Embedded Files
in this page, i provide 2 pages of script for 3 different pieces of media(two films and an episode from a TV show). i will use these scripts as examples of the scripting conventions and terms, colour coding them with the following scheme:
character action scene number location parenthetical transition camera shots speech
this key shows which elements of the script convention will by highlighted by which colour in the script. if you wish to learn more about these conventions and elements, refer to the scriptwriting terms page
character action scene number location parenthetical transition camera shots speech
CONTEXT
the scripts above are from a murder mystery movie called "knives out". the movie centres around the Thrombey family as they squabble and argue through the investigation on the murder of the oldest member and patriarch Harlan Thrombey, while the detective Benoît blanc shuffles through the chaos in an attempt to discover the identity of the murderer. the scripts above is from one of the final scenes on the movie, when the murderer is discovered to be ransom(one of the family members and initial key side character). as Martha tricks ransom into confessing to the murder through lying, he attempts to murder her by taking a knife from a prop in the scene. the knife ends up being fake and he is arrested.
the second script is the scene continuing right after that, which shows the reaction of the family members to this shocking event. we also see one of the family members uncover a secret of her own that Harlan(her father) left for her on a secret piece of paper in an envelope. ransom is arrested and everything is now alright.
conventions
because this is the script for a traditional film, you can see that it has a particular emphasis on the action and acts that the characters are undertaking, with very few camera angles or technical techniques in view. the script is more so like a guide for how the actors are supposed to act rather than an instruction manual on how to precisely shoot the film. its clean and concise, with the character names taking the middle page, the settings having their own lines and a few key technical techniques like the zooming in camera shot. this type of script will be relatively standard for most typical scripts that follow the big picture screen format.
character action scene number location parenthetical transition camera shots speech
CONTEXT
these two scripts are the beginning page and one of the final pages from season 6 episode 7 of a tv show called better call Saul, the episode being called plan and execution. the whole show centres around a sleazy lawyer called jimmy McGill(later renamed and known in breaking bad as Saul Goodman) as he gets increasingly more involved in serious gang and criminal affairs while navigating his legal career, putting everyone around him in constant danger.
the episode itself is at a climactic turning point in the show. fellow lawyer and rival of jimmy during the show Howard Hamlin confronts him and his wife Kim Wexler(arguably a second main character by the second half of the show with her importance and time) over several schemes the two orchestrated that essentially ruined his career and reputation. jimmy and Kim have been pulling 'pranks' and schemes against Howard Hamlin ranging from framing him as a drug abuser to a women abuser when he was never either. despite Howard not doing much to deserve this, the pair still conduct these schemes as a mere source of fun, with potentially spiteful reasons behind it(this is the part of the show which highlights how horrible the characters of jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler can be and how in that way they are perfect for each other).
meanwhile during this, a prominent gang member by the name of Lalo Salamanca(a major antagonist and sadistic villain) tries to track down jimmy McGill to 'talk to his lawyer'. in an earlier part of the show at the peak of jimmy's involvement in criminal cartel affairs, he volunteers as the lawyer of Lalo Salamanca, but a botched traumatising scenario and jimmy's realisation of the dangers cause him to back away and attempt to distance himself from the life of a criminal. long after jimmy tried to cut ties with the cartel, an assassination attempt takes place on Lalo Salamanca in the family home of the Salamancas(one of the two main criminal cartels). an angered Lalo, assuming jimmy was responsible, searches for him with the intent of revenge.
this episode is the apex at which both initially completely separate plotlines violently collide into each other: the Howard Hamlin plotline and the Lalo Salamanca plotline.
conventions
this script is for a TV show, and therefore relatively similar to the film script from knives out I showed above, except for one key difference: this script has a different writing style. while the other was a more traditional script that wrote like a guide to filming the movie, this one writes out like a story unfolding. Vince Gilligan and peter Gould(the two main writers for the shows breaking bad and better call Saul) have this distinct style of scriptwriting I find interesting, because they write the guide as if its a novel. instead of writing it with purely descriptive words, the writers get into the current emotions of the characters and their reactions to the situations. this approach, if done well, can be more effective than the standard script because it allows actors to understand and emulate the emotions of the characters at that scene, making them seem more realistic and actually emotional. unfortunately, this can only be done well if done by a proffesional who knows full well what they are doing.
character action scene number location parenthetical transition camera shots speech
CONTEXT
these two scripts above are from the animated action movie into the spider verse. into the spider verse centres around miles Morales and a cast of other side spider characters: Gwen Stacy, peter B parker, spider noir, spider ham and Peni parker.
these scripts are pulled from around the middle of the movie, right after miles had just been rejected by the other spider people for not being ready to handle the responsibility of being spider man. miles always seeks advice and vents to his uncle Aaron, who he was visiting. despite him not being home, miles invites himself in just to leave a note, right before the prowler enters. the prowler has been the main antagonist/villain of the movie so far, chasing and attempting to murder miles as spider man.
the scene in the first script is the tension-filled scene where miles attempts to hide as the prowler enters the room. after assuming nobody is around, he takes off the mask and reveals himself to be miles' uncle, Aaron. this sends miles devastated and ends up in him being spotted. the two have a chase across the street, where miles ends up outrunning his uncle.
conventions
this is where the conventions start to get interesting. while the characters and dialogue follow the same convention that standard film scripts do, this is an animated movie. because an animated movie doesnt have actors and instead more of a web of artists and voice actors to convey the characters, the script has to be more descriptive of the surrounding and plan out every detail. this is shown in how many more camera angles and environment details are present in this script.
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