With numerous techniques for creating a specific reaction, the writers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have created a visionary example of how to produce a show that not only drives plot, but also provides subtle characterization through dialogue and technicalities. Every camera angle can change perception, every one-liner alter perception of a character, provide backstory, and Joss Whedon’s crew has mastered that art.
Even just the descriptions at the beginning of each scene provide a specific image for what should be there, a detailed recollection of what the directors and writers want the audience to see. “The front of the affluent Southern California school gleams darkly in the moonlight” (pg. 5). That singular sentence alone sets the stage for a number of things. Firstly, the horror story. Why else would it “gleam darkly in the moonlight”? What else would this do for them but set the tone for the entire rest of the show--particularly taking into consideration the fact that this is the pilot episode and therefore an introduction to the entire series. Secondly, the environment: the word “affluent” sets a particular image in people’s mind. This isn’t some run-down building in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma, this is a high-end Southern California high school--and beyond setting expectations of the environment, it sets an expectation for the characters. Southern California has a certain image, there are expectations of how people in that region of the country speak, for how they dress and act and present themselves, and while that may not seem significant or obvious in the opening scene, it’s fairly prevalent when you look at the script--sometimes, there are more than just monsters hiding in the shadows. Sometimes, there’s strategy.
It’s interesting, how the simplest of words can can alter the image that readers have in their mind. This is no different in writing a script than it is in writing a story, except that scripts are all about the visual. Take the introduction on page 14 for instance--shortly following Buffy’s encounter with Mr. Flutie (the school’s principal), she is described as “looking a bit depressed”. This would be no big deal, if it weren’t for the fact that that expression has to be executed by the actress portraying her. The play-by-play descriptions of scenes are some of the most important in the lighter scripts--in the ones without much detail, the places where detail is provided are extremely important. The significance of details is seen again on the bottom of page 15, where Cordelia Chase is described as “pretty, self assured. Killer outfit” (15). These aren’t details that just get thrown in for the sake of being there--details can make or break a character, and in this case--they make Cordelia, or at least what the audience initially comes to know of her. In film, first impressions are vital, and therefore introductions are too. In film, this goes beyond the personality of a person or description of a place--it includes the appearances. It includes every action and detail involved in their presentation. Anything out of place will alter the way that things are viewed--and not necessarily in the favor of the creator or writer.
The fact of the matter is that script writing really isn’t all that different from story writing, as far as I’ve seen--it’s still storytelling, with the same basic rules: keep the audience invested, know your characters, plot can’t drive plot (characters must, instead). Script writing is just a different format. Certain details are more prevalent or vital to the perception of the work. Certain concepts or images pop out more, depending on the way a scene is set or idea is cast. But looking at the two concepts as two parts of the same whole actually makes more sense than looking at them as two completely individual things. It was once said that “Directors are failed novelists and novelists are failed directors” and that quote? It seems like one of the most accurate descriptions of the two that I can find. They’re just two ways of telling the same story.
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