Lesson Seven - Writing

Script Writer

Copyright issues - get it in writing

Basic information about general copyrights:

http://www.mbbp.com/news/know-your-copyrights

http://helensedwick.com/11-things-every-writer-should-know-about-copyrights/

ARTC Specific:

Most things that are performed at ARTC are originals written in house or adaptations of things that are out of copyright. There are some exceptions, and those are given written permission and handled carefully by upper ARTC board members.

If you write a script for ARTC, you are giving permission to ARTC to perform and possibly to alter it to fit their performance needs. However ARTC prides itself in the fact that the script writers retain all rights to their written works. If you work on a collaborative piece, this means that all of you own the copyright, as per usual copyright law.

How do you write an audio script?

An audio script is very different from most other mediums. The ARTC format for script writing can be found here:

Importance of layering sounds/ weaving a fabric of sound.

As you can see from the examples, the extent to which you focus on different aspects of the script will vary based on your own individual writing style. However, at no point should you completely forget to layer in your SFX with your dialogue. A good script should have a fair balance of Dialogue, Music, SFX, Ambiance, and some expositional monologue to taste.

What are the biggest challenges and how do you overcome them?

I find the biggest challenges of writing an audio script are 1) not being able to unknow what you know, 2) cutting the fat, and 3)writing action sequences.

Not being able to unknow what you know.

Since you’re the writer and you know what your characters are doing, those three SFX cues make it abundantly clear that Sally and Tommy have stolen the go cart and are running away on an adventure, but it might not be clear to the audience who doesn’t know what’s going on inside your head.

Cutting the fat.

There are many times in radio drama where a new script will have too much time dedicated to getting all the sounds that would happen in the event of ______. There will also be times when you get repetitive, or could say the same thing in less words or demonstrate it in less time.

Writing action sequences.

It’s not easy to work a wrestling commentator naturally into your fight scenes, but in radio, that’s almost what you have to do. Your action sequences need to be short and sweet, or there needs to be some outside the fight character letting our audience know what’s happening without getting boring or breaking from the story.

I find the best solution to all of these obstacles is group readings and feedback. At ARTC we’ll audition draft scripts and point out the problem areas along with suggestions on how to fix them. Also, just hearing it read out loud, you’ll catch many items that you didn't think about when you were writing it.

Can you still put visual jokes into an audio medium?

(Hear: Cabin Pressure Example)

How much direction do you put into your sound effects or delivery notes?

That will depend on your writing style, but I would not put a lot. If you find that you’re adding a lot to the script in the way of directions, think about how to add to your script to make the nuance more clear. Also keep in mind that you’re the writer, not the director. The director will come up with most of the directions, and may or may not choose to take the script advice as is their prerogative.

After you write the script, do you stay involved with production?

The director may call on you to help them clarify or figure out how they’d like to perform items, but you should learn to let go as much as possible. Trust the groups abilities, and I think you’ll be very pleased with the final outcome.