|
|
|
| Free E-magazine |
| Subscribe to our Free E-Magazine on Films. |
| Learn More |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Home > Stages in Filmmaking > Development
| |
| | Development Stage of Film Making
| |
| |
This is the stage where an idea is fleshed out into a viable script. The producer of the movie will find a story, which may be from books, other films, true stories, original ideas, etc. Once the theme, or underlying message, has been identified, a synopsis will be prepared.
Step Outline:
This is followed by a step outline, which breaks the story down into one-paragraph scenes, concentrating on the dramatic structure. A step outline is a detailed telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay for a motion picture. The step outline details every scene and beat of a screenplay`s story, and often has indications for dialog and character interactions. The scenes are often numbered for convenience. It is more detailed and specific than either a treatment or an outline. It can also be an extremely useful tool for a writer working on a spec script.
Treatment:
Next, a treatment is prepared. This is a 25 to 30 page description of the story, its mood and characters, with little dialog and stage direction, often containing drawings to help visualize the key points. A treatment or more properly film treatment is a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards (index cards) and the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture. It is generally longer and more detailed than an outline (or one page synopsis) and shorter and less detailed than a step outline but it may include details of directorial style that an outline omits. They read like a short story. There are two types in this:
1. During the writing process. Original Draft Treatment:
Generally long and detailed. It`s compiled of full scene outlines put together. More than about 30 standard A4 pages (courier new 12 point), less than about 80 pages, and an average of about 40 pages. "The Terminator" original treatment is 44 pages.
2. As presentation material. Presentation treatment:
Generally the scene card descriptions written out in order. These only have the essential and important story events that make up the scenes. It`s the full story in it`s simplest form. Usually starting with the Concept, then the Theme then Character the detailed synopsis of about 4 - 8 pages of master scenes. This is either to show how the production notes have been incorporated into the screenplay for the director and production executives to look over, or to leave behind as a presentation note after a sales pitch. If a script submission requires a treatment, this would be the one you would send. More than about 3 pages, less than about 30 pages, and an average of 7-12 pages. Treatments are widely used within the motion picture industry as selling documents, whereas outlines are generally produced as part of the development process.
Screenplay:
The screenplay is then written over a period of perhaps six months, and will be rewritten several times to improve the dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialog, and overall style. A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. It can be adapted from a previous work such as a novel, play or short story, or it may be an original work in and of itself. A screenplay differs from a script in that it is more specifically targeted at the visual, narrative arts, such as film and television, whereas a script can involve a blueprint of "what happens" in a comic, an advertisement, a theatrical play and other "blueprinted" creations.
The major components of a screenplay are action and dialogue. The characters, when first introduced in the screenplay, may also be described visually. Screenplays differ from traditional literature conventions in ways described below, and in not involving emotion-related descriptions and other aspects of the story that may not be visually apparent in the end-product. A script for a television program is sometimes called a teleplay. Someone who writes screenplays is a screenwriter. The art of writing a screenplay is known as screenwriting and is dealt with separately.
Screenplay Format:
There is no unique "rule" for the writing of a screenplay, but throughout the world, within the relevant industries, several conventions are withheld and adhered to.
Film:
Motion picture screenplays intended for submission to mainstream studios, whether in the US or elsewhere in the world, are expected to conform to a standard typographical format known widely as studio format which stipulates how elements of the screenplay such as scene headings, action, transitions, dialog, character names, shots and parenthetical matter should be presented on the page, as well as the font size and line spacing. One reason for this is that, when rendered in studio format, most screenplays will transfer onto the screen at the rate of approximately one page per minute. This rule of thumb is widely contested -- a page of dialog usually occupies less screen time than a page of action, for example, and it depends enormously on the literary style of the writer. Most experienced readers of screenplays can judge simply by weight and thickness whether the screenplay is `too long` or `too short`.
After weighing it in the hand, the next act of a harried reader or executive will be to flick to the last page to see the page count. In Hollywood, ideally a screenplay should be 90-120 pages long. Comedies and children`s films tend to weigh in at the lower end. It is a common misconception that a screenplay `should` be 120 pages long; in fact 120 pages is at the very top of the acceptable range for most purposes. 110-115 pages is usually better in the mind of most executives. Anything more than 120 pages will set off alarm bells unless there is a substantial balancing factor. Most experienced readers can tell instantly whether a script is in standard studio format or not simply by looking at a couple of pages. If it is not, they will assume that the writer is inexperienced and may not read any further. Therefore it is important to know the rules.
Screenplays are almost always written using a monospaced font, often a variant of Courier although other fonts are sometimes seen; including special bitmapped fonts intended to resemble the output of an old battered typewriter such as a Remington Portable. Detailed computer programs designed specifically for screenplays, are Movie Magic and Final Draft. These are the industry standards for professional screenwriters. An open source (free) option is also available: Celtx is designed for screenplays and collaborations, and useful for teleplays and stageplays. Furthermore, screenwriting software for handheld devices (Palm OS, and Windows Mobile / Pocket PC) is also available with Script Right Mobile Edition
Television:
The main difference for TV shows is that TV scripts have act breaks. Multi-camera sitcoms, use a different, specialized format that derives from radio and the stage play. In this format, dialogue is double-spaced, action lines are capitalized, and scene headings are capitalized and underlined. The script format for documentaries and audio-visual presentations which consist largely of voice-over matched to still or moving pictures is different again and uses a two-column format which can be particularly difficult to achieve in standard word processors, at least when it comes to editing.
Physical Format
Screenplays are usually bound with a light card stock cover and back page, often showing the logo of the production company or agency submitting the script. Writer`s scripts are usually bound in a plain red or blue cover. Increasingly, reading copies of screenplays (that is, those distributed by producers and agencies in the hope of attracting finance or talent) are distributed printed on both sides of the paper to cut down on their bulk, and occasionally they are reduced to half-size to make a small book which is convenient to read or put in a pocket. However, writers should generally submit on single sided, full sized paper and leave the way the script is reproduced up to the agency or producer.
Although most writing contracts continue to stipulate physical delivery of three or more copies of a finished script, it is extremely common for scripts to be delivered electronically via email. Although most production companies can handle scripts in Final Draft, Movie Magic or MS Office format, it is better practice to supply scripts as a PDF file where possible. This is because it gives the writer final control over the layout of the script, which may otherwise vary depending on what fonts and/or paper size the recipient uses to print the script out.
Writing on Spec or Assignment
Screenplays can be written either on "spec" or as assignment. Writing on assignment. Assignments are commissioned by production companies or studios on the basis of pitches from producers or writers, or literary properties they already own. Most established writers do most of their work on assignment and will only "spec" scripts which they think no-one will pay them to write, or if they cannot find assignment work.
An assignment may be for an original screenplay, or for a screenplay based on another work such as a novel, film, short story, magazine article, non-fiction book or, increasingly, computer game. It may also, however, be for a re-write of an existing script, and in fact this is how a large proportion of writers in the modern studio system make their living. Re-writing scripts is an art in itself and an extremely lucrative one at that. Re-writing is difficult because executives often have very clear ideas about what is wrong with a script, however, they are usually unable to provide detailed prescriptions for ways it can be fixed. This is not surprising, because screenwriting is not the expertise of the executive, but of the screenwriter. The writer is therefore usually expected to come up with a detailed prescription for how the script can be improved, and then execute this in a timely fashion. During the process of choosing a writer to rewrite a script the executives may ask several writers for their `take` and choose the one who appears to have the greatest likelihood of moving the script forward to the point where it may be greenlit for production.
Before `going to script` a writer may be asked to write a treatment, an outline, or a step outline describing the script in various granularities of detail. Some writers resist this process and will do anything to avoid it and get down the writing the script itself; others embrace the process. It is fair to say that producers tend to be wary of the former and pleasantly surprised by the latter.
Spec Scripts
Spec scripts (short for speculative) are written independently by screenwriters in hopes of optioning and eventually outright selling them to producers or studios. The process of `going out` with a spec script can be an extremely tense and nerve racking one for a writer. The writer`s agent will identify a number of prospective buyers who may range from small independent producers to executives working in the major studios, and attempt to build up `heat` under the script. The script is sent out simultaneously to all the prospective buyers, usually to be read over the weekend, in the hope of attracting a bidding war. Within a few days it is abundantly clear whether the script is going to sell or not. If it does, the writer may receive a payment of anything from a few tens of thousands of rupees to a few lakhs. If not, the script is often dead in the water because it is now in the databases of the studios and development executives, and has been marked as having being `passed` on.
It is almost impossible to get a studio to read a script again which they have already turned down, even if it has been entirely rewritten. A popular vignette has an executive glancing at the title, saying "I read that", and tossing it in the trash. One strategy employed by some writers when resubmitting a script is to change the title, page count and the names of the major characters so that the script is not flagged up when the database is checked. Sample scripts are not (usually) intended for production, but to showcase the writing skills of the screenwriter, in hopes of coaxing an agent to represent the screenwriter or a producer to hire the writer. Very often a spec script which fails to sell goes on to be a sample script.
The Development Process
Once a studio has purchased or commissioned a script, it goes through the process of revisions and rewriting until all stakeholders are satisfied and ready to proceed. It is not uncommon for a script to go through many, many drafts on its journey to production. Very few scripts improve steadily with each draft, and when a certain avenue has been exhausted the writer will often be replaced and another brought in to do a re-write. Occasionally it becomes impossible to satisfy all such parties, and the project enters "development hell".
If a studio decides it does not wish to proceed to production with the script, the project enters `turnaround`. Another studio may purchase the script from its original owner, but the script is encumbered with the development costs the studio has already incurred. At a certain point, it may simply be uneconomic for anyone to purchase the script, even if it is a very good one. This goes part of the way to explaining why some of the best scripts in remain un-produced.
The Shooting Script
A shooting script is a version of a script from which a movie is actually shot; it includes scene numbers, camera angles and certain directors` notes -- and it is generally fiercely marked up by the script supervisor and other production workers, while the writer`s draft is simply the skeleton around which the production is built. Sometimes, it is far more practical and economical to shoot some scenes consecutively on the same day, even though the scenes appear in the original script far apart from each other. In doing so the producer benefits the cost savings related to renting the equipments for only a single day rather than two different days. At other times, the benefit may be that the location for the shoot is only available for a limited time in which all the scenes must be shot, even though they are not consecutive in the original script. Thus, once again, the scenes will be rearranged in the shooting script so that they may be shot consecutively on the same day. This is a main benefit of shooting scripts: they allow the best possible utilization of all available resources.
Once a script is approved for production, and pre-production begins, it is scene-numbered and page-locked. Scenes are numbered for easy reference, and page-locking allows everyone to keep the same copy of the script even if the script changes. Changes are supplied as colored pages which people involved in production insert in their script, replacing or adding to the pages already there. Since writing often goes on even during production itself, most real shooting scripts are a rainbow of gold, pink, blue, green and other colors. The order in which colored pages (often referred to as pink pages regardless of their actual color) are introduced into the script is rigidly fixed for a particular production.
Transcripts
A screenplay is different from a transcript. A transcript is simply a copy of what dialogue finally appeared onscreen, without regard to the original script, the stage directions or action. A full post-production transcript may also include descriptions of the action on-screen, but since it is generally not written by a professional writer but either a production assistant or a fan, it may not be particularly entertaining to read. Many published screenplays available at booksellers or downloaded from the internet are in fact glorified post-production transcripts rather than shooting scripts. Transcripts and screenplays often differ radically because scenes are frequently re-ordered or dropped entirely during the editing process. Moreover, actors may change lines or simply improvise dialog, and many directors will make their own changes to the script on the fly during rehearsal or shooting. It can be extremely revealing to compare a shooting script with the film as finally distributed.
A film distributor should be contacted at an early stage to assess the likely market and hence financial success of the film. Distributors will adopt a hard-headed business approach and consider factors such as: the film genre, the target audience, the historical success of similar films, the actors who might appear in the film and the potential directors of the film. All these factors imply a certain attraction of the film to a possible audience and hence the number of "bums on seats" during the theatrical release. Films rarely make a profit from the theatrical release alone, therefore DVD sales and worldwide distribution rights need to be taken into account.
The movie pitch is then prepared and presented to potential film financiers. If the pitch is successful and the movie is given the "green light" then financial backing is offered, typically from a major film studio, film council or independent investors. A deal is negotiated and contracts are signed.
| |
| |
|
