Mobile Version: Scriptwriting Assignment

"Action is character. What a person does is what he is, not what he says !''
-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Last Tycoon

A Ninety-Minute Classroom
Script Writing Assignment

One of the suggested video assignments suggested in the cybertext is a mood piece.

In this assignment students are expected to create a compelling mood through the use of video alone. Students, used to relying on dialogue or music to do the job, find this one of the more challenging assignments of the course.

The following, which is intended as a 90-minute in-class written assignment, will help pave the way for doing the mood piece. Before the assignment, students are asked to read or review the chapter in the text on script writing, paying particular attention to the shot-by-shot film-style script format.

The purpose of this assignment is to convey a strong mood through video. You are to write a three minute script using the shot-by-shot film-type script.

First, select a mood you want to convey:

1. joy
2. dejection
3. depression
4. a psychotic break from reality
5. ecstasy
6. fear
7. sensuality
8. spirituality
9. loneliness
10. anticipation

At the top of the script write the mood you have selected. Clearly write out the full script while adhering closely to the proper format. You may use any of the following:

1-house exterior, any type; specify in your script
1-house interior(s), any related type(s); specify. 1-male 20-30 years old (fully describe). 1-female 20-30 years old (fully describe). 1-wardrobe specialist (with full wardrobe available; describe). 1-car (specify, if needed). 1-cat or dog (specify, if needed).

In addition, you may use any basic set and hand props that you would expect to find in the house that you have described. In doing this assignment adhere to these 10 points.

Make sure you indicate the mood at the top of the script (along with your name).
Write clearly.
Use the shot-by-shot film script format. (Points will be deducted for format errors and spelling errors.)
Describe the important physical elements of each scene or shot.
Do not use the spoken word (dialogue) to communicate mood; rely on action and interaction only.
Describe talent movement, action, reactions, etc.
Indicate the length of each shot at the left of the page.
At the bottom of each page enter the cumulative time at the left side of the script.
Make the total script time exactly three minutes.