Looking at existing screenplays
The next step was I took was to look at existing screenplays. I wanted to read screenplays that would be relative to the genre or the theme of my screenplay and the TV shows/films I researched. I had watched the clips but I needed to see how they were written as well.
Law and Order
Scripts I looked at:
I went through some Law and Order screenplays to see what they had in common. I used the scripts and bibles site, and found a couple of scripts to go through.
One element I like about the Law and Order scripts is that they are heavily descriptive. I think description is the most important part of a script, especially in the crime genre, because there are so many segments in crime shows. (Segments is another important element I have seen throughout crime screenplays, i.e. the murder, then the investigation and then the conviction.) Having the right description in a screen play is important because the visual setting is a key element of a television crime show. Law and Order has dozens of settings for interrogation scenes, like the court room and the interrogation room, and these all need to be explained in great detail in the screen play. The setting is also important because it sets the emotional pace of the scene. Every scene on the screen was first introduced in the screenplay, and the crew have to go use the screenplay to determine the right location in which to film each scene. Overall I think it is important when it comes to my screenplay, that I be very descriptive to set the scene, even if it’s a very short one.
Next I looked at comedy screenplays. I wanted to see how different the components were from the ones I found in the crime screenplays.
Party Down
http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/Party_Down/Party_Down_2x05_-_Steve_Guttenbergs_Birthday.pdf
I used to enjoy watching an American television comedy called “Party Down,” so I decided to use that. Although it has nothing to with interrogation or crime, I decided to use some important features of the sit-com type comedy script in my screen play, and this show is so typical of those.
I found the Party Down script is less descriptive than that of Law and Order, and it focuses way more on the dialogue and how the characters interact with each other, than it does on setting. In this television show the characters are very close knit, but this needed to be proven in the screenplay before filming it, hence the extensive use of dialogue. I like the way this was done, and I don’t think it’s boring to have a lot of dialogue in a script. Actually it has a lot of positive aspects, for example it gives the script an instant audience.
It is hard to imagine a target audience when something is just on paper. I have found that dialogue helps flesh out the audience. It makes crew member’s jobs easier by branching off into many areas showing specific people to take the certain roles during production. Dialogue also helps the readers become acquainted and intrigued with the characters. Proper use of dialogue gives characters individual identities, stronger personalities, more depth and credibility. And the more the audience identifies with the characters, the more entwined they will become in the plot.
In conclusion, comedy scripts are always more entertaining to read and it is important that the writer focus on using humorous dialogue that will endear characters in some way and make them funny.
Other elements I have seen in screenplays
There are other elements of screenplays that I have learned about that need to be addressed when it comes to creating mine. Firstly they explain Interior (inside) and Exterior (outside) shots. This connects with what I explained in my Law and Order paragraph. Screenplays need to set the scene and they do this by giving the readers (and then the crew of the film/TV programme) of the screenplay a list of settings at the beginning of the script. Secondly they always have a cast list before listing the settings. It introduces the cast to the crew but it’s also used during readings with the cast when they have to read the screenplay. It also gives the actor/actress recognition with their character and more simply makes it easy to find their lines. I noticed in the Party Down script thirdly how the script introduces other elements such as explaining when the main credits take place and etc. This helps the crew members who create the TV show a structure. It’s up to the screenwriter to get structure within their idea/screenplay. This isn’t really the director’s job. I think this needs to be kept in mind how important my screenplay is if it has a chance to get chosen to go into production.
Inspiration
The screenplays I read were entirely different from one another, but they both had elements I liked that I want to use in my screen play. I think the main thing is that they inspired me to be descriptive (especially the Law and Order screenplay). Using what I have learned from this, I think in my screen play I have been able to show that it is really all about the characters just as much as the situation.
I liked the dialogue in the Party Down screenplay and it defiantly shows in the TV show. I like the witty and snappy chat that seems to be really effective and funny. So I tried to use this when it came to the funny twist in my script. I was inspired to take a more witty approach to the ending. Overall though, I needed to have a ‘bit of both’. I needed to find a serious side and then bring that comedy in fluently.
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