The Nuisances in making a perfect script for a movie

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Imagine you enjoying your favorite movie with popcorn and chips in hand with your friends on a Saturday night. Doesn’t the feeling itself give happiness in your face right now.  That’s the feel of a movie.

Who doesn’t like movies? Cinema is not a word but an emotion to many. 

Cinema is a common medium which unites everyone globally. But to get a perfect out of it one has to have a proper script to impress the audience.

Come on guys, START…CAMERA…ACTION

Cinema…Cinema…Cinema

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Process of Filmmaking

Illustration about Film making process

A cinema is an art or technique of making a motion picture. The filmmaking process includes Script writing, Direction, Editing, Music Direction, Cinematography, Choreography, Stunt Direction and the main involvement of production companies and the cast.

Stages of Filmmaking

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Script Writing

Gone are the days where the movies were centered based on main leads, but now there is a change in the scenario of the movies and also in the mindset of the people as story plays a vital role in a film’s success. 

A movie must have a solid script with a well written screenplay. We might have heard the words “script” and “screenplay” often but do you know what it is and the difference between them?

In the Oxford Dictionary, Script is described as “the written text of a play, film, or broadcast” while Screenplay is defined as “the script of a film, including acting instructions and scene direction”.

Difference between Script and Screenplay

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The Nuisances in making a perfect script for a movie

1. Title Page

Always keep the title page of the script simple with the tentative title of the movie and the name of the writer with the contact information in it. All other details about the copyright and registration number will be available in the records registered with the writer’s association. So, make it as simple as possible to avoid unnecessary confusions.

2. Professional Format

 The basics of script formatting are as follows:

• The script must be written in the font “Courier – 12 points”. 
• 1.5-inch margin on the left of the page
• 1 inch margin on the right of the page
• 1 inch on the of the top and bottom of the page
• Each page should have approximately 55 lines.
• The dialogue block starts 2.5 inches from the left side of the page
• Character names must have uppercase letters and be positioned starting 3.7 inches from the left side of the page
• Page numbers are positioned in the top right corner with a 0.5-inch margin from the top of the page. The first page shall not be numbered, and each number is followed by a period.

This allows them to estimate the length of the film based on the script written. In recent times, a proper script writing format software tools are used to save time and concentrate on the creative part of the script.

3. Story

The main five elements in storyline are: Theme, Setting, Character, Plot and Conflict

• Theme is the central idea/genre the writer has selected for the movie. It can be Rom-Com, Comedy, Thriller, Action and so on.
• Setting is the setup or backdrop of the story. It basically explains the time and place of where the story happens by giving description about the landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting based on the story theme.
• Characters are the main leads and other supporting artists involved in it. The hero of the film is known as Protagonist and the person opposite to him acts as Antagonist. The characters must be weaved in such a way that they are interrelated to each and every sequence written in the script and the storyline.
• Plot is the story concept based on which a movie is made. Always make sure the concept is fresh, relatable, engaging and gives full justification to the characters involved and to the genre selected. There is no point in simply dragging a movie for the sake of doing it as the audience will feel bored easily soon. 

Conflict is the twist in the storyline which takes the movie to the next level. We often see in movies, just before the interval break there will be a main conflict of characters in the story which will keep the audience in touch to know what will happen in the next half of the movie towards the climax and in the end.

4. Dialogues

• Always remember that your characters’ speech should serve the needs and the purpose of conflict and stakes of the scene, not the other way around.
• Always have a question of Why? this dialogue, in your mind to avoid ruthless content.

5. Visual Descriptions

The Visual Description of script is using images and pictures to explain specific scenes in the script or to explain the location description or about the specifics of how a character has to be described in the movie. It helps them to visualize accordingly while converting the script to screenplay and to avoid any loud or unnecessary addition of visuals.

6. Screen Editor

The script editor is necessary to remove the unnecessary sub plots, scenes, montages, dialogues, songs in the movie to make it more watchable and also to avoid the unnecessary diversion from the main plot of the story.

7. Music

Music plays a vital role in the movie, so the music including the background music and re-recording must be used wisely by analysing the following questions:

• Do the songs in the draft give justice to the emotions written in the main plot of the story like love, sadness, anger, betrayals, heroism and so on? what pace, tone of music has to be used in the temporary track?
• Finally, How, when and where the temporary tracks have to be played in the script?

Conclusion

So, guys, who are aspiring to be a script writer for a movie; first do your research about the genre properly, make the concept as fresh and engaging as possible, vital usage of all resources based on plot is very important and make sure from beginning to end that there is continuity of characters and scene sequences.

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