Scriptwriting LAB

There are mainly four dominant types of scripts in the media industry the four are Master Scene Script, Shooting Script, Radio Script, Video Game Script.

Master Scene Script

What is a master scene script? A master scene script is the main format that is accepted in film industry it's possible that if your script is not in MSS your script may not even get read and will be declined. Inside a master scene script it's three main parts Interior V Exterior, Location, Time of day a scene heading is also known as a slugline.

The three parts of MSS scripts

In Main Scene Script you will see INT & EXT a lot this is to show that the current scene is filmed either inside or outside this helps the cast and crew when reading the script as they can prepare in advance for the shoot following INT and EXT you will see the location next to it for example EXT Forest this is the second known as the location. Third you have the time of day in a script it will just be titled as DAY or NIGHT occasionally you may have DUSK or DAWN.

Musts

A must in the MSS scripts is that you can not write what can't be seen or heard for example if a character is thinking something but you can't see what they are thinking or if they aren't explaining it you cannot write it.

Most master scene script follow this format which is the convention as most MSS scripts look like this.

Other convention of MSS scripts are that typically the font size will be 12 and no bigger aswell as the slugline and character names will mostly be in capitals.

Effectiveness of MSS

MSS are extremely effective in industry as things like the slugline help the crew and the reader as it's easy to read and doesn't offer much challenge that's one of the reasons why it's industry standard. My example is effective as I've chosen the script from inglorious basterds what you see in the script you see and hear it and small things like Aldo's rope burn can also be spotted. This is a great script because it tells us every detail in the film from the character movements and of course the dialogue it's written to show the buyers this is a war film things like small details from where the character is from to what his mission is they have his name in capitals to show that he is the main character and where he says "Killin Nazis" it's underlined this could be to show it's important to him it's his main purpose. The script does a good job of showing us the effective setting of the script this can be where it says "EXT Somewhere in England Day" I like the fact that it doesn't specify where in England this can be used as a convention as this being a war film during war a lot of secrets are passed around and the writer can be hinting that the location is secret and that is why he doesn't specify where the scene takes place leaving readers a bit tense.

Shooting Scripts

Shooting Scripts are modified scripts that are used during the actual production of the project they are written with more detail they include things like scene numbers and possibly camera angles. Shooting scripts are usually modified with useful pointers for the director to make it easier if it needs it. Shooting scripts are used for production only so it's not ideal to try and use them for selling purposes as they can be difficult to read so this may scare potential buyers of your story. Altering the script makes it more effective for the crew as they can now analyse it better and make the production process smoother and it saves them a lot of time. As you can see production scripts are different because they include stuff like the camera angles that will be in the film like in my example it talks about how the camera is going to pan this is effective for the production team as they know what to do straight away by reading the modified shooting script this makes it effective for team as they jobs are easier in the long run. Shooting scripts also help editors out as they know when and where to make the edits this makes the overall film have a more professional presentation.

Shooting scripts are used when the project is going straight into production it's not an ideal format for something that may linger for a bit before being made. So basically when comparing both master scene script and a shooting script is that master scene script "aka" a screenplay is for selling purposes this is what you would pitch towards a potential buyer and try to get a green light for the project where as shooting scripts are used as a production purposes only if you try to pitch a shooting script to buyer it most likely wouldn't end well as these have been known to scare people away from the project as they are confusing and hard to read and most buyers won't risk there resources on a risky project. That's why it's crucial that if your writing a movie or TV show to sell it must in the master scene format otherwise you will struggle to find a buyer and if it's not in master scene some people will just refuse to even look at it.

Radio Scripts

Radio Scripts are way different to shooting scripts and master scene scripts they have heavily focused more on audio this being because there is no filming taking place so there is no need for visual. In radio scripts it usually just has the audio for what the actor or radio host will be saying then it will also Include details like sound effects that might be put into the radio show. This is effective for the DJ because he/she know when to say there part and when not to making the job for the DJ easier and they can perform better these are the bold commands they are in bold so the DJ can read them with ease.

Video game script

Video game scripts are quite similar to master scene script because they have same layout as the master scene script and the are worded the same style as master scene even including the INT Day and EXT however this is because this a cutscene script a small movie/video in the video game this is just to instruct the actor playing as the character to say certain phrases and how to say them accurately, this is effective for the voice actor because he now knows what to say when to say it and what type of expression he should say it when this be excited or angry for example

In game scripts are set out different they have different layouts they usually contain multiple choice options or multiple dialogue options in little boxes this is called a flow chart. Video game scripts usually do something called branching this means that there are optional elements placed into the game that can or sometimes won't have an effect later based on the choice that was made sometimes the script can split into two different realities.