Matt Mullins - Scriptwriter

Steven Bochco (1943) wrote for a number of successful and influential television series. Hill Street Blues (19811987) introduced multiple storylines to single television episodes. Its complex stories and characters challenged viewers in ways television never had before, and influence TV writing to this day.

Robert Bolt (19241995) wrote plays and screenplays. His work on the films Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and The Mission (1986) earned him recognition as one of the most accomplished scriptwriters ever.

Diablo Cody (1978) won an Academy Award for her screenplay for the movie Juno (2007). She also created a series for Showtime called United States of Tara (2009), and she writes and hosts an online Web series called Red Band Trailer.

Spike Lee (1957) has written and directed many films focusing on the experiences of African Americans in the United States. His script for the groundbreaking film Do the Right Thing (1989) was nominated for an Academy Award. He is known for his skillful use of dialogue. He has also directed and starred in a number of successful television commercials.

Frances Marion (18881973) was one of the most well-known screenwriters of the early 20th century. She won Academy Awards for her writing on The Big House (1930) and The Champ (1931), and wrote screenplays for actresses such as Mary Pickford, Marie Dressler, and Marion Davies.

Budd Schulberg (19142009) was a novelist, television producer, and screenwriter. Most famous for his Academy Awardwinning screenplay for On the Waterfront (1954), he also wrote screenplays such as A Face in the Crowd (1957) and novels like The Harder They Fall.

BOOKS

Levine, Gail Carson. Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly. New York: Collins, 2006.

Loewen, Nancy, and Dawn Beacon (illustrator). Action! Writing Your Own Play. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, 2011.

Weinstein, Elizabeth, and Anna Dallam. Shakespeare with Children: Six Scripts for Young Players. Lyme, NH: Smith & Kraus, 2008.

WEB SITES

How Stuff WorksHow Writing a TV Show Works

electronics.howstuffworks.com/tv-writing.htm

Information, pictures, and links about writing for television.

IMDb

www.imdb.com

Find out who wrote your favorite movies.

ZOOM Playhouse

pbskids.org/zoom/activities/playhouse

Read scripts and choose one to perform.

conflict (KAHN-flikt) a problem that motivates characters in a story

dialogue (DIE-uh-lawg) conversation between two or more characters

directors (duh-REK-turz) people in charge of what we see happen in a movie, television show, or play

draft (DRAFT) a first version of a document or any version that is not final

drama (DRAH-muh) a serious play

extras (EK-struhz) actors who dont have any speaking lines and appear in the background in scenes

images (IM-ij-iz) visual representations of ideas

networking (NET-wurk-ing) meeting people to make business connections

plot (PLAHT) the events of a story

revised (ri-VIZED) to review and make changes

scene (SEEN) a small part of a larger story that takes place in a single location

screenwriters (SKREEN-rite-uhrz) a person who writes scripts for film or television

script (SKRIPT) written plan for a movie, TV show, or play

set (SET) the location where a show or movie is filmed

table read (TAY-buhl REED) rehearsal where actors read their speaking parts while sitting around a table

action,

actors,

advertising,

Bochco, Steven,

Bolt, Robert,

books,

cell phones,

characters,

Cody, Diablo,

comedies,

competition,

conflict,

contests,

contracts,

demand,

dialogue,

directors,

drafts,

dramas,

education,

extras,

Grounded for Life television show,

imagery,

Internet,

jobs,

Lee, Spike,

Marion, Frances,

movies,

networking,

plays,

plots,

producers,

public service announcements,

rehearsals,

revisions,

salaries,

scenes,

Schulberg, Budd,

Schwartz, Orit,

short films,

situation comedies,

staff writers,

stories,

table reads,

technology,

television,

Matt Mullins lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his son and writes about science, engineering, business strategy, and other topics. Formerly a journalist, Matt has written more than 20 childrens books, and has written and directed three short films.

Think of your favorite movie, television show, or video game. What did you love about the story? Have you ever thought about how the story was created?

Stories for movies, TV shows, and video games come from the work of scriptwriters. Scriptwriters also write stage plays, Web site pages, informational videos, advertisements, and more. They create things for characters to say and situations for characters to deal with.

When actors or directors are interviewed, they often talk about writers. Every good film, play, or video begins with a script. A good script must include an interesting story, exciting action, and quality dialogue.

Writing for film or TV is different than writing for plays or radio. Film and TV require action and movement. Plays and radio programs focus more on dialogue. But all types of scripts share one important trait. Unlike novels, which can describe characters thoughts, scripts must use action and dialogue to show what is going on in a characters mind. Scriptwriters need a good sense for movement and action. They use images to explain parts of stories without using dialogue.

Scripts also need good stories. Like a good book, if a movie or TV show doesnt have a story that pulls you in, you probably wont finish watching it. Scriptwriters who work on drama need a good ear for how people speak in real life. They need to understand how peoples words affect their actions. They also need to know how to set up an interesting conflict. Many conflicts are based around characters who have different goals, such as a superhero and an evil villain. Other stories are about a single character with a problem to solve, such as a detective trying to discover who committed a crime.

Think about a scene where a boy named Frankie likes a girl named Kathy. Frankie sees Kathy at school. In a story or a novel, we may read that Frankie has a crush on Kathy. A writer may tell us how Frankie feels or describe the thoughts racing through Frankies head when he passes Kathy in the hallway. The writer might also describe what Kathy is thinking or feeling. Scripts dont usually do that. In fact, most scripts wouldnt even tell us that Frankie has a crush on Kathy! Scripts show information instead of telling it. Here is a sample script.