356 / Types of Writing
ANALYSIS of THE SAMPLE DRAMA SCRIPT
The excerpt illustrates the form and style of this kind of writing. As you study it, note
particularly these details:
- The cast list includes the relationships of three characters. The others need no
such detail. - The time, place, and setting are described, printed in italics to prevent their
confusion with dialogue. - As the first scene opens, the description of Renee’s activities is printed in
italics, again to prevent its confusion with dialogue. - Characters’ names, followed by a colon, precede their lines or any description
of their actions. - The stage directions appear in parentheses.
- The stage directions begin with a capital letter and end with a period, even
when they are not complete sentences. - Hanging indentation (all lines indented except the first) offsets the speakers’
names, thus enabling players to find their lines easily.
These techniques, peculiar to drama scripts, serve a purpose: They help the producer,
director, and players work effectively together. Granted, the techniques are gim-
micks, but such gimmicks separate dialogue from instructions and clarify the sets of
stage directions.
Use the sample and analysis to refine your own drama script.
television scriPts
Because they must deal with both audio and video elements, television scripts have
one part for each. A two-column format appears in virtually every television script,
whether for a commercial, news broadcast, drama, or variety show.
CHARACTERISTICS
Television scripts vary significantly from those for drama, even when for television
drama. In general, a television script
- appears in two-column format, the video directions in the left-hand column
(one-third the width of the page) and the audio script in the right-hand column
(two-thirds the width of the page), - accounts for possible limitations and abilities of the television camera,
- accounts for possible studio limitations,