INTRODUCTION

A screenplay, or script, is a written work by screenwriters for a film, television

program, or video game. These screenplays can be original
works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement,
actions, expression and dialogues of the characters are also narrated. A screenplay
written for television is also known as a teleplay.
This portfolio seeks to highlight the seven (7) main elements of a script. The 7
main elements are:
 Cast List
 Characters
 Dialogue
 Title
 Acts and Scenes
 Stage Directions
 Settings

Indeed it is an informative portfolio and I hope that something will be learnt from
it.
So, read, learn, be informed and enjoy.

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 CAST LIST

A “Cast List” as the name suggests, is a list of all the characters in a story, play or
narrative.

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 CHARACTERS

A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers use

characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along
a plot line. A story can have only one character (protagonist) and still be a
complete story. This character’s conflict may be an inner one (within him/herself),
or a conflict with something natural, such as climbing a mountain. Most stories
have multiple characters interacting, with one of them as the antagonist, causing a
conflict for the protagonist.

MAJOR CHARACTERS
These are the most important characters in the story. There are two types, of which
there may be a couple for each.
 Protagonist – This is the main character, around which the whole story
revolves. The decisions made by this character will be affected by a conflict
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 from within, or externally through another character, nature, technology,
society, or the fates/God.

 Antagonist – This character, or group of characters, causes the conflict for the
protagonist. However, the antagonist could be the protagonist, who is torn by a
problem within. Most times, something external is causing the problem. A
group of people causing the conflict would be considered society, perhaps the
members of a team, community, or institution. Additionally, the antagonist
could be a part of nature, such as an animal, the weather, a mountain or lake. A
different kind of antagonist would be an item such as a pen, car, phone, carpet,
etc. These are all considered technology, since they are instruments or tools to
complete a job. Finally, if the conflict comes from something out of the
character’s control, the antagonist is fate or God.

MINOR CHARACTERS
These are the other characters in a story. They are not as important as the major
characters, but still play a large part in the story. Their actions help drive the story
forward. They may impact the decisions the protagonist or antagonist make, either
helping or interfering with the conflict.
Characters can have different traits. Major characters will usually be more
dynamic, changing and growing through the story while minor characters may be
more static.
 Foil – A foil is a character that has opposite character traits from another,
meant to help highlight or bring out another’s positive or negative side. Many
times, the antagonist is the foil for the protagonist.

 Static – Characters who are static do not change throughout the story. Their
use may simply be to create or relieve tension, or they were not meant to
change. A major character can remain static through the whole story.

 Dynamic – Dynamic characters change throughout the story. They may learn a
lesson, become bad, or change in complex ways.

 Flat – A flat character has one or two main traits, usually only all positive or
negative. They are the opposite of a round character. The flaw or strength has
its use in the story.

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 Round – These are the opposite of the flat character. These characters have
many different traits, good and bad, making them more interesting.

 Stock – These are the stereotypical characters, such as the boy genius,
ambitious career person, faithful sidekick, mad scientist, etc.

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 DIALOGUE

Dialogue is the exchange of spoken words between two or more characters in a

book, play, or other written work. In prose writing, lines of dialogue are typically
identified by the use of quotation marks and a dialogue tag, such as "she said." In
plays, lines of dialogue are preceded by the name of the person speaking.

Dialogue is used in all forms of writing, from novels to news articles to plays—and
even in some poetry. It's a useful tool for exposition (i.e., conveying the key
details and background information of a story) as well as characterization (i.e.,
fleshing out characters to make them seem lifelike and unique).

Dialogue is an especially important tool for playwrights and screenwriters, because

most plays and films rely primarily on a combination of visual storytelling and
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dialogue to introduce the world of the story and its characters. In plays especially,
the most basic information (like time of day) often needs to be conveyed through
dialogue.

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 TITLE

The title refers to any other published text or work of art. It is a name for the work
which is usually chosen by the author. A title can be used to identify the work, to
place it in context, to convey a minimal summary of its contents, and to pique the
reader's curiosity.
Some works supplement the title with a subtitle. Texts without separate titles may
be referred to by their incipit, especially those produced before the practice of
titling became popular. During development, a work may be referred to by a
temporary working title. A piece of legislation may have both a short title and
a long title. In library cataloging, a uniform title is assigned to a work whose title is
ambiguous.

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 ACTS AND SCENES

An act is a major division of a theatre work, including a play, film, opera,

or musical theatre, consisting of one or more scenes. The term can either refer to
a conscious division placed within a work by a playwright (usually itself made up
of multiple scenes) or a unit of analysis for dividing a dramatic work into
sequences. As applied, those definitions may or may not align. The word act can
also be used for major sections of other entertainment, such as variety
shows, television programs, music hall performances, cabaret, and literature.

An act is a part of a play defined by elements such as rising action, climax, and
resolution. A scene normally represents actions happening in one place at one time,
and is marked off from the next scene by a curtain, a black-out, or a brief emptying
of the stage.
To be more specific, the elements that create the plot of a play and divide it into
acts include the exposition, which gives information, setting up the rest of the
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story. Another element is the inciting incident, which starts all the action that will
follow. Going along with the inciting incident, the major dramatic question is
formed, which holds the rest of the play. The majority of the play is made up of
complications, which change the action. These complications lead to the crisis,
which is the final plot point. At this point, the major dramatic question has usually
been answered. Finally, there is "the resolution, also known as the denouement",
which is the end of the play, where everything comes together and the situation has
been resolved, leaving the audience satisfied with the play as a whole. These more
specific elements of plot are the main things used to divide a play into acts and
sometimes scenes.

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 STAGE DIRECTIONS

Stage directions are instructions in the script of a play that tell actors how to enter,
where to stand, when to move, and so on.

Stage directions can also include instructions about lighting, scenery, and sound
effects, but their main purpose is to guide actors through their movements onstage.
(Onstage movement and positioning is called blocking).

For example, stage directions may tell an actor to pace while delivering their lines,
to pick up a prop at a certain moment, or to sit down while listening to another
character speak.

Movements like these can add tension, humor, or emotion to a scene, engage the
audience’s attention, and make a character come alive.

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 SETTINGS

The setting of a piece of literature is the time and place in which the story takes
place. The definition of setting can also include social statuses, weather, historical
period, and details about immediate surroundings. Settings can be real or fictional,
or a combination of both real and fictional elements. Some settings are very
specific (Wulfhall in Wiltshire England in 1500), while others are descriptive (a
boat out on the ocean). Most pieces of literature include more - or many more -
than one setting, either as the narrative progresses through time or to include points
of view from more than one character.

Setting is an extremely important aspect of almost every piece of fiction

and drama, and can be an important element in poetry as well. In many narrative
examples the setting can act almost as a nonhuman character, affecting the
characters in many different large and small ways. Indeed, most plot lines are so
tied to their settings that they could not be put in other places, time periods, or
socioeconomic environments.

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 CONCLUSION
Upon the completion of this portfolio, I can heartily conclude that the 7 main
elements of a script all contribute to the development of an excellent script. Each
element has a function which plays a major part in completing a script.

It is my hope that by reading, information was gathered or that which was already
known was reinforced.

Thank you for reading.

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