How to write a screenplay

Basics of script writing: script format

First of all, let’s make it clear that scripts are different from any kind of literary form. I often see some friends writing scripts into novels or biographies. This is wrong, or at least unprofessional. Scripts have their own format, and writing scripts is a technical job to a certain extent.

Writing a script is not a very noble artistic creation. It is just an ordinary job. There is no difference between a playwright and a cleaner. They are both very ordinary jobs, so everyone can write a script. Anyone can be a director. Of course, since it is a type of work, it has its own standards. These rules may not make you an expert quickly, but they will at least make you look like one. Or, don’t let your poor formatting become a reason for reviewers to shoot your manuscript. Because a reviewer reads three to four manuscripts a day, if the format of your script does not look very professional, he has every reason to flip through a few pages and throw your script in a corner to cool off.

First, let’s take a look at the common mistakes in script writing:

1: Wrote the script into a novel

Just mentioned above, some friends wrote the script into Novel is not impossible, but it is a literary script and cannot be used to guide filming and production at all. For example, you can spend a few pages in a novel about a person's life experience, background, and family composition, or you can use a few pages to describe the protagonist's psychological struggle, but these things cannot be shown on the movie screen. on. Your script is a screen, and what you want to express is what can be directly seen and felt by the audience on the movie screen. Things like psychological activities cannot be expressed well. Add narration? Of course, unless you can tolerate the protagonist's voiceover reading a few pages of the novel in a motionless camera. Movie scenes express emotions, and your script is a movie scene, written from the camera's perspective, which may cause a second problem.

2: Unnecessary camera labeling

If you write the script like this: On the lifting platform No. 5, use Panasheng 70 camera, 60mm lens, from 8.5m Pan to 2m to focus... If you write like this, your script will be thrown away by the director even if it passes the reviewer level. You don't need to teach him how to shoot, that's not your business. You don't have to worry about the camera when you're writing a script. But if it’s not a script, why don’t you think about the camera? No, you need to consider the relationship of the camera rather than the position. Scripts have their own special camera terminology. Use these terms frequently to make your script professional, or at least look professional.

1.Angle on: For example, when BILL walks out of a convenience store, the camera is pointed at BILL.

2. Favoring Main performance: BILL is in a big square with many people, but the main performance is BILL.

3.Another angle Another angle: The camera from another angle shows BILL having fun in the big square.

4. Wilder angle: A wider angle: first show BILL drinking Coke in a corner of the square, and then zoom out to show the square where BILL is located.

5. New angle: Change the angle to show BILL drinking Coke, enriching the shot.

6.POV point of view: See things from BILL's point of view. It's the first person perspective.

7. Reverse angle: BILL and SALLY dance together. First shoot what BILL sees SALLY, and then shoot what SALLY sees BILL. Usually the two people's POVs are reversed.

8. Over shoulder angle Over-the-shoulder shot: The camera looks over BILL's shoulder to see SALLY. BILL's shoulder can naturally divide the picture. It is a very common type.

9. Moving shot: including tracking, panning, following, etc. The camera is moving anyway. As for how to move specifically, it is not an issue to consider now.

10.Two shot: BILL and SALLY are talking while drinking coke. In this shot, the camera should not move at will to prevent "off-axis". There is an axis connecting BILL and SALLY. The camera can only move on one side of the axis. If it crosses this axis, the positions of BILL and SALLY will be interchanged on the screen, causing visual confusion for the audience.

11.Close shot: Emphasis on SALLY’s beautiful eyes, but it is generally better to use less.

12.Insert: a close-up shot of something, for example, it’s getting late, SALLY asks BILL what time it is, BILL raises his hand, and then you can take a close-up of BILL’s watch, of course you can Use this kind of lens to change the scene. For example, when BILL removes his watch, what he sees in the camera is already a dance party at night.

The above is the shot description format in the script. You can understand it by looking at an example. This is the specific writing format:

The scene description should be in bold, the time and place should be in bold, on the left

The sound effects appearing in the scene should be in bold

First The name of the character that appears for the first time should be bold and centered

The character's dialogue should be centered, leaving spaces on both sides, and dialogue between different characters should be on a new line

Indicate the relationship between the cameras

Indicate the scene switching, "cut to" means a hard cut, and "melt to" means adding a transition effect, all on the right

If there are special effects used, they must also be marked in bold

Second Introduction to Script Writing

This is the experience I gained when I took a script writing course in college. I remember that our instructor told us: "If you want to write a good script, you must understand the basic knowledge and theory of scripts, and understand the rules of movies!"

Today, as one of them, I am honored to be with you all I would like to share what I know about script theory. If there are any mistakes or omissions, I hope everyone will bear with me.

To put it simply, to write a story well, you must first conceive the direction of your story, character relationships, plot climax, theme ideas, etc... Hollywood in the United States has a set of rules for screenwriting: starting, setting up conflicts, Resolve conflicts, set up conflicts again, until the end. China also has its own rules for screenwriting: origin, inheritance, transfer, and integration.

In the following text, I will discuss in detail the basic and important elements of writing screenplays by category, and will give examples to illustrate.

lt; Section 1gt;

Basic theory of script: attitude, theme

lt; lt; Attitude (Attitude)gt; gt;

The most important thing in writing a story is your attitude towards the story. Different attitudes will produce different effects. To give a simple example, it is also a story about a woman in a brothel. If the author writes it with an obscene and erotic attitude, the story will naturally focus on the love between men and women. On the contrary, if the author writes with a sympathetic and respectful attitude, the story will focus on describing the pity and helplessness of the brothel woman who is forced to sell herself...

lt;lt; Theme )gt；gt;

Before writing a story, you must ask yourself: What kind of story do you want to tell? Is it the friendship between friends (such as the movie Midnight Cow Boy), the love between men and women (Titanic), the story of aliens invading the earth (Earth Strikes Back), or an accusation War stories (killing battlefield—platon), etc. That's the theme.

And most importantly, it prevents you from straying from the main path in your writing. To give an example, Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty was a beast who killed his younger brother, killed his father to seize the throne, and raped his younger brother's wife. But in the Yongzheng Dynasty (an early TV series broadcast by ATV), the Yongzheng described by the author was actually a good emperor. Because the author's theme is to write about a good emperor, in the story we will only see scenes such as Yongzheng staying up all night to approve memorials, inspecting farmers, reducing taxes, and implementing moral policies. There are no scenes such as killing his brother or his father.

Therefore, a successful script should allow the audience to clearly understand the ideas and themes that the author wants to express after reading it.

lt; Section 2 gt;

Create character conflict (create character conflict)

Character conflict is the only way to attract the audience. This includes conflicts between story characters and characters, conflicts between characters and his own values, etc.

lt;lt;Method 1: Potogonist Vs Antogonistgt;gt;

The character in the story wants to do something, but there is a force resisting him. This is Potogonist /Antogonist

For example, in the movie Falling Down, the protagonist has just experienced a painful prison life. When he is released from prison, he wants to see his wife back and live a normal life again (Potogonist, he something you want to pursue). But his wife ran away from him and disowned him, and people around him also discriminated against him because of his criminal record (Antogonist, the power that prevents him from achieving his goals).

lt;lt;Method 2: Unbreakable bondinggt;gt;

When there is a conflict between roles and there is a knot that cannot be separated When they get together, the fun begins. To give a simple example, the hero's wife is a gossipy woman, while the hero's mother is a traditional woman who observes etiquette. Due to circumstances, the protagonist and his wife must move in with their mother. Just imagine what it would be like when two completely conflicting people: the daughter-in-law and the grandmother are pulled together by an unbreakable bond.

lt; Section 3gt;

Create dramatic tension

lt;lt; Method 1: Let your audience know something The characters in the story don’t know gt;gt;

For example, the protagonist in the story breaks into the enemy’s base, and there is a gun sticking out from the dark and aiming at him (the audience knows but the protagonist does not know ), the enemy is about to shoot, and the audience is worried about the protagonist.

lt;lt;Method 2: Make your audience feel that the character in the story is on the wrong path>

The protagonist’s mother is sick, and he has lost his whole family. He only had one hundred yuan, so he went to the market to try his luck. Fortunately, the protagonist keeps winning money, and already has several thousand yuan, which is enough for medical expenses. But he was greedy for winning and did not know how to lose, so he continued to gamble, and ended up losing one game after another (the audience knew that he was on the wrong path). In the end, he even lost the 100 yuan in his hand, and even went to ask Big Erlong to borrow money (he used the wrong method to achieve his goal).

lt;lt;Method 3: Time limit (deadline)gt;gt;

If certain events in the story have time limits or time bombs, it can give the audience a There is a feeling of tension, and this tension can last for a long time.

In twelve hours, the meteorite will hit the earth, and more than half of all living things on the earth will die. (Movie - Meteorite Hits the Earth)

The bus must maintain a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, otherwise the bomb on the bus will explode.

(Movie - Speed ??of Life and Death)

lt;lt;Method 4: Turning Point (Turning Point)gt;gt;

Using turning points can create unexpected effects and arouse the audience's anticipation. , strengthen the plot tension, thereby sustaining the audience's interest in the story. Turning points most often occur at the beginning or end of a story. The turning point in the early part of the script is generally used to start the story and show the choices that the protagonist will face. As for the turning point in the later part, it points to the protagonist resolving the crisis and wrapping up the story.

For example, in the famous movie "Born on the fourth of July", the protagonist faces the first turning point at the beginning of the story: whether to participate in the Vietnam War. The protagonist finally chooses to join the war and embarks on the battlefield. But good times don't last forever. The protagonist's legs were broken during the war and he will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Originally a patriotic man, he changed his mind after experiencing many incidents. This leads to an unexpected turning point at the end of the story, where he changes from a militant to an anti-war faction, thus bringing out the anti-war theme.

lt; Section 4gt;

Other techniques

lt; lt; Foreshadowing (Planting)gt; gt;

Believe Anyone who writes will know what foreshadowing is! Laying hints can attract the audience to follow the plot. For example, in the movie "Scheming", the protagonist Tommy revealed early on that he has the ability to imitate people's signatures and behaviors (a hidden line). By the time the story develops and he kills the rich man Dicky, the audience has already estimated that the protagonist will impersonate Dicky based on the hidden line. .

lt;lt; Key (Payoff)gt;gt;

The so-called Payoff is the object that best symbolizes the entire story. For example, in the movie "Apartment", the door key is Payoff. Another example is that in the famous movie "Sutra's List", the list of Jews is also Payoff.

lt;lt;montage (montage)gt;gt;

There are two pictures, broadcast among plum blossoms and bamboos, this is montage. For example, in the movie The Godfather, the screen broadcasts the sacred rituals being held in the church, such as the priest baptizing children and praying to God. But the other side of the scene indirectly broadcasts the evil side of the church. For example, in order to seize power, the leaders of the church go to the residences of those who oppose him and continue to kill.

Montage can also refer to some different but unrelated pictures. When they are cut together, they will have another meaning. To put it simply, for example, in the first picture, a hand is throwing a ball, and Another picture shows the other hand catching a ball. However, the ball may not be the same, but when the two pictures are together, it is one person throwing the ball to the other person. Note/if another person is added in the middle picture, the meaning is completely different!! (Note: The text explanation of this montage was provided by netizen "Bego")

lt; Section 5gt;

Three taboos in scripts

lt;lt;Writing a script becomes writing a novelgt;gt;

Script writing and novel writing are two completely different things. You must know that the purpose of writing a script is You need to use words to express a series of pictures, so you need to let people who read the script be able to think of a picture in real time when they see the words, bringing them into the world of animation. The novel is different. In addition to the pictures, he also includes lyrical sentences, rhetorical techniques and descriptions of the characters' inner worlds. These should not be in the script. To give a simple example, there is this sentence in the novel:

"The exam results will be released today. The students are all nervously waiting for the results. After Xiao Ming said goodbye to his parents, he went to school to collect the result notification. Teacher Distributing the transcripts, Xiao Ming thought to himself: It would be bad if he failed this time.

He was very worried, afraid that he would not know how to face his family after failing the exam...』

Just imagine, If you write the above sentence in a script, you ask the actors to see how to express it through actions.

If you want to use a script to express the same meaning, you can only write it as follows:

"In the classroom, the students were sitting in their seats with nervous expressions on their faces, watching. She looked at the teacher standing outside. The teacher had a stack of score notices in her hand. She looked at the one on the front and shouted, "Chen Daxiong!" Daxiong immediately went out to collect the report cards. Xiao Ming was in a corner of the classroom, rubbing his hands constantly. He looked outside the classroom and the scene gradually returned to the scene that morning. Xiao Ming's parents were sitting in the hall early in the morning. Xiao Ming put on his school uniform and was about to go out. He looked at his father and then his mother. When he saw their serious faces, he didn't know what to say. Xiao Ming's father said: "Will you pass?" Xiao Ming said: "Yes... yes."

"Chen Xiaoming!" The teacher's loud voice brought Xiao Ming back to reality from his memories. The teacher looked at him with Xiao Ming's report card in his hand. Xiao Ming stayed for a while, then quickly walked out to get it...』

lt;lt;Use words to explain the plotgt;gt;

There should not be too much dialogue in the script (unless it is required by the plot), otherwise the whole story will become incoherent and lack action, and the audience will seem to be listening to and reading the script, which is very boring. Remember that what you are writing now is cinematic language, not literary language. A script that is only suitable for reading but not for watching is not a good script. Therefore, for an excellent movie script, the fewer dialogues, the stronger the image and the greater the impact.

To give a simple example, if you write about a person making a phone call, you'd better not let him sit by the phone and just talk. If the plot requires it, you can ask him to stand up or take a few steps with the phone to avoid dullness and monotony in the picture.

lt;lt;The story has too many details>gt;gt;

Many people write too many details when writing scripts. There are many characters and many scenes interspersed in the details. This complicates the story, and the audience may not understand it or what theme the author wants to express. Imagine if there were more than a dozen important characters in a movie at the same time, and there were many stories between the characters. You asked the audience to remember each character so clearly in a short period of time.

In fact, there is a motto when writing scripts: "Simple is the best!" The simpler the story, the better. Think about it, among the good movies you have seen, are their plots very simple? For example, the movie Titanic is just about the sinking of a large ship, and the hero and heroine fall in love during the sinking. The same goes for other movies. It can be so simple that a short newspaper review can tell the story outline in just a few dozen words.

However, simplicity is always the most difficult: "Simple is difficult." Basics of script writing: script format

First of all, let's make it clear that scripts are different from any kind of stylistic form. I often see some friends writing scripts into novels or biographies. This is wrong, or at least unprofessional. Scripts have their own format, and writing scripts is a technical job to a certain extent.

Writing scripts is not a very noble artistic creation. It is just an ordinary job. There is no difference between a playwright and a cleaner. They are just ordinary jobs, so everyone can write scripts. Anyone can be a director. Of course, since it is a type of work, it has its own standards. These rules may not make you an expert quickly, but they will at least make you look like one. Or, don’t let your poor formatting become a reason for reviewers to shoot down your manuscript. Because a reviewer reads three to four manuscripts a day, if the format of your script does not look very professional, he has every reason to flip through a few pages and throw your script in a corner to cool off.

First, let’s take a look at the common mistakes in script writing:

1: Wrote the script into a novel

Just mentioned above, some friends wrote the script into Novel is not impossible, but it is a literary script and cannot be used to guide filming and production.

For example, you can spend a few pages in a novel about a person's life experience, background, and family composition, or you can use a few pages to describe the protagonist's psychological struggle, but these things cannot be shown on the movie screen. on. Your script is a screen, and what you want to express is what can be directly seen and felt by the audience on the movie screen. Things like psychological activities cannot be expressed well. Add narration? Of course, unless you can tolerate the protagonist's voiceover reading a few pages of the novel in a motionless camera. Movie scenes express emotions, and your script is a movie scene, written from the camera's perspective, which may cause a second problem.