Writing a script!- Technical Elements

To explain the various elements needed to creative a script, I'm going to analyse a script which has been already written.

Usually, a script must start with 'fade in'.

The elements shown above are:
Scene heading- a brief, one line description of the time of day/setting

Action- A narrative description of the events in the scene

Character- Name must be capped and always appears above his dialogue. If it is the character's first appearance, a description of the character would be given.

Usually, a script also contains the shot types used, transitions and a description of a character when they we first meet them. Here are some examples:

This is an example of the kind of description that would be given when a character is first introduced. Their first piece of dialogue would feature below their name, which would be in capitals.

When transitions are included, this means it is a shooting script, as they act as editing instructions. So, for example, there might be a DISSOLVE TO or a CUT TO to indicate a changing of scene etc.

Shot types may also be included to make the reader aware of the focal point of the scene and also the changes in focal point. For example, you might see POV SHOT or MIDSHOT.