Chapter 3

The script is one of the most important communication devices in all three production phases, a good one tells you what the program is about, who is in it, what each person says, what is supposed to happen, and how the audience should see and hear the event. What ever position you hold on the production team, you must be familiar with the basic structure of dramatic and nondramatic scripts and the various formats.

The single-column drama script includes every word of the actor’s dialogue, who is doing what when and where, and frequently how the action should play.

This popular script is known as the A/V (audio/video) format because the right column contains the audio information and the left column contains the video information. Most documentary writers prefer the convenient tow-column A/V script.

The partial two-column A/V script indicates only art of the dialogue. In general, the opening and closing remarks are fully scripted, but the bulk of what people say is only alluded to, such as “Dr. Hyde talks about new educational ideas. Dr. Seel replies.” This kind of script is almost always used in interviews, product demonstrations, educational program series, variety shows, and other program types that feature a great amount of ad-lib commentary or disussion.

The show format lists only the order of particular show segments such as “interview from Washington,” “commercial 2”, and “block review” It also lists the set areas in which the action takes place as well as the clock running times for each segment. A show format is frequently used in studio productions that have established performance routines, such as daily morning show, a panel show, or quiz show.

A fact sheet, or rundown sheet, lists the items that are to be shown on-camera and indicates roughly what should be said. The fact sheet is sometimes written in the A/V format, but no specific video or audio instructions are given.

A good drama operates on may conscious and unconscious levels, all of which must be made explicit by the writer and, especially, the actors.

All drama for the stage or screen have four basic elements:  Theme – what the story is about  Plot – how the story moves forward and develops  Characters – how one person differs from the others and how each reacts to the situation at hand  Environment – Where the action takes place

All drama thrives on conflict. Without conflict you have no drama. In fact, all good stories are based on some form of conflict. A plot-based approach, the conflict grows out of circumstances that make the viewer react in a specific way.

A character-based approach, the character’s initial decision create the conflict with which he or she must deal with.

Effective storytelling hasn’t really changed much over the centuries. We still use all or most of the ingredients of the classical dramaturgy – the technique of dramatic composition.

contextPoint of attack (first crisis) Climax (major Crisis) Resolution Good (hero Saved) Bad (hero doomed) Rising Action Falling Action Additional conflicts Consequences of major crisis Classical Dramaturgy Model

 Exposition – which sets the context in which the action occurs  Point of Attack – the first crisis  Rising Action – more conflicts and trouble brewing.  Climax – major crisis or turning point  Falling action and resolution (hero runs into more trouble and either wins or loses)

The ease with which we can shift past, present, and future through editing has obliterated the myth that a good story must have a neat beginning, middle, and end and has redefined the concept of event order in storytelling. Through flashbacks you can “flash” past events onscreen while showing the present; and with flash-forwards, you can begin a story with how it ended and then follow up with what led to the final event.

Nondramatic stories include everything from a news report and a documentary to a product commercial and a complex instructional video on some medical procedure.

Whereas news stories and documentaries are based on the canons of storytelling and a simplified dramaturgy, commercials and instructional program purposely comprise goal-directed information that is not bound by storytelling conventions. They are constructed by motivational and learning objectives and are calculated to have an observable, if not measurable, effect on the viewer. All programs benefit from the process message, but goal- directed programs depend on one.