LO1: Task 3: Comparison of Example Scripts

A) STYLE & CONTENT
All of these should be written in 12 pt Courier font, however only two of them use this house style; 'The Godfather' film script extract and the radio drama extract. This is because scripts are supposed to be functional and this is a stylistic convention of scripts. The other three scripts might not have been set out in this conventional way because there is more flexibility with those types of media product. Interviews are often contain spontaneous speech, television news broadcasts often have to change their facts due to the way they are covering current events and video game scripts actually follow a flowchart style format because players can choose various options that consequently lead them on different paths. When considering the layout of the scripts, specific directions are written in between the dialogue to instruct the production team. Examples of these directions include acts in drama scripts, news items for factual media products (written N.I), special effects (SFX), silent, sound off tape and natural sound off tape (SOT and NATSOT). These directions are often abbreviated so into recognisable terms so that scripts are neater and more practical. Other specific conventions of script layouts include 'visual' and 'aural'; which aesthetics we see (including videos, graphics, labels and photography) and the sound effects, voices and music we hear. 

Scripts are used by most members of the production team; including the presenters/actors/interviewees, writers, directors, producers, camera operators, special effects crew, game developers and show runners. This is so that everybody understands what content is going to be created; for example, the script is there so that the actors know what they're doing and saying, so that the camera operators know what, who and when they will be filming certain shots and so that the special effects crew know which sounds and effects they will be using and when they will be using them. Another advantage of the script being accessible to everybody on the production team is that any mistakes or issues can be addressed. Alternatively, video games often feature a synopsis as part of their game play. This is in order to summarise the narrative of the game, providing the players with background knowledge and other helpful pieces of information essential to the game play. 

Various types of scripts use stage and location directions to instruct the actors to carry out certain actions and for the production team to use specific stage dressings. For example, in 'The Godfather' film script extract, the stage directions inform the actor playing Don Corleone of how he should react to hearing the news that his son has been murdered; "Don Corleone blinks. One feels that just for a second he looses all physical strength; he clasps his hands in front of him on the top of the desk and looks into Hagen's eyes". Similarly, sound effects are important in radio drama scripts as they act as cues, instructing the actors and special effects crews as to which sounds should be played to help maintain the verisimilitude of the media product. This is evident in the radio drama script when the cue "Sound: SFX of the room, there is silence between Catherine and Michael and in the background we can make out a TV in the background which is turned on" is written between the dialogue. 

The film and radio scripts will have character descriptions usually at the beginning of the script but also throughout them; this is so the production team know how the writers want the characters look, and to inform the actors of any specific behaviours or mannerisms (in regards to television dramas and film). When considering the description of characters in a radio drama script the purpose of this is to instruct the voice actors how to speak; whether or not to adopt a particular accent or dialect, colloquialisms and idiolect. Descriptions are not usually used in scripts for television news broadcast or interview as these are real life non-fiction events, however the presenters and interviewees will have been briefed by the production team and director prior to recording to ensure that they know whether to adopt a formal or conversational register and that they won't use any vulgarisms or anything inappropriate. Sound effects in scripts are often indicated with the abbreviation 'SFX'. This is a universally recognised term and it makes the script neater and more practical.

Mode of address defines the relationship between the person doing the addressing and the person being addressed. This varies from each script depending on its purpose and level of formality. For example, in regards to the video game script which is designed to entertain, inform and provide guidance in the game, its mode of address is 'parent to child' because of its informal register. Similarly, the television news script and interview script are intended to inform, however their mode of address would be 'teacher to pupil' as they only really have the purpose to provide information and have formal registers. Considering the radio drama and film scripts, the register is informal and the purpose is to entertain the audience and so therefore their modes of address would be 'peer to peer'. 

B) NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
There are four common narrative structures in scripts, these are: single-stranded, multi-stranded, linear and non-linear. In relation to the sample scripts I researched, the radio drama script, film script, interview script and news script are all multi-stranded, as they each present narratives/stories/non-fiction events from several different perspectives. On the contrary is the video game script, which is single-stranded as it tells the narrative from the perspective of the one character in the game that the player is controlling. In this case, all of the example scripts are linear, as they follow a chronological narrative structure. 

SINGLE-STRANDED 
A single stranded script is taken from the perspective of one character. It is taken from first person and is common in film and documentaries. An example of a first person script would be from the 2008 film 'Cloverfield', which is presented in the form of found footage, taken from one of the character's personal video cameras (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxqSIsxMlYQ). Single stranded scripts can also be found in video games, such as Fallout 3; where players create their own character to play from the perspective as in game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaTCXkTT1t0).

MULTI-STRANDED
A multi stranded script is taken from several points of view and has a particular running order. This type of narrative strand is common in TV dramas and soaps. An example of a multi stranded script would be from the AMC horror drama 'The Walking Dead', which follows a variety of different characters in different places at the same time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hyS1XV96po).

LINEAR 
A linear script is when the story is in chronological order; it generally has a beginning, a middle and an end. An example of a linear script would be the TV series '24', where events actually take place in real time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lxDREJ4vTo). Another example of a linear script would be on BBC news when they present the bulletins or when they interview guests. However, a BBC news script is more likely to have a running order as opposed to a narrative structure because it is a factual piece.

NON LINEAR
A non linear script is when the story jumps about; possibly using flashbacks and flashforwards in a non chronological order. An example of this would be the 1979 film 'Quadrophenia', where the last scene actually occurs at the very beginning of the film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds1aqhxKY7M). The effect of a non-linear script on the audience would be excitement because they have to become an active audience in order to work out what is happening on screen. Non-linear scripts are intended to create spectacle.

C) GENRE

As I previously touched upon, radio drama script, film script and video game script are all informal as they exist in order to entertain the audience. In contrast, both the television news script and the interview script are formal as their purpose is to inform and because they are real life, factual non-fiction media products.

D) TARGET AUDIENCE 

Target audience is something important to consider when writing a script. Regarding the example scripts I have researched, they all have differing target demographics. For the video game script, the target audience is primarily teenagers (ages twelve to approximately twenty), slightly more male to female ratio (as stereotyping suggests that males play video games more often than females however this has been contradicted according to recent surveys) who purchase games using spending money from their parents who are from B/C1/C2 backgrounds. As part of their lifestyle they often play video games as a source of escapism from school/college. The PEGI (Pan European Game Information) ratings of the different gaming scripts also help dictate the age range of the target audiences. Similarly, the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) provides ages ratings for films and television programmes. These regulators act as a guideline to the platforms that broadcast the content, e.g. Television channels, cinemas and radio stations. For example, the age rating of The Godfather from the example script is rated as a fifteen age certificate, indicating that it is unsuitable for viewers under the age of fifteen. 

Alternatively, the target demographics for the radio drama and film scripts are adults and older people (from about eighteen plus) of a slightly more female to male gender ratio from B/C1 spending powers. However, just like the target audience for the video games script, these people use radio dramas and films as sources of escapism from work life and the toils of the daily grind. These people are generally passive viewers and enjoy various different types of drama, be it soap operas to horror survival programmes. 

Similarly, the target audience for the television news script and the interview script are also adults of an equally split gender ratio. These are people who are active viewers and are interested in keeping up with current affairs and will tune into these media products very regularly. They have the spending powers of A/B as they will be intellectual individuals who have generally made it to the top of their careers.