How do YOU wirte your shooting scripts

[wheatgrinder]

Hi all,
Iv been pretty religious about NOT putting direction\shot descriptions in my scripts.. well now I realize this is a mistake for me (YMMV)

But.. maybe its not. I seem to fail LESS with a shooting script then I did with a shot list and story boards, so at least for a while I will be writing shooting scripts, maybe AFTER the spec script IS done.

anyway..

what are some tips for writing shooting scripts..
The one scene in which I did this, I wrote EVERY shot, including reverses and cutaways and frankly it went smoother then any other scene Iv shot! So how can I make this even more effective for me?

Here is an example, how would you do it differently?

EXT. FRONT YARD, MORNING

Tight on Lindas eyes:

Linda watches "suspiciously"

Reverse Lindas POV:

the car sits like a force of doom

Medium Handheld from the interior of the Hot Rod(back seat):

The camera watches Linda as she stands directly in front of the car, sizing up here nemesis. Linda still looking at the car, shouts ...

LINDA

MENA!


Medium Handheld from the interior of the Hot Rod(back seat)(CONT):


[SLAM!] Off Screen the front door slams, the camera whip pans to pick up Mena trotting out. It follows her untill she stops besides Linda. Mena looks at the car for a moment then looks up to Linda.

High angle OTS down on Mena (Linda FG):

MENA

Your driving dads car?

Low angle OTS up on Linda (Mena FG):

LINDA

Just for today. {beat} Get in.

Medium Handheld from the interior of the Hot Rod (back seat)(CONT):

Linda and Mena separate and enter the car from either side.

 

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

I've seen scripts on the internet for studio productions that read like shot lists that I'm tempted to emulate if I know for sure I'm making myself to save time later where it won't need to be shot listed.

 

[Cracker Funk]

Here is an example, how would you do it differently?

EXT. FRONT YARD, MORNING

Tight on Lindas eyes:

Linda watches "suspiciously"

Reverse Lindas POV:

the car sits like a force of doom

Medium Handheld from the interior of the Hot Rod(back seat):

The camera watches Linda as she stands directly in front of the car, sizing up here nemesis. Linda still looking at the car, shouts ...

LINDA

MENA!


Medium Handheld from the interior of the Hot Rod(back seat)(CONT):


[SLAM!] Off Screen the front door slams, the camera whip pans to pick up Mena trotting out. It follows her untill she stops besides Linda. Mena looks at the car for a moment then looks up to Linda.

High angle OTS down on Mena (Linda FG):

MENA

Your driving dads car?

Low angle OTS up on Linda (Mena FG):

LINDA

Just for today. {beat} Get in.

Medium Handheld from the interior of the Hot Rod (back seat)(CONT):

Linda and Mena separate and enter the car from either side.

Interesting. I enjoyed reading your method. Do a lot of people do that?

I draw little maps. I place the camera on the map, and use little triangles, extending out from the camera, to indicate the scope of the shot. Any pertinent info that can't be drawn, I just jot a quick note (ie - low angle).

For simpler scenes (ie - two people sitting and talking), I think a shot-list more than suffices. For really really simple scenes (my latest short has three shots, and was shot for minimal coverage), I just shoot the damn thing.

Like you say -- YMMV.

By the way, I always thought a "shooting script" was simply the final version of the screenplay that is used for production. It might have a bunch of notes scribbled on it, but it's otherwise just a regular ol' screenplay. Are there different types of shooting scripts? (honest question, not sarcasm)

 

[wheatgrinder]

same same.. I guess when it comes to your own stuff no rules apply. I LOVE the discipline of writing spec style, I think that next project Ill write and finish the script that way, and then do a SHOOTING version like this.

I was just not able to jungle the drawings, the script, sloppy notes, and get a good shot list. What this really helped me do was get a complete shot list with out any guess work on the day. The BIGGEST LIE I tell myself is that "I don't need to write it down" When will I learn to stop telling this LIE!

 

[FantasySciFi]

First, a director can write a shooting script anyway he chooses as long as he and the DP are on the same page, so to speak. So if this style works well for you, don't change it. Second, it seems that every studio has slightly different takes on a shooting script unlike spec scripts which have a uniform appearance. Third, a shooting script is made AFTER the spec script. The shooting script is often much longer as it includes more detail. Fourth, you're right that many directors prefer to skip the shooting script and go straight to the storyboard and shot list.

In CeltX (and in general), a shot is capitalized on the left with a colon followed by details.
DOLLY IN to MCU: pulse in as child actor throws hands up to his face in surprise.

Usually, sluglines are broken out into segments too. In another post, I gave an example.

I can see what you meant. The shotlist is different from the spec(ulative) script [initial] and the shooting script [with the included breakout].

Spec Script:

INT.  TOM'S CUBICLE - DAY
Tom sits at his desk staring at his computer.  He makes a few
furtive attempts to answer the email in front of him.  He sits
back when

Mary stands at the entrance to his cubicle and clears her throat.

Tom jumps.

Shooting Script:

10   INT. TOM'S CUBICLE - DAY                                    10

10A  DOLLY IN through cubicle opening to 

10B  MS of Tom
        Tom sits at his desk staring at the computer.

10C  OS of Tom
         Tom makes a few furtive attempts to type

10D  CU of computer screen - display email from Anne

10E  HIGH MS looking down on Tom over wall
        Mary (O.C.) clears her throat.

10F  2P with  Tom in fg and Mary in bg
        Tom jumps as Mary stands at the threshold.

10G  MLS 2P with Tom and Mary
        Tom hits the keypad and swivels about.

Shotlist:

SCENE   SHOT #      TYPE      MOVEMENT         DESCR                 ACTOR        PROP
10         1          MS      dolly in     est. shot of cubicle                                       
10         2          MS                   Tom at computer            Tom           computer
10         3          OS                   OS of Tom at computer      Tom           computer   
10         4          CU                   Email from Anne                          computer
10         5          MS      high angle   OS of Tom from entry wall  Tom           computer
10         6          2P      low angle    Tom (fg) lower, Mary (bg)  Tom, Mary
10         7          MLS     high angle   side view of Tom & Mary    Tom, Mary

Styles vary and formatting is inadequate but the beasts are different. Some writer/directors will go and rewrite the script to a shooting script. Others will simply make the shotlist directly from the spec script itself. Others, like the Coen Brothers, have an intermediate spec/shooting script style.

Hi all,
Here is an example, how would you do it differently?

A quick formatting

EXT. FRONT YARD - MORNING

ECU: Linda's eyes squinting suspiciously 

MS:  Linda's POV

the car sits like a force of doom


3     INT. HOTROD - MORNING

3A  MS: from back seat through window at Linda

as she stands directly in front of the car, sizing up here nemesis.  

                                       LINDA
                      MENA!

SLAM of the front door slams (O.C.)


4     EXT. FRONT YARD - MORNING

4A   WHIP PAN and follow Mena as she trots out and stops besides Linda. 

4B   MS, 2P:  Mena looks at the car for a moment then looks up to Linda. 

4C   HIGH ANGLE:  OS of Mena with CU of Linda

                                       MENA 
                       You're driving dad's car?

4D   LOW ANGLE:  OS of Linda with CU on Mena

                                        LINDA
                       Just for today.  (beat) Get in.


5     INT. HOTROD - MORNING

5A   MS:  from the back seat through window

Linda and Mena separate and enter the car from either side.

It's not particularly elegant but it helps to correlate the shot list with the shooting script which will help the camera men, the editor, script supervisor, and AD. Again, this isn't meant to be "the shooting script format", it is an example of one type. Do what works for your directing style.

 

[idenitycrisis27]

I've been told by instructors at film school, and fellow students that on scripts I've written, I give way too much explanation as to what the set looks like, and what shots should look like. I've also been told that I give just the right amount. I'm wondering about this as well. I personally think that shot description, or at the very least, scene description is necessary, but like I said, I've been told not to write anything other than stage business and blocking. If the actor isn't going to touch it, not to write it.

 

[trueindie]

I've been told by instructors at film school, and fellow students that on scripts I've written, I give way too much explanation as to what the set looks like, and what shots should look like. I've also been told that I give just the right amount. I'm wondering about this as well. I personally think that shot description, or at the very least, scene description is necessary, but like I said, I've been told not to write anything other than stage business and blocking. If the actor isn't going to touch it, not to write it.

You say under occupation that you're a writer, so for you, I think that the instructions were probably correct. I usually write for myself and it is full of detail about camera position and action. And I would get the same instruction from my summer school profs. I was told that a director should be able to make up his/her own mind, so I shouldn't put that stuff in there.

So for the purposes of the class I would edit out the details, so I would get an acceptable grade. But when I sit down to write anything, since it's really for myself, it looks more like Wheatgrinder's script than anything else, right from the beginning.
Cheers

 

[idenitycrisis27]

@Trueindie, I agree about that. I just get an idea stuck in my head, and I don't want to compromise on how the feel of a scene should be once it's been written, and I've given all the detail. The extra detail is a part of why the dialogue is then written the way it is, and I feel like the two parts of the script are intwined. When someone asks me to get rid of all that detail, I feel like I'm only giving them half of a finished script.

But then, this is all just my opinion on it.

 

[FantasySciFi]

I've been told by instructors at film school, and fellow students that on scripts I've written, I give way too much explanation as to what the set looks like, and what shots should look like. I've also been told that I give just the right amount. I'm wondering about this as well. I personally think that shot description, or at the very least, scene description is necessary, but like I said, I've been told not to write anything other than stage business and blocking. If the actor isn't going to touch it, not to write it.

Just as a cautionary note. Your instructors are correct about a SPEC SCRIPT. That is the script written to tell the story. The OP's question is about a SHOOTING SCRIPT, which is a different beast. This is the script that is used to actually make the movie and will often go through all sorts of revisions which may include colored sheets (especially for TV), scene revision numbering, etc. A shooting script is a script that has already been greenlit for production.

A script is a blueprint that other creative talent use. The writer should use broad brushstrokes in painting the scenery and costumes, the camera perspectives and the character's actions. Being a screenwriter is not about giving up control but learning to share creativity. Though sometimes it can feel like you give up control. If you want to put in detail, write the book. Otherwise, realize that the actual location is on a budget, so the "opulent sitting room with the Baroque statues and cherry furnishings" could become something much more mundane. Even actors feel that they need to alter dialogue and actions to make their character more believable. And that's the thing about the movie industry, you need to work and rely on the artistic abilities of many talents.

 

[WalterB]

..................The BIGGEST LIE I tell myself is that "I don't need to write it down" When will I learn to stop telling this LIE!

This is the most important lesson.
The rest is just about how to write it; that's just formatting.
But everything you don't write down, is something that can be forgotten.

I once didn't write 1 little note down on a storyboard.
And what happened?
The wrong person is holding the flashlight... It was late, we were tired and in a hurry: the perfect moment to forget what you didn't write down...

 

[mlesemann]

I never "wrote" a shooting script for my feature.

The director changed the settings in Final Draft to automatically add scene numbers for her use/DP's use.

She (the director) wrote the shot list, then reviewed it with the DP, and they amended/expanded it to fit their mutual needs.

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

If you look at "professional" scripts, for example I recently read the script for "The Mist", you do see specific shots listed. I think it's a fine line kind of thing. Sometimes the script won't read correctly without some specifics about what the audience is seeing, but you shouldn't write it like a shot list either.

To me a "shooting script" is just the script re-ordered into the order it will be shot.

 

[rayw]

The BIGGEST LIE I tell myself is that "I don't need to write it down" When will I learn to stop telling this LIE!

Same here.
I forget before I write down more than 3/4 of the stuff I think of.

Write your spec draft.
Scribble notes in the generous margins.
Prepare rudimentary storyboards if the settings and situation indicate it's sensible to do so.

Maybe if I had SIGNIFICANT money burning on the set with cast/crew/location rental then I'd fool around with a formal shooting script.

 

[wheatgrinder]

Rayw I see it exactly the opposite. Having the "working" (Id not say finished) shooting script keeps me from wasting money on the set trying to decided what shots to get.

I can NOT wing it worth a crap.. maybe when Iv been doing this for 10 years.. but as a noob.. I freak out and freeze up with out a plan!

I can write shot descriptions faster then I can draw boards, even bad ones..

story boards are to communicate to OTHERS, what I'm talking about is communicating with my self! This is just my own limited experience I'm talking bout by the way.

For me its seems the fastest path to a complete shot list is to write the shots into my script. Its not that much different than lining a script ...

For a previous project I created a nice complete shot list, but on the set could not easily connect the "shot" as listed to the script.. even though I had scene numbers etc.. in the fog of the moment I could not get it together quickly.

 

[rayw]

(A) Rayw I see it exactly the opposite. Having the "working" (Id not say finished) shooting script keeps me from wasting money on the set trying to decided what shots to get.

(B) I can NOT wing it worth a crap.. maybe when Iv been doing this for 10 years.. but as a noob.. I freak out and freeze up with out a plan!

(C1)For me its seems the fastest path to a complete shot list is to write the shots into my script. Its not that much different than lining a script ...

(C2)For a previous project I created a nice complete shot list, but on the set could not easily connect the "shot" as listed to the script.. even though I had scene numbers etc.. in the fog of the moment I could not get it together quickly.

(A) Fair enough. It's good to find what works for you, even if it means identifying what doesn't!

(B) Ah. I'm the "wing it" master. I can look at most situations and figure out ten solutions in descending order of acceptability in 0.5 secs - and then keep my mental NLE running. Wah. But this would only work for a short.
I'm sure for anything much longer than fifteen minutes final cut time I'd have to assume a great deal more responsibility.

(C1) & (C2) seem to oppose each other.
You'd like to include the shots as a shot list in the script (great, fine), but on the previous project the shot list and the situation did not shuck-N-jive with one another, essentially negating the point & purpose of the well thought out shot list.

Did I get that correct?

 

[wheatgrinder]

C2 is to illustrate that in that previous production a shot list in the "traditional" fashion ( where I reference scene numbers etc on the shot list) was not enough... In the heat of the moment I was not able to look at the script and connect to where I was in the shot lists or the other way around.

EDIT: Its not that the information wasnt there or incomplete in someway, rather it was not intuitive enough to manage and remain creative and flexible.


C1 is saying that its the same amount \ type of work to write shots into the script as it is to sit down and line out the script to create a shot list..