Writing

for the
Screen
Paper Name: Web Content Development & Techniques
Paper Code: GEJMC401

Alankar Das Dalal

Assistant Professor
Department of English &
Literary Studies
Brainware University
What is Screenwriting?
Introduction Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing
01 scripts for mass media such as feature films, television
productions or video games.

Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story,

02 developing the narrative, writing the script, screenplay,

dialogues and delivering it, in the required format, to
development executives.

Screenwriters therefore have great influence over the creative

03 direction and emotional impact of the screenplay
and, arguably, of the finished film.

Screenwriters either pitch original ideas to producers, in the

hope that they will be optioned or sold; or are commissioned
04 by a producer to create a screenplay from a concept, true story,
existing screen work or literary work
 Types of Screenwriting

The act of screenwriting takes many

forms across the entertainment industry.
Often, multiple writers work on the same
script at different stages of development
with different tasks. Over the course of a
successful career, a screenwriter might be
hired to write in a wide variety of roles.
Types of Screenwriting

Spec script writing

1 Spec scripts are feature film or television show scripts written
on speculation of sale, without the commission of a film studio,
production company or TV network.
PRODUCTION
Commissioned screenplay
2 A commissioned screenplay is written by a hired writer. The
plot development is usually based on highly successful novels,
plays, TV shows and even video games
SCENE ROLL TAKE

Feature assignment writing DIRECTOR

3 Scripts written on assignment are screenplays created under

contract with a studio, production company, or producer. These CAMERA
are the most common assignments sought after in screenwriting.
DATE
Rewriting and script doctoring
4 Most produced films are rewritten to some extent during the
development process. Frequently, they are not rewritten by the
PROD.CO.

original writer of the script.

 Television Writing

A freelance television writer typically uses spec

scripts or previous credits and reputation to
obtain a contract to write one or more episodes
for an existing television show. After an episode
is submitted, rewriting or polishing may be
required.
Types of Television
writing

Writing for daily series Writing for game shows

01 The process of writing for soap operas
and telenovelas is different from that used
02
by prime time shows, due in part to the
need to produce new episodes five days a
week for several months.
Game shows feature live contestants, but still
use a team of writers as part of a specific format.
Writers may not script the dialogue used by the
contestants, but they work with the producers to
create the actions, scenarios, and sequence of
events that support the game show's concept.
 Screenplay

Y
In the most basic terms, a screenplay

A
is a 90-120 page document written in

L
Courier 12pt font on 8 1/2" x 11"

P
bright white three-hole punched paper.
A screenplay can be an original piece,

N
or based on a true story or previously

E
written piece, like a novel, stage play

E
or newspaper article. At its heart, a
screenplay is a blueprint for the film it

R
will one day become. Professionals on

C
the set including the producer, director,

S
set designer and actors all translate the
screenwriter's vision using their
individual talents.
Three-Act Structure

1 Exposition
The first act is usually used for exposition, to
establish the main characters, their relationships,
and the world they live in.

2 Rising Action
The second act, also referred to as "rising action",
typically depicts the protagonist's attempt to resolve
the problem initiated by the first turning point, only
to find themselves in ever worsening situations.

3 Resolution
The climax is the scene or
sequence in which the main
tensions of the story are brought
to their most intense point and
the dramatic question answered.
 Monomyth
The hero's journey, also referred to as the monomyth contains a number of stages, which include:

a road of trials, a return to the

on which the hero ordinary world,
succeeds or fails; which again the
hero can succeed
or fail, and

a call to achieving the application of

adventure, which goal (or the boon, in
the hero has to "boon"), which which what the
accept or decline; often results in hero has gained
important self- can be used to
knowledge; improve the
world.
Characterisation in a
Screenplay P R I M A RY
HERO
This is the main character, whose outer motivation
SECONDARY
drives the plot forward, who is the primary object of Secondary
identification for the reader and audience, and who is on characters
screen most of the time.
are all the
NEMESIS other people
This is the character who most stands in the way of the in the
hero achieving his or her outer motivation. screenplay
and should
REFLECTION
serve as
This is the character who supports the hero's outer many of the
motivation or at least is in the same basic situation at
functions
the beginning of the screenplay.
above as
ROMANCE possible.
This is the character who is the sexual or romantic
object of at least part of the hero's outer motivation.
 Screenplay Format
Scene Heading, or Slug
Scene headings (or slugs)
indicate the location the
following scene is to take
place in, whether it is
interior or exterior, and the
time-of-day it appears to be.
Parentheticals
Parentheticals provide stage
direction for the dialogue
that follows. Most often this
is to indicate how dialogue
should be performed but can
also include small stage
directions.
Action Lines
action lines, which describe
stage direction and are
generally written in the
present tense with a focus
only on what can be seen or
heard by the audience.
Dialogue
Dialogue blocks are offset from the
page's margin by 3.7" and are left-
justified. Dialogue spoken by two
characters at the same time is
written side by side and is
conventionally known as dual-
dialogue.
Character Name
Character names are in
all caps, centered in
the middle of the page,
and indicate that a
character is speaking
the following dialogue.
Transitions
The final element is the
scene transition and is
used to indicate how
the current scene
should move into the
next.
 Writing a
Screenplay
Writing a screenplay is
an extremely rewarding
process, but it’s not an
easy task. It takes a
serious amount of time
and dedication to develop a good
screenplay, and if your goal is to
sell it, completing a first draft is
only the beginning.
THANK YOU