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

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?

Accepted Answer

A scene before the opening credits

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Voice Over

Answer

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.'?

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

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'?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

A logline is a concise one-to-two sentence summary capturing the protagonist, conflict, and stakes.

Scriptwriting Practice Test