Hi folks  ,

I have been trying to resolve a slight issue I have here: my screenplay begins with a black screen and audio only of specific videos. Over come the opening credits and then the screen opens-up to a room in which televisions are showing the respective programmes.

Exactly how would you format these opening scenes. I've looked at a few classic scripts and none of them seem to feel right... for me. Any ideas? Examples? Though it is not stopping the writing it's a detail I would like cleaned-up.

Heaps, David

How important to the story are the TV shows? Are they just random show or do you need them to be saying something in particular?

Don't mention the credits in your scripts.  That's for starters.

The initial audio could be done in voice over:


FADE IN:

BLACKNESS!

                        NARRATOR (V.O.)
      The universe...  It's big.  Really big.  Bigger than anyone
      would dare to admit.  Kim Kardassian ass-big...

INT.  LIVING ROOM - TELEVISION SCREEN - DAY

KIM KARDASSIAN (30) struts her huge ass down a red carpet.  FLASH
BULBS fire off at her as she smiles smugly.

                       NARRATOR (V.O.)
     And this where our story begins.

The camera zooms on her huge ass.  The image is blurry at first, but
focuses quickly.

                       NARRATOR (V.O.)
     With that huge ass... Damn...



Hope this helps.


Phil

The story counter-poses liberal and conservative family life and the conflict between the two within a family. The father is a conservative man and works in a fund manager's firm.

The Tv shows will be/similar to many seen on Fox and many business channels. The audio/video helps set the tone for his attitudes and the influence of the media in creating a pressure-cooker sort of environment in which bigotry and male-machoism is engendered (not necessarily my opinion).

Now, to be honest, I'm not convinced that as screenwriter I should be directing where the audio for video begins - like I wouldn't (at this stage) write-in a "fade-in", "pan" etc. One script I checked-out was Contact - whereby the radio broadcasts are heard as the camera zooms through the galaxies. The formatting was negligible.

If they are just random, then it is easier...


OVER BLACK:

The sounds of various TV SHOWS. Quizshows, celebrity gossip and 24/7 news channels all fight for our ears attention. (or whatever shows/programs these are meant to be).

FADE IN:

INT. CONTROL ROOM -DAY

A plain white room with a bank of TV MONITORS stacked high on one wall....this is the source of the audio we heard before.


If the audio is important then you need to be more descriptive in your over black scene. You could maybe do..

OVER BLACK:

The sounds of various TV SHOWS all fighting for our ears attention.

                MONITOR 1
      yada yada yada yada....

                MONITOR 2
      Schmozey schmozey...

etc.. etc...

FADE IN:

Will you be using original audio and video?  Or real stuff?  That could be a little tricky if you're relying on real footage.


Phil

Thanks dogglebe,

I would tend toward the structure you have here. One thing though, the audio wouldn't be a narrator, but the characters in each respective TV show... So would you for example do this (using a well-known TV host as a hypothetical example):

FADE IN:

BLACKNESS!

                        GLEN BECK (V.O.)
      The universe...  It's big.  Really big.  Bigger than anyone
      would dare to admit.  Kim Kardassian A**-big...

INT.  LIVING ROOM - TELEVISION SCREEN - DAY

KIM KARDASSIAN (30) struts her huge A** down a red carpet.  FLASH
BULBS fire off at her as she smiles smugly.

                       BILL O'RIELLY (V.O.)
     And this where our story begins.

I'd love to use clips from their shows... doubt it would get okayed though.

Sorry, you beat me to it. In that case how about something like this...


OVER BLACK:

The sounds of 24/7 NEWS CHANNELS all fight for our ears attention. The world is going to hell. Privacy issues, gun control, abortion. The worst of America bares its soul and demands we listen.

FADE IN:

INT. CONTROL ROOM -DAY

A plain white room with a bank of TV MONITORS stacked high on one wall....this is the source of the audio we heard before.

Murphy, I like that one you give...

OVER BLACK:

The sounds of various TV SHOWS all fighting for our ears attention.

                MONITOR 1
      yada yada yada yada....

                MONITOR 2
      Schmozey schmozey...

FADE IN:

INT. CONTROL ROOM -DAY

A plain white room with a bank of TV MONITORS stacked high on one wall....this is the source of the audio we heard before.


If the audio is important then you need to be more descriptive in your over black scene. You could maybe do..

etc.. etc...

This seems pretty good... what do you think (I like it)?

Hey, brilliant guys... I'll keep watching here for ideas. Really grateful for your help.

David.

That works, too.

I have two mockumentary scripts in the shorts section, Pugumentary and The Documentary Killers.  Those might serve as references for you.


Phil

Murphy's way is better.

I'd never use "TV SCREEN" in a Slug, as it really doesn't make sense.  If you're going to show what is playing on a TV screen, after you've set your scene with a Slug, just use "ON TV SCREEN, after you've made it clear there is a TV in the room.

Works much better this way.

Checking them out right now Phil  

On a different note, how does Murphy have 39.75 posts per day?  WTF?  That's more than Ray, even!!!!!!  WOW!!!

Quoted from Dreamscale On a different note, how does Murphy have 39.75 posts per day?  WTF?  That's more than Ray, even!!!!!!  WOW!!!

Haha, I am obsessed.

Nah, I deleted my account and re-activated it, it takes a while for it to even out. My first day back I had 1000 posts a day.