c. Storyboard approach.
Where systematic planning is practical, a
director may use a storyboard for selected key shots only, or for scene-by-
scene treatment.
Here we are concerned with the shot significance, salient
features, a mood or style.
Storyboard methods involve analyzing the script,
deciding on composition of each scene and then working it out. Prerehearsal
planning must be realistic.
Most directors dislike rigid planning methods,
preferring a more flexible approach.
2. Shot organization is a part of preplanning. It takes time to experiment
with camera shots. Shots must be appropriately chosen; only the director is in
a position to do this.
a. Brainstorming is useful for generating creative ideas.
After
brainstorming, write down likely and unlikely ideas.
Later group cards
together with similar ideas.
The planning board is useful for organizing
ideas.
b. Together the storyboard and planning board can be a reference point for
writing the script.
However, simpler production may not require in-depth
planning. It may require a shooting outline.
Learning Event 3:
DESCRIBE A SCRIPT, HOW IT IS PREPARED, AND ITS VALUE TO THE DIRECTOR
1. A script should have unity, or wholeness, and logical development.
Reinforce the basic idea.
Research your materials.
Consult subject matter
experts. Develop and expand the key ideas of the script.
a. Although a script is open to interpretation, it does give a general
direction and guidance.
Think of your script as a guide.
The script
influences your choice of camera shots and camera angles.
It indicates
lighting, audio, power, and talent requirements, pacing, and style.
Suppose
the script specifically tells you that a man is dying.
You, as director,
choose a shot of the soldier's face.
An extreme closeup of the face,
expressing pain and imminent death, would be very powerful. Again, a script
implies setting, major action, and style. How might a training tape on a field
medical procedure differ in style from a documentary on California bikers?
b. The type of script depends on the complexity of the subject and the
production capabilities. The director has the final say as to the simplicity
or complexity of the final copy.
A script should be well written and
organized. Say what you want to say, as simply as possible, with the fewest
number of scenes. The style should be informal, natural-sounding and quickly
grasped.
Do not clutter the dialogue and narrative with too many facts and
figures.
Some suggested steps to writing a script are: research,
brainstorming, outline, treatment, and finally, the scenario.
(1) If you are writing a script on drug and alcohol abuse, research the
existing literature on drug addiction and alcoholism.
Collect your research
material, then evaluate. This is the fact-finding stage of scriptwriting.
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