LO1 - Analysis of Scripts

1). Style and content
All scripts are written in a size 12 courier new font

Screenplays will always feature a description of the character to help the actor and crew get an idea of what the writers want to put on screen. It will often be a brief description as to not take up too much of the script, but enough to give an impression of the look of the character.

Game scripts work like flowcharts so that the game will respond correctly to how players are interacting with the world. For example if a player made one choice instead of another it would trigger a different scene to what would have happened had the player made the other choice. This makes it easier for developers to program the game

All dialogue is justified (placed) in the middle, so that it is clear to actors/presenters, it also features the character's name in block capitals above the top of the dialogue so that it will make it clear who is saying/doing what. Features of a script like camerawork, editing techniques and other things more applicable to the crew than the actors, will be placed to the right of the script; this is so that it is easy for elements like this to be found more quickly when in production or post

Video games often give players a tutorial (synopsis), so that players know what is going to be happening in the game, this will also teach them how to use the controls and give them a chance to change any settings so that the experience can be as enjoyable as possible.

Here is an example of a tutorial for a videogame, the text will remain on screen until players act out the action that they are being told to.

Scripts for films/documentary and other types of physically performed media will use stage directions, this is to help the actors and presenters and tell them what the director wants them to do. Stage directions will be things like when actors enter scenes and in what manner they would do certain things.

Sound effects are shown in scripts using brackets. The verb in the sentence is also capitalised as this will draw the readers attention to it such as (the doorbell RINGS). The capitalisation also serves to show, which word in the sentence that is most important and, what actors will have to be aware of whilst filming the scene.

Mode of address is the way in which the text of the script talks to the reader. there are 3 different modes of address: Peer to Peer, Parent to child and Teacher to Pupil. The script uses a Teacher to Pupil form, as it is there to give the actors the information they need to act out a scene and is presented in a very formal format.  There is also usually a small paragraph at the start of a scene which introduces readers to the setting in which the scene will be happening, this is written more like a book than an instruction though and thereby is less conventional to this mode of address

Scripts are written using formal language, due to their mode of address

Scripts are designed to be as easy to read as possible, this is why different types of text are put in different places on the page, giving it a blocky effect. Also all scripts are written using a Courier new size 12 font.

k2). Narrative structure

Single stranded - Screenplays with 1 protagonist (main character)
                          - Learn about the protagonist more
                          - Perspective

Multi-stranded - Screenplays that feature multiple protagonists (band of protagonists)
                        - often found in dramas/soaps
                        - empathise with different characters in different ways
                        - Spectacle
                        - appeal to a wider audience (via interest in different characters)

Linear - In chronological order
            - Todorov (equilibrium - beginning, middle, end)
            - Videogames

Non-Linear - Not in order
                    - Memento
                    - Spectacle

Running order - Structure of TV news
                        - Headlines at beginning
                        -5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why, how)



Genre
Barry Keith Grant once said that "Genre is a type or kind", what he meant by that is, genres are ways of categorising different styles. It can be used to separate fiction and non-fiction such as differentiating Radio dramas from the news. Whilst Radio dramas are written for the purpose of entertainment, and involve the creation of a narrative, the news script will have been written as a way to explain and describe situations which are already occurring or have already occurred in the world, as a way of spreading awareness as well as the different types of fiction, like comedy and horror.


4). Target audience

Lifestyle (A,B,C1,C2...)
Demographic (gender, age, Geographics)
Dennis Mcquail 1972 (uses and gratifications (pleasures))
Escapism - Fictional (escape from real life)
Surveillance - News, documentaries
Personal Identity - Talking point (any script)
Mass audience or Niche Audience


The target audience of a script can vary even wider than of the product itself. This is because of how the script not only has to take into consideration the audience of the product but also those who will use the script itself, like the people creating whatever it is for and those who might use the script for education purposes, like Shakespeare has come to be used. Certain target audiences use genres like documentary and the news for surveillance, this is so that they can get a large amount of information in a time efficient and easy to absorb. However other audiences, like those who are searching for escapism will be after different types of products with different scripts, like that of a videogame. However with Videogames, the scripts are split into 2 different parts: the dialogue driven pieces (which are usually in cut-scenes or voiceovers) and the gameplay parts which follow a more flow chart like aesthetic, and are designed to help the developers understand the composition of a level and how the players interaction will affect it. Videogame scripts are usually aimed at a younger audience (between 16 & 25) as this is the biggest age group that plays videogames, it is also the people who are more likely to pay attention the elements like story, characters and dialogue.