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How Film Practitioners Use Movie Transcripts

There was a time when screenwriters produced handwritten scripts which were then transformed into movies, but with the invention of screenwriting software every aspect of the movie production process changed and was organized into what we currently know as the film industry. The creation of movie transcripts is a creative process used to facilitate the modification of scripts, so as to enable the actors to easily read their lines in order to bring out the best out of their roles.

There are a number of people who are involved in the movie production process including production executives, technicians, and artists; who work together to realize the success of the film. It is important for all the key players in the movie production process to have scripts with proper formatting so that they can derive their individual roles from the screenplay. A movie transcript can however not be used to produce a movie, it is only useful when a properly formatted script is unavailable.

The first step in converting a screenplay into a customized movie transcript involves the division of the screenplay into small time slots, which incorporate the number of days and nights required to complete the film shoot.

The time-ordering of the movie may differ, and a popular method involves using a single film script sheet to determine the estimated screening time. The rule of thumb often states that one script sheet is translated to one minute on the screen. This calculation facilitates the scheduling of filming in accordance with the script sheet numbers. The script then forms a sequence of storytelling that incorporates action, music, dialogue and camera effects. This modified script enables the movie experts to predict the turn of events and what to expect from the movie.

After the modification is done, the scripts are usually composed of 110 to 300 pages or sheets and when shooting concludes this is translated to about two hours of screen time. In this instance, the modified scripts or movie transcripts are most vital in the production process. Filmmakers are able to use a number of projectors at the same time, due to the use of standardized scripts.

White paper written in black ink is used to capture the modified screenplay. A defined font formatting of 12 point Draft Courier of Courier New is used. The modified segments of the script are presented on colored paper, the color changes whenever new elements are added.

The transcripts begin in white then pink followed by green, yellow, goldenrod and finally salmon. Companies have emerged that specialize in the production of these modified scripts. These companies follow the color codes commonly used for scripting to come up with these edited scripts. More on movie transcription.

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