The format of this continuity script called As Broadcast Script resembles that of screenplay. This post production script describes the visuals and precise dialogue of a movie or a television content scene-by-scene and not cut-to-cut like in a Combined Continuity and Spotting List.
The difference between a screenplay and an ABS is that at the time of writing a screenplay there are no time codes and it is a writers visualization that is put on paper.
Whereas an As Broadcast Script is the final representation of the completed movie or a video with time codes.
This is what an As Broadcast Script consists of:
- Time Code: An ABS begins with the time code at which the action is taking place. This is usually the first frame of the scene.
- Location and Time: Right under the time code is a line that establishes the location and time of the action. It starts with indicating if the scene is interior or exterior, written as Int. or Ext. This is followed by where is the location and finally what time of the day it is.
- Visual Description: The visual descriptions are written to represent the action happening on the screen. This can be pretty complex if required. It can contain a lot of detail and also forced narratives such as lower-thirds, graphics, subtitles, and other graphic elements visible on the screen
- Speaker ID: Always written in uppercase.
- The nuance of dialogue: This describes how the dialogue is spoken. Is it a whisper? Loudly? is there fear in the voice?
- Dialogue: Following the video description is the name of the speaker followed by the dialog. This is the audible part of the scene that includes sound effects and inaudible sounds such as whimpering, sigh and anything that is heard. Music is also described and lyrics of any song are added to the dialog part.
- Scene time code
- Time and Locations
- Speaker ID
- Succinct Scene Description
- Dialogue
01:09:34:23
INT. – BLUE BLUES CAFÉ – DAY
Jane and Madeline sit at a table in the café.
JANE: (I don’t know what to do)
In the complex As Broadcast Script, the process remains the same but could include more detail and dialog annotations.
01:09:34:23
INT. – BLUE BLUES CAFÉ – DAY
Jane and Madeline sit at a table in the café. Jane is pensive and holds her head with her hands.
JANE: (Almost Whispering)
I don’t know what to do.
Typically, in a screenplay, one page represents one minute of the movie time which is hard to manage that in an ABS since it includes time code that occupies a line. Generally an ABS is longer than a screenplay.
If the final movie is an exact replica of a screenplay, then a two-hour movie should fit within 120 pages, whereas an ABS will take up to 140 pages. It’s very easy to overwrite while creating this document and exceeding the number of pages. Only an expert writer remains cognizant of the page limitation.
Writing an ABS is an art unto itself. An artfully written Script will evoke the same feeling as actually seeing the film in your mind. All of our ABS writers are experienced screenplay writers and use their words with the utmost judiciousness. Less is more in an As Broadcast Script.
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- End credits in MS Word or .txt