setting + info (hero) How? Inciting incident  conflict  action/goal Plot point #1 (end of Act I – pp.25-27) ACT II – CONFRONTATION, pp What? Obstacles and problems How? Reversals, recognition, suffering Mid-point (p.60) Plot point #2 (end of Act II – pp.85-90) ACT III – RESOLUTION, pp (120) What? Climax  resolution How? Initial problem solved/unsolved goal achieved U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level

HOMEWORK FOR WEEK 3 U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level 1) Watch and analyse WHEN HARRY MET SALLY -Write down a scene breakdown -Add Act breaks -Bring to class for lecture NOTE – Check for additional movie assigned (one between “Notting Hill”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Pretty Woman”) and obtain DVD. You will need it to do homework for week 4.

HOMEWORK FOR WEEK 3 U64022 Screenwriting: Advanced Level 2) Exercise for seminar discussion in wk 3 -Download “Exercise wk3 – Script formatting.doc” file from module webpage -Format scenes from “The Silence of the Lambs” by applying industry standards for screenplay. You do NOT need to use Final Draft. Do not change anything in the text. -Highlight in yellow any errors you notice (i.e. formatting rules not followed and/or incorrect standards used) -Bring your homework in class in Week 3. We will discuss it during the seminar hour.