This is why some screenwriters use ALL CAPS to draw the reader’s attention to an action that, on screen, would have a strong impact, like the BANG of a gunshot. As long as it’s used sparingly this can be a very effective tool, particularly when writing in genres like Horror where visual/audio shocks are a significant part of the dramatic viewing experience.
The aim is to give the reader the experience that the viewer will have. Many scripts suffer from having huge swathes of over-written action lines, making the reading experience frustratingly slow and laborious.Ī good rule of thumb is to aim for the reading experience to closely match the viewing experience, so the length of time it takes to read your description should match the length of time that action will last on screen.Ī novelist may spend a whole page describing a room but a screenwriter cannot take this long, unless you want the viewer to spend a whole minute looking at a static shot of your room with nothing happening at all! The second and third of these lack the action element that gives the read its pace and fluidity, so one of your jobs is to make these descriptions as active as possible.
#THINGS AND PEOPLE SCRIPT SLUGLINE TV#
A screenplay needs to be a compelling read before it can become a great film or tv show. Well written action lines are vital to the success of your screenplay it’s where the action takes place and it’s your chance to tell the reader everything (bar dialogue) that they will see or hear on screen.Īction lines are sometimes referred to as scene description but this is a rather unhelpful term and it tends to make us think our job is to describe a static scene or tableau.ġ) Describe the actions happening in the sceneģ) Describe characters when we first meet them
0 kommentar(er)
