Camera shot in a film script

johnalia · Aug 16, 2018

Hello! I am writing my first script for a short film. I Googled my question but couldn't find any answer so I thought to ask my other fellow expert writers to help me out in this particular scene.

Scene:
''A group of 7 people sitting in a lounge, fully drowned on the screens of their phones. Now the camera slowly moves in/zoom in and show one by one these characters. Some are busy punching text messages and some are engaged on their social media profiles. At this moment viewers can see their hands only and the screens of their phones plus the text messages they write.[/I]''

Some say that never write the camera or shot instructions on the screenplay and leave it for the director. But in my case it is important part of the story but I have no idea how to do this. Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any insights and for your time.

Best Regards,
John Alia

cornflake · Aug 16, 2018

johnalia said:
Hello! I am writing my first script for a short film. I Googled my question but couldn't find any answer so I thought to ask my other fellow expert writers to help me out in this particular scene.

Scene:
''A group of 7 people sitting in a lounge, fully drowned on the screens of their phones. Now the camera slowly moves in/zoom in and show one by one these characters. Some are busy punching text messages and some are engaged on their social media profiles. At this moment viewers can see their hands only and the screens of their phones plus the text messages they write.[/I]''

Some say that never write the camera or shot instructions on the screenplay and leave it for the director. But in my case it is important part of the story but I have no idea how to do this. Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any insights and for your time.

Best Regards,
John Alia

Don't write camera directions. What is the point?

Also, that's overly wordy.

Name the people, unless they're anonymous and say like -- Bob, Carol, Ted, and Alice are sitting using their phones. We can see they're texting each other.

BOB' (In text -- or Supered or however you mean it):

Can you believe this?

Carol (In text/super/whatever):

No.

If they're anonymous just a group of seven people dressed in club clothes sits on a sofa staring at their phones, which are showing text messages -- or some such.

dpaterso · Aug 16, 2018

I'd maybe go with something like,

INT. LOUNGE - DAY

Reveal, one by one, seven different pairs of hands. Each using a phone to text or check social media. Slaves to their machines.

-Derek

johnalia · Aug 17, 2018

Thank you Cornflake.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you Derek for your reply. I really appreciate it.

nickj47 · Aug 19, 2018

johnalia said:
Some say that never write the camera or shot instructions on the screenplay

Never say never. It's true if you're writing a screenplay on spec, format is very rigid nowadays, even confining. Camera shots used to be the norm years ago, but it's frowned on now. OTOH if you're writing the script for your own production, you can provide as much direction as you like. Just be prepared for the director to be annoyed. Even Derek's example, which is very good, might be too much for some directors.

screenscope · Aug 19, 2018

I just describe what I 'see' without any camera directions and hope the director imagines the same image, because they don't take kindly to a writer telling them what to do.

However, I have had three short films made and I have been staggered by how different the director saw and filmed each scene. They were all improvements, too!

DevelopmentExec · Aug 29, 2018

While you don't want to clutter your script with camera directions because it gets in the way of storytelling and may annoy directors - it's important that your vision is on the page and sometimes the simplest way to make your vision clear is by including camera directions. Here is the opening of the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Mudbound

OVER BLACK we hear the distant rumble of THUNDER.

FADE IN:

TIGHT ON THE FACE OF JAMIE MCALLAN (Caucasian, 20’s)

Black eye. Cut lip. He looks like a beaten prize fighter who is dripping in sweat and mud. WIDEN TO REVEAL we are...

EXT. THE MCALLAN FARM - IN A HOLE - DAY - CONTINUOUS

ranjitmore · Feb 1, 2019

johnalia said:
Hello! I am writing my first script for a short film. I Googled my question but couldn't find any answer so I thought to ask my other fellow expert writers to help me out in this particular scene.

Scene:
''A group of 7 people sitting in a lounge, fully drowned on the screens of their phones. Now the camera slowly moves in/zoom in and show one by one these characters. Some are busy punching text messages and some are engaged on their social media profiles. At this moment viewers can see their hands only and the screens of their phones plus the text messages they write.[/I]''

Some say that never write the camera or shot instructions on the screenplay and leave it for the director. But in my case it is important part of the story but I have no idea how to do this. Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any insights and for your time.

Best Regards,
John Alia

You can write something along these lines:

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

WIDE ON: A GROUP OF 7 PEOPLE sitting in a lounge. All of them are busy looking at their phone-screens.

CLOSE ON: A pair of hands holding a phone, texting feverishly.

ON the next pair of hands, which is swiping images on Instagram.

ON another pair to the right - holding the phone at eye-level and - CLICK.

The camera PANS across the room to show that everyone is immersed in their phones.

It's OKAY to direct the camera now and then, if you are very confident that the event should occur according to the sequence in your head. I've read many scripts which do it. LOTR - The Fellowship...Ring is an example. But don't overdo it.

Pinkarray · Mar 19, 2019

I don't tend to write camera directions unless I want it to focus on a tv screen or something. I don't think that it's necessary that your description needs camera shots.

Gillhoughly · Mar 19, 2019

The people who advise no camera directions are correct. No director wants to read any of that from a scriptwriter.

However, you can put in the direction that it is important to (say) hide the identities of the people for the time being. A director will get that and figure her own way of doing it.

Camera shot in a film script

johnalia

cornflake

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dpaterso

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johnalia

nickj47

screenscope

DevelopmentExec

ranjitmore

Pinkarray

Gillhoughly

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