UNIT III:
ADVANCED APPLICATIONS
CHAPTER 9:
Features and Long Form
CHAPTER 10: Directing
CHAPTER 11: Marketing and Distribution
CHAPTER 12: Professional and
Career Opportunities
CHAPTER 9
FEATURES AND
LONG FORM
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
• Examine various approaches to
Feature-length Production;
• Introduce the structure and format of
Professional Screenwriting;
• Explore Budgeting and Financing;
• Review Crew Positions and Elements of
the Production Process for features.
THE STUDIO SYSTEM
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First Full-length Feature was
The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906)
First half of 20th Century studios
Vertically Integrated
Rise of Television in the 1950s created
More Competition
THE STUDIO SYSTEM
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1960s through the 1980s, Independent
Producer powerful force in TV
1990s Consolidation of Ownership
Video capture for Long Form:
Attack of the Clones (2002)
TELEVISION FORMATS
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30-minute Episodes
(22 min. of programming)
60-minute Episodes
(44 min. of programming)
Made-for-television Movies
(90 min. of programming in 2 hr. slot)
Executive Producer - “showrunner”
Pilots
Syndication
SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE
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Act I:
Story established; Characters developed
(30 pages)
Act II:
Introduces a Major Complication
(60 pages)
Act III:
Resolves the Story (30 pages)
SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE
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One Page Per Minute
Plot Points
First 10 Minutes: self-contained
Dramatic Unit
TELEVISION WRITING
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Act structure defined by
Commercial Breaks
60-minute episode:
Four Acts plus Teaser and Tag
30-minute episode:
Two Acts plus Teaser and Tag
TELEVISION WRITING
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The A-story is the Main Story
The B-story is a Sub-plot,
focusing on supporting characters
The C-story is usually lighter in tone,
called the Runner
WRITING TIPS
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Backstory
Every scene should move the story
Forward
Try writing a scene by Starting at the
End – you will know where you are going
SCREENPLAY FORMAT
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Title of the Project
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Name of the Author
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“SCENE 1.”
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“EXT.” or “INT.”
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Identify the Location
Example: “EXT. PARKING DECK – NIGHT.”
SCREENPLAY FORMAT
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Descriptive information Single-spaced,
Block Left or Indented Five Spaces
Put a new character’s name in All-caps –
First Time Used!
Technical information in All-caps
SCREENPLAY FORMAT
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Dialogue indented
25-30 spaces
under the
character’s name
Character’s name
before dialogue
indented 10-15
spaces
If a scene
continues onto the
next page,
“(CONTINUED)”
BUDGETING
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Script Breakdown
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Above-the-line Expenses
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Below-the-line Expenses
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The Producer’s Masterguide
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Union and Non-Union Projects
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Tax Incentives
FINANCING
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Private Investors
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Fundraising
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Shares
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High-risk and High-yield Venture
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Trade Shares for Services
FINANCING
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Control Cash Flow - service in kind
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Deferments
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Completion Guarantee
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Retaining Ownership
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Product Placement
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR
FEATURES AND LONG-FORM
The Producer
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Financial producers
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Practical producers
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Creative producers
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“Executive Producer”
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR
FEATURES AND LONG-FORM
Preproduction
 Unit Production Manager (UPM)
 Production schedule
 Stripboard
 Shooting schedule
 Liability insurance
 Replacement coverage
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR
FEATURES AND LONG-FORM
Preproduction
 Purchase orders (P.O.)
 Studio space
 Location scouting
 Permits
 Location releases
 Equipment reservations
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR
FEATURES AND LONG-FORM
Production
 Principal actors
 Supporting actors
 Bit players
 Extras
 Stand-ins
 Stunt doubles
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR
FEATURES AND LONG-FORM
Production
 Actor breakdown sheet
 Extras breakdown
 Line producer
 Daily production report
 Daily hot cost
 Script supervisor
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR
FEATURES AND LONG-FORM
Postproduction
 Locking the program
 Spotting the program
 Composing the score
 Automated dialogue replacement (ADR)
 Sound effects
 Visual effects
 Mastering
SAMPLE EXERCISES
1. You are given One Million Dollars to create a
feature. How will you Budget this money to get the
job done?
2. Outline a Feature-length Project. Make the first
ten minutes of your feature a Stand-alone
Dramatic Journey as well as an introduction to the
larger questions of your story. Script the First Ten
Minutes of this feature using the Formal
Screenwriting Format.
3. Produce a Short Test Program based on the 10minute Script you composed for Exercise #2.
Copyright 2008 Taylor and Francis