Finishing my Script

     Yesterday, I finished writing my script. It took me a while because I really wanted to develop my protagonist well before I wrote dialogue. Since I'm doing science fiction, I worked on building the context for the world in which my story takes place in. I went through a lot of brainstorming to figure out the "history" of this world, which directly affects the backstory of my main character. I already had an idea of how things played out, but I started to go into deeper details about how much Earth has changed, when it changed, and how that affects the character. Though the viewer won't be aware of all of this history simply through the 2-minute opening, I still wanted to put effort into world building because it ultimately influences the protagonist, her life, and how she acts. For example, obstacles in the past caused her family to leave Earth, making her very lonely, but she has gotten used to this loneliness. This can be reflected in her optimism, which I made apparent through the script. 

    After world building, I focused on building her own personality. Again, the audience won't be aware of some parts of her personality (like her interests) through the opening alone, but it does influence the way she acts, which is important for the script. I already had a clear idea of her motivations, but I brainstormed her interests, social life, personality traits, and even things like her age and if she had siblings. I really wanted to flesh out this character because I really wanted the script to reflect her personality. I just didn't want the script to feel too stale, I guess. I actually think I put more time into brainstorming this than writing the script itself.

    Finally, I wrote my script. I used examples of real scripts, specifically from other sci-fi films, to help me write my own. One script that I referenced the most was from the film "Gattaca". I had already watched this movie a few months back, so as I read the script, I also imagined how that specific scene played out in the film, so I could see how the scene was reflected in writing. One thing I took note of is how the script relayed important information while having the feeling of a natural conversation. When writing my own script, I tried to imagine how I would say the line myself so that it sounded like it was naturally coming out of someone's mouth and didn't feel like a script. 

Niccol, A. (n.d.). UNTITLED A Screen Play. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://screencraft.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Gattaca.pdf