The script

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The script is an intergral part of a film production, as it's one of the first visualizer of how the opening sequence will plan out, from the first scene to the next. Moreover, the script is the first official document of communication and instruction towards other team members, so that it's mutually agreed upon internally and, or translated to curious watchers.

• Script development

The thought of writing a script was daring and non-inviting to me at first to say the least. Script writing, from afar, seemed a tad bit too professional, a tad bit too melticulous, a tad bit too indepth and planned out, which combined into a very deep, narrow, mysteriously dark forest pathway for me to venture in. And thus, a non-experimental, newcoming student like I was, putting off of it for a long time.

• Script elements:

Slug lines: INT. EXT. - a bit overview of screen setting, location
Action logs: written in present tense, depicts what's happening on screen
Shot: notes which shot type and camera movement is involved
Dialogue in the middle + Name of the characters is in CAPITALIZATION
Transition: Fade in / Cut to black: depicts a transition screen, either by camera movement, editing and/or musical break 

          Script elements are melticulous and particular about their formatting and style, so that it is universal and guaranteed amongst all international film industries, saving time for the production teams and actors figuring out the script. Agreed terms of syntax of font Courier, size 12, single-spaced so that one page of script is equivalent to 1 minutes of screentime, making it easily readable, and save time for the script writer to fondle upon and the readers to be signified about different elements.

            That does not save me the sweat to begin script writing, and quite the opposite, it was a little discouraging as I thought I would be even more confused amongst which element is which. However, our media teacher encouraged us to take the first step, by studying the script of famous title, such as Back to the Future and Baby Driver, and laying down the first slug line. And so it goes...

• First rendition:

            The first rendition was more challenging, as I needed to pick out workable material from our team's rough brainstorm and storyline flow, and constructed it into a streamline, coherent action sequence.

            The screen started out with the main character: Detective A. (unnamed) leaning on a balcony, with sun setting on the background. And thus, a character description was much needed for the visualization of the actor and context of the screen, although we have not had a concrete view of how the character would be yet. As significant as clothing and mannerism of a character potrays their core values, we didn't want to rush and spare the details instead. At last, we settled on a conventional black/brown trench coat, with boots and formal clothing. 

           The actions in the scene are minimal, so that there was not much action logs to descripted about. However, the technical aspects of the script were perflexing, as we wanted a sophisticated, well-constructed together work of media. The most fundamental, prevalent struggle of the script, as based on our stroyline, was the transition and editing of multiple shot types together, as we want confusing, various shot types to paint a demoralizing, disturbing and abnormal screen recording. Close up shot, medium shot and wide shot are predominant, thus linking the shot types via editing and camera movement was difficult. A convention that I was particular favored in is the close up, panning from the boots' sole to facial expressions, which can transition from a wide shot from worm eye view, into a close up in the shoes and onto extreme close up in the characters' reaction. 

            However, the transition of different location was quite more difficult to visualize within the script. Simple cut and fading to black could be used, but it goes against the glorification of "style over substance" stand of our product, I figured making the character run out of frame, with their clothing closes on the camera then bridging it to a new location, or a cross cut to jump from medium shot to POV and fades out could be ultilized.  So that the first script rendition came into play.

• Second rendition:

            As our team members still debate over the consistency and continuity of some frame in relation to others, we agreed by presenting a slightly different version of the script. It was less work for me writing, as I don't have to start up from scratch but altering some details and fixing some continuity errors of the scene. However, it was still a hassle to blend the various shot types and location together, but we persevere until we got together and decide on a definitive act.  

* footnote of attention *

I have the option to go forward with another premise of the group, which will be Deconstruction of Detective trope, and forgo my urban psychological thriller, which indeed carries a lot of my personal interest. 

Scripting was the first element that I contributed and developed with the new premise as a team. It was pure fun.