Video Script Formats

A variety of script formats are used to create television and film

programs. Most follow certain guidelines but vary depending

upon the organization. Below are some of the major script styles.

News - documentary scripting

News scripts generally use 2 columns, the left for video

directions, the right for audio.

Story/Package/Documentary Script:  

News package script -  used after tape is shot in the field but before editing. A detailed organization of visual and aural material to be

included in a "stand alone" package. That is, it should be

able to be played from beginning to end as a complete story. 

Goal: organize visual/aural material before editing the piece together. Will be inserted into a

newscast on a VTR. Since virtually all of the material in a package is being dubbed from

tape that was shot earlier, "VTRs" are not usually indicated in the video portion of the script,

just the shot description. It is assumed that all transitions,

unless otherwise indicated, are cuts.

In practice, news story scripts are rarely fully typed-out. Most are written on note pads and created in the editing suite. Most times,

the audio is laid down first along with anchor stand-ups, with the

video being laid over the audio to make sure the times match-up.

News program script - oriented toward organizing the live news production. Detailed technical

elements including anchor scripts, indications of where

completed packages run, in and out cues for packages, "live"

video from other locations (i.e., on location, or in the newsroom),

which VTRs have which packages, keys/titles and

graphics. Goal: make sure the live program runs smoothly. Usually does not contain the specific script elements from each package, only the in/out

cues and length of each package. (this will be addressed in Studio

Production I).

Documentary script - portions can be developed far in advance depending upon the production style.  If a narrator is to be used,

much of the narration script, which introduces the topics and segments may be written well

before production begins. However, this is usually an interactive process with the following steps:  1) topic is

researched, 2) outline is developed for the program, 3)

draft script is written, 4) as visual and sound elements are captured and reviewed, the script is likely

to be adjusted accordingly.  

Documentary scripts depend  a great deal upon the

production/direction style of the director.  Some directors prefer to let the screen action, interviews and the nat. sound tell the story as is (verite').  Others prefer to explain what is happening in great detail with a voice-over

narrator (e.g., Ken Burns).  It is important to choose the style

which best matches the content.  As is the case with most Ken

Burns productions, their historical perspective almost demand extensive voice-over

narration to explain the context and nuances of the historical

situation. 

Documentary production often requires extensive research to

learn about the subject prior and during shooting (Some

documentaries are shot in a day, some over years.).  Once

interviews and b-roll video (cutaways) have been recorded, the director must review and log all footage including each shot

and the details of each interview.  The transcript of the interviews

will be used to construct the final script. 

     

Video  Audio

VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS ALWAYS GO HERE.  BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE. 

VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS ARE IN ALL CAPS.

The audio portion of the script goes on the right hand side and is

double spaced.

2-COLUMN FORMAT TIP: CREATE A 2-COLUMN SCRIPT BY USING THE

TABLE FUNCTION IN YOUR WORD PROCESS.  CHOOSE A 2-COLUMN TABLE WITH 15-

20 ROWS.  ADD ROWS AS NEEDED.

Any additional directions should be listed in parentheses before

the copy (see the next box).

EACH BOX IN THE LEFT COLUMN SHOULD CONTAIN

NO MORE THAN A SINGLE SHOT, NO MORE. 

(Special instructions include : UP, UNDER,

ALSO IN THE LEFT COLUMN: SPECIFIC VISUAL

DIRECTIONS (CUTS, DISSOLVES), GRAPHICS,

TITLES, SPECIAL EFFECTS.

 

Narrative Scripting

Dramatic and comedic stories use a variety of script styles

depending upon the phase of the production.

Concept/story idea/premise/synopsis:

thumbnail sketch of the story, used to provide a producer with a quick way of evaluating the story idea. A "good" concept can often be expressed in one or two lines.

Scene outline: list of scenes in numerical order with brief

descriptions of each scene. Little, if any, dialogue -- a brief expansion of the original

concept. Used to explain and clarify the progress of the

film/show.

Treatment: a prose description of the story, reads like a short story. Includes detailed visual imagery, characters, settings,

actions and motivations. Range from 5-12 pages.

Master Scene Script

* translation of the treatment into script form. Based on general scenes rather than

specific shots. Includes: headings for each location (INT.

CLASSROOM, DAYTIME). Scenes may be numbered. Below

heading, a description of the setting, characters and the action.

No detailed shot or camera instructions. Dialogue is

generally indented 2 tabs on each side. Character direction: the character's name is centered above each of their lines of dialogue and are in all caps,

directions may be included under their name in parentheses.

SCENE 1

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

It is a cold and rainy fall day as students enter the classroom for

their college class. The classroom is a typical "theater" style room with a slanted floor and rows of seats in a semi-circle facing the small "stage" area. There is a chair and podium on the stage and a blackboard on the wall.

Students are filing into the room and chatting, getting ready for class. GREG is a college junior

majoring in history, he sits down next to his friend MIKE. There is an assignment due today and the

class looks a bit haggard.

GREG

Did you finish typing your paper last night?

MIKE

You mean this morning. It was an all-nighter again. I've got to stop doing this or I'll be dead

before I graduate.

GREG

No chance, man. You couldn't get a paper done in advance if

your life depended on it.

 

GREG laughs as MIKE shakes his head.

PROFESSOR SUMNER enters the room and gets prepared to teach. The students turn to the front of the room and get their

notebooks ready. There seems to be a tension in the room,

PROFESSOR SUMNER seems tense as he readies his lecture

notes, the class falls silent as they realize something is not right.

 

 

Shooting Script

* final stage of scriptwriting, specific settings, characters,

dialogue AND camera angles, movement and position, and

transitions between shots. Each shot within a scene is listed in

order. Each shot is numbered and technical details are added.

SCENE 1

EXT. CLASSROOM - DAY

FADE UP

1. HIGH ANGLE of students entering a college classroom building, rushing through the

rain. It is a cold and rainy fall day and students are covering their heads with books and jackets

trying to stay dry. The campus is "traditional" looking with red

bricks and lots of trees. CAMERA PANS SLOWLY to

follow students into the building. OPENING THEME plays over

the scene.

INT. CLASSROOM.

 

2. LOW ANGLE MS of doorway to classroom door as students

enter for class.

 

3. MS - LOW ANGLE (below the desktops only, no faces or

heads are seen) of a row of seats with students preparing, chatting. Feet shuffle as students take their seats, bags are placed on the floor

and books are taken out of the bags. There is an assignment due

today and the class looks a bit haggard. THEME MUSIC

FADES.

 

4. TWO SHOT of GREG and MIKE. GREG is a junior - he

looks studious but not a stereotypical nerd, he sits down

next to his friend MIKE, basically a slob who has brains, but doesn't put out much effort.

GREG

Did you finish typing your paper last night?

MIKE

You mean this morning. It was an all-nighter again. I've got to stop doing this or I'll be dead

before I graduate.

 

5. CU GREG:

GREG

No chance, man. You couldn't get a paper done in advance if

your life depended on it.

 

6. CU MIKE:

GREG laughs as MIKE shakes his head and rolls his eyes. MIKE sees the PROFESSOR enter and

shakes his head, as if to tell GREG to look at PROFESSOR

SUMNER.

 

7. HIGH ANGLE LS - PROFESSOR SUMNER entering

the room from the rear of the classroom. The classroom is a

typical "theater" style room with a slanted floor and rows of seats in a semi-circle facing the small "stage" area. There is a chair and

podium on the stage and a blackboard on the wall. The

students turn to the front of the room and get their notebooks

ready. There seems to be a tension in the room.

PROFESSOR SUMNER is a traditional "liberal arts" teacher -- in his mid-fifties, thin, wearing a

tweed coat, sweater and a tie.

 

8. CU - STEADICAM of PROFESSOR as he walks to his

desk. CAMERA PANS AND FOLLOWS professor as he walks

to the podium. CAMERA MOVES around the front of the professor's desk maintaining a

CU, moves around the other side of the professor as the he pulls his notes from his satchel and settles on an OTS of the class.

 

9. TWO SHOT - GREG AND MIKE, they look at each other, shrug as if to acknowledge the

tension but not understanding its origin, then forward at the

professor.

 

10. CU - LOW ANGLE of Professor Sumner as he removes

his reading glasses from his pocket, places them on his nose. He raises an envelope which has been opened into the frame and

takes a letter out.

 

11. OTS - CLASS. Entire class is silently looking at the professor

sensing that something is just not right. The letter is in the frame --

it is written on very nice letterhead stationery.

 

12. CU - LOW ANGLE of Professor Sumner, reading the

letter.

 

PROF. SUMNER

Does anyone know what this is? (PAUSE) I received it in the mail

this morning.