Chapter 8, Scriptwriting

Individuals who participate in a drama or comedy program, performing as someone or something other than themselves.

Actors

A program format in which the talent speaks and the camera shoots almost entirely in a medium close-up. Also known as lecture and talking head.

Big Talking Face (BTF)

A type of music video in which the audience sees the band perform the music that is heard.

Concert Style Music Video

A program format that is essentially a research paper for television.

Documentary

A program format that includes both dramas and comedies and requires actors to portray someone or something other than themselves.

Drama

A program script that is very brief and used for programs in which the order of events is predetermined and the sequence of each episode is consistent.

Format Script

An advertisement that is longer than 60 seconds. Most often an advertisement that is designed to run in a 30 or 60 minute time slot. Also commonly called promo and promotional video.

Infomercial

A program format that involves a conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee.

Interview

A program format in which the talent speaks and the camera shoots almost entirely in a medium close-up. Also known as big talking face (BTF) and talking head.

Lecture

A program format that provides action and makes use of props in addition to lecture. Examples of this format include cooking shows, how-to shows, and infomercials.

Lecture/Demonstration

A program format comprised of feature packages, each addressing a different story for seven to eleven minutes.

Magazine

A production device that allows a gradual change in a relationship or a lengthy time passage to occur in a very short amount of screen time by showing a series of silent shots accompanied by music.

Montage

A program format in which all or most of the audio is a song.

Music Video

A program format that is a collection of individual news stories.

Newscast

A cutaway shot often used in interview programs and usually recorded after the interviewee has left the set. In a nod shot, the interviewer does not say anything, but simply "nods" naturally as if listening to the answer to a question.

Nod Shots

A program script that usually has a word-for-word introduction and conclusion, but an outline for the body of the script.

Outline Script

A program format that presents a group of people gathered to discuss topics of interest. Daytime talk shows are an example of this format.

Panel Discussion

A document created by the scriptwriter that contains general information about the program, including the basic idea, applicable format, message to be imparted to the audience, intended audience, budget considerations, shooting location considerations, and rough shooting schedule used to present the program to the executive producer to obtain permission and funding for the production.

Program Proposal

An advertisement that is longer than 60 seconds. Most often an advertisement that is designed to run in a 30 or 60 minute time slot. Also commonly called promotional video and infomercial.

Promo

An advertisement that is longer than 60 seconds. Most often an advertisement that is designed to run in a 30 or 60 minute time slot. Also commonly called promo and infomercial.

Promotional Video

A program that is 30 or 60 seconds in length and aims to inform the public or to convince the public to do (or not to do) something in the interest of common good.

Public Service Announcement (PSA)

An entire program committed to paper, including dialog, music, camera angles, stage direction, camera direction, and computer graphics (CG) notations.

Script

A type of music video in which the audience hears the music, but does not see the band perform. Instead, actors act out a story line that is supported by the lyrics of the song.

Story Style Music Video

Sketches that portray the way the image on television should look in the finished program.

Storyboards

A program format in which the talent speaks and the camera shoots almost entirely in a medium close-up. Also known as big talking face (BTF) and lecture.

Talking Head

A narrative written from a program outline that tells the program's story in paragraph form.

Treatment

The ability to mentally picture the finished program.

Visualization

A program script in which every word spoken by the talent is written out.

Word-For-Word Script