Ok, here
is a small hint of how to write a Script, thanks to ...
http://www.americanalien.net
FIRST
THINGS FIRST:
Write down everything you can think of about your idea. It doesn't even have
to be in order. Just sit down and write what comes to your head. Now, TAKE A
FIVE MINUTE BREAK. Yes, sit back from the computer or toss away the pencil
and DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING FOR 5 MINUTES. Twiddle your thumbs, watch the clock
tick like it's on 'school time', close your eyes, whatever - Just don't get up
from your seat or talk to anybody. Time's up? Good. Now, write down
everything you forgot the first time, or new stuff you just thought of. If
you do this right you'll be amazed!
SECOND
THINGS SECOND:
If you don't
have time to plan your script, wait until you do! 10 minutes won't cut it.
You need some quality time to write. Take a Saturday or catch up on homework
to give yourself some free evenings. How long will it take? I wrote a script
in 7 days. The next script took me over a year! Writing time depends on the
story, how important it is to you, and your 'normal life' schedule.
When you
find that quality time you need to make an outline. Don't freak! This
doesn't have to be a school-kind-of-outline! Make it how you want to make
it. Just include the following things:
THE TITLE
OF YOUR IDEA
A. THE
START (what happens first?)
B. THE
MIDDLE (what happens in the middle?)
C. THE END
(hmmm... what could this be?)
Pretty
simple. Looks easy. Now try putting your idea in that outline without
getting frustrated. You can do it. Here's an example:
Adventure of a Dog with Wings
A.
The
dog wants to find true happiness and leaves his abusive owner.
B.
The
dog gets lost and thinks about giving up his quest.
C.
The
dog lands at a fire hydrant factory and finds true happiness.
Pretty simple example. Did you finish your outline yet? Take your time.
Take a week. Be happy with it when it's done. When you've got the first part
finished, get a new sheet of paper and prepare to have fun. Here's where
you'll FILL IN THE BLANKS between THE START, THE MIDDLE and THE END. Do the
best you can and be happy with it. Writing the script is coming soon. Here's
an example of an outline with stuff filled in the blanks. The more you fill
in, the easier it will be to write your script.
Adventure of a Dog with Wings
A. The dog wants to find true happiness and leaves his abusive owner.
-Bad
Bob hits Buster
-Buster
poops on the welcome mat and runs away
-Buster
realizes he can fly
B. The dog gets lost and
thinks about giving up his quest.
-Buster
lands in a big city
-Buster
is lonely in such a big, scary place
-Buster
finds a lost child.
-Buster
reunites the child with his family.
-The
child tells Buster to "Never give up"
C. The dog lands at a fire
hydrant factory and finds true happiness.
-Buster
takes flight, determined
-Buster
lands in Fire Hydrant City
-Buster
is happy
When your
outline is finished it's time to write the script. Whoo-Hoo!
SCRIPT WORDS YOU
WILL USE OR NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:
ACTION:
Bringing out your true character through what he does.
Sure, this could also mean car chases and explosions. In "My Dog Skip",
Willie Morris hits his dog. That action tells us a lot about his character in
that moment. Minutes later Willie is crying and begins his search for Skip.
That action tells us even more about his character.
CHARACTER:
There are many types of characters. We just need to know them as the people
who talk in our script. Characters can be good or bad, short or tall, fat or
slim, cute or ugly, funny, or serious, kids or adults, animals or even cars,
but all characters must be interesting!
CONFLICT:
The problem your character has in reaching their goal.
Stories can have many different conflicts.
DIALOGUE:
What your characters say to each other. Dialogue can be as exciting as the
action.
EXTERIOR (EXT.):
This means outside. Each shot of your story will take
place outside or inside.
FLASHBACK:
Going back in time to help tell the story. The whole movie "Usual Suspects" is
a flashback.
FORESHADOWING:
Setting up an event that will happen later in the script by hinting about it
early. In "The Sixth Sense", Cole says "I see dead people". At the end,
Malcolm finds out he really is dead. It was a big hint early in the story but
nobody figured it out. Can you imagine that movie if Cole never said that?
GENRE:
The type or category of your story. Thriller, Science Fiction, Love Story,
Action Adventure, and so on. "Billy Madison" has a very popular genre. Can
you figure it out?
GOAL:
What your character wants. All primary characters need
to have a goal. The Gooiness all have a common goal in "The Gooiness". Do
you know what it is?
INTERIOR (INT.):
This means inside. Each shot of your story will take place inside or
outside.
MOTIVATION:
Why does your character want what he wants? Why is he
so determined to reach his goal? This is called his motivation. At the end
of "My Dog Skip", Willie Morris wants to find Skip because he loves him.
That's his motivation.
OFF
SCREEN (O.S.):
This is dialogue that happens in your script, but the character is not visible
- they might be in another room and you just hear their voice. A good example
is any movie where a kid is in his room but you can hear the parents fighting
and screaming.
PLOT:
Outside and inside actions that surround your character. There are many small
plots in a movie. Put all the small plots (subplots) together and you have
the main plot - or the story.
TWIST:
Ending of "The Sixth
Sense". Something that fools you into thinking one thing, then surprises you
with something even better. All stories have twists.
VOICE OVER (V.O.):
Kind of like Off Screen, only this time the person
talking is narrating the story. "Lord of the Rings" starts off with a woman
telling us what has happened in the previous years. We see images on the
screen and hear her voice, but she's not in the scene anywhere. She's just a
voice. Voice Over is also used when a character is telling us what he's
thinking. He might be in the scene in a flashback, but talking over the
picture to tell us about it.
EXAMPLE OF A
SCRIPT USING CORRECT FORMAT (COURIER AT 12PT) AND SPACING. EVERYTHING IN
RED
IS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
ADVENTURE OF A DOG WITH WINGS
FADE IN:
Scripts start with this. Use Capital Letters.
IN
A COLD CITY, AT THE END OF A DIRTY STREET, SITS A LONELY HOUSE WITH A LAWN IN
NEED OF CARE.
This description sets up our story. We find out where we are and set the
mood. By using words like "Cold", "Dirty" and "In need of care", we let the
reader know we're definitely not at Disney World.
EXT. THE FRONT YARD - DAY
Everything we're about to write takes place outside, or "Exterior". We start
in the front yard. It's day time.
BUSTER, a lonely little dog, hobbles from around the corner of the house.
Buster is obviously bruised.
First we need to describe what character will be in this scene. Use Capital
Letters when you introduce your character. Next we take a few words to
describe what the character looks like.
BOB (O.S.)
Bob is Off Screen.
Come back here!
BOB, a stern looking man, rounds the corner and catches up to Buster. Buster
BARKS WILDLY!
Bob arrived so we put his name in Caps. We describe him. Then we tell what
Buster is doing. Buster is making noise so we need to put that in capital
letters.
FADE OUT.
