Shooting script?

Azmyth

Azmyth

Veteran
If I wrote a spec script with the intention of shooting it myself, but I'm bringing some other people in to work as DP.. who writes the shooting script? Or do you even have one?
 
Whatever you shoot from is the shooting script.

It's not really a "spec" script unless you sent it off in the hopes someone will buy and/or produce it.
 
Yeah, just go through the script you wrote, and write yourself notes as to the shots you want for each scene. But if you story board it, there's not much reason to do so. Thats the perks of shooting your own script.
 
I'm no expert because I've only made one short film before but for that I just kept a very detailed shot list for each scene and just ticked them off after I did each one. I was the DP on that too, but I'd like to think that most of the ideas even if I had a DP would come from me because that movie and every shot lived in my head until I dumped it to the shot list. Of course if I had a DP I would certainly be collaborating with them the entire time but the shot list is what I would use as it's just easier to maintain then in the script itself.
 
The "shooting Script" is basically just the script rearranged into shooting order. I don't do anything else to it. I just go into the screen writing software and rearrange the scenes into the order we are shooting them and print out copies for the cast and crew. It's the copy of the script you use on set.

The script 'Breakdown" would have all the notes specific to each scene (who is in it, are there effects, what is the lighting supposed to look like, is there special equipment needed, etc...)
 
Azmyth said:
If I wrote a spec script with the intention of shooting it myself, but I'm bringing some other people in to work as DP.. who writes the shooting script? Or do you even have one?
Click to expand...

This is where if you were using some of the 'offical' tools to write a script, or just using Word, where things would begin to break down.

While the 'shooting script' may be exactly what you have written as it is, there is much more documentation to be created for the actual production. There are 'shot lists', cast call sheets, prop and location lists, and of course 'scheduling'.

On the day of a shoot, the 'script supervisor' would be taking notes on the goings on, which is a large note book filled with shot details, continuity details, who had too much coffee... well... maybe...

Even for small 'shorts' these things make for an easier editing, or if reshoots or ADR is required, going back and setting things up.

The free screenwriter tool Celtix has a number of additional features in this regard. While I've not used Final Draft, I do know that Movie Magic use to have some additional packages that could be purchased to assist in this regard.
 
Just good old excel spreadsheets work wonders too. Automated tools and fancy interfaces just seem to get in my way more than help.
Agree for sure that pre-production is a long period spent making lists. Production is the process of checking things off those lists until nothing is left.
 
The main difference between your script and the shooting script is that the shooting script has the scene numbers in the margins...this allows you to write those scene numbers on your slate when shooting. Then you develop a shot list and shooting schedule.
 
I have done the shooting scripts for many of my films and I just took the "spec version", added scene numbers, broke out a couple of shots where the director told me to (because he was afraid he might miss then on the "sides" and the two or three shots were critical) and capped a few things (props, etc) the director didn't want to forget about. Took me a couple of hours and didn't look that much different than the spec. When I do an assignment, I still don't number the scenes until asked, because some money people might want to see the script in standard form.

I have a script that I'm planning to shoot myself later in the year, and I'm doing shot lists and storyboards and all the rest. But that's not part of the script.

- Bill
 
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