Reference Material - Being a Script Writer
Going into this unit, I was aware that I needed some inspiration for scriptwriting as I have not delved too much into the role in the past. Script writing is a challenging role so I chose some highly produced shows as my reference material. This section shows you why both “Louis Theroux: America's most hated family in crisis” and “Anthony Joshua: The Road to Klitschko” allowed me to develop as a scriptwriter.
Louis Theroux: America's most hated family in crisis
What is really interesting about this is that Louis is writing the story as well as being the presenter, much like myself in this project. This will enable me to learn a lot about him as a person and how he knows how to get the best out of himself through a script.
The documentary starts off with a really offensive scene in which Westboro Baptist Church is protesting a funeral. This is a scene that really affects the viewer as it is deeply disturbing and offensive to the large majority of people watching this documentary. This would have been decided after the filming was complete. It would have been placed into the edit script as it evokes an emotion in the viewer, willing them to watch more.
This is a highly controversial topic and people would be interested, but the fact that it starts with such a hard-hitting message, enables the viewer to be drawn in. This is an important lesson for me when planning and scripting. The scripting will be similar in a few ways. One way is making sure that the documentary starts with something impactful on the viewer. Making the viewer feel some sort of emotion, whether that be happy, sad, confused or excited, is important in drawing the viewer into the documentary. My beginning for my documentary is starting the documentary with a flash-forward to the main race day and have a short montage of speed/action and drama to draw the viewer into the subject matter.
The use of a flashback is used early on to help remind the viewer about the past experiences. This was written in the script to make sure the viewer knows that Louis has a history with this subject matter and that adds extra meaning to the scene, giving it context. The use of flashbacks is a recurring factor in helping the audience engage with the meaning of the topic, throughout the vast array of documentaries I have studied. A way I will show the importance of motorsport in my own documentary will be through the use of an archive footage. It has a similar effect to a flashback as it shows moments from the past which gives extra meaning to the story. The use of archive footage will enable me as the storyteller to show where my love for motorsport started and then why this formed into a passion that has lasted since. This also allows my subject matter to be opened up to a wider audience. Not all people have an interest in motorsport, so through the use of archive pictures and video, it will be shown that this story is more than just a documentary, it is my life and dreams.
Louis Theroux knows himself very well and how people want him to be represented on screen. Through the use of the script which would have been turned into storyboards, Louis knows that adding a little bit of humour into his documentaries allows a wider, possibly younger, audience appreciate his work. This is done by the documentary tackling a very hard-hitting subject, but then we have these cutaway shots of Louis looking very un-impressed and flat faced. This is where Louis knowing himself very well as a writer and presenter are important in his scriptwriting.
Louis sometimes seems to serious it actually makes the viewer laugh a little, as his facial expressions are doing all the talking. This is where a strong script that highlights what the camera operators should focus on is important. Without these qwerks, the general viewer may find it hard to listen to an irrational view on a certain subject. A lot can be learned for me as the writer and director along with being the presenter. I will not allow myself to script scenes so far that I can not have a natural reaction. A strong understanding of myself as a person and presenter will be key setting the tone in the script. I will be able to learn what works and what does not via test shoots, but I cannot let myself script scenes to an extent where it will detract from the authenticity of this project, as that would destroy the tone I have set.
This documentary never addresses the camera directly, the camera is seen as invisible, like a fly on the wall in this documentary. Louis always looks past the camera and towards the other people present, rather than acknowledging it is there. Scriptwriting this documentary would have been tough as many times the presenter and the camera operators are going "off the limb" and are not exactly sure what is going to happen and therefore cinematically it is not amazing, but this authenticity enables an incredible story to be shown. The order of events seems to have been decided before the event through the script, they would have known they would speak to Person 1 then Person 2 and so on throughout the documentary. This works in the script as it enables the story to move on no matter what answers are given in the “Interviews”.
The film I am creating will have some strong cinematography, to enable the rest of my group to show off their skills. I will be honest to myself and say I will need to script more scenes than Louis does as he is vastly more experienced as a presenter. I will need more hints to help move the story along, which are provided in the script. I spent a long time on my script which allowed me to find a balance between authentic moments and scripted moments. Finding that middle ground was tough, as I am doing multiple roles, but the finished script has a great blend of reality and set up scenes to allow both honest and cinematic scenes.
Moments show that this film would have only been loosely scripted in some areas, as it would be very tough for Louis to know exactly what was going to be said. There is a clear list of "poking points" that Louis has for each person as he speaks to them to enable an emotion in them. This was only possible because of the research into the contributors before the documentary. Character knowledge enables Louis to ask questions on the spot which allows this documentary to feel very natural. Through the development of his script, he would know a lot about each character which allows him to bring out more and more information when speaking to them. This taught me an important fact about writing my script, even though I may go into interviews or situations with a few questions, I need to know a lot about the character so it enables me to get the answers I need. If Louis cannot get to the answer he wants, he typically explores another avenue which could be equally as interesting, but knowledge of his characters enables him to go down other avenues as he has spent the time researching beforehand. The work on our contributors will be completed in January and February 2019 with my producer, which will give me adequate time to understand my contributors and ensure I get the most out of them. I will go into each interview knowing my ideal answer, but not afraid to follow another path if it still fits my storyline.
It is clear that Louis, as the scriptwriter spent a lot of time working with the editor as a lot of the story, could have been lost with a large number of interviews, all seemingly stating different opinions. This is helpful to understand as my documentary may have moments that do not go to the plan of my original script, but learning how to adapt the script to follow the story arc will be key in allowing my documentary to be successful. It is impossible for the script to go exactly as planned, as we do not know what a lot of the contributors will say. We will have to slightly change the story throughout, to allow the contributor's opinions to flourish. This cannot, however, distract from the story we are trying to tell us what the contributor says always needs to link back to our story. This work I need to do as a presenter, as it will allow me to get the right answers out of our contributors.
The use of having unscripted scenes is important in showing the reality of a situation. In this documentary, the WBC continually lack human empathy which triggers the audience into feeling an emotional response. This is helped by Louis going into a scene knowing anything could happen, which allows him to methodically observe a situation and come at it with a level head, asking the right questions. The importance of creating an emotional connection between the presenter and the audience helps ground the information that the presenter is haring with us. Through various changes in my documentary, I have allowed the topic to be accessible by more people, by allowing the viewer into my mind which helps the emotional connection. Without this connection, it makes the journey less powerful as each hurdle has less meaning. This can be created with a background story of myself and my upbringing which I a lot of people can relate to. This topic and the way we present it will allow the viewers to think about their dreams, and if they want to attempt to achieve theirs.
The biggest thing I took from this documentary was how the use of voiceover allows the story to move along. This is because the WBC often try to change the subject and move around the issue, meaning the use of voiceover enables Louis to progress and try and move forward. This is where script writing after the filming is complete is vital to ensure the story you want is told. This knowledge from the voiceover allows the documentary to have a story arc, still having a meaningful ending. This is an important lesson for me as a writer, as it may be easy to think of my job as a scriptwriter is done as soon as we start filming. After every scene is recorded I need to make sure that the piece still relates to the story we are trying to tell, I need the necessary Voiceover to help "fill in the gaps" and make sure the story does get to its endpoint.
I like how voiceover is used when Louis is on screen as a presenter, doing this makes it feel more natural and that we are still moving with him on the day. Some voiceover can seem forced, but when we still see the presenter on the screen when it is playing helps the viewer feel that the voiceover still has a lot of relevance to what is being shown. As I am the contributor rather than a presenter, I will limit the amount of voiceover used as it makes me seem too much like a presenter if the narrative is pushed by it. This means that only small sections will have voiceover, focusing on parts where knowledge looking back after filming could help move the story along.
Anthony Joshua: The Road to Klitschko
I wanted to gain perspective of what a scriptwriter is thinking when crafting a script for a sports documentary. Therefore, I'm looking at a boxing documentary about a personal journey. Anthony Joshua's road to fighting Vladimir Klitschko in 2017.
This documentary starts with a flash forward to the final event. It is commentated over by a voice of God (VOG) and not AJ himself which seemed odd to me as this is a personal journey. I can understand that AJ probably has a tight schedule and they realised this early on and did not want to rely on him being free. This meant that the VOG would have been the sensible option as they knew he would be available and could set the tone of the documentary through this. I thought that throughout the VOG sounded bored and disinterested in the story. Someone with a little more energy could have carried this documentary to another level, allowing the viewer to have more interest in the story.
He has no emotion in his voice, dragging the tone of the story down with him. I know that I will be commentating over a couple of scenes in my documentary, so the right tone in these scenes will be vital in the story being consistent throughout. I am very aware that I need not become the presenter in my documentary, rather the contributor, so limiting the voiceover will help that. As a scriptwriter I need to be aware of ensuring any voice over does not become too formal, as that would lead the viewer into thinking I am the presenter, changing the tone of the piece. We want to create a story that is as close to reality as possible, showing what really happens when you follow a dream.
I noted that AJ sometimes directly speaks to the camera which is sometimes a little off-putting as it comes across very formal, whereas the right of the documentary is not. The majority of the story is being told like an observational documentary, but sometimes he acknowledges the camera and speaks directly at it. These scenes are generally AJ discussing moves and techniques to the viewer, almost as a presenter. But as a scriptwriter, I would have made sure these sequences were done with a friend or trainer as they seem very forced and take away from the feeling of being an observer of this event.
When we are spoken directly towards, it throws us off guard a little and we are unsure if this is how it was originally planned. Of course, with any documentary following a journey, you can not plan exactly what happens. In DREAM CHASER, I will be sure to evoke a conversation with what I am doing on screen, rather than a scripted sequence or conversation. We may encounter situations where we go off script to capture unplanned moments, but changing the tone and suddenly speaking to the camera would destroy the illusion of observation for the viewers.
The narrator is not present throughout the documentary, but when he does appear he does help fill the viewer in. I would have preferred him to have had a little more energy and also speak a little more as there are moments when he isn’t heard for over 10 minutes. This is a documentary about AJ but we need more information other than just candid moments, which this film tends to rely on. There are moments of this film, that goes on for minutes, with no active voice on screen or voiceover, there is just background chatter that doesn't really add to the story.
If I were this scriptwriter, I would have either severely shortened these sequences or removed them. It is nice to allow AJ's personality to shine through, chatting with mates, but it really drags on in this documentary. There seemed to be little formality and the script seemed to allow a large amount of time to these sequences. A little more stringency about what is and isn’t included would have helped move the narrative along faster and not get lost in the story we think we are supposed to be told.
I learned that you need to be tough on yourself when writing the edit script if something does not add to the story, it needs to be shortened or cut. The story moving along and having an arc is more important than including a scene just because you thought you needed it in the first place. This has allowed me to develop my script and remove certain sequences that were originally included. An example of a scene I have removed is one where I go on an experience day at Brands Hatch. It did not add to our story, even though it would have been a fun experience for me. This helped us save time and allowed my script to be focused more on the personal side of my journey. The backstory, thoughts, opinions and fears are now more prevalent which gives our story depth it lacked originally.
There are a couple of great establishing moments in the AJ documentary, but not enough. As a scriptwriter for this documentary, I would have been sure to write down about the inclusion of as many possible EST Shots as possible. They are vital in setting up new scenes and allowing the viewer to see the transition between sequence to sequence. More time should have been spent sourcing locations for these shots as they would have helped the story be more visually pleasing and created a start and end to each segment. I have already included points where EST shots will be key in my documentary. After seeing this documentary, I have to make sure to make it very clear that these shots will be essential in telling our story. It is vital to have the clips, even if we do not use them, we know they are there if needed.
A lot of what was included in this documentary was not even thought about in the original script, much of what is shown does not inspire a sense of pre-planning. There are a lot of scenes that are really random and don't add anything to the overall story. An example is when "The Rock" comes in and has a chat with AJ. This would be fine as a quick 5-10 second moment. But it is dragged out for a number of minutes and doesn't add anything to the documentary. This documentary could have easily been 20min shorter and told the same story, but sloppy editing and poor decisions in the script meant it dragged on. From this, I have learnt that a script is invaluable which has led to me spending a lot of time crafting mine. It now enables the crew to conduct themselves in the right way and capture the footage needed, while telling the story we had always planned. As long as the story still has the same narrative arc and includes the key moments, that is most important.
Apart from the random moments where AJ spoke to the camera, the script is seemingly very loose and shot "on the go”. Right towards the end of the documentary, it starts to look more professional. For the first time we have sat down interviews and these enable us to understand all of the facts just before the big fight. These sit down interviews are vital in making sure the importance of the boxing fight is realised, they just came too late into this documentary. We had gained a glimpse of an idea about how important it is, but right towards the end, we get the realisation of it all. These are powerful interviews that really drive the narrative arc, but if they were further towards the middle of the documentary, they would have been more powerful.
Without these interviews right near the end, I would certainly have not cared for the finale and the outcome. This has taught me to understand what questions I want to get out of my interviews and to ensure they are present towards the start of the documentary thus giving the ending more meaning. I have made sure that we have two hard-hitting interviews in our documentary, it is important to capture the "soundbites" that ensure the final moments of the documentary are as powerful as they can be.
AJ recalled some memories of the fight just before the fight was shown on screen. This is one of the best things that the script did as it allowed the viewer into the mind of him before the fight. This worked really well and the scriptwriter made sure these were included just before the fight as it finally gave us some context about what he was going through in the build-up to this big finale. They enable us to see the serious and funny side of AJ as a person and finally allow us to connect with him on a more perusal level than was seen before. This was definitely the strongest part of this documentary. For our documentary, we know what the outcome will be (success/failure of the race) but ensuring that the emotions are shown throughout is important in making that final scene actually mean something to the viewers. We have done this by including a lot of personal moments throughout, both looking at the past, present and future. These enable the viewer to understand me as a person and why my journey is important. The scriptwriter should have spent more time on the opening and middle scenes of this documentary, to bring more of AJ's personality out, it would have meant the final fight actually had an impact on the viewer, rather than being an event we struggled to connect with emotionally.
I would have liked a little more reflection after the fight, about how it went and what's next, but maybe it did not fit into the time-frame of the project. Overall this documentary is a good base, but as a scriptwriter, I wish they would have gone deeper and shown the struggles a little more, too many things are glossed over. The fact that there is so much unneeded content instead of a deeper backstory means that the scriptwriter did not do a good job in this documentary. I used this as inspiration as it showed me a lot of things not to do as a scriptwriter.
Through observing both of these documentaries, it has allowed me to add depth to my own script and allow myself as a presenter to shine. I understand what the viewer needs to come out of each scene thinking, it is now for me as a contributor to tell the story I have written. I am very happy that this reference material allowed me to question my story and adapt it into a project I am now really proud of. It no longer just scratches the surface, it goes deep into my emotions and the struggle of achieving your dreams. My work as a scriptwriter will not be finished, as I will transcribe each clip into the script used for the edit, which will allow the editing phase to be smoother. My time as a scriptwriter has only just started on this project, there is so much more to learn.
