Screen Writer Analysis:

In this post i will be analyzing the work of two screen writers and commenting on how their techniques and how their work influenced me in my project. I will be looking at all elements of production: Camera angles and mise en scene, sound, and editing. I will  be analyzing the work of two screenwriters "Ryan Murphy" and "Steven Moffat".

                                      Ryan Murphy
 

Ryan Murphy is an American director and screenwriter and director known for shows like "Glee" (2009-2015) and "American Horror Story" (2011-Present). Ryan Murphy is notorious for building characters and story within a short space of time. Before each season of his shows he sits down and plans out each character in detail being sure to build back story for them and planning their ending far in advance. 

In American Horror Story Murphy uses the interaction and dialogue of other characters to reveal clues about the character they are talking to. It is the reaction given that creates effective story. To match this he plans out a series of close ups or over the shoulder shots so that we are always looking at the character that is talking. This is something i used in my script and film ensuring that although the camera may switch angles it is always focused on the person that is talking. Murphy uses quick cuts between shots to build tension but always stays on the 180 degree arc. I attempted to use this in my script and film however my film starts out relatively calm, so the building of tension through quick cuts was not an effective tool to use. 

In relation to staging Murphy always places his characters within close proximity to each other as the scene develops his characters will move around more and become more engaging. Dialogue is not something he focuses on too heavily and relies more on stage directions and background music to keep the narrative moving. Murphy always plans out in his screenplays so that non diagetic sounds can easily be added in, especially during establishing shots or sequences such as the opening  It is easy to see that the dialogue and camera angles are set around the characters, sounds and events, and not the other way around. 

This is evident in both AHS and Glee, since they use tracking shots and pans to follow the characters around a scene. Following on from this Murphy writes his screenplays with the intention to make use of hand held camera shots as much as possible. This is something I used greatly in my screenplay, i listed moving shots, pans and close ups that required the use of handheld camera shots. It allows for the audience to be more involved with the characters. As mentioned before Murphy uses quick cuts between close ups to capture the reactions of characters and a lone of dialogue can easily trigger flash backs or cut away's to different places or points in time. This technique is used to create effective backstory or to explain plot points to the audience. This is a technique i considered using in my piece but i felt it distracted from the current action and i could make better use of this time. However i did pick up on the addition of non diegetic sound which is a feature in both my film and a screenplay, however i felt the use of a constant backing soundtrack (used in most seasons of AHS) distracted from my dialogue driven screenplay. Murphy uses it to create an creepy atmosphere, but i felt my setting was enough.
 

Murphy is notorious for adding masses of small and precise detail in his writing to build a truly immersive setting. An example of this would be the props and lighting of locations like the coven house or asylum rooms in AHS, or the trophy wall in Coach Sue's office in glee etc. I was inspired by his planning of mise en scene which was what inspired the primary location of my screenplay, and for the inclusion of specific props that drive the narrative forward.

Murphy uses a lot of unique camera angles and tends to zoom in on characters quite a lot (seen mostly in moments of drama or when characters are reveling information). As well as tilts and pans that move on a curved axis moving up or down. Seen a lot in seasons 2 and 3 of AHS to make the audience feel uncomfortable. I reflected this in my screenplay/film being sure to list the use of pans that follow a careful path, e.g. behind a character to obscure their face, or behind a gravestone to get a low angle shot. I occasionally used the hand held camera to track the movements of a character on foot, helping the audience to feel more involved in the plot. Overall Murphy's unique style had a relatively large influence on my screenwriting. 

                                                      Steven Moffat 
 

Moffat is a well recognised, and frequently studdied screenwriter known for recent series of sci-fi series Doctor Who (began writing for the show in 2009-present), and BBC drama/thriller "Sherlock" (2009-present). 

When writing for both shows Moffat makes use of mise en scene very well. When it comes to setting Moffat likes to build up a scene, with basic background information and scatters props, and set pieces around with little specific placing, unless the characters are going to interact with them. Moffat relies heavily on props to drive the narrative forward, be it a sonic screwdriver in Dr Who, or a wallet/item found on a body in Sherlock. Other background detail is not focused on as much and he relies less on panning shots/establishing shots and more on wide angle shots, so that the audience picks up on background detail while the narrative is progressing. This is present in both shows since certain doors are not shown in Dr Who until a character needs to escape from it (at which point we may get a close up or POV of it), or in Sherlock certain details are panned over not zoomed in on until mentioned by a character. I was sure to include at least one POV/over the shoulder shot when writing my screenplay to give the audience clues as to the events taking place and what characters are feeling.

Like Murphy Moffat relies heavily on hand held camera shots, staging his characters so that they have plenty of space to explore, or break in to a run. Meaning hand held camera shots are essential for capturing movement and moving the plot along. Moffat primarily uses steady cam shots to follow a character, bt rther than follow them around the room he prefers to cut away to a different angel so that we see them walking towards us, building tension.  

This was something i used on my screenplay and film, i placed the camera beside or in front of a character so that we see them talking/walking, rarely do we see the action from behind, since i wanted my audience as involved in the dialogue/action as possible. I also made use of wide shots listing at least one or two to break up the chain of multiple close ups, which is something Moffat does regularly in dialogue heavy scenes so that we can see the staging of characters and how they are feeling towards one another.
 

As mentioned when it comes to editing Moffat likes to include as many shots as possible to demonstrate different perspectives, and give clues about the scene. In shows like Sherlock, th pace of the editing is very steady but speeds up, in to quick cuts at the end of a scene or a scene with major events/drama. Moffat does the same with Doctor who but saves quick cuts for montages or chas sequences, sparing his use of shots elsewhere. This is a technique i picked up on and wehn editing my screenplay fo the second time i decided it was best to reserve shot changes for when they were needed he most e.g. exchanging dialogue between two characters, or the opening of a scene.  

Moffat doesnt use as many unique shots as Murphy but does use more POV shots or wide angel shots to give a sense of scale between characters. He uses a mixture of low angle and high angel shots to give/remove power from characters at certain times, something i attempted to reflect in my screenplay/film. 

When it comes to sound Moffat uses non diagetic and foley sound very well, when writing he describes a setting both visually and audibly, so as to create an atmosphere. However he ensures the creeks, or beeps, or car engines sound natural and are barley noticeable. This is why i allowed for natural sounds of the environment and people to be left in both my screenplay and my film, although admittedly i didn't go in to as much detail as Moffat it was still an influence when deciding how to shoot my film. Moffat also uses soundtrack as a key tool, changing it at a moments notice in order to match a different characters situation, or a change in the narratives pace. Cutting between different characters is another tool that i noticed, to tell a story from multiple perspectives, e.g. seeing something from Sherlock or the doctors perspective, then cutting away to John or a companion to find out whats happening to them. This was something i considered but ultimately decided against as i wanted my story to be that of one character and one alone.

Moffat also uses a variety of visual effects and iconography in his writing, and although i used some iconography in my screenplay/film i felt visual effects were not necessary. Wide angle shots however were useful to me as i could show the characters spacial relationship with the environment and other characters. Meaning overall i took quite a lot of influence from Moffat but carefully selected the techniques i felt would be effective.