Formats for pre-production

Formats for pre-production

Established industry formats for presenting pre-production work:
. Templates for scripts (written/dialogue/sound)
. Written or visual storyboards
. Written or visual storylines 


Scripts: Column/Table format script

Example:
Location
Time
Video
Audio


Airport














00:00



00:29




00:38
Opening credits appear with title


Hard cut to a moving shot of a man talking to people as they walk past.

Fades again to opening credits.
Airport chime sound accompanies the start of the scene (cues).

Background noise consisting of people walking and planes taking off.

Background noise continues as the scene fades to black to opening credits


Synchronised (audio and video).  Time spaced which creates a greater level of synchronisation than the usual script format used in feature Hollywood films. Format set out in a simplistic way which is more accessible to the actors. Advantage of using a table script format is that the audio and video are synchronised because they can have times inserted. Another advantage is the precision that is possible with a table script format because each part of a scene is split up by time which means the director can find the exact part they want to go over in the script much easier than the usual format of the script used in film. A disadvantage of using a table format script is the limitations it sets on the editors. Due to feature of times on a table format script which are missing from other types of scripts mean that editors have to make sure they follow the timing on the script. This would make some editors feel limited because they have to follow the times as exact as possible. This can create problems for the editors because if there is a issue with one of the shots. For example a prop is present in one shot but in the same scene from a different angle the prop has been moved the editor would have to edit the shots to make this mistake not noticeable. This would be even harder due to the time stamps the editor has been given because the edit they had to do might be less or more than the time stamp. However not all editors are affected negatively, for example if the editor is editing a documentary. Using a column/table format script can give the editor a structure to follow which makes their job easier.


Screenplay

The most common type of script used in film in the western world is a screenplay. A screenplay or script is a written work by screenwriters for a film or a program. These screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated.
Image result for screenplay

Screenplays are widely used in the film industry because of how useful they are. A screenplay includes the location whether it is outside (EXT) or inside (INT) and the time of day. This a advantage of using a screenplay instead of a table format script because it gives the departments the needed information for the scene to be shot. An example of a department that benefits from using a screenplay is the lighting department. At the start of each scene there is a scene heading which says the time of day which gives the lighting department information on how much lighting equipment will be needed. Another advantage of using a screenplay instead of  a table format script is that there is a much higher level of detail than other types of scripts. For example the screenplay above gives detail in every area including the way each actor should be acting it also gives a lot more detail on the action that happens in the scene than a table format script would. 

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