A question from GITS reader L.F.:
Most of the stuff I write, I write to shoot myself. I normally write as if it were a spec screenplay, but I’d be curious to see your (or someone’s) thoughts on writing for production. Are there formatting changes that help, etc? Seeing as a couple of people have posted shorts at the GITS Club, maybe this question would be of interest to more than me, as well.
First off, let’s make a distinction: There are scripts that you write and direct that are not dependent upon outside financing, then there are scripts that do require other people’s money. Per the former, assuming it’s your own cash, you can write the script however the hell you want. If, however, you need to lure in production dollars from other sources, then I would argue that you still have to approach the script as a selling script, not a shooting draft. Why? Because it’s the story that will hook funding, so you want that script to be as literary and readable as possible. If it’s filled with CU, SMASH CUT TO, TILT UP, ZOOM IN, that can distract from the story.
Once you have funding and the actors lined up, you can rewrite the script for your shoot, including scene numbers. Break down each scene shot-by-shot. Alternatively you can storyboard the whole thing, so the crew is working from the original script — especially important for the actors to keep their minds in the story and not get caught up in your details per directing.
As pointed out recently on GITS, you can use scene description to suggest camera shots simply by breaking up the action into separate paragraphs: each paragraph = a camera shot. The Matrix, one of our 40 Days of Screenplays scripts, reads like that.
How about it, GITS readers? Those of you who have written and directed short or feature length films, do you approach writing a shooting script differently than a selling script? And if so, how?
To me, a "shooting script" is just a production script–you put the scene numbers in with Final Draft/Movie Magic and that exists to make your/your line producer/any department heads' lives easier.
I tend to do any note-taking and shot-writing away from the printed script. I'll usually have the script printed out and put it in a three-ring binder. Reading through it, I make all my shot notes and story notes and character revelations for page 7–for example–on the back of page 6. Which is lying flat directly to the left of it. So when I'm reading through the binder, I've got the clean script on my right as usual, and the scribbles and notes for every beat sitting there on the left.
It comes down to personal preference, but I would second what Scott said about the financing bit. If this is something you're sending out for fundraising, keep the script as "spec" as possible. Nothing worse than getting an investor who loves the project but feels intimidated by all these shot descriptions and SMASH CUT's and decides it makes him insecure enough to take his money away. I'd lose sleep over that one.
Thank you both! I have been writing as if it were a spec script. That helps me see if the story is working or not. I asked my question because I was finding translating my set of scripts (for a web series) into a production schedule challenging and was wondering if there were things you could do in the writing phase that would alleviate this difficulty (as simple as something in the slug lines). But no, that's just always a challenge.
And Nate, re: the binder, I totally do that too! Though I mark up the script page too… I'll try your specific approach now.
People making shooting their own scripts might want to give Celtx screenwriting software a whirl. It's free open source and it has a lot of production coordination tools built into it.