All of the scripts should be written in 12 Pt courier font, however only two scripts i have chosen use this font the short film and the radio drama. The reason as too why this font and font size are used is that is makes the script easier to read for the production team and is also a convention of these types of scripts. The news broadcast is written in a very formal tone this is because they broadcasting too a wide demographic of viewers and would want to appear as a professional programme. However the radio drama is written in a much more informal way as it shows that the characters are friends and comfortable with each other it also allows the aud. The other scripts i chose too look at do not follow these conventions as there is more flexibility in terms of dialogue, actions and input from players such as the video game script allows players too make their own decisions and influence the story themselves, also the news broadcast is written in a formal language this is too make them appear more professional and properly report on news stories.
TV news broadcasts often will have to change their scripts due to the fact that they are reporting on live events and they can often change regularly and video game scripts use flowcharts due to the fact that some games offer a variety of choices to choose from that can change the story off the game. When looking at the layout of certain scripts (news broadcast and short film script) directions are written in between the dialogue to instruct the production team. Examples of these directions include special effects (SFX), interior (INT), exterior (EXT) and background (b.g). These terms are used in abbreviations in order to make the script neater and easier to understand for the production team.
Screenplays will often feature character descriptions on the script, this is so that the production team understand how the scriptwriter wants the characters to be portrayed, they can then take this information and use it to create specific props or sets to suit the characters descriptions. Character descriptions will often not be used for news broadcast as they are not featuring fictional characters with pre-determined personalities however they could be used in the sense that they'd tell the presenter whether the interview or broadcast is informal or formal. Sound effects in scripts are indicated on the script by the abbreviation SFX. In the news broadcast, the short film and the radio drama scripts the character/presenter sections are justified to the centre of the script in order to make the script easier to read from for the presenter or actors. Terms such as CW/edit/SFX/GFX is almost always in capitals and justified to the right on a script. Also on a script dialogue is always justified to the centre to make it stand out for the actors or presenters. Information related to the location of scenes throughout a script is justified to the left. This is what turns a script into a shooting script.
Video games will often feature a synopsis of the story, this is too give the player a an idea as too the narrative of the game, this is often too entice the player into buying or playing the game. In the " the walking dead" flowchart this shown by having at each new section or "episode" of the game, the events of the previous episode are retold to the player this could be used to refresh the players memory and make them want to carry on playing. The types of scripts that would feature stage/location directions on them would be the video game, the news broadcast and the short film. This is because these are visual types of medias platforms and in order for the actors, presenter to easily understand there role in the production these directions are marked out in order to make everyone's positions clear to understand. An example of a stage direction can be seen in the short film script when it says "albert wipes his eyes and sniffs" this would allow the actor to add another layer of emotion to the scene by this simple stage direction.
Mode of address is the form of which the dialogue is spoken between characters. The mode of address can vary in many forms of media. For example the news broadcast is in the form of teacher to pupil this is because it is teaching the viewer about current events happening in the world. In contrast to this the gaming script is also teaching the player but the language is more informal and this is why it would fall under the "parent to child" mode of address. Common forms of narrative structures are linear, non linear and interactive. Linear narrative is the most common form of narration, where events are largely portrayed in a chronological order (the order they occurred) this can be seen in the radio drama script as it follows the path of equilibrium onto disequilibrium and so on. Nonlinear narratives, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, where events are portrayed, out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct pattern. Interactive narrative is a form of fiction in which users are able to make choices that influence the narrative, this narrative structure is most common in video games, we can see this in the video game script as it features many different paths and choices that players can choose from.
There are many different forms of narrative structures. One such example is the use of a single stranded narrative, this is where the story focuses on a single protagonist, an example of a film that uses this narrative structure is Iron man as it follows the path of a single protagonist (tony stark). Single stranded scripts are also often used in video games one such example being Halo as we play as the protagonist (master chief) throughout the entire story, witnessing it through his perspective. The reason why script writers use this structure is due to the fact that it allows the audience to connect to a single protagonist and focus on their story progress.
Another form of narrative structure is a multi-stranded narrative. This type of narrative follows multiple protagonists in a single story. This type of narrative is often seen in films, TV and radio drama scripts. An example of a film script that uses this structure is The Avengers as this follows many different protagonists such as Captain America and Thor. An example TV script that follows this structure is the soap opera eastenders this features many different main characters at different points in the season due to many different interwoven story lines. The reason why script writers use this structure is due to the audience being able to identify with one of the protagonist who they may see as being a 'ideal self'.
Another form of narrative structure is a linear narrative. This form of narrative follows this typical story structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and then resolution. This narrative type can be found in multiple forms of media such as films, games and radio. An example of a script that uses this structure is "the dark knight". The reason why script writers choose this structure is because some stories build with tension and interest that culminates in a powerful close, making them better suited to a linear narrative. It also helps the viewer stay interested with the story and feel like the film has come to a satisfying conclusion through this type of structure.
The final form of narrative structure is a nonlinear narrative. This structure differs from a linear narrative as if features its story structures in different orders for example the disequilibrium could be the starting point for a film with the equilibrium following on. Media formats that would use this structure would be films, video games and news broadcasts. The appeal of having this story structure is that the film can take any direction in terms of the narrative and this can help keep an audience interested as the story-line is not very predictable and allows elements of a story to be unknown to a viewer.
Genre
For the genre of my video game script i can see that it is "fiction" I can see this by looking at the flowchart it features fictional characters and words such as "zombies" this word can be used in non-fiction but I know from the descriptions on the flowchart that the zombies featured in the flowchart are real in the diegesis therefore it must be a fiction script. The TV news script is non-fiction i know this because they report on The radio drama is also "fiction", i know this because radio dramas are meant to be dramatised and over-exaggerated too make a story more interesting this links into what Barry Keith Grant (1995) that genres can be defined by a type or kind.
Target audience
When looking at the target audience for the radio drama script i would say that the intended age demographic would be between the ages of 25-50 yrs old and be aimed at both genders. I believe this because radio drama's are typically more appealing too a older audience as a younger generation as they may not see the appeal of a sound based drama and may end up losing interest, however an older audience would be able to understand some of the more mature themes that can sometimes be featured within radio dramas such as the BBC radio drama "Along the line". In terms off the spending power i would say it would be from B-C2 as people within this range are typically of a more mature audience and are earning enough money to be able to own a car with a provided radio or a radio itself.
For the news broadcast I believe that the age range would be from the ages of 20-40 yrs old and would be aimed for both genders, I believe this because typically people of this age range regularly view the news too keep up with events that could affect their daily lives. For the respective spending power i believe that it would A-B as people associated with these spending powers are generally better off and typically smarter individuals so they may regularly watch the news to catch up with current events.
For the video game script I believe the intended target audience would be of ages 12-20 yrs old and would be aimed more towards males over females as stereo typically males are more often associated with playing video games and are also more likely to enjoy the genre of the game in question "the walking dead" which is an action horror. For the lifestyle of the players they often play video games as a source of escapism from school/college. The spending power for this would be associated with the parents as they may be buying the game for their children or giving them spending money to buy it themselves.
Finally for the short film script the intended demographic would be people aged between 20 -40 yrs old as the script features a mature plot from what i can see dealing with someone losing a loved one, a plot of this nature would probably be targeted towards adults. For the spending power of the audeince i believe it would be targeted towards the B-C1 as they will probably be avid movie goers and will have the money to visit the cinema on a regular basis and watch short independent films. Similar to the video game script the audience will watch short films such as this as a source of escapism from their daily jobs.
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