Script Writing

MOS

• Occasionally, characters speak silently, which is to say that we see their lips moving and
they are obviously talking, but no sound is heard. Other times, a scene may play in
complete silence. In such situations, indicate “without sound” with the term MOS.
• (The term MOS originated with Austrian-born director Eric von Stroheim, who would tell
his crew, “Ve’ll shoot dis mit out sound.”
• Thus, MOS stands for “mit out sound.”) Here’s an example of how to use the device:
The two lovers flirt MOS in the balcony.
• You could just as easily write this as follows:
The two lovers flirt in the balcony. Their words cannot be heard.
• As you might guess, MOS is a useful device. However, don’t use it just to use it. Use it only
if you have a compelling dramatic purpose.
SPECIAL EFFECTS

• In the shoot, this may require a special effect. In the past, this may
have been written FX. CHARLIE CATCHING A MINT ON HIS NOSE, but
not now.
• (By the way, FX. and SPFX. both mean Special Effects; SFX. means
Sound Effects.)
• Don’t use FX. or SPFX, or any technical term. They break up the flow
of the read. Besides, most special effects can be described without
using technical terms. Here’s another example:
Suddenly, the room turns green and the walls resemble mirrors. Sue
touches a wall and it is liquid, like mercury.
• On rare occasions, you may want to MORPH from one image to
another, or indicate that the action takes place in SLOW MOTION. Any
such technical instructions should be placed in CAPS.
SUPERS

• SUPER is short for superimpose. Use this device anytime

you need to superimpose some words on the screen. For
example:
SUPER: “Five years later”
• If you wish, you can place the superimposed words in CAPS:
SUPER: “FIVE YEARS LATER”
Scrolls

• If you are scrolling words up the movie screen, as in the

first six Star Wars episodes, you would simply use the word
SCROLL instead of SUPER.
Words on TV

• What do you do if a character is watching something on TV and words

appear on the TV screen? Do you use a SUPER for those? No.
• Use the TV as a secondary scene heading and write something like the
following. Selma turns on the television.
ON THE TV
A city is engulfed in flames. The word “BAGHDAD” appears at
the bottom of the screen.
BACK TO SELMA’S LIVING ROOM
TRANSITIONS

• I am suggesting to the reader (and director) that once

Calcutta slams her phone, that we should CUT immediately
to the professor slamming his phone.
• This situation could also be handled with the MATCH CUT,
discussed next.
EDITING DIRECTIONS

• If I wrote the transition described above to include the editing direction

MATCH CUT, I would have written it as follows.
The dean CHORTLES. Calcutta smiles; then SLAMS the receiver.
MATCH CUT:
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
The professor SLAMS the phone receiver.
CAMERA DIRECTIONS

• Let’s break with current convention and rewrite this section utilizing our
vast arsenal of camera and editing directions.
• Note as you read the bad example below how the technical directions
detract from the story and slow down the read for the reader.
• (Note: CU means CLOSE-UP, and ECU means EXTREME CLOSE-UP.)
CAMERA DIRECTIONS

• What follows is an example of poor spec writing.

INT. CLASSROOM - NEAR SUNSET
CU PROFESSOR SLAMMING the receiver of his toy phone.
PULL BACK and BOOM to ESTABLISH classroom.
PROFESSOR’S POV: CAMERA PANS the class.
DISSOLVE TO:
LOW ANGLE of the professor -- confident.
CAMERA DIRECTIONS

• Please, I beg you, don’t do this to your script!

• First, it breaks up the narrative flow and makes the script harder to read.
• Second, you take the chance of showing your ignorance of shooting
script conventions.
• Third, professional readers are not pleased. So, go easy. Remember, the
story’s the thing.
• Concentrate on that. It’s true that most shooting scripts (the scripts you
buy to read) contain many such camera directions and technical devices.
Keep in mind that these directions and devices were likely added after
the script was sold (if it was a spec script) to prepare it for the shoot, or
the script was developed by the production company.
CAMERA DIRECTIONS

• If Dr. Format “surveys” the class, that might imply a POV (point of view)
shot, but certainly it is a MEDIUM SHOT of some kind.
• The students SIMMERING with interest is a REACTION SHOT of the
entire class or REACTION SHOTS of individual students.
• See how I give the director a choice! If it’s tremendously important to the
scene that Charlie react strongly, I will write that reaction shot in a
separate paragraph, as follows:
• Charlie leaps from his seat and executes a flawless back-flip.
CAMERA DIRECTIONS

• Although correct, avoid headings like the following:

• ANGLE ON CHARLIE, CLOSE ON CHARLIE, and ANOTHER
ANGLE. You may decide to put the camera on Charlie in this way:
CHARLIE
leaps from his seat and executes a flawless back-flip.
CAMERA DIRECTIONS

• The spec script’s emphasis is on lean, visual, and readable

writing. Your goal is to create images while avoiding the use
of technical terms. Instead of CLOSE-UP OF DARLENE’S
TEAR, write A tear rolls down Darlene’s cheek. (It’s
obviously a CLOSE-UP.)
• In conclusion, use camera directions and editing directions
sparingly, only when they are needed to clarify the action,
characterize a character, move the story forward, or add
significantly to the story’s impact.
WE SEE

• Some developing writers use the camera directions WE

SEE. Avoid this term, and don’t place “We see” in CAPS if
you do use it.
• Although correct, it is seldom the most interesting way to
convey the action and details of the scene to your reader.
However, there may be instances where it is necessary.
• Likewise, avoid “We move with,” “We hear,” and other first-
person intrusions.
b.g. and f.g.

• B.g. stands for background and f.g. stands for foreground. These
terms may be used in your narrative description to clarify action (e.g., The
T-Rex moves in the b.g.), but I recommend you use them sparingly.
• If you must put the Trex in the background, just write out the words: The
T-Rex moves in the background. Or better yet:
• Behind them lumbers the T-Rex.
• Dramatize the action. Favor an entertaining style over an informative style.
POV

• Many writers use the POV (point of view) device instead of writing creatively. Since
the POV is a camera direction, you want to avoid it in your spec script.
• Sometimes the POV needs to be used for story reasons; that’s the case with certain
important scenes in Finding Neverland where it’s crucial that we see the scene from
a particular character’s view. But how should you format a POV in a spec script?
• You can probably get away with the following, although I discourage
it:
JOJO’S POV - The killer advances toward him.
• Instead, write this:
Jojo watches the killer advance toward him.
• You’re still directing the camera, even though you’re not using
camera directions. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, “What he sees” is used
in lieu of the POV. In a spec script, just write, “He sees. . .”
PHANTOM POV

• The Phantom POV is used when we don’t know the identity of the
character sneaking through the bushes toward your unaware hero.
Just write: Someone [or something] pulls away tree branches and
moves closer and closer to an unsuspecting Giselda.
• Let’s imagine a scene by a lake. Children are playing, and you have a
compelling story reason to view this from underneath the water.
Since EXT. and INT. refer to where the camera is, we could open with
the camera at the lake shore, establishing the children on the shore.
• We could then cut to the camera underneath the lake. The master
location is the lake and the secondary locations that are part of the
lake are the Shore and Underwater.
PHANTOM POV

EXT. LAKE - SHORE - DAY

The children form a circle.
UNDERWATER
While the others dance, Pam peers down into the lake.
Thus, Pam looks right down at the camera. Notice that we signaled that without
having to use camera directions.
• If you’re thinking of the above scene in terms of a point-of-view situation, such as
a monster watching the children from deep below the water’s surface, just handle
the second scene as follows:
UNDERWATER
An unseen lake monster watches the dancing children. Pam peers down into the lake.
MUSIC

• Don’t indicate music in your script unless it is essential to the progression of

your story. Yes, if music is an integral part of your story—a movie about a rock
singer, for example—then you may wish to indicate music in a general way:
A HEAVY-METAL RIFF rips through the silence.
or
Upbeat ROCK MUSIC plays on the radio.
• Another way to indicate music generically is to describe the
sound of it: The radio BLASTS. Keep in mind that since music is
a SOUND, you can emphasize it by placing it in CAPS.
MOVIE CLIPS

• What’s true for music is true for produced movies. A producer cannot
use a clip from another movie unless he controls the rights to that
movie or acquires the rights to that clip.
• In addition, do not base your screenplay on any work that you do not
control the rights to. Do not write the sequel to Captain Phillips unless
you control the rights to Captain Phillips. Just write an original
screenplay.
• Obviously, you may briefly refer to other movies in a character’s
dialogue if doing so moves the story forward or adds to character. For
example, in Sleepless in Seattle, there are references to The Dirty
Dozen and An Affair to Remember.
• But don’t write, “He turned on the TV and the sinking scene from
Titanic was showing.” Doing that will give you a sinking feeling when
your script is rejected.