Writing for Visual Media, Third Edition

WRITING FOR VISUAL MEDIA......Page 4
COPYRIGHT PAGE......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION......Page 16
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION......Page 18
INTRODUCTION......Page 22
WHAT'S ON THE WEBSITE......Page 28
PART 1 Defining the Problem......Page 30
Writing not to be read but to be made......Page 32
Writing, producing, and directing......Page 33
The producer cannot read your mind......Page 35
What is the role of a scriptwriter?......Page 36
The "Script" writer is a new kind of writer......Page 37
What is visual writing?......Page 38
Meta-writing......Page 40
Writing with dialogue......Page 41
Writing without dialogue......Page 42
Conclusion......Page 44
CHAPTER 2 A seven-step method for developing a creative concept......Page 46
Step 1: Define the communication problem......Page 47
Ivy college: An admissions video......Page 48
PSA for battered women......Page 49
Shell gas international......Page 50
Step 2: Define the target audience......Page 52
Information overload......Page 53
Gender......Page 54
Income......Page 55
Psychographics......Page 56
Emotion......Page 57
Attitude......Page 58
Step 3: Define the objective......Page 59
Attention Span......Page 61
Step 5: Define the content......Page 62
Step 6: Define the appropriate medium......Page 63
Step 7: Create the concept......Page 64
A concept for an antismoking PSA......Page 68
The concept......Page 69
Conclusion......Page 70
CHAPTER 3 The stages of script development......Page 72
Background research and investigation......Page 73
Interviewing......Page 75
Location research......Page 77
Concept......Page 78
Pitching......Page 79
A treatment for a PSA: Smoked to death......Page 80
A first draft script for a PSA: Smoked to death......Page 81
Voice narration and dialogue......Page 83
Revision......Page 84
Shooting script......Page 85
Conclusion......Page 86
CHAPTER 4 Describing sight and sound......Page 88
Describing time and place......Page 89
Describing action......Page 90
Describing the camera frame or the shot......Page 91
Describing graphics and effects......Page 93
Describing transitions between shots......Page 94
Describing sound......Page 95
Format for radio......Page 96
Finding a format for the page......Page 98
Master scene script......Page 99
Dual-column format......Page 100
TV studio multi-camera script......Page 102
News anchor script format......Page 104
Conclusion......Page 105
PART 2 Solving Communication Problems with Visual Media......Page 106
CHAPTER 5 Ads and PSAs: Copywriting for visual media......Page 108
Copywriting versus scriptwriting......Page 109
The 20-, 30-, and 60-Second miniscripts......Page 110
Visual writing......Page 111
Devices to capture audience attention......Page 112
Define the creative idea or concept......Page 113
More on ADS and PSAs......Page 118
Humor......Page 119
Shock......Page 120
Kids......Page 121
Testimonial......Page 122
Special effects......Page 123
Recruiting the audience as a character......Page 124
Infomercials......Page 125
Billboards and transportation Ads......Page 126
Advertising on the world wide web......Page 129
Conclusion......Page 131
CHAPTER 6 Corporate communications: Selling, telling, training, and promoting......Page 134
Video as a corporate communications tool......Page 135
Corporate television......Page 136
Training, instruction, and education......Page 137
Summative evaluation......Page 138
Typical corporate communication problems......Page 139
Getting background and product knowledge......Page 142
Show and tell......Page 143
Job and task description......Page 144
How-to-do-it videos......Page 145
Other corporate uses of media......Page 146
Meetings with a visual focus......Page 147
Devices that work for corporate messages......Page 148
Dramatization......Page 149
Humor......Page 151
Visual metaphor......Page 152
Narrators and anchors on camera......Page 154
Documentary......Page 155
Vox pops......Page 156
Logical argument in documentary narrative......Page 157
Visual seduction......Page 158
Case histories......Page 159
Writing the corporate treatment......Page 160
Writing voice commentary......Page 161
Selling creative ideas......Page 162
Conclusion......Page 163
Documentary comes first......Page 166
Truth or fiction......Page 169
Scripted and unscripted approaches......Page 171
What is the role of the writer?......Page 172
Observation......Page 173
Investigative documentary......Page 174
Dramatized documentary......Page 175
Propaganda......Page 176
Travel documentary......Page 177
Narrative voice-over and postproduction......Page 178
Dual commentators......Page 179
On-camera/Off-camera combinations......Page 180
Conclusion......Page 181
PART 3 Entertaining with Visual Media......Page 184
Origins of drama......Page 186
Conflict......Page 187
Three-act structures for fllm and television......Page 189
Other narrative structures......Page 194
Westerns......Page 196
Romantic comedies......Page 197
Road movies......Page 198
War movies......Page 199
Murder mysteries......Page 200
Martial arts......Page 201
Monster movies......Page 202
Cross genre......Page 203
Adapting the seven-step method......Page 204
Log lines......Page 205
The premise......Page 206
Concept or synopsis......Page 207
Story engines......Page 209
Writing a movie treatment......Page 210
Screenplay......Page 211
Master scene script format......Page 213
Conclusion......Page 214
CHAPTER 9 Writing techniques for long-form scripts......Page 216
Characters and character......Page 217
Dialogue and action......Page 218
Plot or storyline......Page 221
Comic devices......Page 222
Verbal comedy......Page 223
The cover-up/impersonation......Page 224
Dramatic irony......Page 225
Disguise......Page 226
Dramatic irony......Page 227
Greed......Page 228
Desire/lust......Page 229
The problem of adaptation......Page 231
Point of view......Page 234
Setting and period......Page 235
Dialogue versus action......Page 236
Implied action......Page 238
It's a wonderful life......Page 239
Bartleby......Page 244
Conclusion......Page 249
CHAPTER 10 Television series, sitcoms, and soaps......Page 252
The premise for series, sitcoms, and soaps......Page 253
Three-act structure and the TV time slot......Page 255
Visualizing for the small screen......Page 256
Realism/realistic dialogue......Page 257
The beat sheet......Page 260
Condensing action and plot......Page 262
Script formats for television......Page 263
TV comedy and its devices......Page 264
Running gags......Page 265
Visual gags......Page 270
One-liners and laugh lines......Page 271
New techniques and innovations......Page 272
Spec scripts......Page 273
Conclusion......Page 274
PART 4 Writing for Interactive and Mobile Media......Page 276
Defining interactive......Page 280
Linear and nonlinear paradigms......Page 281
Combining media for interactive use......Page 283
Breakdown of script formats......Page 286
Branching......Page 287
Authoring tools and interactive concepts......Page 289
Finding a script format......Page 293
Conclusion......Page 295
CHAPTER 12 Writing for interactive communications......Page 296
Different writing for websites......Page 298
Multilayered writing......Page 300
Conceptual writing versus content writing......Page 301
Website concepts......Page 302
Writing to be read on the web......Page 303
Navigation: The third dimension......Page 304
Breakdown for production......Page 305
Applying the seven-step method......Page 306
Concept......Page 307
Interactive catalogues and brochures......Page 308
Education and training......Page 309
Conclusion......Page 310
Interactive reference works......Page 312
E-Commerce and interactive books......Page 313
Video games......Page 314
Graphics versus live action......Page 319
The order of writing......Page 320
Formats......Page 321
Interactive television......Page 323
Interactive movies......Page 325
Conclusion......Page 326
CHAPTER 14 Writing for mobile media......Page 328
Antecedents......Page 329
Technical antecedents......Page 330
Video and cell phone use......Page 333
Webisodes......Page 337
The mobisode™......Page 339
Conclusion......Page 347
PART 5 Anticipating Professional Issues......Page 350
Writing for the entertainment world......Page 352
Writing contracts......Page 353
Pitching......Page 355
Ideology, morality, and content......Page 357
Emotional honesty and sentimentality......Page 359
Writing for the corporate world......Page 362
Corporate contracts......Page 363
Marketing yourself and your work......Page 364
Copyright......Page 365
Work-made-for-hire and freelance......Page 366
Networking, conventions, and seminars......Page 367
Conclusion......Page 368
APPENDIX: Script formats......Page 370
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 390
A......Page 396
B......Page 397
C......Page 398
D......Page 400
E......Page 401
F......Page 402
I......Page 404
L......Page 405
M......Page 406
O......Page 407
P......Page 408
R......Page 409
S......Page 410
T......Page 413
W......Page 415
Z......Page 416
A......Page 418
C......Page 419
D......Page 420
F......Page 421
I......Page 422
M......Page 423
P......Page 424
S......Page 425
T......Page 426
V......Page 427
Z......Page 428