Style and Content
All scripts use the Courier New font, in font size 12. This is because the font is easy to read. Screenplays, such as for 'Shamed' and 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York', usually feature character descriptions at the beginning of their scripts. This information is included because it could be important to the actors and/or director.
Video game scripts usually include a flowchart as they can change depending on how the player plays the game, this gives people the ability to choose what happens in the story which is important as a lot of people play games as a form of escapism (Denis McQuail, 1972). Video games often also feature a synopsis within the gameplay so that the player has at least a vague idea of what is going to happen in the game.
Usually, dialogue in a script is justified to the middle with the characters name in capital letters and either above or justified to the left. This is so it is clear who is speaking and when they are speaking. In a TV News script, like the Channel 3 News broadcast linked to above, the dialogue is justified to the left rather than the centre. This is because stage directions and other information as those reading the script are simply giving out information. Scripts for TV or Theatre will include stage directions. Stage directions are important because they tell the cast and crew where people should be and what they should be doing; this section from 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York' (Left) clearly shows the character 'Marian' getting out of a Taxi and collecting her things. Camerawork is also included in these stage directions but highlighted with uppercase lettering. Sound Effects are also written in capital letters and justified to the left, this is particularly important in a radio drama like 'Shamed' because there are no visuals so the audience must rely on sound to understand the story. Information on camerawork, editing, sound effects and graphic effects are all set to the right - though are often abbreviated to CW, EDIT, SFX and GFX respectively. When these decisions are included in a screenplay the script is called a shooting script
Mode of address is the way in which the text speaks to the audience. Different scripts will use different modes of address based on what the purpose of the script is, and who the script is for. For example, the Channel 3 News script would be considered 'teacher-to-pupil' because it's main purpose is to inform it's audience and so it has a formal tone. This is very different to a TV or radio drama script like 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York', which would be classed as 'peer-to-peer' as it will have more informal tone and it's purpose is primarily to entertain. Game scripts are very different because they often include flowcharts, these flowcharts are used because a game script is used not only to entertain, but to inform as well guide the player throughout the game - therefore, a game script has a 'parent-to-child' mode of address.
Style and Content
All scripts use the Courier New font, in font size 12. This is because the font is easy to read. Screenplays, such as for 'Shamed' and 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York', usually feature character descriptions at the beginning of their scripts. This information is included because it could be important to the actors and/or director.
Video game scripts usually include a flowchart as they can change depending on how the player plays the game, this gives people the ability to choose what happens in the story which is important as a lot of people play games as a form of escapism (Denis McQuail, 1972). Video games often also feature a synopsis within the gameplay so that the player has at least a vague idea of what is going to happen in the game.
Usually, dialogue in a script is justified to the middle with the characters name in capital letters and either above or justified to the left. This is so it is clear who is speaking and when they are speaking. In a TV News script, like the Channel 3 News broadcast linked to above, the dialogue is justified to the left rather than the centre. This is because stage directions and other information as those reading the script are simply giving out information. Scripts for TV or Theatre will include stage directions. Stage directions are important because they tell the cast and crew where people should be and what they should be doing; this section from 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York' (Left) clearly shows the character 'Marian' getting out of a Taxi and collecting her things. Camerawork is also included in these stage directions but highlighted with uppercase lettering. Sound Effects are also written in capital letters and justified to the left, this is particularly important in a radio drama like 'Shamed' because there are no visuals so the audience must rely on sound to understand the story. Information on camerawork, editing, sound effects and graphic effects are all set to the right - though are often abbreviated to CW, EDIT, SFX and GFX respectively. When these decisions are included in a screenplay the script is called a shooting script
Mode of address is the way in which the text speaks to the audience. Different scripts will use different modes of address based on what the purpose of the script is, and who the script is for. For example, the Channel 3 News script would be considered 'teacher-to-pupil' because it's main purpose is to inform it's audience and so it has a formal tone. This is very different to a TV or radio drama script like 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York', which would be classed as 'peer-to-peer' as it will have more informal tone and it's purpose is primarily to entertain. Game scripts are very different because they often include flowcharts, these flowcharts are used because a game script is used not only to entertain, but to inform as well guide the player throughout the game - therefore, a game script has a 'parent-to-child' mode of address.
Mode of address is the way in which the text speaks to the audience. Different scripts will use different modes of address based on what the purpose of the script is, and who the script is for. For example, the Channel 3 News script would be considered 'teacher-to-pupil' because it's main purpose is to inform it's audience and so it has a formal tone. This is very different to a TV or radio drama script like 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples in New York', which would be classed as 'peer-to-peer' as it will have more informal tone and it's purpose is primarily to entertain. Game scripts are very different because they often include flowcharts, these flowcharts are used because a game script is used not only to entertain, but to inform as well guide the player throughout the game - therefore, a game script has a 'parent-to-child' mode of address.
Narrative Structure
Single Stranded
A single-stranded narrative structure is when the script focuses on one main character, because of this it is usually used in screenplays like the film Forrest Gump. In this scene (left) the audience is given an insight to the protagonist's childhood. This gives the audience a better perspective on events happening within the film as well as developing the audience's understanding of the character's background and why that is important to the script's narrative.
Narrative Structure
Single Stranded
A single-stranded narrative structure is when the script focuses on one main character, because of this it is usually used in screenplays like the film Forrest Gump. In this scene (left) the audience is given an insight to the protagonist's childhood. This gives the audience a better perspective on events happening within the film as well as developing the audience's understanding of the character's background and why that is important to the script's narrative.
Multi-Stranded
A multi-stranded narrative is when the script focuses on multiple main characters. One of the best examples of this is probably Marvel's 'Avengers Assemble' which features a band of protagonists. This means that the film is able to emphasise different characters in different ways and give the audience perspective of how those character's effect the film's plot as a whole. Multi-stranded narratives also add spectacle because it gives the audience more to focus on. This also enables the scriptwriter to reach a wider target audience as different people are likely to prefer different characters, for example in this promotional image for Captain America: Civil War (above) features most of the film's major characters. The film's multi-stranded narrative creates spectacle because of the plethora of recognisable characters and because the film urges it's audience to 'choose a team' in nearly all of it's promotional material.
Linear
A linear narrative is one in which the story goes in
chronological order. Tzvetan Todorov suggested that all stories follow a
three-part narrative structure; this begins with equilibrium, followed by a
disruption and then finishes with a resolution. This kind of structure is
typically used in screenplays like for 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples
in New York', it is also commonly used in radio dramas like 'Shamed'.
Non-Linear
Non-Linear narratives are essentially narratives which do
not follow Todorov's narrative structure. For example they may begin with a
disruption and end in equilibrium. These scripts are typically used in more
experimental films such as 'Momento' but are also often used in game scripts
such as Max Payne or Call of Duty: Black Ops. This is used to create further
interest in the character you are playing as and to explain events that may
occur later in the game.
TV
News
TV News scripts like this one from a Channel 3 news
broadcast (left) are very different to scripts such as the one for 'Shamed' or
'Max Payne'. This script doesn't have a narrative structure because it is non-fictional. Instead it has a running order script, this means that the script is split in to sections for each individual headline
and then following the headline are the important details. In this extract from
the script we can see that the story is about a march in Charlotte, North
Carolina where the police had to get involved as shooting began.
A multi-stranded narrative is when the script focuses on multiple main characters. One of the best examples of this is probably Marvel's 'Avengers Assemble' which features a band of protagonists. This means that the film is able to emphasise different characters in different ways and give the audience perspective of how those character's effect the film's plot as a whole. Multi-stranded narratives also add spectacle because it gives the audience more to focus on. This also enables the scriptwriter to reach a wider target audience as different people are likely to prefer different characters, for example in this promotional image for Captain America: Civil War (above) features most of the film's major characters. The film's multi-stranded narrative creates spectacle because of the plethora of recognisable characters and because the film urges it's audience to 'choose a team' in nearly all of it's promotional material.Linear
A linear narrative is one in which the story goes in
chronological order. Tzvetan Todorov suggested that all stories follow a
three-part narrative structure; this begins with equilibrium, followed by a
disruption and then finishes with a resolution. This kind of structure is
typically used in screenplays like for 'My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples
in New York', it is also commonly used in radio dramas like 'Shamed'.
Non-Linear
Non-Linear narratives are essentially narratives which do
not follow Todorov's narrative structure. For example they may begin with a
disruption and end in equilibrium. These scripts are typically used in more
experimental films such as 'Momento' but are also often used in game scripts
such as Max Payne or Call of Duty: Black Ops. This is used to create further
interest in the character you are playing as and to explain events that may
occur later in the game.
TV News
TV News scripts like this one from a Channel 3 news
broadcast (left) are very different to scripts such as the one for 'Shamed' or
'Max Payne'. This script doesn't have a narrative structure because it is non-fictional. Instead it has a running order script, this means that the script is split in to sections for each individual headline
and then following the headline are the important details. In this extract from
the script we can see that the story is about a march in Charlotte, North
Carolina where the police had to get involved as shooting began.Genre
Genre is the type or kind something is (Barry Keith Grant, 1995). Scripts can be split in to two distinctive genres. Game scripts and TV/ Radio dramas like 'Shamed' are fictional, this is due to the fact that their primary purpose is to entertain . This extract of 'Shamed' shows a brief conversation between the character Rizwan and his mother (the protagonist) Shabana. Whilst it is possible that these events are drawn on real life experiences, particularly due to the fact that this particular script is a Drama. Other TV and Radio scripts such as those for the Big Finish Doctor Who series are more clearly fictional pieces due to their sci-fi elements. A news broadcast however would be non-fictional as it is a completely factual script designed to inform. For example, the events in Charlotte shown above for the Channel 3 broadcast script did actually happen, and therefore it is a non-fiction script.Target Audience
When writing a script, is important to think about the script's target audience. For example, the scripts for a radio drama and TV/ film script are typically aimed towards people over the age of 18 in the BC1C2 social demographic. This is due to the fact that they are more likely to have more spending power than that of a teenager or child. This means that they will be able to consume these products much simpler. However, this does of course depend on the content of a script - 'Shamed' for example would still be aimed towards adults due to its adult themes.
Though a script for a news broadcast would also be aimed towards a similar adult target audience in the BC1C2 categories, the dialogue used would be very different. It is important to consider that despite the fact that this is also aimed at an older audience, the contents of the script will appear on TV pre-watershed and post-watershed as the contents is often repeated throughout the day. This means that profanity cannot be included in the script of a news broadcast legally as children could still be exposed to the content during the day.
The script for a game however is more likely to cater for a male audience between the ages of 12 and 18. However as their spending power would most likely correlate with the money provided by their parents they would still fit in to the BC1C2 social demographic. Max Payne is a game which includes lots of violence and bad language, which are both stereotypically associated with male audiences so this is an important element of the game's script. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) gave this game a 'Mature' rating in order to showcase the game's graphic content. In this country, games are not required to have an age certificate however many still do in order to give their audience a guideline on how appropriate the game actually is. Again, this is an important element to consider when writing a game script so that the writer can avoid using profanity in the dialogue for a game targeted at a younger audience.
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