LO1 Investigating scripted media products

language and angle of the article

Mode of address: how the script writer speaks to the auspice. there are three different kinds of mode of a dress

1: peer to peer

a casual informal (often colloquial) way of speaking

2: Teacher to Pupil

a very formal type of speech which makes use of elaborate coding as that it is very professional (using specialist terms etc.)

3: Parent to child

this type of address can present itself in many ways as that it can be both informal and formal at different types depending of the subject matter. As well as this it is much more advisory than either of the others.

Mode of address:

The mode of address of a script must reflect the tone that the product will have when it iks presented to an audience. For example a drama would likely have a parent to child mode of address such as the opening from “Breaking bad which I have inserted below:

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT

No president ever slept here. No millionaire ever visited. This is a three-bedroom RANCHER in a modest neighborhood. Weekend trips to Home Depot keep it looking tidy, but it'll never make the cover of "Architectural Digest."

We're in Ontario, California -- the Inland Empire. LEGEND: "ONE MONTH EARLIER."

INT. WHITE HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Dark and silent. SKYLER WHITE, late 30s, sleeps peacefully. Beside her, her husband Walter is wide awake.

Walt reaches over and presses a button on his Sharper Image alarm clock. It projects the time in glowing blue numbers on the cottage cheese ceiling: 5:02 AM.

Walt lies motionless. Brain churning. He presses the button again, staring straight up. 5:02 turns to 5:03.

Close enough. Walt rises without waking his wife. He exits.

As can be seen here the script is written in a way which gives the reader a sense of the insignificance that the character of Walter White supposable possesses. While Vince Gilligan (the writer of this script has made sure to include very clear descriptions of the setting such as in the line “Three bedroom rancher in a modest neighbourhood” he makes it sound like the opening to a novel rather than of a strictly written product which must be exactly as it is written.  

The difference between this script and others is very apparent when it is compared to those of other types of products. For example the script for the 2016 film “Get Out” opens with the following bible verse:

      I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and

acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be

conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of

your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will

of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

-Romans 12:1-2

This verse is not included in the actual film and seems as though it is only in the script to give the people involved with production an idea of the themes of the film as well as the necessary tone to convey the message.

The opening also doesn’t have the same detailed opening establishment as breaking bad instead just including a brief description of the first character that the viewer is introduced to.

EXT. SUBURBAN - NIGHT

ANDRE, 29, an African-American man walks down the sidewalk talking on his phone.

The reason for this is likely is that Gilligan was establishing what would be a commonly used setting in (what was to be) a long running series. This is important as that in contrast to this films use many different settings throughout the narrative and may not even return to them. For this reason it was not necessary for the writer of “Get Out” to include the same amount of detail in their opening section.

The difference between fiction and non-fiction scripts is also (not surprisingly) vast. The following is an extract from a NEWS show hosted on BBC radio Sheffield.

7.48 BOMB ARRESTS

2 way JENNY EELLS live from Abbey Lane

Call into Police this morning - nothing confirmed !

=======================================================

Let's get more on this dramatic story on the front page of The Star this morning...

They are reporting that Police have been investigating a report of a suspected bomb at a house on Abbey Lane, in Beauchief in Sheffield, and that arrests have been made...

Jenny Eells is there for us now

So what do we know Jen?

Well not very much if I am honest as there's not a huge amount of information out there on this. According to reports in today's Star Newspaper officers came here to Abbey Lane in Beauchief on Saturday night after receiving reports there could've been a home made bomb at a house on the road.

Now anyone who knows Abbey Lane in Sheffield knows it stretches from Woodseats right the way across to Abbeydale Road and I have driven up and down the road this morning and there is no sign of any police cordon or police activity at the moment

The mode of address for this script is clearly teacher to child as that its purpose is to do nothing other than to inform the audience of what is going on. It opens with brief notes on the type of programming the story will be stating that it will be a “Two way” (a conversation) and that the police have been contacted but nothing has been confirmed. The hosts of the show would be expected to explain the story briefly and then to ask the reporter on the scene for details.

It is the two way conversation that is scripted strictly as to give the audience the exact facts that they need to know regarding the story as well as making sure that the section doesn’t go over its allocated time. 

Format:

1: All scrips are written in which font and size?

All conventional (or traditional) scripts are written in size 12 courier font as to look as though they were written with a typewriter. The reason for this is that traditional scripts would have been written using a typewriter and using this font helps to keep the conventions of a typical piece of work.

As well as this the size 12 font ensures both the script being easy to read for a viewer and that all scripts look the same when presented.

2: Screenplays have character descriptions. Why?

This is so that the reader gains insight into what the character looks and acts like therefore they will understand them more of a person.

3: Who uses the script?

Many people on set would use a script while the media is being produced. Some of these people are as follows:

Actors – Uses the script to learn the dialogue for their character or to understand what they are expected to do in their scene (in terms of movement)

Camera and sound operators – Use the script to understand what events are significant and film them appropriately. When a script has camera work and editing it becomes a shooting script.

Director – A director needs the script so that they can understand if a scene is being presented to the audience in the way that the writer initially intended.

Director of photography – [see director]

Editor – Use the script in post-production so that they know what needs to stay in and what can be cut from the final product.

4: Why would a computer game script include a flowchart?

Computer games are an interactive media which means that a player can take several different options that impact their experience in the narrative. for this reason coders need to have some what of understanding how each user made choice effects the storyline and where to position each mission. This can be seen in games such as Star Wars: Knights of The Old republic wherein the game can end very differently for a player depending on the choices they choose to make within the story (light side/ Dark side endings)

5: How will dialogue and characters be laid out in a script?

The dialogue in a script is always justified to the centre of the page with the character’s name above it in capital letters.

6:  Video games often include a synopsis. Why?

The opening synopsis helps the creators of the game put a player into an exciting situation without drawing out a long back story that has led to that point. As well as this it allows the player to understand exactly what is going on in the narrative and have at least a basic understanding of the characters involved.

7: What types of scripts have stage directions and what do these directions look like?

Any narrative would require stage directions as that they are vital in showing what a character is meant to be doing at any specific time. This could include how they are moving, what they are doing and how they act towards other characters.

8: How are sound effects presented in a script?

A sound effect is usually presented on a separate line, underlined and with a title of “sound:” This can be seen in the example I have inserted below: