Instructional Video Production

Instructional Video Production 4(1+3)

Lesson 14: Script Writing

Tips

You are an artist, and you deserve to let yourself be an artist. Write what you love in the way you love to write. May be you will get picked up, may be not, but write. It is the cheapest part of filmmaking.
The general rule of thumb when talking about length is one page equals one minute of screen time, though this is not accurate.

Planning and Writing Basic Story Board Script

Description of shot	Narration	Other sounds and music
Shots of soldiers in the Hialayan situation in a state of physical strain, watchfulness, exhaustion, for example, a group of soliders on a snow field plodding knee-deep in snow – a group pulling a mountain gun – group crossing a dangerous stream, - CLOSE SHOT and CLOSEUPS of soliders gasping after hard labour. E.L.S. L.S. M.C.U. C.U. L.S. L.S. M.C.U. Soldier on a high cliff against a snowpeak. Cut along same axis – solider on a high cliff against snow peak. (Cut along same axis) – soldier’s back. Same soldier’s face (truck into C.U.). A bunch of flowers in a woman’s (Malayali woman in a village) – we look past the nape of her neck.	DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN? DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE COMES FROM? DO YOU KNOW WHY HE IS HERE? THIS IS PRABHAKARAN, FROM THOTTAPALLI.	Natural sounds of the place and of the physical activities as shown. Soft female Malayali voice,

Cluster of coconut palms moving with mild stillness in the breeze (a typical Kerala landscape). Trees and grassy ground. Still water of a pond (STAY ON THIS) stillness broken by circular ripples (CAMERA MOVES AS IF TO SEARCH FOR THE CENTRE OF THE SOURCE OF RIPPLES). A female hand, bare and beautiful, is disturbing the surface of the water, in a pitcher which is dipped into the water. Water gurgles as it enters the pitcher. The other hand brings (STILL) Prabhakaran, thinking pensively. (STILL) of a girl as she stands gazing pensively in the depths of the water. The fullpitcheris onherhip. L.S. Pond, in the fading light of day. (STILL) An old woman (Prabhakarna’s mother) looking in deep thought at something to the right. (STILL) Prabhakaran’s wife looking at something to the left. Prabhakarans smiling face on a group photograph – we PULL BACK to reveal that it is a group photograph with his wife and child, and father and mother – who are sitting in chairs. (The photograph is a rustic village photographer’s work, as if the picture was taken when Prabhakaran was at home on his last holidays). When we pull back we see that the group photo is hung in the same corner of the house which is the shrine, with other idols and pictures of Gods and Goddesses as would obtain in a typical’rural Kerala village household. An oil lamp is burning in this corner. (NIGHT) M.C.U. Soliders sleeping in a bunker. (NIGHT) (Camera composition the same as in Scene 73) Prabhakaran lying on his bunk facing camera. He is not sleeping. (WE HOLD) He turns over and pulls his blanket over his face. (NIGHT) (Camera composition the same as in Scene 73) Prabhakaran’s wife lying down, over. As she turns, we TILT UP SLIGHTLY to show her little son, sleeping next to her. As she turns, she pulls up a blanket over her sleeping son.

Overlapping from shot 61 to shot 62. Splash of water. “Bud… bud…bud….I’– Continues. The sound of water drops falling into a pitcher. “Bud …bud…bud…’I continues. “Bud…bud…’I Continues. “Bud…bud…’I continues. “Bud…I’ (FADES AWAY) General night sounds, rustling of palms, chirping of crickets. 29 Night sounds – rustling of palms, etc.