Analysis techniques

[brit_girl_ldn]

Hiya...
I am a currently a uni student (or college student as those in the US would say) and am doing a media writing course. Recently I was set the assignment of analysing any chosen script.. I decided to analyse the script for one of my fav movies "The Green Mile" however... I don't know how to analyse a script!

Could any of you give me any pointers as to what I should be looking out for when I analyse a script?

Cheers
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[Optimus]

Why would your teacher assign you something without clear directions? Weird.

Anyway, off the top of my head, I'd say break the script up into components, and then give your analysis/assessment of each one.

Such as:

-Plot (what's the story, morning glory?)
-Setting (where's it take place? Is it described visually and vividly? Do you get a sense that you're "there?")
-Tone (Does the tone of the writing match the setting and the plot? Is there a distinct and palatable tone in the narrative which enhances the story and really creates the "mood" of the story?)
-Characters (describe each. Do they seem real? Does each have depth and seem well-developed or are certain characters thinly developed? How does each move the story forward?)
-Story Structure (Are the scenes ordered in such a way as to maximize tension and conflict? Does the structure maximize emotional involvment and payoff? How does this story match up to general 3-Act structure? Is each Act fully developed, or is one or two of them thin and lacking substance?)
-Dialogue (is it realistic and natural, or stale, dull, and lacking emotion? Do you get a real "sense" of each character through his/her dialogue? Does each character have a unique "voice?")
-Story Themes (what themes are present throughout the story? Are they presented and woven into the plot, story structure, and characters well?)
-Conflict (are the "stakes" evident? Analyze both the story's dramatic conflict and the character conflicts. Are they emotionally involving and satisifying? Is the conflict enough to move the story forward, or do certain plot points seem contrived or non sequiturs to the amount of dramatic conflict given them?)

Eh...something like that.

[scripter1]

item to Opti's excellent list.

Genre - Does the script adhere to one clear genre? If it is supposed to be a drama are there strong emotional moments? If a comedy, well, was it funny?
Horror - scary? Thriller, did you keep turning the pages?

Now, keep in mind that all stories should contain elements of humor and drama and thrills but not so much that they cloud the genre.

[brit_girl_ldn]

My teacher set this general assignment for the whole class and explained it in full BUT I wasn't in on that day.. lol.. and so I missed out when she did an example of how to analyse a script. I will have to wait till next week until she can give me some relevant notes on this piece of work but I wanted to get a head start on the work and used my initiative and came on here to seek help from you very clever people!

Thanks so much for the suggestions so far!
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Oh btw.. I am supposed to analyse, quotes from the script too.. should I be noting their impace on the general script? e.t.c. cheers