Character

Theme
SCRIPTWRITING BASICS
Plot
Point of view
Setting
Conflict
Tone
 CHARACTER

Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist

PROTAGONIST: character is clearly central to a story with all major events

having some connection to this character.

ANTAGONIST :The character in opposition to the main character is called the.

 THEME

• The Theme is the central meaning of a narrative.

• It tells the reader what the script is about.

Example:

Judgement
Survival
Peace and war
Love heroism
Good and Evil

Movie: Titanic
Theme: Social inequality
 PLOT

• Plot is the main event of a Play, Novel and film.

• It organize information and events in a logical manner.

• The plot pulls the reader into the characters’ lives .

• It helps the reader understand the choices that the
characters make.
 POINT OF VIEW

• Particular angle of vision to understand the people ,situation ,events and

details of a story .

• Someone is always between the reader and the action of the story.

• That someone is telling the story from his or her own point of view.

Types of Point of view:

1. Objective point of view

2. First person point of view
3. Third person point of view
 SETTING
• Setting is Time and Space

• By clearly describing the time and place early in your screenplay, your audience will
be immediately engaged in the plot and won't surprise where and when the story
takes place.

Features of setting should be considered when examining a story:

a) place - geographical location. (the action of the story taking place)

b) time - historical period, time of day, year, etc.
c) weather conditions - rainy, sunny, stormy, etc.
d) social conditions - daily life of the characters like(speech, dress, mannerisms, customs.
e) mood or atmosphere - it bright and cheerful or dark and frightening
 CONFLICT

•
A conflict is defined as any struggle between opposing
forces.

• Usually, the main character struggles against some other

force.

• The conflict(s) in a movie are the problems the characters

have to solve or overcome.
 TONE

• Tone is the emotional colouring or the emotional meaning of

the Script

• Tone provides an important input to the full meaning of

movie story.

• The tone is the over all feeling or mood, of the whole movie.
• It could have a dark tone, which means the movie is negative .
• It could have a warm tone, which means it is sweet and loving
STEP ONE: CREATE A LOGLINE & DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTERS
logline: one or two sentences that will summarize your story in an interesting manner.
Characters: Write their backstories, personalities and goals that they need to achieve.

STEP TWO: WRITE AN OUTLINE

An outline (sometimes called a ‘beat sheet’) is a brief synopsis of your entire story.

STEP THREE: WRITE A TREATMENT

Treatments read like a short story, but are told in the present tense and describe events
as they happen.

STEP FOUR: WRITE YOUR SCRIPT

Time to get to work. You’ve developed your characters, structured your plot, and have
an inspired treatment. Understand the formatting and Write in the present tense .

STEP FIVE: WRITE YOUR SCRIPT AGAIN (and again, and again)
Completing the first draft is an accomplishment to be celebrated, but it’s just the
beginning. Go back, read it through, take stuff out, and add stuff in.
Get other people to read it and commit yourself to being open to constructive criticism
 BASIC SCRIPT FORMATS
There are many different script formats. However, basically, script layouts take
one of two forms:

1. A single-column format
2. A two-column format
DIFFERENT FORMATS
DIFFERENT FORMATS
THE FULL SCRIPT
When a program is fully scripted, it includes detailed information on all aspects of the production such
scene, shot, dialogue, equipment, basic camera instruction,

THE DRAMA SCRIPT

The dramatic full script may be prepared in two stages: the rehearsal script and the camera script.

The rehearsal script usually begins with general information sheets, including a cast/character list,
production team details, and rehearsal arrangements. There may be a synopsis of the plot or story line,
particularly when scenes are to be shot/recorded out of order.

The rehearsal script includes full details of the following elements: Location. Time of day and weather
conditions. Stage or location instructions. Action. Dialog. Effects cues. Audio instructions.

The camera script adds full details of the production treatment to the left side of the “rehearsal script”
and usually includes the following: The shot number, position of the camera, Switcher instructions (cut,
dissolve, etc.)
DIFFERENT FORMATS
STORYBOARD
STORYBOARD