Script Writing Notes
What Writers Need to Consider When Writing Scripts
· Be specific and factual in the stage directions (e.g. "Jennifer-Mae picks up the pencil and puts it in the monster's eye.") Don't be overly detailed; let the actors interpret the actions.
· Dialogue
· Actions
· Consider the audience you are writing for (e.g. teenagers, etc.)
· Humour - be careful not to offend people but still be funny
· Format - for theatre, text is on the side; for film and television, the text is in the centre. Number the scenes. Don't use overly fancy fonts.
· realistic premise OR completely fantastical premise
Examples of Excellent Scriptwriting
· A Clockwork Orange (film)- characters, cinematography, etc.
· Twin Peaks (long-term t.v. show by David Lynch)- cult favourite; character interaction; complicated yet comprehensive
· Pulp Fiction (film)- multiple plot lines converge seamlessly
· American Beauty (film)- dialogue; interesting characters (avoid cliché)
· Mean Girls (film) - specifically targets teenage girls
· Heathers (film) - same
· Everwood (t.v. show) - characters have room for growth; characters that the audience can relate to.
· Sherlock (t.v show) - present day setting of a classic story; well-acted.
· Arrested Development (t.v show) - funny - uncomfortable humour; extreme and quirky characters; witty dialogue; clever allusions to history, politics, etc.
· Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (film) - interesting plot
· Faulty Towers (t.v. show) - quirky, witty, British
· The Matrix (film) - makes Plato's allegory of the Cave palatable and relatable
· Six Feet Under (t.v. show) - about a family of undertakers; characters grow and change.
· Game of Thrones (t.v. show based on a novel)-
· Buffy the Vampire Slayer (t.v. show) - cult classic
· Flight of the Concords (t.v. show) - comedy show
· Miracle at St. Anne (film) - WWII
· 500 Days of Summer - series of events
· The Mentalist - dont write why
· Submarine
· Misfits (TV)
· Rushmore
· Moulin Rouge
· Star Wars Episode V
· Elizebeth
· Coco Avant Channel
· Almost Famous
· 8 mile
· Billy Elliot
· Yellow Submarine
· Deja Vu
· Malcolm X
· Lion King
· Wall E
· Up
· Finding Nemo
· Mulan
· Alddin
· Life of Pi
· Les Miserables
· The Boy in the striped Pyjamas
· Fight Club
· Tenacious D and the pick of destiny
· Schindler's list
· Nacho Libre
· Anchorman
· Anastasia
· Napoleon Dynamite
· The Pianist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (best movie ever- Jan)
· The Prestige
· Sherlock Holmes 1 and 2
· The Da Vinci Code
· Fringe (TV Series)
· Talladega Nights
· Dr Who
· South Park
· King of the Hill
· The Simpsons(Seasons 1-12)
· Skins (UK)
· The Outsiders
· Lord of the Rings
· The Prisoner
· The Sting
· Breaking Bad
· Full Metal Jacket
· Lock Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels
· Big Bang Theory
· Pirates of the whateverits spelled
· Dead Poets Society
· Lost in Translation
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