The document discusses various script formats and conventions for different media including film, radio, video games, and more. It provides details on elements like scene headings, character descriptions, dialogue formatting, and how scripts are adapted for different purposes and productions. Key points covered include the standard Master Scene script format for film with examples from Jurassic Park, differences between screenplays and shooting scripts, and conventions for scripts in radio, video games, and other mediums.

1. Formats and Conventions of Scripts for Media Products
Master Scene / Spec Script: Jurassic Park (1993) - https://sfy.ru/?script=jurassic_park
The Master Scene script is the standard and accepted format for film production, being
specially designed to offer a straight forward and accessible format for producers to show to
investors. This script format offers a mix of description and dialogue, allowing the reader to
easily follow the story – which is obviously the most important element of a screenplay. It
always follows the distinct formatting which of Master Scene Script - which is split into; scene
headings,narrative, description and dialogue blocks. The Master Scene / Spec Script that I will
be using as an example is that of the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park.
Narrative description is the telling of the story as it unfolds on screen, it begins directly below
the scene heading. The writing should be lean and visual, focusing on action that continues
the story. Though concise, it should still engage readers. Unlike a novel, everything in a
screenplay must be recorded in terms of picture and sound. Therefore, narrative description
should never include anything that cannot be seen or heard. This is to describe the scene
through clearly conveying to the audience what is happening. Furthermore, the description
of characters is also important, as can be seen in the screenplay, the character of John
Hammond is described as “seventy-ish, is sprightly as hell, with bright, shining eyes”. This
clearly displays this character’s traits as being lively and enthusiastic about whatever it is that
he has to show the other characters, engaging the audience also.
Timing in the movie industry is that approximately one page of screenplay equals 1 minute of
time on screen. This is for planning purposes; since the average feature is 120 minutes, the
average script should be about 120 pages in length. If the aforementioned script is either
below or above this amount, you could face issues regarding the finished movie being too
long / short. Due to this convention being in place,description passages shouldcover as many
pages as the scene is expected to run in real time. For example, if the writer believes that an
action scene will take a minute of screen time, it should be written to cover 1 page, rather
than 1 line as it perhaps would generally.
Dialogue blocks or ‘speeches’ are composed of three parts; character name, wryly and
dialogue. Just like the scene below character names are written in upper case, wryly lines are
written in lower case and the dialogue spoken is in the format of a generic sentence. A wryly
indicates how a line should be said.It was named after novice screenwriters whose characters
would say things in a “wry” way. Wryly should only be used if the subtext of the dialogue is
not clear.

2. Conventions of Master Scene Scripts:
 The font used is always Courier and size 12
 Sluglines and character names are always written in block capitals
 Voiceover and off screen used are abbreviated to within screenplays (V.O. and O.S.)
 Footers at the bottom right of a page say (CONTINUED) only where a scene moves
from one page to the next.
Elements that should not be incorporated into a Master Scene Script:
 Scene numbers
 Camera angles
 Descriptions of sound effects within the narrative
 Character names showcased alongside dialogue (barring first appearance)
 third person use of “we” (for example, “We see Hammond look around the trailer
approvingly…”)
Title Page:
Every screenplayfeatures a title page. The title page is vital as it has the key information about
the script such as, not surprisingly, the title, as well as the name of the screenwriter and / or
co-writers. The title page of Jurassic Park tells us the script was written by David Koepp,
however based upon the original novel by Michael Crichton, which has been adapted by
himself with the assistance of Malia Scotch Marmo. In this case, as the example is an
adaptation to a screenplay, the title page is formatted accordingly - reading “based upon the
novel by…” followed by the aforementioned credits, this can be seen on the script itself.

3. Sluglines:
Screenplays notify the reader of a new sceneby having what is referred to as a slugline,which
are generally placed before most script go into dialogue etc. Sluglines within a screenplay
establish the location of the story, helping anyone reading it to better imagine the scene
within their head. For example, this tell anyone reading the script whether the scene is an
exterior or interior scene, where the scene takes place in general, and at what point in time /
the time of day it takes place, of course depending on which of these elements are required
for the purpose of the storytelling.
Action / Text:
Conventionally, the action is described by text directly underneath the slugline, as well as in
between dialog. The action is generally self-explanatory due to it describing the actions of
characters, but it also covers other elements such as the mise en scene present within the
scene.Examples of mise en scene include what the characters are wearing, vehicles,weapons
and other props that help to tell the desired story across the script. In the case of a shooting
script, the text can include info to be applied during the editing process, such as particular
sounds etc. However, these directions are not present in the Master Scene Script.

4. Characters:
Before any dialog is spoken, the character speaking has to be identified, which is showcased
to the audience through a character line, simply consisting of the character's name in block
capitals, followed by their respective speech. This line can potentially provide information
regarding whether the character speaks off screen (O.S.), via a voice-over (V.O.), or if the line
is continued from another (cont’d).

5. Dialogue:
Dialogueis akey part of ascreenplay. Dialoguecan be shown as either singledialogue; spoken
by one person at a time, or dual dialogue – which refers to the instance when two people
speak at the same time. The lines of dialogue are always placed directly underneath the
character's name, in the centre of the page.
Parentheticals:
Parentheticals are used to give extra information to the reader about the dialogue. The type
of information given in these are things such as whether a character begins talking to another
character. Examples of Parentheticals within scripts include; in what manner the character
reads these lines (for example – excited), or if they are speaking from another location within
the script; which allows the script to be translated into the final production piece with further
ease.

6. Shooting Script:
The generic shooting script is a more elaborate, precise and in some ways an overwritten
version of a screenplay. In contrasts to what may first be assumed, the shooting script is not
written by the screenwriter. It is in fact written by the director, usually alongside the
respective cinematographer, as both discuss their ideas and shot plan desired for the movie.
The main and therefore most essential difference between a screenplay and shooting script
is that the former is a selling tool, whereas the latter is a tool used within production itself.
When a screenwriter produces a screenplay, he is trying to sell, most importantly, the story.
Therefore, he has to create a smooth read with a harmonious flow, otherwise the writer’s
screenplay and hard work could end up being rejected. Screenplays should contain little to no
direction whatsoever. Directing the movie and calling the shots is not the writer’s task; as this
is up to the director.
Ideally, right after a screenplay is purchased, the movie should enter pre-production. The
director will then alter the story as he feels necessary and eventually craft what will become
the shooting script. This form of script is normally broken into shots, featuring precise
cinematography terminology such as close-ups, dolly in and overexposed. The purpose of
these directions is to clearly inform the crew what is going on and when. Before principal
photography starts, the shooting script will be divided into dates, to further assist with the
flow of the production amongst the cast and crew. Although unpleasant to read from the
perspective of an audience member, the shooting script is essential to the complicated
production of feature movies amongst other formats. The primary goal is to alert all of the
crew members as to what they will need to bring to the production or arrange beforehand.
Scene numbers are also added – these remain consistent throughout any revisions that may
take place (which are always printed on coloured paper). It’s worth noting that various
techniques are also included throughout the shooting script to help the crew shoot on set –
these can include camera composition/movement, and editing. As an example, the shooting
script for The Matrix, written in March of 1998 is shown below.

7. Radio Script:
Radio scripts differ from film scripts as none of the narrative can be told visually, due to the
radio format obviously being allsound. Some examples of terminology used within this format
include:
(OFF) Indicates that the actor should speak away from the microphone. The audio equivalent
of “off-screen”.
(V.O.) Voiceover indicates a character who is narrating over sound, music or dialogue.
(D) Distort indicates a character who is speaking via a mechanical device like a telephone or
radio.
(LOW) Indicates that the actor should speak quietly, almost in a whisper.
(CLOSE) Indicates that the actor should be in close proximity to their individual microphone
giving an intimate feel to the dialogue, in some cases to further portray emotion etc.
An example of a radio script, entitled Goal Difference, from the BBC Archives:

8. Video Game Script:
Video game scripts are different to both film and radio, in that they often exist within
interactive worlds with multiple options. Scripts are often branching – this means that these
elements are optional, so may or may not have an impact later. Writers must produce scripts
in order to consider the variables that their world has created, along with the assistance of a
flowchart. This can consist of incredible detail and be very time consuming, depending on the
depth and complexity of the interactive world in which the game is set.
Flowchart:
This documents every major decision the player faces, and the results of the decisions the
player makes. It should consist of text boxes with arrows to indicate what happens when a
particular action is performed. If there are multiple decisions the player faces, yes and no, left
and right, etc. can be used to indicate where the chart branches. The more choices in the
game, the bigger the chart. Considering that technology is constantly evolving, video game
scriptwriters must be open to change and adjustment. Currently, scriptwriting for games has
developed into something much more complicated than it was originally intended to be, due
to the aforementioned advancing of technology. An example of a video game script flowchart
will be displayed below: