I'm writing a script right now for a film I'm making (see W.I.P. board). I'm going to write it in shooting script format rather than a readers format because it'll, to me, be a bit quicker to write.

I was just wondering what type of things you put into shooting scripts? I mean, I've got a good idea of basic things like camera directions, but what else?

Thanks,

-Chris

read Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

NOTHING but scene directions! Ironilcy it's those scripts I learned my script writing skills from.... mainly.

RESERVOIR DOGS
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/reservoir.shtml

PULP FICTION
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/pulp.shtml



other than that... use many ANGLE ON and...stuff like that. in my experience writing shooting scripts gives you A LOT more freedom in how to write your script.

Good luck!

Basically with a shooting script, you're going to be putting everything you want into the script.  All the camera directions, closeups, all of it.

You'll also be able to put in the cut to's, and can even be specific as to what kind of cut you want.  Also, I think the we see's are ok in this case, as well as any music you plan on using.

I noticed on your poster in the other thread that this is an Emerald Pictures production.  Isn't that your prodco?

Thanks, Mike! Phew! This is going to be easy then! I won't have to sit there and think of ways to tell how I want a shot to look without saying anything about a camera or a we.

And Emerald Pictures is my little banner I put on there everytime I have something to do with the production of the film.

-Chris

Shooting scripts have more technical direction and other detail to them.  Camera angles, lighting direction, etc.  There's also more specifics to them, like the type of car a person drives or gun he carries.

Shooting scripts also have each scene numbers and more scene headers.


Phil

Shooting scripts have scene numbers because they can tend to be out of order of the story. They are printed out in "shooting order" which is not necessary chronological. Those scene numbers are there so when the shooting is done, they know exactly what order to put everything in when you get into editing. Most shooting scripts you find online have the numbers, but they've been reordered back to choronological order making the numbers rather redundant. However, that's the numbers' purpose.

I'm planning out what date each shot is supposed to be finished on, and as far as story this is out of order. So I print out each scene number and put them in the order I have them planned to be shot?

Well, you go through the script and number all the scenes. Once you have that done, you figure out when you're going to be shooting where. When you have your locations lined up, you reorder the script putting all those similar locations together so you can finish in one location and not have to return for a later scene. Hence the script goes into a shooting order as opposed to a story order. Once everything is shot, you go through the footage and using the scene numbers, put it all back in story order.

It's also easier to know what scenes are being shot.  If several scenes are being shot in a bakery, it's easy to say, "Today we're shooting scene numbers 3, 6, 7, 12, 15, etc."  than it it to say, "Today we're shooting the scenes where John meets Mary, where John buys Italian bread, where Bill loses his hat, the second time John bvuys Italian bread, etc."


Phil

Thanks guys! This really helps. I'm going to do this while shooting Mr. Gloom.

I have both the spec script and the shooting script  for
For Entertainment Purposes Only up in the shorts section.  You can look at both and compare.


Phil