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46-441: This list of screenwriting awards for film is an index to articles on notable awards given for film screenwriting . The list is organized by region and country of the awards venue or sponsor, but winners are not necessarily restricted to people from that country. Screenwriting Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the script, screenplay, dialogues and delivering it, in

92-633: A tag , an epilogue after the action in Act 3. Here is a chronological list of the major plot points that are congruent with Field's Paradigm: The sequence approach to screenwriting, sometimes known as " eight-sequence structure ", is a system developed by Frank Daniel , while he was the head of the Graduate Screenwriting Program at USC . It is based in part on the fact that, in the early days of cinema, technical matters forced screenwriters to divide their stories into sequences, each

138-413: A basic premise and setting that creates a story engine that can drive individual episodes, subplots, and developments. Television show creators write the television pilot and bible of new television series. They are responsible for creating and managing all aspects of a show's characters, style, and plots. Frequently, a creator remains responsible for the show's day-to-day creative decisions throughout

184-489: A contract to write one or more episodes for an existing television show. After an episode is submitted, rewriting or polishing may be required. A staff writer for a TV show generally works in-house, writing and rewriting episodes. Staff writers—often given other titles, such as story editor or producer —work both as a group and individually on episode scripts to maintain the show's tone, style, characters, and plots. Serialized television series will typically have

230-601: A finished product for the enjoyment of its audience. For this reason, a screenplay is written using technical jargon and tight, spare prose when describing stage directions. Unlike a novel or short story , a screenplay focuses on describing the literal, visual aspects of the story, rather than on the internal thoughts of its characters. In screenwriting, the aim is to evoke those thoughts and emotions through subtext, action, and symbolism . Most modern screenplays, at least in Hollywood and related screen cultures, are written in

276-401: A much shorter third act than is found in most screenwriting theories. Besides the three-act structure, it is also common to use a four- or five-act structure in a screenplay, and some screenplays may include as many as twenty separate acts. The hero's journey , also referred to as the monomyth , is an idea formulated by noted mythologist Joseph Campbell . The central concept of the monomyth

322-483: A novel, poem, play, comic book, or short story. The act of screenwriting takes many forms across the entertainment industry. Often, multiple writers work on the same script at different stages of development with different tasks. Over the course of a successful career, a screenwriter might be hired to write in a wide variety of roles. Some of the most common forms of screenwriting jobs include: Spec scripts are feature film or television show scripts written without

368-399: A script on speculation, it is generally not advised to write camera angles or other directional terminology, as these are likely to be ignored. A director may write up a shooting script themselves, a script that guides the team in what to do in order to carry out the director's vision of how the script should look. The director may ask the original writer to co-write it with them or to rewrite

414-423: A script that satisfies both the director and producer of the film/TV show. Spec writing is also unique in that the writer must pitch the idea to producers. In order to sell the script, it must have an excellent title, good writing, and a great logline , laying out what the movie is about. A well-written logline will convey the tone of the film, introduce the main character, and touch on the primary conflict. Usually

460-448: A script's central premise or characters are good but the script is otherwise unusable, a different writer or team of writers is contracted to do an entirely new draft, often referred to as a "page one rewrite". When only small problems remain, such as bad dialogue or poor humor, a writer is hired to do a "polish" or "punch-up". Depending on the size of the new writer's contributions, screen credit may or may not be given. For instance, in

506-518: A show or movie after the production logos and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text. Some opening credits are built around animation or production numbers of some sort (such as the James Bond films). Opening credits mention the major actors; the lead actor is prominent, and the supporting actors follow. Others that are listed are guest stars, producers and director, as opposed to closing credits , which list

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552-428: A style known as the master-scene format or master-scene script . The format is characterized by six elements, presented in the order in which they are most likely to be used in a script: Scripts written in master-scene format are divided into scenes: "a unit of story that takes place at a specific location and time". Scene headings (or slugs) indicate the location the following scene is to take place in, whether it

598-475: A team of writers as part of a specific format. This may involve the slate of questions and even specific phrasing or dialogue on the part of the host. Writers may not script the dialogue used by the contestants, but they work with the producers to create the actions, scenarios, and sequence of events that support the game show's concept. With the continued development and increased complexity of video games, many opportunities are available to employ screenwriters in

644-450: Is discouraged. Dialogue blocks are offset from the page's margin by 3.7" and are left-justified. Dialogue spoken by two characters at the same time is written side by side and is conventionally known as dual-dialogue. The final element is the scene transition and is used to indicate how the current scene should transition into the next. It is generally assumed that the transition will be a cut, and using "CUT TO:" will be redundant. Thus

690-412: Is interior or exterior, and the time-of-day it appears to be. Conventionally, they are capitalized, and may be underlined or bolded. In production drafts, scene headings are numbered. Next are action lines, which describe stage direction and are generally written in the present tense with a focus only on what can be seen or heard by the audience. Character names are in all caps, centered in the middle of

736-449: Is that a pattern can be seen in stories and myths across history. Campbell defined and explained that pattern in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). Campbell's insight was that important myths from around the world, which have survived for thousands of years, all share a fundamental structure. This fundamental structure contains a number of stages, which include: Later, screenwriter Christopher Vogler refined and expanded

782-857: The American film industry, credit to rewriters is given only if 50% or more of the script is substantially changed. These standards can make it difficult to establish the identity and number of screenwriters who contributed to a film's creation. When established writers are called in to rewrite portions of a script late in the development process, they are commonly referred to as script doctors . Prominent script doctors include Christopher Keane, Steve Zaillian , William Goldman , Robert Towne , Mort Nathan , Quentin Tarantino , Carrie Fisher , and Peter Russell. Many up-and-coming screenwriters work as ghostwriters. A freelance television writer typically uses spec scripts or previous credits and reputation to obtain

828-403: The amount and order in which film credits information is presented in advertising and on the film itself. Information given in billing usually consists of the actors appearing in the movie, the directors , producers , the companies producing and distributing the movie (by name and/or logo), and artistic and technical crew. The title of the movie is also considered to be part of the billing. In

874-464: The business generally begin by writing one or more spec scripts. Although writing spec scripts is part of any writer's career, the Writers Guild of America forbids members to write "on speculation". The distinction is that a spec script is written as a sample by the writer on his or her own; what is forbidden is writing a script for a specific producer without a contract. In addition to writing

920-407: The commission of, but is on speculation of sale to a film studio , production company , or TV network. The content is usually invented solely by the screenwriter, however spec screenplays can also be based on established works or real people and events. The spec script is a Hollywood sales tool with the vast majority of scripts written each year are spec scripts, but only a small percentage make it to

966-509: The element should be used sparingly to indicate a different kind of transition such as "DISSOLVE TO:". Screenwriting applications such as Final Draft (software) , Celtx , Fade In (software) , Slugline, Scrivener (software) , and Highland, allow writers to easily format their script to adhere to the requirements of the master screen format. Screen credit Two types of credits are traditionally used in films , television programs , and video games , all of which provide attribution to

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1012-449: The end of films (with the exception of Universal Pictures ). Credits for motion pictures often include the name of any locales (i.e., cities, states, and countries if outside of the US) used to film scenes, as well as any organizations not related to the production (e.g., schools, government entities, military bases, etc.) that played a role in the filming. Billing is a film term denoting

1058-434: The end of the movie. Motivation exists on outer and inner levels. Motivation alone is not sufficient to make the screenplay work. There must be something preventing the hero from getting what he or she wants. That something is conflict. Fundamentally, the screenplay is a unique literary form. It is like a musical score, in that it is intended to be interpreted on the basis of other artists' performance, rather than serving as

1104-402: The entire production crew. Closing credits , in a television program, motion picture, or video game, come at the end of a show and list all the cast and crew involved in the production. Almost all television and film productions, however, omit the names of orchestra members from the closing credits, instead citing the name of the orchestra and sometimes not even that. Also most often omitted are

1150-457: The field of video game design . Video game writers work closely with the other game designers to create characters, scenarios, and dialogue. Several main screenwriting theories help writers approach the screenplay by systematizing the structure, goals and techniques of writing a script. The most common kinds of theories are structural. Screenwriter William Goldman is widely quoted as saying "Screenplays are structure". According to this approach,

1196-418: The hero's journey for the screenplay form in his book, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1993). Syd Field introduced a new theory he called "the paradigm". He introduced the idea of a plot point into screenwriting theory and defined a plot point as "any incident, episode, or event that hooks into the action and spins it around in another direction". These are the anchoring pins of

1242-411: The hiring company, but can also be original works based on a concept created by the writer or producer. Most produced films are rewritten to some extent during the development process. Frequently, they are not rewritten by the original writer of the script. Many established screenwriters, as well as new writers whose work shows promise but lacks marketability, make their living rewriting scripts. When

1288-472: The layout of film posters and other advertising copy, the billing is usually placed at the bottom of the poster in what is known as the billing block . In the United States , screenwriting credit for motion pictures and television programs under its jurisdiction is determined by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The Guild is the final arbiter of who receives credit for writing the screenplay,

1334-411: The length of a reel (about ten minutes). The sequence approach mimics that early style. The story is broken up into eight 10-15 minute sequences. The sequences serve as "mini-movies", each with their own compressed three-act structure. The first two sequences combine to form the film's first act. The next four create the film's second act. The final two sequences complete the resolution and dénouement of

1380-426: The logline and title work in tandem to draw people in, and it is highly suggested to incorporate irony into them when possible. These things, along with nice, clean writing will hugely impact whether or not a producer picks up a spec script. A commissioned screenplay is written by a hired writer. The concept is usually developed long before the screenwriter is brought on, and often has multiple writers work on it before

1426-502: The middle act is actually two acts in one. So, the three-act structure is notated 1, 2a, 2b, 3, resulting in Aristotle’s three acts being divided into four pieces of approximately thirty pages each. Field defined two plot points near the middle of Acts 2a and 2b, called pinch I and pinch II , occurring around pages 45 and 75 of the screenplay, respectively, whose functions are to keep the action on track, moving it forward, either toward

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1472-440: The midpoint or plot point II. Sometimes there is a relationship between pinch I and pinch II: some kind of story connection. According to Field, the inciting incident occurs near the middle of Act 1, so-called because it sets the story into motion and is the first visual representation of the key incident. The inciting incident is also called the dramatic hook , because it leads directly to plot point I. Field referred to

1518-507: The names of translators involved in subtitling, as well as any technicians involved in the process, even in productions that are made with a view to the international market and therefore premiere with subtitles. Closing credits are usually shown on the screen in small characters, which either flip very quickly from page to page or scroll from bottom to top of the screen. Credits which scroll either left to right or up and down are also known as staff rolls , which comes from pre-digital days when

1564-402: The names were literally on a roll of paper and would pass in front of the camera. Standard film credits move from bottom to top and are often called "credit crawls." Industry traditions, guild rules, and union rules generally dictate the order and placement of specific names and job titles. Increasingly, post-credits scenes are being added to the end of films. Still, short or full logos appear at

1610-449: The page, and indicate that a character is speaking the following dialogue. Characters who are speaking off-screen or in voice-over are indicated by the suffix (O.S.) and (V.O) respectively. Parentheticals provide stage direction for the dialogue that follows. Most often this is to indicate how dialogue should be performed (for example, angry) but can also include small stage directions (for example, picking up vase). Overuse of parentheticals

1656-436: The required format, to development executives. Screenwriters therefore have great influence over the creative direction and emotional impact of the screenplay and, arguably, of the finished film. Screenwriters either pitch original ideas to producers, in the hope that they will be optioned or sold; or are commissioned by a producer to create a screenplay from a concept, true story, existing screen work or literary work, such as

1702-520: The role of the mid-level writer, relying on the senior writers to do rough outlines and giving the other writers a bit more freedom. Regardless, when the finished scripts are sent to the top writers, the latter do a final round of rewrites. Espenson also notes that a show that airs daily, with characters who have decades of history behind their voices, necessitates a writing staff without the distinctive voice that can sometimes be present in prime-time series. Game shows feature live contestants, but still use

1748-417: The screen. Though a spec script is usually a wholly original work, it can also be an adaptation . In television writing, a spec script is a sample teleplay written to demonstrate the writer's knowledge of a show and ability to imitate its style and conventions. It is submitted to the show's producers in hopes of being hired to write future episodes of the show. Budding screenwriters attempting to break into

1794-619: The script is given a green light . The plot development is usually based on highly successful novels, plays, TV shows, and even video games, and the rights to which have been legally acquired. Scripts written on assignment are screenplays created under contract with a studio , production company, or producer. These are the most common assignments sought after in screenwriting. A screenwriter can get an assignment either exclusively or from "open" assignments. A screenwriter can also be approached and offered an assignment. Assignment scripts are generally adaptations of an existing idea or property owned by

1840-411: The series run as showrunner , head writer , or story editor. The process of writing for soap operas and telenovelas is different from that used by prime time shows, due in part to the need to produce new episodes five days a week for several months. In one example cited by Jane Espenson , screenwriting is a "sort of three-tiered system": Espenson notes that a recent trend has been to eliminate

1886-419: The setup. In Writing Drama , French writer and director Yves Lavandier shows a slightly different approach. As do most theorists, he maintains that every human action, whether fictitious or real, contains three logical parts: before the action, during the action, and after the action. But since the climax is part of the action, Lavandier maintains that the second act must include the climax, which makes for

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1932-411: The staff involved in their productions. While opening credits will usually display only the major positions in a production's cast and crew (such as creators, producers , and lead actors ), closing credits will typically acknowledge all staff members that were involved in the production. Opening credits , in a television program , motion picture , or video game , are shown at the beginning of

1978-426: The story is about. In a 120-page screenplay, Act 2 is about sixty pages in length, twice the length of Acts 1 and 3. Field noticed that in successful movies, an important dramatic event usually occurs at the middle of the picture, around page sixty. The action builds up to that event, and everything afterward is the result of that event. He called this event the centerpiece or midpoint . This suggested to him that

2024-422: The story line, which hold everything in place. There are many plot points in a screenplay, but the main ones that anchor the story line in place and are the foundation of the dramatic structure, he called plot points I and II . Plot point I occurs at the end of Act 1; plot point II at the end of Act 2. Plot point I is also called the key incident because it is the true beginning of the story and, in part, what

2070-410: The story. Each sequence's resolution creates the situation which sets up the next sequence. Michael Hauge divides primary characters into four categories. A screenplay may have more than one character in any category. Secondary characters are all the other people in the screenplay and should serve as many of the functions above as possible. Motivation is whatever the character hopes to accomplish by

2116-421: The three acts are: the setup (of the setting, characters, and mood), the confrontation (with obstacles), and the resolution (culminating in a climax and a dénouement). In a two-hour film, the first and third acts each last about thirty minutes, with the middle act lasting about an hour, but nowadays many films begin at the confrontation point and segue immediately to the setup or begin at the resolution and return to

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