Style and content
Every script is presented and written differently to suite the purpose of them. Video game scripts follow a flowchart to help players see all the different paths and options they can use, the players can use to plan out how the video/game review will end up like. Video games will feature synopsis as part of the gameplay so that the audience will understand more about the game and its goal. TV news broadcast script would have a running order of stories with headlines first because they are the most important, but sometimes have to change their facts due to the events, interviews also have plan questions that will fit the time slot they have. The layout of scripts would have specific directions under the dialogue to help instruct the actors/presenter and production team they also make the script much easier to understand and help the actor know exactly what to do. For example acting for drama scripts, SFX (special effects) and silent. Script layouts can also contain the visuals and sound such as videos, graphics, voice overs and music. The CW/ EDIT/ SFX/ GFX is in capitals and justified to the right which is called a shooting script, whereas the dialogue would be justified to the center show in the TV news broadcast script and the location information is justified to the left.
The TV news report and documentary are both formal because they are trying to inform the audience and send out a message for example the documentary is trying to inform the audience about eating disorder, for example "most of these celebrities are slim or toned rather than plus size. This is a significant factor that can influence eating disorder" The news report also tries to send out a message about dropping out of school "educators say more and more students are dropping out - some at their parents' urging - because they don't see the value of high school". The game and radio drama are both informal because they are used for entertainment purposes. The computer game uses a flowchart to show the player all the different ways they can play the game, the players can choose the one they like more or the most interesting way. Whereas the radio drama script is set out like a conversation which is justified to the center " Mr Perkins: (OFF- pitching) hello....?! Samantha: (groans oh no. what does he want now? Jason: (whispers) who is he?"
All the scripts should be written in 12 pt Courier font as it is the stylistic convention of scripts. The only script that has used this is the radio drama script to make it more functional, whereas the rest of the scripts are not set out like that because they might be more flexibility with those types of media products. The TV news production team would make sure the presenter/interview know what kind of language to use – formal, chatty and that they won’t say anything inappropriate but TV news scripts wouldn’t usually use description as they are real life non-fictional events. The radio drama script would instruct the voice actor how to speak from what accents they should use to the style of language (formal, slang or chatty) to help the audience understand and get a visual image of the actor. In the documentary script there will usually be a character description at the beginning of the scene in brackets to help the production team know how the writer wants the actor to look and act. Most scripts use abbreviations to make the script neater and easier to use for example, if at a point in the script it uses sound effect it would be indicated with ‘SFX = (sound effect e.g. doorbell)’ , this would justified to the right. Some scripts don’t use it as it can be distracting, for example all 4 scripts I’m analysis. Most scripts will use quotation marks to show the presenter or character what to say for example in the computer game script there is a box with the character’s name and what to say in quotation marks “hero: “hey! This is a super-secret book of top secret codes and ciphers that I need, however the TV news broadcast script has what the presenter has to say in capital letters and what the people that are getting interviewed in green writing with quotation marks, “HER DREAM IS TO BECOME A PHYSICAL THERAPIST”. The documentary is written out like a speech that is been given out to a group of people so the presenter just needs to read through the script but make it more interesting by using face body language. The radio drama script has the character’s name in capital letters next to their lines,
“SAMANTHA (groans) oh no. what do you want now?
JASON (whispers) who is he?”
The mode of address is about how the text speaks to the audience to get their point across. Depending on the purpose of the script the mode of address can vary. For example, the computer game script and the documentary would have a peer to peer mode of address because it’s supposed to entertain and show them how to play the game. And the TV news script would have more of a teacher to pupil mode of address because it’s more formal and informative, whereas the radio script is meant to entertain the audience so it would have a peer to peer mode of address.
Scripts use stage/location directions to help instruct what the actors and production team need to do. For example in the radio drama script it starts sound effects to help the audience understand where they are “sounds of birds-song, distant lawn mower, bees buzzing etc.” sound effects act as cues in radio drama scripts so they are really important because it helps instruct the actor when and how to speak, “SQUEAKY GATE OPENING Mr Perkins: (off-pitching) hello…?!”
Narrative structure
Single stranded is a screenplay with one main protagonist usually in drama/TV based scripts to help the audience learn more about the main character, it also allows the audience to follow their journey and see thing from their perspective throughout the show. Multi-stranded scripts/dramas have more than one protagonist usually called a band of protagonists to make it more interesting and target at different ages, this helps the audience connect with different characters in different ways, and it creates a lot of spectacle. For example, the radio drama script and the news broadcast script. The radio drama scripts have more than one protagonist having a conversation with each other “ SAMANTHA: ‘yes please. And could you switch on the radio. I want to hear the forecast’ JASON: ‘I think you’ve missed it’ “ And the TV news script interviews people “ her dream is to become a physical therapist, and she can start collage soon ‘as soon as I can. As soon as I can get my GED.’“ the Channel 4 documentary only has one protagonist in the script but they tell you what others thought of a particular subject “We interviewed A level media teacher Milk Hatton…” “SO, Milk Hatton seemed to conclude that…” Computer game script is a single stranded script, you follow the players’ journey the game. The character dialogue is part of the game so the script is still a single stranded script. The computer game and documentary script follows a linear order whereas the radio drama follows a non-linear script, this makes it more interesting and creates spectacle. The TV news broadcast script doesn’t follow the linear or non-linear order, it has a running order of stories from the most important story (headlines) to the smaller stories. TV news broadcast scripts always includes the 5 w’s.
Genre
There are so many genres from drama, horror, romance, crimes and so on. All genres have sub genres, which mean a genre within a genre, Barry Keith Grant (1995) suggested that this allow audience to identify them specifically by their familiar specifics and what becomes recognizable when looking at characteristic. The computer game script is a fictional adventure script, this is show in the flowchart “hero: “Hey! This is the super-secret book of top secret codes and ciphers that I need!’ Both the documentary and TV news broadcast script are non-fictional scripts that are in the reality genre, they both try to inform/educate their target audience for example, (documentary) “If left untreated, it could lead to depression, obesity or anxiety” (TV news) “Educators say more and more students are dropping out…” The radio drama script is a fictional drama script, they are used to entertains people “SAMANTHA: (groans) oh no. What does he want now? JASON: (whispers) who is he?”
Target audience
Target audience is one of the most important things to consider when writing a script. The radio drama and computer game script are both aimed at different audience, for example the computer game script is aimed a niche teenage audience mostly male because of stereotype that suggest male play more video game than female, their life style would be playing games and they would most likely buy games with the spending money of their parents with a social grade of B/C1, whereas the Radio drama is aimed at a niche older audience, however they are both used for entertainment as a form of escapism from work, college or school.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) provides age ratings for films and documentaries in order to protect the audience from any harm or offensive language. The documentary script is aimed at a mass audience mostly both female and male teenagers ages 14-19 in school and college, this is because the script mentions students in school and social media (used by teenagers the most) “70% of students” “How media can affect eating disorder“ “In teens, about 17% of male and 21%of female are affected (binge eating)” it also could be aimed at parents and teachers from the A/B/C1 background because they might want to inform them about the topic. The TV news broadcast script also has a mass audience of parents/young adults both female and male who want to know information and what is going on, I know this because in the script it talks about how someone’s life got affected by dropping out of school and how they had to go back to get their dream job.
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