P3: Script Planing

 P3: Script Planing for Media Products

Name of Show: 'Society Salem'

Genre: The genre of my series is a drama, sci-fi narrative, this being a drama as I was requested in the brief given to create a a drama for young audiences for BBC 3, as well as it being a sci-fi hybrid as there is a consistent them of the magical within the show. 

Target Audience: The target audience of my drama series are female as well as male groups, these audiences ranging from ages 16-24. Their demographic being young teenagers who enjoy watching dramatised shows that showcase a narrative between other teenagers and the life they life, as well as, incorporations of sci-fi elements such as the supernatural. The show will be aired from 19:00pm to 04:00am on BBC 3. 

Spec Script or a Shooting Script: A spect script is written for a reader, not a director; it's not like a novel, but it should flow more like prose, where as a shooting script is more of a production document. Whereas a shooting script is much easier to read in which it is less of a narrative and more straight forward and to the point that entails what exactly is happening in the scene. Due to this, I will be writing a 'shooting script' as I feel this conveys the narrative and my idea's in a way that is more clear for the reader, director and actors. 

Chosen Idea: My chosen idea is my first developed idea's mind-map, this being the first scenes of the first episode of the series. I feel this is the best possible way to introduce the audience to the narrative as it introduces all characters, themes, relationships and climatic events in the first episode. The Brief we have been given, seen below, implied that a Leeds based company has secured funding that will allow me to create a short sequence for the show I pitched previously (Unit 21). This trailer has to be between 10-15 minutes in total, it has asked me to write a screenplay around my chosen sequence for the trailer.

I feel this is the strongest idea as again, it introduces clearly the key characters of the show as well as important events and themes that will drive the show's narrative arc. This is the strongest idea as the audience will get a sense of the elements involved that is directed to their specific target audience wants, such as the stereotypical teenage girl drama, supernatural themes/events in a narrative, friendships and romance. This will peak the interest of the audience as it sets up the narrative for what is to come, the use of the 'supernatural', a theme specific for my target audience, will engross them as well as the likability of the chosen characters. As the target audience is a group of female and male teens, (16-18), the stereotypical genre they are most interested in is drama romance, as the show incorporates romance and drama itself, therefore, they will be drawn to watch it. To add to this, there is a strong sense of a 'supernatural' element within the series, as my target audience is deeply interested in this and have previously watched shows/movies with this element, it will appeal to them. Although it is not the strongest part of the narrative, this being the beginning, I feel it is a great setup of the show and the characters that will appeal to the audience without giving too much away. It subtly showcases the themes incorporated into the show and allows the audience an idea of it's concepts. 

Promotional Extract: The brief has asked me to create a promotional extract from the TV series, this will then give an idea of what the narrative will look like to the audience and allow them to judge if this is a show they will be interested in to watch. I will need to write a script for this, this will then be a 'shooting script' as I feel it will make the shooting process more simple and gives a clear idea of what is happening in each scene rather than in a prose narrative form. 

Angle of Article: The show will surround the main character of the narrative, this being the female lead, 'Luna'. This will then be written in her perspective (her POV), this then will give the audience the ability to relate to the main character and find her a relatable protagonist. I feel this is a suitable fit as most shows led by a single main voice can be seen as more appealing as the audience can either disagree or agree with the characters actions and or views. Statistically, more women watch shows that involve themes such as the life within high-school, teenage drama and relationships, therefore, by the main character identifying as a female it is more likely my target audience will be appealed to watch the show. 

Scenes: The scenes that will be in the script will be the introduction of the main character, 'Luna', in which we watch her take part in her morning routine before she leaves for school; this then clearly introduces the character and opens on a positive note that coveys the tone of the narrative. Throughout the main characters routine she will be using magic, this introduces the supernatural element of the show, giving the audience a taste of what will be happening. 

Action Blocks/colloquialism/voiceover/inner monologue: The character will talk in a voice over while the scenes of the character getting ready is shown on screen, this while be over-laid in the footage. This will then help map out what the characters inner dialogue is so the audience can understand better what type of character they are. As well as this, I will use 'action blocks' to demonstrate the narrative is in present tense as the character speaks, this will be evidently written in the script. The accent of the character will be British, Yorkshire, this will be more accurate as the target audience will be from Britain as well as BBC 3 being a source of British television. 

12pt Courier: The script I will write will be written in 12pt Courier, this being as most known scripts are written in this format as it is easier to read for the actor, director, editor, etc. As well as this, the space between the lines will have enough paragraph space to be read easily, to add to this, a page of script is a minute of film therefore this needs to be consistent with this rule.

Characters: The characters within this episode will be the main female character, 'Luna', whom we follow throughout the narrative. As well as, the three other female characters who will be side protagonist's within the TV Shows story, lastly the male love interest will also be shown within this 15 minute snippet. 

Industry Standard Format: Throughout the script I will need to use industry standard format to be consistent with a formal and professional format. I will also use the stereotypical and expected layout conventions for a TV script drama, this will include: spacing between the lines to help the reader to understand and see the script clearly, character titles, transitions, FX symbols, action lines/parenthetical's, bracket lines, slug lines, etc.

Gannt Chart:  

Technical Terms: Within the short snippet of the TV Show I will use a variety of transitions that help convey the narrative to my audience. This may include: fade ins to showcase characters introductions, dissolves when exiting scenes, intercuts when opposing characters are in conversation, cuts from one scene to the next, etc. These transitions will convey to the Director, Editor and Cinematographer what is needed to be edited in each scene, and therefore conveying the intended mood. This is important as helps the editor understand when there will be various transitions in each piece of footage so they can accurately edit the narrative told within the screenplay. This is also used by the Director as it again helps them to understand when the next scene in the script will begin and end, as well as any stylistic choices they want to use in their transitions. 

Parenthetical: Within my script there will be a use of parenthetical's that will help guide the actors on what they're expressions, emotions and actions need to be. These descriptions explain to the actor/actress if there is a need for a certain way to vocalise their line, e.g. whispering, shouting, etc. As well as explaining a specific way they are needed to express this line, this could be with a hand action, a head movement, saying the line with a sense of sarcasm, melancholy, singing, etc. These parenthetical's will all help to correctly show the way in which the line is meant to be conveyed to the audience and therefore an important part of the script. Parenthetical's will be used in the 'Society Salem' script to help convey the expressions and or actions needed from the actor/actress, again, this will be formatted in the traditional, professional format. 

Action: The action lines will be written in the present tense within the script, these are included to help convey what is happening in the scene to both the actor/actress, director, editor and cinematographer. These action lines will be written underneath the actors character and or location so the reader understands who is saying what dialogue, where and when. All action lines in 'Society Salem', will be presented in a professional formatted manner that is conventional within the Film Industry, this being labelled in the script after the title line of the character and or location, thus showing who is conveying the action line.

Dialogue: Dialogue is written in the script to showcase to the actor/actress, director, editor and cinematographer who is speaking. The dialogue may be written in a certain way to help convey to the reader how it should be vocalised, the screen writer may use italics to emphasise emotion in the line, they may write it should be formal or informal and or even with slang in a parenthetical line to convey the tone to the actor. Dialogue within 'Society Salem' will be written in the standard, studio professional format so it conforms to professional scripts used in the Film Industry.

Linear: The events in the story will unfold in a chronological way, this meaning being told to the audience from the way in which they occurred. Within the 'Society Salem' script there is not many flashbacks and therefore the script will be linear. 

Non-Linear: Like I have explained above, the events of 'Society Salem' will be told chronologically and therefore not 'non-linear'. There is not a use of flashbacks within the script so there is not a need for 'non-linear' presentations within the script. 

Multi-Stranded/Single-Stranded:

The BBC 3 Drama will be a single stranded show, this being because the narrative follows one sole main character and her story; the show does divulge into other side characters but there is no separated stories that develops the narrative. However, 'Multi-stranded' narratives follow numerous story lines, this can be seen in TV Shows such as 'Game of Thrones'. 

Three Act Structure: 

Act 1: Setup - The setup of the show introduces the main character, 'Luna', this showcasing her her as well as her parents and the way she interacts with the world. She is a light hearted, positive yet introverted character, we get to see this through her morning routine and the voice over we hear as the character gets ready for the day. In this introduction we see the protagonist's room and environment, this giving a sense of openness and opportunity that directly reflects the personality of the character. 

Act 2: Confrontation - The middle of the 15 minute snippet of the TV Show demonstrates Luna to be getting ready and nearly missing her bus to school. Although this is isn't the most exciting introduction I feel it is significant as introduces the character fully as well as their personality that the audience may be able to relate to. Furthermore, this snippet showcases the protagonist using her supernatural powers, this peaking the interest of the audience as they get to see a major theme within the TV Show.

Act 3: Resolution - The ending of this 15 minute snippet ends on the character leaving the house ready for school, this gives an ending to the scene and intrigues the audience of what is to happen next, therefore possibly making them want to watch the show due to the introduction of the character. 

Formatting:

Important pages from the script analysed through noting their title and function