2 questions: Dialog formatter and how best to shoot

[nyvideo]

I’m writing a short (a comedy, less than 10 minutes) with one main character. Almost all the script is the main character’s thoughts while on screen. She (probably, it may be a “he” depending on talent interest, budget, etc.) has an internal thought process throughout the film and we are hearing it all.

My two questions are about script formatting and shooting technique.

Question 1. Do I have the text right after the character’s name with (V.O.) every time she speaks? There may be one short segment where she and another character exchange three quick sentences. Other than that, it’s all just the one character and her thoughts as she acts the role. It seems unnecessary to have the character’s name and (V.O.) each time I describe the on-screen action, but I don’t know what else is appropriate. Here’s an example: (I know, I know: It's not funny. :grin: )

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

CHERYL is alone, standing in the center of the living room, in front of the sofa.

CHERYL (V.O.)
So then she tells me that...
​

CHERYL walks over to the fireplace and looks at the vase on the mantel.

CHERYL (V.O.)
...this vase was the key to her fortunes.

​

CHERYL picks up the vase from the mantel, turns, looks around the room. After a few beats she walks slowly back to the kitchen holding the vase like a prize.

CHERYL (V.O.)
I should never have stuck my nose in it.
​

Question 2. Which is best to shoot first, video or voice over? One part of me says I should shoot the audio first, because (except for the one short exchange) there's no live audio to be captured. I can play it while the actor is acting the piece to get the timing right or at least close. If there are visual “bits” that just happen spontaneously while shooting, which would be better served by a gap or additional script, it can more easily be added later. Shooting video is so labor intensive that, after run-throughs, rehearsals, blocking, lighting et al, having the audio to use as a guide makes sense. But, I’ve never done this. Any thoughts?

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

I’m writing a short (a comedy, less than 10 minutes) with one main character. Almost all the script is the main character’s thoughts while on screen. She (probably, it may be a “he” depending on talent interest, budget, etc.) has an internal thought process throughout the film and we are hearing it all.

The standard is, if the lips are not seen moving, it is written in the script with one of two indications... 'Voice Over' (V.O.) or 'Off Screen' (O.S). The latter is when the actor is in the 'near' environment to the shot frame, but is not present in the shot frame. (V.O.) is used for any voicing that is narration, internal monolog, phone conversations for the 'non-visible' party, etc.

If you are writing this just for 'yourself'... you can take any short cuts you want... if you want others to read/review, it would be better if it followed a 'standard' formatting.

This site supports the use of the 'scrippet' tag which allows for a 'nicer' formatting of script chunks:

[scrippet]
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

CHERYL is alone, standing in the center of the living room, in front of the sofa.

CHERYL (V.O.)
So then she tells me that...

CHERYL walks over to the fireplace and looks at the vase on the mantel.

CHERYL (V.O.)
...this vase was the key to her fortunes.

CHERYL picks up the vase from the mantel, turns, looks around the room. After a few beats she walks slowly back to the kitchen holding the vase like a prize.

CHERYL (V.O.)
I should never have stuck my nose in it.

[/scrippet]

 

[nyvideo]

Thanks for the information. Because I would like to have others read it, I will do it the "standard" way, with the (V.O.). Also, I did not know about the scrippet tag. How nice is that.

Regarding my second question, I realized after I posted that in some ways it's like animation with a voice over.