Fiction and non-fiction scripts - P1.

There are multiple types of scripts, these are fiction and non-fiction scripts, here is a few examples of these types of scripts

Fiction Scripts

- Yu-Gi-Oh
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Treasure Planet
- Toy Story
- Se7en

Non-Fiction Scripts

- Schindler's List
- Conversations with a killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
- Death of Stalin
- Dunkirk
- Waterloo

Non-Fiction

An example of a non-fiction piece of media would be a documentary such as the Ted Bundy Tapes documentary. In non-fiction media it is important that the is careful discussing it topic and trying to stay unbiased in it reporting of certain events as so not to offend others and so not to spread misinformation. The scripts also have to effectively convey the message they want to convey using emotive language in oder for the audience to either sympathise or disregard with the subject.

Fiction

These scripts usually have a focus on a story and characters and their journey through that story how they develop as a character and grow. This is shown by Thor: Ragnorak which mostly follows Thor throughout the movie, but switches to other characters if it affects Thors story. These scripts usually focus on events that never occurred but can focus on real life event but usually with aspects changed. Often these scripts will also set the pace for the plot and film as most aspects about these films will be about how they can fit as much character and story development into one scene. Some scripts also can be very clear with there narrative (Toy Story) and some can hide certain elements (Yu-Gi-Oh)

An introduction to scripts, Languages of script, Format and layout of a script - P1.

Introduction to media scripts.

Media types that use scripts include: Radio, TV, Movies, and video games. This can be any part of these media types too! Such as for TV and radio, it could be dramas and the news.

Scripts are a major part of media productions. Good scripts are needed to ensure that there’s a narrative which is able to flow with the story.

Languages of script.

Modes of address: These can be defined as the ways in which the script creates a relationship between the addresser and the addressee. In order for this, communication would be key and provided through the scripts. Producers must make assumptions about their target audient and therefore, reflections of these assumptions will be portrayed within the scripts and made clear. Different modes of address will be used for different target audiences.

Informal and formal modes are one form of mode of address, although there are others. This can be seen by modes of addresses such as:

Point of view: This is mostly relevant to narrative fiction, which includes the option of third person narrators or first person narrators.

Directness: If the viewer of the media is directly addressed, than this would be a form of direct address.

Elaborate codes: This is language that includes technical terms and is formal. This can include more specialist language.

Restricted code: This is language that is informal and therefore, easy to understand. This can include spoken language used in TV dramas.

Format and layout.

Script: A script is the most commonly used term. A script can apply to a stage play, radio show or computer programming script.

Screenplay: This refers to a script for a TV programme and film. This is usually anything intended for a screen.

Shooting script: When screenplays are finalised, they are turned into shooting scripts in the pre-production stages. A shooting script includes camera directions made by the director and cinematographer based on their intentions for how the action is to be framed and overall look. This means that a shooting script is a production tool so that all the crew know what to bring and do ahead of filming.

The scene heading or slugline is able to tell the reader where the scene will take place. There are two main choices to starts with, indoors or outdoors. Once that is done, the name of the location is covered This can sometimes be followed by the time and date. For example: INT. Hogwarts, Gryffindor dormitory – Dusk.

Action: The action sets the scene, this generally describes the setting and allows the writer to introduce the characters and set the stage for the story. This isn’t always here, but if there’s something new in this scene, it will be used. These will always be written in present tense, even if it’s a flashback or a flashforward.

Character names: These will always be capitalised within the script. This allows the characters to be clearly stated within the script and therefore, gives the actors ques for when they should speak.

Dialogue: This is a generic term for when someone speaks. This takes place when two or more people speak, if it’s one singular person, it would be a monologue instead.

Parenthetical: This is a way to show what the character that is speaking is feeling, what emotion they should portray and how they should speak.

Extentions: This includes the words of O.S (Off screen), O.C (Off camera), and V.O (Voice over) these are all for where the character is, if they aren’t seen on the screen.

Transitions: These are indented to the far right of the script for the editors to use when in the stages after production.

Shots: This shows where the camera will be facing, this gives the cameramen prompts for where they should point the camera within the production process.

Three Act Structure - P1.

Act I: Setup

This act introduces the main characters and their place in a contemporary, historical, future and/or fantasy reality. Also an incident occurs that causes the protagonist(s) to react to this incident.

Act 2: Conflict

Act 2 is devoted to the protagonist trying to understand and resolve the situation arising from the first turning point.  This takes time because most protagonists are on a journey of innocence to experience. Aided and opposed by other characters, the protagonist must acquire the knowledge, skills and/or self awareness needed to achieve a resolution. This character development constitutes the “character arc.” At the other end of the arc is the Second Plot Point, a.k.a. Second Turning Point, which involves the protagonist understanding all and knowing what to do about it.

Act 3: The “Resolution”

This act resolves all plot and subplot conflicts. This is normally the shorter of the three acts, particularly when Act 3 is a “Hollywood ending.” Most action in movies is occasioned by conflict; the least action by happiness.  

Different Types of Narratives - P1.

When it comes to stories in media such as TV, radio and documentary films. There's a range of different narratives & structures in their stories:

1. Circular - This story structure starts with an ending and then reverts back to the beginning of the story, and then progresses back to the end of the story to show the view, how the story got to this outcome. For example: Hoodwinked

2. Linear - Events occur in Chronological order. For example: Back to the future.

3. Episodic - Events are split into bit size pieces, that are contained in wider narrative archs which are used to tell stores over multiple episodes. For example: Bad Time at the El Royale.

4. Non-Liner - Where events are not in order and the view must piece them together for the story to be revealed i.e. Dunkirk

Every narrative type has different focuses on their users. Some make them obvious that the stories are linked, whereas some don't make them obvious at all and usually only have hints. This can be shown by Pulp Fiction where it's multiple stories into one and then they soon relate to each other to reveal the starting scene. This is a good way to tell the story because it reels the viewer in before they actually view the movie.

Two more narrative styles include single stranded and multi stranded. These are how the stories narrative flows.

Single stranded: This is a narrative that follows a main character or protagonist even if there is an antagonist who disrupts the equilibrium. An example of this is in Black Panther, you follow the protagonist in his efforts to defeat the antagonist.

Multi stranded: This is where multiple stories take place at once. This can be shown by Hoodwinked, which takes the stories of all the characters in the movie and puts them all together at the end instead. These all take place at the same time, but in different locations.

The Angle of Article - P1.

Angle of article

The angle of article is the way that a media product is written, the language it uses and the way it makes the reader feel. Angle of article usually applies to a non-fiction piece with the usual suspects being newspapers, TV broadcasts and documentaries. The way that a writer addresses the story will effect the way that the reader/viewer feels about the story as well as their viewpoint on the story. Most news stories will include the same facts, but the language used - or interviews with certain people- will change the way that a person feels about the story.

An example of when the same story is written with more than one angle by multiple news channels is the 'Kaufman family rescue'.

Script 1 - ABC 10 News (Link to the video)

ABC News tries to come off more sympathetic to the family, they take the blame away from the family. This is because they say that most families go on holiday, it's just that this family had an unknown issue occur.

Script 2 - CBS News (Link to the video)

CBS are more biased against the family, this is shown by how they portray the family as fools, this makes the viewers less sympathetic towards the family, this means that they also made the family be seen as a burden towards the local authorities.

Annotating my script - M1.

Along with the points that has already been stated, my script has also taken the exact same font that the example from Call of Juarez provided. This font being 'Courier New'. Along with this, I also used the idea that characters who are speaking have their name capitalised, this goes along with the EXT/INT part of the setting. These are key conventions to the video game scripts that are important along with the indentations within the script. When writing my script, my key weakness was the indentations because if I over wrote a part of the script on one line, I would have to go back to it and re indent this and everyone after it until the next section of the script. As a result, this was the hardest convention to cover in my script.

Media scripts PowerPoint - P1.

Here is a link to the scripts that have been done about: Video game scripts, Radio scripts, Television scripts, and Movie scripts.

The link to the presentations.

Film

TV

Radio

Video Games

The Link to the website

The Direct Link to the Script

Four Scripts annotated - P1.

My script - P4.

Due to importing issues, I had to take screenshots of the script instead.

Scripting Evaluation - D1.

Evaluation

My Idea.

My idea changed throughout the writing of the script. If I plan the script too much beforehand, I’d be sat there for hours. So, I decided to get a plan for the first part of the script with the Hydra. From this I started writing the script. Anything beyond the part when the character picks up the Hydra tooth, I thought about moments before I wrote it. This was a good strategy because it allowed me to keep track of characters and the story. It also allowed me to experiment with the style that I would be working with. So, the main idea was how the story would adapt. I kept thinking back to the games I took inspiration from; this is shown by the random encounter with the Mysterious Stranger who kicks the character down by the roots of the world tree, the inspiration from this is from the encounters you get from Dark Souls. Some of the characters there are not trustworthy characters but are also vital to continue through the game.

I took the character of the Hydra from Dark Souls and decided to expand this into Greek mythology because this ties in the ideas I have from God of War. This means that I was able to have a story that could mix parts for two games instantly. I thought this was good because it allowed me to expand on the idea of gods in the game and bring in both Norse and Egyptian gods. This then gave me the sudden idea of who the villains can be and how the plot can work. I did this by making the villains unknown until you either see them from a death or you don’t see them until much later. The idea of the race against time for the player to get to the temple was taken from Batman Arkham Knights races against time where he must travel across the map within a small amount of time. This would soon be followed by a quick time event cutscene which I took from both Arkham Knight and God of War.

The idea for the Egyptian gods being the villains was a good idea because due to me already including Norse and Greek gods, I felt it’d be right for an entire group of gods to be against these, Egyptian and Aztec gods were my first ideas and Egyptian were gods I knew a large amount of already, therefore this gave me the idea to try and incorporate them into the story.

My Requirements.

The requirements from the client brief was for a single-player, story-driven game. This part was achieved instantly here because I only referenced one player in the game and the story is action packed too. They wished for existing popular games to be inspiration, which is true with the uses of the games of Dark Souls, God of War and Arkham Knight. This, therefore, means that I me this client requirement too. It’s fresh in this manner though because it’s incorporating two different groups of gods fighting another. This is an interesting story because it means that the characters are aware of the others existence which has never occurred in games, yet slightly hinted at in the new God of War.

My game also includes a wide variety of dialogue options, different choices that the character can make and different outcomes. Since I did include inspiration from three different games, I couldn’t use any direct references. The closest reference would be the Hydra which I took from Dark Souls. But this character is in Greek mythology and therefore, isn’t clear that it’s taken from Dark Souls.

Key Elements of a Video Game Script.

Due to their being a limited amount of video game scripts being out to the public, it took me a wide range of digging to find anything necessarily important. This means that I had to search for a viable script for a long time, luckily, I found a website which had about four old video game scripts for the early 2000s, the script I used was for Call of Juarez. This is because it’s a game I have played and can have all the information I need. First, I analysed the script and took note of what I needed, then I got to work.

The script started their scenes stating where the specific setting is. This was done like how I used in my script “EXT. Jötunheimr – Day.” This was a good thing I used to say where the characters were and to state that the story is taking place somewhere else now.

Another thing that was used was the style at which the characters were used and how they speak, this is much different to normal scripts and much tighter too.  I had to spend a long time trying to indent here because if one line is messed up, the entire script would probably be too. Finally, thanks to this specific script having different options that can happen throughout the script, I had a style already set for my script thanks to the example I followed.

How Did I Gather Feedback?

I gathered feedback by giving a group of friends a questionnaire about my script, the script asked an assortment of questions of:

1)     What story would you say the script portrays?

2)      What impression do you get of the characters?
3)      What was your opinion of the script?
4)      What kind of genre do you think my script portrays?
5)      Would you say that the script is easy to follow? If not, what's a way to improve it?

What Feedback Did I Get?

I got feedback from three people, I decided to test the range of who this could appeal to by asking an American friend about the script so that I can have different points of view too.

Reece’s Feedback:

1) The Egyptian gods are trying to kill the Greek and Norse gods, so they are trying to awaken Ra because he's the only God strong enough to stop the other Egyptian gods.

2) The Norse and Greek gods know that they have no chance of winning unless they work together, and they have already lost people to the army of the dead so they are even more desperate to win.

3) Tis good. I'm excited to find out what happens.

4) Action-adventure hack and slash that uses mythology to tell the story.

5) It's easy to follow, and provides multiple paths for the player to take.

Tom E’s Feedback:

1) The script is clear and coherent and helps to show what each of the characters is experiencing.

2) The characters seem to be well portrayed as Apollo seems to be the clear-headed decision maker.

3) The script was really well written and has no grammatical errors that I can identify

4) Definitely a fantasy and mythology script genre

5) yes, it is very clear and coherent.

American Friend’s Feedback:

1) I see it as a story of multiple mythologies being combined into a post-apocalyptic setting with the evil god’s combining forces while the good try to stop them. It also seems like a single player RPG like God of War but with different themes and such. 

2) I got that the player is an important mortal who is tasked to assist the gods and is possibly more than meets the eye. The God’s seemed to be rather interesting but would need more information on their personalities and such further. 

3) It was okay, a little messy but honestly not bad. I liked the idea and would like to see more backstory and plot going on. 

4) I think it would fit as a DnD campaign, but mainly I see it as a Single player game with mythological themes and RPG elements. 

5) It was a little difficult in places but could be easily fixed by having brackets or parentheses around the actions or descriptions and quotations around the spoken words. Overall, it was an okay script that can be easily fixed and added onto for deeper descriptions and such. 

How Have I Used This Feedback?

I used this feedback as a way to look at how my script works. From the feedback, I can see that the scripts work as I planned, and all of the scripts are meeting the client brief. If I had more time to work on my script, I would work from the feedback and expand on both the plot and backstory, this would be good because it means that my script would make more sense to people. Also, I would work on the feedback for improving how the script is to read, this would make more script better to people working on this and therefore, make a better finished product.

Evaluation.

In conclusion, I believe that my script is exactly what the brief requires. I have also made a script for a video game that I found enjoyable to make.