Screenwriting

Direction, Stage Direction

(See Stage Directions in Revised above.)

Logline

A "25 words or less" description of a screenplay.

Button

A TV writing term referring to a witty line that "tops off" a scene.

Intermission

A break between acts or scenes of the play to allow for set changes, and for the audience to go to the bathroom, stretch and buy concessions.

High concept

A brief statement of a movie's basic idea that is felt to have tremendous public appeal.

Cable

A cable television network such as HBO, or cable television in general.

Hip pocket

A casual relationship with an established agent in lieu of a signed, formal agreement of representation.

Establishing Shot

A cinematic shot that establishes a certain location or area.

Blackout

A common stage direction at the end of a scene or an act.

Lights Fade

A common stage direction to end a scene or an act.

Audio/Visual Script

A dual column screenplay with video description on the left and audio and dialogue on the right, used in advertising, corporate videos, documentaries and training films.

Film Festival

A festival of short and/or feature-length films shown over the course of between a few days to a few weeks. Festivals are places for films and filmmakers â€" particularly in the case of independent films â€" to gain exposure and critical buzz and, in many cases, distribution. Perhaps the two best-known festivals in the world are Sundance and Cannes.

Alan Smithee

A fictional name taken by a writer or director who doesn't want their real name credited on a film.

Black Box

A flexible theater space named for its appearance.

Act

A large division of a full-length play, separated from the other act or acts by an intermission.

Agent Submission

A method of play submission, in which a theater requires that a script be submitted by a recognized literary agent.

Feature Film

A movie made primarily for distribution in theaters.

Cast Page

A page that typically follows the Title Page of a play, listing the characters, with very brief descriptions of each.

Beat

A parenthetically noted pause interrupting dialogue, denoted by (beat), for the purpose of indicating a significant shift in the direction of a scene, much in the way that a hinge connects a series of doors.

Angle

A particular camera placement.

Bankable

A person who can get a project financed solely by having their name is attached.

Commission

A play for which a theater company gives a playwright money to write, typically with the understanding that the theater will have the right of first refusal to premiere it.

Evening-Length Play

A play that constitutes a full evening of theater on its own (a.k.a. Full-Length Play).

Indie

A production company independent of major film studio financing.

Green Light

A project OKed for production.

Acting Edition

A published play script, typically for use in productions in the amateur market or as reading copies. Often has a list of prop list or set design sketches.

"A" Page

A revised page that extends beyond the original page, going onto a second page. (i.e. Page 1, 1A, 2, 3, 3A)

FLASHBACK

A scene from the past that interrupts the action to explain motivation or reaction of a character to the immediate scene.

Manuscript

A script before it has been published.

Intercut

A script instruction denoting that the action moves back and forth between two or more scenes.

Locked Pages

A software term for finalized screenplay pages that are handed out to the department heads and talent in preparation for production.

At Rise Description

A stage direction at the beginning of an act or a scene that describes what is on stage literally "at rise" of the curtain, or more commonly in contemporary theater, as the lights come up.

Extension

A technical note placed directly to the right of the Character name that denotes HOW the character's voice is heard. For example, O.S. is an extension that stands for Off-Screen.

Hook

A term borrowed from songwriting that describes that thing that catches the public's attention and keeps them interested in the flow of a story.

Against

A term describing the ultimate potential payday for a writer in a film deal. $400,000 against $800,000 means that the writer is paid $400,000 when the script is finished (through rewrite and polish); when and if the movie goes into production, the writer gets an additional $400,000.

Artistic Director

A theater company's chief artistic officer and usually the last stop before a play is selected for production.

Bump

A troublesome element in a script that negatively deflects the reader's attention away from the story.

Back Door Pilot

A two-hour TV movie that is a setup for a TV series if ratings warrant further production.

In the Round

A type of theater space in which the audience is, usually in a circular configuration, on all sides of the playing area.

Draft

A version of a play. Each draft of rewrites/revisions should be numbered differently.

Close Up

A very close camera angle on a character or object.

Approved writer

A writer whom a television network trusts to deliver a good script once hired.

b.g.

Abbreviation for "background" (i.e. In the b.g., kids are fighting).

f.g.

Abbreviation for "foreground" (i.e. In the f.g., kids are fighting).

Attached

Agreement by name actors and/or a director to be a part of the making of a movie.

Full-Length Play

Also known as an Evening Length Play, a play that constitutes a full evening of theater.

Beat Sheet

An abbreviated description of the main events in a screenplay or story.

Associate Artistic Director

An artistic officer of a theater company, frequently a director and often second to the Artistic Director, integrally involved with its artistic decisions.

Header

An element of a Production Script occupying the same line as the page number, which is on the right and .5" from the top. Printed on every script page, header information includes the date of a revision and the color of the page.

Character

Any personified entity appearing in a film or a play.

Arbitration

Binding adjudication by members of a Writers Guild of America committee regarding proper onscreen writer credit of a movie; arbitration is available only to WGA members or potential WGA members.

Brads

Brass fasteners used to bind a screenplay printed on three-hole paper, with Acco #5 solid brass brads generally accepted as having the highest quality.

Act/Scene Heading

Centered, all CAPS heading at the start of an act or scene. Act numbers are written in Roman numerals, scene numbers in ordinals.

CGI

Computer Generated Image; a term denoting that computers will be used to generate the full imagery.

ad lib

Dialogue in which the characters or actors make up what they say in real time on the movie set or on stage. From the Latin ad libitum, "in accordance with desire."

Continuing Dialogue

Dialogue spoken by the same character that continues uninterrupted onto the next page, marked with a (cont'd) in a stage play.

Emphasized Dialogue

Dialogue that the playwright wants stressed, usually identified with italics.

Back Story

Experiences of a main character taking place prior to the main action, which contribute to character motivations and reactions.

Cheat a script

Fudging the margins and spacing of a screenplay on a page (usually with a software program) in an attempt to fool the reader into thinking the script is shorter than it really is.

Director

In a stageplay, the individual responsible for staging (i.e. placing in the space or "blocking") the actors, sculpting and coordinating their performances, and making sure they fit with the design elements into a coherent vision of the play. In a musical, there will typically be a separate musical director responsible for the musical elements of the show. In a Dramatists Guild contract, the playwright has approval over the choice of director (and the cast and designers). In film, the director carries out the duties of a stage director and then some (e.g. choosing the shot list), with considerably more say-so over the final product.

Above-the-line

In film, those costs that occur before filming, this includes salaries of the talend and creative team (director, producer, screenwriter), plus any rights required for adapted scripts. Sometimes, above-the-line can also refer to the people included in the above-the-line payment category.

Continuous Action

Included in the scene heading when moving from one scene to the next, as the action continues.

INT.

Indoors.

Formula

More commonly used in the world of film than for describing the stage, it usually refers to a "sure-fire" method of structuring a script (i.e. it must include certain elements and arrive at a certain ending). For example, there have been a slew of movies where a group of misfits are thrown together and ultimately become the David that slays Goliath on the athletic field (e.g. The Bad News Bears).

Left

On stage, the actors' left, assuming they are facing the audience. Short for Stage Left.

EXT.

Outdoors.

Back End

Payment on a movie project when profits are realized.

Heat

Positive gossip about a project on the Hollywood grapevine.

Copyright

Proof of ownership of an artistic property that comes with registering your script through the United States Register of Copyrights.

Literary Manager

The artistic officer of a theater in charge of at least the first stages of reviewing scripts for possible production. She may have dramaturg responsibilities as well.

Genre

The category a story or script falls into - such as: thriller, romantic comedy, action, screwball comedy

Center (Stage)

The center of the performance space, used for placement of the actors and the set.

Cast

The characters who are physically present in the play or film. These are the roles for which actors will be needed. When we talk about a role in a stageplay as being double-cast with another, it means that the same actor is expected to play both roles. This happens in film as well (e.g. Eddie Murphy), but only rarely.

Development Hell

The dreaded creative death malaise that occurs when the development process lasts too long.

Character arc

The emotional progress of the characters during the story.

Exposition

The first act of a dramatic structure, in which the main conflict and characters are "exposed" or revealed. Also, any information about the characters, conflict or world of the play.

Conflict

The heart of drama; someone wants something and people and things keep getting in the way of them achieving the goal. At times, the obstacles can be common to both the hero and villain, and the ultimate goal a laudable one for both parties.

FREEZE FRAME

The image on the screen stops, freezes and becomes a still shot.

Font

The look of the printed text on the page. For screenplays, Courier 12 point is the standard (a fixed font which in practical terms means that an l or an m, although the m being wider, occupy the same width of space). For stageplays, while Courier 12 point is often used, Times Roman and other proportional spaced, clearly readable fonts are also acceptable. (Proportional spaced fonts make adjustments for skinnier letters; text usually takes less space.) â€" this has been edited.

Action

The moving pictures we see on screen. Also, the direction given by a director indicating that filming begins.

Coverage

The notes prepared by script readers at literary agency, film production company, theater company or script competition. Coverage is typically divided into three sections: plot synopsis, evaluation / discussion of the quality of the writing, and a recommendation that either passes on the script or kicks it on to the next level. Typically, coverage is for internal use and almost never shared with the writer.

Downstage

The part of the stage closest to the audience, so named because when stages were raked (slanted), an actor walking toward the audience was literally walking down. Called "Down" for short.

Bill

The play or plays that together constitute what the audience is seeing at any one sitting. Short for "playbill."

Development

The process of preparing a script for production.

Dramatists Guild of America

The professional organization of playwrights, composers and lyricists, based in New York.

Complication

The second act of a three-act dramatic structure, in which "the plot thickens," peaking at its end.

Dialogue

The speeches between characters in a film or a play.

Book

The story and the non-musical portion (dialogue, stage directions) of a theatrical musical.

Lyrics

The words that are sung by characters in a musical.

Designer

Theater professional whose job it is to envision any of the following elements in a play: costumes, sets, lights, sound or properties.

Literary Office

Usually headed by the literary manager and often staffed with interns and in-house or freelance readers. Typically the place to direct script submissions and inquiries.

Binding

What literally holds the script together. As a writer submitting your manuscript, you might use either brads with cardstock covers or one of a number of other pre-made folders (all available from The Writers Store).

Event

What precipitates a play. For example, Big Daddy's birthday is the event in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Line Reading

When a director or playwright gives an actor a specific way to perform a line of dialogue.

Direct Solicitation

When a theater contacts a playwright or his agent about submitting a script. Theaters that use this method typically do not want the playwright to initiate the contact.

Character name

When any character speaks, his or her name appears on the line preceding the dialogue. In screenplays, the name is tabbed to a location that is roughly in the center of the line. In playwriting, typically the name is centered, but with the advent of screenwriting software that automatically positions the character name correctly, it has become acceptable to use a similar format for character names in stageplays.

Interrupt

When one character cuts off another character's dialogue, sometimes marked with an ... but better marked with an em dash (--).

Dual Dialog

When two characters speak simultaneously

M.O.S.

Without sound, so described because a German-born director wanting a scene with no sound told the crew to shoot "mit out sound."

Abbreviations

shortcuts used in scripts such V.O., O.C.