A Lecture

Source: HOW TO WRITE A DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT : A MONOGRAPH

BY: TRISHA DAS
MAS127
HOW TO WRITE A
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT
1. The Pre-shoot or Shooting Script
A pre-shoot or shooting script is like carrying a map when you set out on a road trip.
You may stumble across many unseen barriers or unexpected surprises.
You may decide to go in one direction or the next or perhaps even a third.
A map helps you on your way and prevents you from getting lost.
So therefore:
A shooting script is a conceptual map for your shooting journey.
It consolidates research and outlines the films story, providing a visual guideline for
the shoot.
It uses the same format and elements as a post-shoot script and can be as
comprehensive or generic depending on the information available to the scriptwriter
at that stage.
Two Stages of Documentary Scriptwriting:
A shooting script should not be confused with a shot list.
A shot list is a production tool which contains shot numbers, descriptions and
transitions along with production details.
Even though some director-scriptwriters often combine the shooting script
and shot list, the two are separate entities. A shooting script rarely delves into
detailed aspects of production unless integral to the story.
It is more conceptual in nature; descriptive, but leaving room for
interpretation.
2. The post-shoot script
is the final version of the shooting script. This is often a modified or re-written
version of the shooting script and is created between the shooting and editing
processes of the documentary.
The post-shoot script combines conceptual elements along with audiovisual
information gathered at the production stage and may also include any new
knowledge gathered along the way. It then weaves it all together into a
cinematic story, which is used by the filmmaker to edit the documentary.
The post-shoot script often includes descriptions of shots and actions and is
quite comprehensive.
Again, the post-shoot script should not be confused with a paper-edit, which
contains detailed shot and production information. Even though the two are
often combined by director-scriptwriters, they are separate entities.
The paper-edit is a tool for the editor to cut the footage and includes elements
like time-counters, tape numbers, shot in-points and out-points etc.
The script is conceptual and descriptive of action but should leave some room
for creative interpretation at the editing stage.
Both the pre-shoot and post-shoot scripts are time-specific versions of the
same entity.
The same elements and technique can be used to create both depending on
the amount of information available at that time.
Things to be kept in mind
before starting to write a Documentary Script
Documentary deals with fact, not fiction, with real events, real issues, real
conflict, real people and real emotions.
Documentary is flexible, with no fixed visual and conceptual guidelines per
say.
Documentary inspires movement and action - instrument to inspire
change in their audience, be it social change or inner change.
Documentary involves less control - must be shot in the real world and
show real events happening.
Documentary subject is paramount - the subject is the most important
aspect of documentary films.
Credibility is key in Documentary - must always provide credible
information and sources to develop the trust of the audience in the veracity of
the image as an authentic representation of the real.
Form is more important than formula - form and the layout in which a
subject is showcased in a film are important as they add value to the film, but
there is no one tried and tested way to do this.
The scriptwriter must ask a number of
practical questions:
Why is this documentary film being made?
What does the producer/client/financier want to achieve through the film?
Who is the targeted audience and what should their reaction to the film be?
How much does the audience already know about the subject?
What will be the films technical conditions of use (Black & White/Multi-color?
Animation? Etc)
What is the budget of the film?
DOCUMENTARY STYLES
Classical Cinema - This is the most structured and traditional form of
documentary. It gives great importance to clarity of narrative and images. This
kind of documentary often made extensive use of informative narration.
Direct Cinema - This style was spurred on with the advancement of film
technology, including portable cameras with mobile sound. It aims for an
extreme naturalism, using non-professional actors, non-intrusive filming
techniques, a hand-held camera, genuine locations rather than sound stages,
and naturalistic sound without post-production or voiceovers.
Documentary Drama - This style mixes the techniques of drama and the
factual elements of documentary. Real events are acted out by professional
actors in controlled settings in an obviously constructed style.
RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH: YOU
CANT SAY IT ENOUGH!
Curiosity - The best research is done when there is a genuine desire on the
part of the scriptwriter to learn more about the subject of his documentary.
Quantity Vs Quality - One of the more important questions that scriptwriters
have is, How much research is enough? The quality of research is far more
important than the quantity.
The Strategy - Almost every scriptwriter starts off with a research strategy.
(Print Research, Field Research, Interview Research)
Digging Deep - Every scriptwriter wants to write a brilliant script and its a
well known fact that some profound investigation needs to be done for this to
be accomplished. (The Top of the issue; The Heart of the issue; The Root
of the issue; The Branches of the issue; Finding Challenges;
ESSENTIAL SCRIPT ELEMENTS
A) Visual Elements - what the audience sees on screen is one of the most
integral aspects of writing a script.
1) The Shot - A shot is a single take on an image. It starts and
finishes at a cut-point, which is an editing break in the image.
three basic elements of visual way of communication:
a) Icon is showing an object or emotion through its likeness it
is what it is and what the audience sees. The signifier
represents the signified through similarity to it. For example, a
face on screen showing fear is a face showing fear. There are
no other meanings, no reading between the lines. This is the
most straightforward approach to a shot.
b) Index measures a quality not because it is identical to it (like
an icon), but because it has a direct and inherent relationship
to it. For example, to show heat, or the idea of heat, as a visual,
the shot could show a thermometer or heat waves over an
empty road or perhaps even a man sweating profusely. This
works very well because the scriptwriter can translate an
intangible object, like heat, into a tangible and visual reality.
c) Symbol or Metaphor is an arbitrary sign in which the signifier
has neither a direct nor an indexical relationship with the
signified, but rather represents it through convention. For
example, a rose could be shown to signify love or romance,
falling calendar pages could denote time. This technique of
using symbols to express ideas and objects has become very
popular for its artistic appeal but can and should be used with
caution and with a view to the audiences ability to read between
the lines.
B) The Sequence - A sequence is a collection of shots put
together that tell a story continuously. A sequence is an
autonomous piece of the larger story of the film. An entire film
is made up of a series of sequences, which can be of varying
durations, and are connected to each other in some way. Each
sequence has a visual and audio aspect to it.
Sequences usually fall into one of two categories:
1. A Continuity Sequence is a unit of continuing
action which ends in a break in time. This type of
sequence is a collection of shots that show an event or
events that happened in the same block of time. The
end of the sequence occurs when that event is
complete and the film moves on to another point in
time.
2. A Compilation Sequence is a unit of information or thought
and is sometimes called a newsreel sequence. There may be
many breaks in time during this kind of sequence because the
scope is broad. The shots within it could be of events that
occurred independently, at different points in time, at different
locations and contain different people doing different things.
The common aspect that ties all these shots together is
conceptual, which is the subject of the sequence. It usually
ends when the films discussion of the subject ends.
For example:
the sequence could be about worldwide protests against war
and could contain different shots of people from all parts of the
globe, some holding banners, some marching hand-in-hand,
some giving speeches etc. the sequence would end, when the
subject of these protests ended in the film.