Scriptwriting Terms 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the term 'beat' refer to in a screenplay?
- A small unit of action or a moment of pause within a scene (Correct answer)
- The musical score timing
- A page count requirement
- The act break
Correct answer: A small unit of action or a moment of pause within a scene
A beat is a small unit of action, change, or a brief pause in dialogue or action within a scene.
Question 2: What is a 'cold open' in screenwriting?
- A scene before the opening credits (Correct answer)
- A scene shot in winter
- The final scene of a film
- An unscripted improvisation
Correct answer: A scene before the opening credits
A cold open is a teaser scene that plays before the title sequence or opening credits.
Question 3: What does 'V.O.' stand for in a script?
- Voice Over (Correct answer)
- Visual Output
- Verbal Order
- Video Only
Correct answer: Voice Over
V.O. stands for Voice Over, dialogue heard but whose source is not on screen, often narration.
Question 4: What is the difference between 'O.S.' and 'V.O.'?
- O.S. means the character is physically present but off-screen; V.O. means the voice has no physical presence in the scene (Correct answer)
- They are identical
- O.S. is for narration only
- V.O. means on-screen
Correct answer: O.S. means the character is physically present but off-screen; V.O. means the voice has no physical presence in the scene
O.S. (off-screen) implies the speaker is in the scene's space but not visible, while V.O. has no physical source in the scene.
Question 5: What is a 'logline'?
- A one-to-two sentence summary of a story's premise (Correct answer)
- A line of dialogue repeated for effect
- The final line of a script
- A timecode reference
Correct answer: A one-to-two sentence summary of a story's premise
A logline is a concise one-to-two sentence summary capturing the protagonist, conflict, and stakes.
Question 6: What does the slug line (scene heading) 'INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT' tell the reader?
- The location is interior, the place is a kitchen, and it is night (Correct answer)
- The camera angle to use
- The character entering the scene
- The runtime of the scene
Correct answer: The location is interior, the place is a kitchen, and it is night
A slug line states whether the scene is interior or exterior, the specific location, and the time of day.
Question 7: What is 'parenthetical' (wryly) used for in a script?
- To indicate how a line should be delivered or a small action by the speaker (Correct answer)
- To list scene props
- To mark the end of an act
- To credit the writer
Correct answer: To indicate how a line should be delivered or a small action by the speaker
A parenthetical sits under the character name to note delivery tone or a brief action accompanying the dialogue.
Scriptwriting Terms 2
What does the term 'beat' refer to in a screenplay?