Script vs Screenplay
Most of us, who are not a part of Film and TV fraternity, think of script and screenplay as being terms that pertain to the story of a movie, play, or a serial. This is a fair assessment of the concepts that are very similar if not synonymous. However, one needs to have a better understanding of the two concepts if he aspires to be a part of the entertainment industry so as to carve a niche for himself as a writer in the industry. This article attempts to highlight the differences between script and screenplay.
Script
You must have often heard about producers and directors going to an actor to let him have the feel of the script of the movie to sign him for their film. Most of the actors make it a precondition to sign agreement to hear the script before signing a movie.
While a movie is a visual medium that is made after putting in a great deal of effort, a script is a written document that has all the details outlining a story upon which a movie is to be based. Many may ask why refer to it as an outline and not a true story. To be frank, movie is a huge medium that takes the efforts of not just the writers but also the director, the cameramen, the producers, the actors, the junior artists, and many more before taking a concrete shape. Movie is the output that is based upon a story that serves as an outline. This is because many changes are effected in the script and sometimes the entire script may need rewriting. However, despite introducing changes in the script many times, it has to be written in a standard format so as to be understood clearly by all people concerned.
A screen writer has to keep in mind that he has to put in a story that is finally converted into a visual medium, a movie. Much improvisation takes place while the shooting of the movie takes place, and a script writer may just have to take help of words like picture, sounds, dialogue delivery, and cinematic effect at times, to let the reader of the script get a glimpse of what he is going to see on the screen.
Screenplay
The word screenplay is confusing for some people as they think of it to be related with plays. Of course, screenplays are also written for plays, but they are also for TV serials and movies. However, a screenplay is not a play. Of course, it outlines a story that is to be converted into a visual medium such as a movie or a soap, there are many components of a screenplay that have to be put together and fastened as if nut and bolts in place while assembling an automobile. A screenplay is not a regular story in a magazine; it has to be such so as to make the readers visualize the whole scene and be a participant rather than a bystander. Reading a screenplay should make a reader experience the story more as a character of the story.
What is the difference between Script and Screenplay?
• Script is a generic term used in all kinds of media while screenplay is used in the world of movies. This is because teleplay is the word that has been coined for the scripts of television serials these days.
• Script is for the actors and others involved in filmmaking.
• A screenplay is a type of script.
• All screenplays are scripts, but not all scripts are screenplays
• Script is all about the story and the characters while a screenplay is about the visual aspects and the processes involved in making the movie.