Television Script
Tentative Schedule
Day One:
Introduction
to lesson
Assign groups
Begin Television
Script and Family Tree
Turn in rough
draft of script and family tree
Day Two:
Continue
working on Television Script and Family Tree
Turn in rough
draft of script and family tree
Day Three and Four:
Continue
working on Script and Family Tree
Rehearse
for performance
Turn in rough
draft of script and family tree
Day Five:
Script
performance (don’t forget to wear appropriate clothing)
Turn in final
script and family tree after presentations
Evaluations
Television Script
An important aspect of Our Town is the relationships of the
people in the town. Like a television
show, there were two families that held the play together- the Webbs and the
Gibbs. These families branched out to
introduce us to other characters. If
you think about some of the television shows you have watched you probably
realize that they, too, are held together by a couple of central families. No matter what happens – and a lot can
happen- these families are always going to be on the show.
Have you noticed how you can turn a show
on that you have not seen for a long time and after a few scenes or possibly a
few days you are back in the loop of what has gone on, what is going on, and
what will go on? Television shows are
predictable- events happen (foreshadowing) that allow the viewer to have a “gut
feeling” about an upcoming scene on the show.
The problem is the foreshadowing often occurs in the last four minutes
of the show and now you are left to wonder what is going to happen on the next
episode (suspense). As you can see,
television shows incorporate the same elements of drama that were discussed
with Our Town.
Your
assignment is to create a script for a
scene of a television show. You
will be divided into groups and this will be a cooperative activity. In other words, each member of the group
will contribute and pull his/her own weight.
The assignment will include a script for one scene, a family tree of the
central families in your show’s town, and a performance of your scene.
The written
scene must include an element of drama.
Each group will be assigned a specific element of drama to address
(foreshadowing, suspense, flashback, or theme).
The written
scene will include a narrator. The narrator’s purpose is to fill us in on all
the juicy details that have happened
before we turned the television on.
Unlike a real show,we can’t watch for a few days to figure it all
out.
The narrator, as with the stage
manager in Our Town, will introduce the characters to us.
You will have one more character than you have members in your group. The narrator will have two roles and will
assume this extra role. The speaker of
each line must be clear in the written scene.
Set it up as a play but you can omit stage directions.
You will establish a setting. Remember, setting is not only the location
but also the date. Give the audience a
description of the town and establish the date. You will also name your scene.
The
Family Tree will be a visual representation of the central families in your show’s
town. (See example) You will include more people on your family
tree than you actually introduce us to in the scene. Use your critical thinking skills and be creative as you create the
links between the show’s families. A minimum of 8 people must be included on
the family tree and at least 3 families must be represented. For example, family one could have 3
members, family two 2 members, and family three 3 members. This would meet the requirements of having 3
families and a total of 8 people.
The performance will be the last
step. Each group will perform the scene
as written in your script. Try to do
this without notes or prompts. Actors
are expected to know the roles and so are you.
You should wear appropriate clothing for your performance. If you were playing the wealthy CEO of a
worldwide company, you would likely wear a nice suit. Fit your costume to your character.
Objectives:
By creating
a television script you will apply your knowledge of:
Correct utilization of an element of drama
discussed in Our Town (foreshadowing,
suspense, flashback, and theme)
Establishing
setting
Writing
character description
Correctly
using dialog
Introducing
a scene
By
creating a family tree you will learn to:
Illustrate a visual representation of family
connections
Use critical thinking and creative writing to
link families together
By
performing your scene you will
apply your knowledge of:
Using
appropriate tone of voice
Using correct
grammar
Preparedness
Working as a
group
Correct utilization of an element of drama
discussed in Our Town (foreshadowing,
suspense, flashback, and theme)
Script Evaluation:
Element of drama
(foreshadowing,
flashback,
suspense, or theme) 10 8 6 4 2
The
scene is introduced by the narrator 10 8 6 4 2
The setting is
described clearly 5 4 3 2 1
The characters are
described clearly 5 4 3 2 1
Correct use of dialog 5 4 3 2 1
Includes a title page 5 4 3 2 1
Neatness (typed or
neatly handwritten) 5 4 3 2 1
Named the scene 5 4 3 2 1
Identification of roles 5 4 3 2 1
TOTAL /55
Family Tree Evaluation:
Links
between characters are clear
and
creative 10 8 6 4 2
Correct number of
families are included 5 4 3 2 1
Correct number of
people are included 5 4 3 2 1
Neatness 5 4 3 2 1
TOTAL /25
Oral Evaluation:
You
performed your soap opera
scene with expression and feeling 5 4 3 2 1
Your performance was
organized 5 4 3 2 1
You
used correct grammar 5 4 3 2 1
You performed without
relying on
notes or prompts 5 4 3 2 1
You spoke clearly 5 4 3 2 1
Your “costume” was
appropriate 5 4 3 2 1
The scene was 5-7
minutes 5 4 3 2 1
The roles of the
characters were balanced 5 4 3 2 1
TOTAL /40
Cooperative Learning Evaluation:
Your
contribution to the assignment 15 12 9 6 3
Utilization of class
time 5 4 3 2 1
Helping
each other 5 4 3 2 1
TOTAL /25
OVERALL TOTAL /145
This
evaluation is private and should be completed honestly.
Name:
List the name of each person in your group and assign a score of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, for the amount of work each person did for the project. Include yourself.
Names of members in group: Score:
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
5 4 3 2 1
What problems did your group encounter as you worked together?
or
Emmy
Nominations
Please score each group performance using a score of
1-5.
Group One: 5 4 3 2 1
Group Two: 5 4 3 2 1
Group Three: 5 4 3 2 1
Group Four: 5 4 3 2 1
Overall Best Actress:
Overall Best Actor:
Or
Soap
Opera Digest Nominations
Please score each group performance using a score of
1-5.
Group One: 5 4 3 2 1
Group Two: 5 4 3 2 1
Group Three: 5 4 3 2 1
Group Four: 5 4 3 2 1
Overall Best Actress:
Overall Best Actor: