As a reader, scripts can be very satisfying to read. Even as a standalone without having seen the film or with the intention of seeing it. The actual script is very visual as the purpose of a script is to show what the viewer sees, not what the director envisages. What is written in a script is exactly what is shown on the screen.
For example, if the screenwriter wanted to have a close up on a dagger dripping with blood, the script would say this:
Dagger drips with blood.
It would not say:
The camera does a close up on a dagger dripping with blood so that the viewer can see how gruesome the murderer was.
Putting what the writer wants the viewer/producer/director to feel in the script is pointless because this does not translate onto screen. There is no way for the writer to tell the viewer that they are meant to feel horrified by the gruesome murder, unless they see images on the screen that make them feel that way (or unless they are watching the directors commentary). The viewer cannot know that the murder was meant to be gruesome until the images they see on the screen evokes that sense of feeling in them.
Scripts are good to read because they use concise, minimal language. If as a reader, you get annoyed by texts bogged down by descriptions, and you do not like reading books that have the quality of a best-seller, you should read movie scripts. Hundreds of scripts can be downloaded for free on-line from IMSDb and other sites that offer a free script library.
Scripts can be a challenge to read, due to the layout and disjointed narrative.I often find people put too much information into the script and do not leave enough freedom for the imagery.
ReplyDeleteBut they can also be really enjoyable to read because they are different from novels. Script writing is quite an art and not everyone does it well.
ReplyDeleteThings that the audeince deduces and which can't be shown on screen are left out so you can use your imagination there!
I agree with Kiera on this one. But I suppose Erica, your right. Many people do not like the idea of reading those endlessly discriptive novels and therefore a script might be more 'to the point'. However I do find them more challanging to read due to the layout.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yeah, it takes time to get your head around how to read them. I only liked reading them after I took a scriptwriting course.
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