Screenplay

The role of a screenplay is to show both actors and crew what is going to happen in a scene. A screenplay includes actors speech and acting instructions as well as camera shots and scene directions. The main difference between scripts and screenplays is that scripts are usually for theaters and plays where as screenplays are specifically for the film industry. Generally the length of the screenplay is about the same length of the film as one page of screenplay is equal to one minute fo screen time.
When making a screenplay you need to include;

• Location, whether you are inside or outside and time of day (EXT. SCHOOL YARD - DAY)
• An introduction of the key characters; a brief description of what they look like
• Dialogue between characters.
• Camera shots and movements in each shot.

As an example we looked at the screenplay for Jaws and despite the screenplay being written in great detail, it was clear there were a lot of differences between the screenplay and the finished product. For example, a lot of the shots are either missing or have been changed and the shot of her being bitten by the shark is more subtle compared to the description in the screenplay, showing that screenplays are not the finished product and can still be changed post production.