The shooting script is more elaborate, precise, overwritten version
of the screenplay. Unlike what common sense may suggest, the shooting
script is not written by the screenwriter. It is written by the director
alongside his cinematographer / Director of Photography / Camera-man. while both discuss their ideas and shot
plan desired for the movie.
In broad terms, the main difference between the screenplay and
the shooting script is that the screenplay is a selling tool, whereas
the shooting script is a production tool.
When a screenwriter pens the screenplay, he is trying to sell,
above all else, the story. Therefore, he has to create a smooth read
with a harmonious flow, otherwise his screenplay and hard work end up in
the wastebasket. Screenplays should contain little to no direction
whatsoever. Directing the movie and calling the shots is not the
writer’s task; it is the director’s job! (If writer is a director or director is a writer then it will be easy!)
Ideally, right after a screenplay is purchased, the movie enters pre-production.
The director then will alter the story as he deems fits and eventually
craft the shooting script. The shooting script is normally broken into
shots, featuring precise cinematography terminology such as close-ups, dolly-in, overexposed. The idea here is to inform the crew what is going on. Before principal photography starts, the shooting script will be divided into dates, so everyone knows what is being shot when.
Although terrible to read, the shooting script is essential to a
complex production such as the one of feature movies. The goal is to let
all the crew members know what they will need to bring or arrange
beforehand.
