Documentary Script
‘How to Write a Documentary Script’
HOW TO WRITE A DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT
A MONOGRAPH
BY
Page 1 of 52
‘How to Write a Documentary Script’
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION - WRITING FOR FILM AND WHY DOCUMENTARIES ARE DIFFERENT - SHORT INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STYLES - RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH: YOU CAN’T SAY IT ENOUGH! - ESSENTIAL SCRIPT ELEMENTS - PUTTING A SCRIPT TOGETHER - WRITING A GREAT SCRIPT - SCRIPT FORMAT - REFERENCES
PAGE 3-4 PAGE 5-7 PAGE 8-9 PAGE 10-15 PAGE 16-37 PAGE 38-46 PAGE 47-50 PAGE 51 PAGE 52
Page 2 of 52
‘How to Write a Documentary Script’
INTRODUCTION
Gene Fowler once said that writing is easy, just a matter of staring at a blank page until your forehead bleeds. Well, if anything will draw blood from your forehead, it’s writing a brilliant documentary script! Often in our real lives, ideas and emotions, mind and passion, revolve in different spheres altogether. On film, if we see a dead body, we react immediately with emotion, perhaps even pondering the waste of life and questioning our own existence. However, if we were to see a dead body on a street as we drove by, our immediate reaction may be shock, even revulsion. Emotion may enter the picture long after the experience has ended. In real life, experiences become meaningful with reflection in time. In reel life, they are meaningful the moment they happen. A well-written film script is an instrument through which you can create emotion and epiphany at will. That is one reason why it is possibly the most critical aspect of the filmmaking procedure. The script is also, often, the most underrated aspect of the documentary process. A school of thought suggests that the documentary-making process should be fluid and organic, whereby the filmmaker experiences the film as he makes it. Many filmmakers write a ‘paper-edit’ after shooting in place of a script. This process has and does work with many types of films. Especially when the filmmaker is recording events
HOW TO WRITE A DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT
A MONOGRAPH
BY
Page 1 of 52
‘How to Write a Documentary Script’
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION - WRITING FOR FILM AND WHY DOCUMENTARIES ARE DIFFERENT - SHORT INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STYLES - RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH: YOU CAN’T SAY IT ENOUGH! - ESSENTIAL SCRIPT ELEMENTS - PUTTING A SCRIPT TOGETHER - WRITING A GREAT SCRIPT - SCRIPT FORMAT - REFERENCES
PAGE 3-4 PAGE 5-7 PAGE 8-9 PAGE 10-15 PAGE 16-37 PAGE 38-46 PAGE 47-50 PAGE 51 PAGE 52
Page 2 of 52
‘How to Write a Documentary Script’
INTRODUCTION
Gene Fowler once said that writing is easy, just a matter of staring at a blank page until your forehead bleeds. Well, if anything will draw blood from your forehead, it’s writing a brilliant documentary script! Often in our real lives, ideas and emotions, mind and passion, revolve in different spheres altogether. On film, if we see a dead body, we react immediately with emotion, perhaps even pondering the waste of life and questioning our own existence. However, if we were to see a dead body on a street as we drove by, our immediate reaction may be shock, even revulsion. Emotion may enter the picture long after the experience has ended. In real life, experiences become meaningful with reflection in time. In reel life, they are meaningful the moment they happen. A well-written film script is an instrument through which you can create emotion and epiphany at will. That is one reason why it is possibly the most critical aspect of the filmmaking procedure. The script is also, often, the most underrated aspect of the documentary process. A school of thought suggests that the documentary-making process should be fluid and organic, whereby the filmmaker experiences the film as he makes it. Many filmmakers write a ‘paper-edit’ after shooting in place of a script. This process has and does work with many types of films. Especially when the filmmaker is recording events
References: James Monaco. “How to read a film: Movies, Media, Multimedia” Oxford University Press (2000) 3rd Edition. USA. Sheila Curran Bernard. “Documentary Storytelling for Video and Filmmakers” Focal Press Publications (2004). USA Syd Field. “Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting” Dell Publishing (1994) 3rd Edition. USA Dwight V. Swain with Joye R. Swain. “Scriptwriting; A Practical Manual” Focal Press Publications (1988). USA Robert McKee. “Story; Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting” Harper Collins Publishers (1997). USA. Page 52 of 52