All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
Consider the following scene: A lecture theatre, the professor is speaking at the front of the class, however I want to "angle on" some whisperings of the pupils. Naturally, the professor is going to continue his stream of talking. How do I show this?
A quick internet search revealed to methods and I'm not sure which is best (or if there's a different one altogether!): 1. Do two sets of dialogue opposite each other down the page. So the professor talking on the right and the whispering on the left. However, I think this is used primarily for people talking over each other and the timing will also go slightly askew. 2. Alternatively, put "(MORE)" at the bottom of the initial professors dialogue, cut to ("angle on") the whispering pupils, and then return with "(CONT'D)" to the professors monologue.
The director will know exactly what to do. I would not put "angle on" or any other camera direction in your script, it's not needed. Anyways, that how I do it.
If it is essential that the professor's speech be scripted and that the whispers be timed off of his speech, then the split dialogue is the best way to do it. The timing would be aligned as close as possible during the filming and editing process so the effect remains.
Another option if timing is not so important would be to note in a preceeding action paragraph that the professor's speech is simultaneous with the student whispers, write out the entire speech the professor is giving, then note in the following action paragraph that the dialogue whispers to follow is simultaneous with the professor's speech, and then write the whole dialogue. This is more of less a method used in musicals to indicate simultaneous singing.
The option of splitting the speech into segments is a decent one if the other two are too hard to pull off, but it gives the appearance of normal dialogue which is not what is going on.
My first choice (even if timing isn't important) is the first one with the split so the reader gets an authentic feel of what's going on. The second way is a fair backup, but it loses the effect.
However, I need to include some action information within the student's whispered dialogue; and therefore I don't think I could do split-side by side-dialogue, unless I put the action to one side as well, right? Which isn't ideal.
In that case would the backup of doing the monologue and then followed by the dialogue with a note be better?
Actually, you could place the action paragraphs within the framework of the split dialogue in their normal positions. This wouldn't cause a problem in the read or flow. Since two things are going on at the same time, you just have to specify what's going on with whom.
I had the same problem with my series when they went to a press conference for Red Phoenix, ultimately I decided that the character interaction was more important for the story than what the guys on-stage even though they're famous were saying.
Though if you watch shows that have the college scene, like say Buffy you can hear the professor in the background but what they're saying is about as important as toilet water.
I guess it's up to you as the writer, readers won't care much as long as you don't start with that scene. (When all else fails listen to George)
Consider the following scene: A lecture theatre, the professor is speaking at the front of the class, however I want to "angle on" some whisperings of the pupils. Naturally, the professor is going to continue his stream of talking. How do I show this?
I guess that while you "angle on" the whisperings, the proffesor´s lecture would just be a distant monologue in the background, and its exact content would be irrelevant. If that´s the case, you could try something like this:
Cool. Thanks. I've shorten the Professor's monologue and thrown in the "angled on" stuff afterwards (without "angle on" - as people seem to dislike that, right?).
One more question, if I may:
For character's ages, where the exact age is not important. Is, for example, "JOHN (~30)" acceptable for John who's around 30?
You can write "JOHN (30´s)" for example, no problem there.
You can write "JOHN (30)" as well, even if his exact age is not important. People in charge of casting will interpret this as "someone who´s around 30"; if they find the perfect John and he happens to be just 29, they will hire him just the same.
I have a few technical questions along these lines.
1) How do you format a two column section in the middle of a script with the rest of the script in normal format? In other words, my documents always default to one format or the other. How do I columnize a particular section?
2) Is there a way to write two columns separately? In other words, do I have to just write it and bump it into the next column, space it, play with it, etc., or can I write them as two distinct columns and match them?
3) Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey has a columnized section in it and it was written long before home computers. How did he do it?
I have a few technical questions along these lines.
1) How do you format a two column section in the middle of a script with the rest of the script in normal format? In other words, my documents always default to one format or the other. How do I columnize a particular section?
2) Is there a way to write two columns separately? In other words, do I have to just write it and bump it into the next column, space it, play with it, etc., or can I write them as two distinct columns and match them?
3) Kubrick?s 2001: A Space Odyssey has a columnized section in it and it was written long before home computers. How did he do it?
Actually, the easiest way to do in most formats, and the way Mr. Kubrick would have done it as well, is to manually set tabs to accomodate the two-column setup. There really aren't hard and fast rules here that I'm aware of. The key is to make it look good.
The link below is actually to a libretto for a musical I wrote, but as such, it is chock full of two column stuff since characters sing various lines over each other, so not only does it have to look good, but the lines have to sync up with one another. This script contains the occasional two-column split, as well as three and four column splits. It's an html document, so each one had to be done manually.
I'm not asking anyone to read this, exactly, but just kind of scan through it looking for the column stuff. I will add that this is not a screenplay, but a musical play, so as a result, it is in stage play format. The dialogue stuff is similar enough to let me use it as an example here.
Thank you so much. That was so simple, I feel foolish for not seeing it. I knew it could be done. I guess I was looking for something more complex. Thank you. At long last, I can complete a certain section of a certain script the way I originally intended it to go.
The basic definition is that a dash is normally used for interruptions of thought and the ellipsis for continuation of thought. An ellipsis at the end of a sentence normally means the character did not continue the thought.
However, in a fit of wonderful irony, Kevan had JUST sent me something that helps with this little topic. He said it came with Moviemaker. It's a 2 page pdf that has some good examples.
Pages: 1, 
Author
A quick formatting question
Logged
Locked Board