Extended Step-Outline
Slug line
Priaulx Library, during the day
Where & When does the
scene take place?
Characters in scene
Point of scene?
Where is the
conflict and what
theme is being
introduced?
1
2
Detective/
Researcher
character
Stalker/ Spy
character
3
To show the spy obsessively stalking the librarian and
the detective not aware of his presence, introduces
equilibrium and the catalyst that causes the
disequilibrium for the rest of the thriller.
Detective failure to see his
stalker spying on him and
the consequences of
librarian failing to notice,
i.e. detective’s murder
[Close-up] Books, detective hat on the desk, pen at an
angle on the notebook, [Establishing shot] on the
doorway of the library room slowly [zooming] in a
heartbeat is audible. We see the detective/ researcher
type character in the library [in a medium close up] he
is sitting at the desk. The detective is reading a
newspaper article, and surrounded by other articles and
books.
Events
What Happens?
The cut to the stairs [tilt upwards] leading up to stairs
and stop at a stationary pair of feet belonging to the
stalker. The detective is still flicking through the articles
[in a long shot, a medium shot, high angle, extreme
close up of pages being flicked through at the spine].
Then the detective stops flicking through the pages
[high angle shot].
We have emphasis on the photo he has stopped at
[zoom in, then extreme close up], the detective looks
confused as he recognizes the face trying to place it [
medium close up] we see a point of enlightenment or
remembrance [through a close up of the eyes
widening]. We have a flashback [either marked by a
bright light or a zoom into pupil then a dissolve into
Extended Step-Outline
scene].
We see a [wide long shot] of the detective walking, we
then see a person which we later find to be stalker walk
into frame. The detective continues walking [medium
shot], then POV as person walks towards him, the
detective and spy collide [close-up] of shoulders
colliding, [POV] as spy/stalker apologies, [close-up] of
stalkers face, pause on his face. End of flash back
[symbolizes by bright light and zoom out] from the eye.
Reaction shot of detective as he still looks shocked.
[Close-up at canted angles] of clues in the newspaper
e.g. he had gun etc. [Dissolve] [close-up of downward
tilt]. Wrist, cuff covered in blood leather gloves and
then the gun. The detective is at the desk looking
puzzled with his head in his hands [medium shot] we
then see the stalker progressing closer to the room.
[Tracking shot of feet walking, then jump cut to back to
detective at desk in medium shot, more footsteps in
tracking, library close up of detective, tracking shot of
feet] then stalker steps on a creaking floorboard when
progressing, [reaction shot] of detective hearing sound.
The detective looks around the room wondering where
the source of the sound has come from [POV pan], the
detective assumes he has imagined the sound. The
audience are now aware the stalker in the room with the
detective [wide angle we see spy out of the corner of
the shot] The detective gets up from the desk [medium
shot], he crosses the room to the bookcase [long shot].
We see detective at the bookcase [medium shot] in the
reflective glass of the bookcase, at the same time we
see stalker in the glass.
Detective takes book out the bookcase [close up of
hand and book], then he closes the bookcase and the
spy reflection nowhere to be seen [medium shot].
Detective walks back to the desk [long shot] sits down
and puts book down [high angle].
Extended Step-Outline
How does the scene
end?
The mystery man appears behind him [ medium shot]
we hear the loading of the gun [diagetic med close-up
from behind the detective half of the detectives face
and shoulder.] We establish relationship between gun
held at head and stalker [airel/high angle]. We see fear
in detective’s eyes [extreme close up]. [Diagetic scream
and gunshot] as the screen cuts to black. And have the
[diagetic sound of heartbeat] return on the blackened
screen slowly fading out.
Who was the man that killed the detective?
Enigma Code
Why did he specifically kill him?
What mystery is
unresolved?
Why was he following him?
Action Code
What’s the important
narrative event?
The heartbeat, the scream, the fluttering pages, the
sound of a shot, creek of the floorboard, flashback
Camera & Lighting
Establishing shot of the library door
Framing
Distance, Angle, Frames,
Canted, Height?
Ariel/ High angle shot of the crown of detective’s head
as he highlights
Close-up and canted highlighting words on the page
Close-up of hand with blood on cuff and the gun, close
up of the barrel of the gun, fear in detective’s eyes
Tracking and close-up of spy’s feet
Movement
Pan, Tilt, Dolly, Track,
,Crane?
Zoom of the framing door
POV (pan) when detective becomes suspicious
Tilt near the top of the stairs and come to focus on the
feet at the entrance of the door where the detective is
Extended Step-Outline
Lighting
High / Low Key, Colour.
Music
Ambient Sounds
The lighting will be low key, a dull day-light, apart from
flash back light and actual flash back which will be high
key as we are in broad day-light outside moreover, it
shows the contrast between innocence and happier
days of the past juxtaposed with the darker events that
are about to unfold.
Sound
Subtle, probably quite classical to fit in with the idea of
being in an archaic building, some either a violin or
cello. Speeding up at points of tension or when the
editing does e.g. the canted angles of the clues in the
newspaper.
Heartbeat, fluttering pages, scream, gunshot, scream,
fluttering pages, creak of floor boards
Effects
Editing
Continuity
Montage
Cut/ Jump shots between paralleling the
spy’s journey and the actions of the
detective.
Perhaps one at the beginning of all the
events that will occur in high speed
Especially needed when
Notes
Extended Step-Outline
The 'extended' step outline
Scriptwriters commonly use a step outline as a planning tool for producing scripts. For Media
Studies, this film industry planning and visualising technique is being adapted: it is being
‘extended’ to include the micro details of the scene being outlined. A further adaptation of the
step outline for AS Media Studies will be the insertion of micro details in [square brackets] within
the scene description.
As a guideline, the average length of a scene for this extended step outline is envisaged as
between 175 and 200 words.
Devising an extended step outline
Looking at the Step Outline sheet above, you will see that half the page is given over for a
scene description and it stresses ‘without dialogue’. The reason for this is to give you space to
describe the setting and what is going on without worrying about what is said or how it is
delivered. This allows you to visualise the setting, the action and the micro aspects without
reliance on dialogue and means you will be focused on mise-en-scène, on sound, on how it
might be shot and even how it might be edited.
Over the page is an example of an extended step outline
Extended Step-Outline
Scene No
Page No
Slugline
Int. Flight Deck of the space freighter ‘Pole Star’. Day
Characters in scene
Hunt, Fischer, Cruise, Rodriguez
Point of scene
To show that Hunt is a better flight commander than Fischer
Conflict
Hunt’s desire to see Fischer fail set against the consequences for
all of failure
Ending / central
question
Hunt is forced to countermand Fischer to save the ship / Will they
be able to escape before the oxygen fails?
Scene description (without dialogue) focusing on key micro aspects (mise-en-scène,
camera, sound, editing, performance)
Console lights flicker, illuminating Cruise. [Close up of console lights, pulling back to reveal a
low angle shot of Cruise illuminated by coloured lights]. He looks across to the shadowed,
leather Captain’s chair where Fischer sits crouched forward. A nearby sun flares [Sound bridge
– sound of flaring sun – linking shot of captain's chair on long shot of sun]. The sunshields
descend with a worn mechanical sound [Sound effects accompanied by quiet music suggesting
tension]. Fischer leaps and crouches to see Canton, his colleague trying to save crew, as the
shields descend [Close up of Fischer's face showing anguished expression].
Bulkhead doors clang as Hunt and Rodriguez enter [Medium shot of Hunt and Rodriguez. Slow
zoom to close-up of Roriguez's face]. Rodriguez, sweat covered and disheveled looks to
Cruise. The lights turn red [pan to show medium shot of lights turning to red]. A pulsating siren
begins [Diegetic sound of siren]. Hunt runs to Fischer, whose face is lit by the red light from the
console [Low angle medium shot of Fischer, expressionistic red light cast over face]. Hunt
grabs his face and lifts his wildly flicking eyes to hers, but he cannot look at her and he retreats
into the shadow. Hunt turns and barks instructions [Series of rapid cuts from Hunt to Fischer]. A
moment of hesitation. Cruise and Rodriguez look from a red-lit Hunt, to a silhouetted Fischer.
A distant rumbling explosion rocks the ship. They are thrown to the floor. The Gyroscope
camera activates [Cut from close-up of gyroscope camera to point of view shot from gyroscope
camera]. Rodriguez leans over a monitor, sweating [High angle of Rodriguez looking down to
gyroscope camera]. On screen an interference-strewn image of Canton appears [Medium shot
of gyroscope screen, with interference, showing figure trapped]. Picking herself up, Hunt shouts
a command, and Cruise hits a button. A flashing light warns oxygen level is low [Close up of
warning light.]. Another explosion rocks the flight deck [Sound effects of explosion] and they are
thrown into darkness.