Scriptwriting Terms 2

Question 1

What does the term 'beat' refer to in a screenplay?

Accepted Answer

A small unit of action or a moment of pause within a scene

Answer

The musical score timing

Answer

A page count requirement

Answer

The act break

Question 2

What is a 'cold open' in screenwriting?

Accepted Answer

A scene before the opening credits

Answer

A scene shot in winter

Answer

The final scene of a film

Answer

An unscripted improvisation

Question 3

What does 'V.O.' stand for in a script?

Accepted Answer

Voice Over

Answer

Visual Output

Answer

Verbal Order

Answer

Video Only

Question 4

What is the difference between 'O.S.' and 'V.O.'?

Accepted Answer

O.S. means the character is physically present but off-screen; V.O. means the voice has no physical presence in the scene

Answer

They are identical

Answer

O.S. is for narration only

Answer

V.O. means on-screen

Question 5

What is a 'logline'?

Accepted Answer

A one-to-two sentence summary of a story's premise

Answer

A line of dialogue repeated for effect

Answer

The final line of a script

Answer

A timecode reference

Question 6

What does the slug line (scene heading) 'INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT' tell the reader?

Accepted Answer

The location is interior, the place is a kitchen, and it is night

Answer

The camera angle to use

Answer

The character entering the scene

Answer

The runtime of the scene

Question 7

What is 'parenthetical' (wryly) used for in a script?

Accepted Answer

To indicate how a line should be delivered or a small action by the speaker

Answer

To list scene props

Answer

To mark the end of an act

Answer

To credit the writer