Screenplays and Scripts: Understand the Difference

Audience of the products of entertainmenttermed as a screenplay. On the other hand, a
industries all over the world and people who arescreenplay of a movie or TV program that is
aspiring entertainment industry wannabes andpresented in a dramatic narrative with scenes and
workders if not the professionals in almost alldialogues can be termed as a script. Why?
parts of the globe have developed the habit ofBecause a screenplay is a form of script and not
using the terms screenplay and scriptopposite is the case.
interchangeably with the later one mostHere is what Film Terms glossary of the Babylon
frequently used. This, however, is an errorneousdictionary says about a screenplay:
custom and needs to be changed as to depict ourA document text in a specific format which
correct understanding of the two terms as wellcontains the dramatic elements of the film, as well
as leading the people who are unconnected to theas indications of other elements such as setting,
industry terms to quote the terms appropriately.light values, action, and, in general, everything
Let’s begin to understand the differencewhich it is essential to see on the screen from
between screenplays and scripts by having a lookthe point of view of the whole narrative; in its
at the definitions of the terms used to refer torelationship to the completed film, a screenplay is
the writing tasks of the two types ofsometimes described as being analogous to a blue
entertainment industry documents.print of a structure. The analogy is true up to a
Screenwriting (not Screen Writing):point, but in fact there is no other kind of text
Screenwriting, sometimes written as Screenwhich has the specific characteristics and
Writing, which is no more a valid method ofconstraints of a screenplay. And no other text
writing the term in almost all of the Hollywood butwhich, when successful at attaining its goal--i.e., the
in few other parts of the world, is the term givenfinished film--effectively ceases to exist except as
to the task of screenplay writing.a historical and critical curiosity.
Scriptwriting or Script Writing:And here is what the Babel glossary says about a
Scriptwriting or Script Writing is the term given toscript:
the task of script writing.A general term for a written work (and with
What most people should not do, but do isspecial reference to the entertainment industry)
confuse screenwriting with scriptwriting or scriptdetailing story, setting, and dialogue. A script may
writing. Although screenwriting and scriptwritingtake the form of a screenplay , shooting script ,
are not totally different, they are still twolined script, continuity script , or a spec script.
different mediums of media writing.Copyright (C) 2007-2008 M.d Tabish Faraz. All
A script for a talk show, news, infotainmentRights Reserved.
program, etc, whether on TV or radio, cannot be