Guidelines for Scriptwriting
Use the following guidelines while writing the script for your SEE IT NOW segment.
- Review your research notes for your assigned topic and decide what aspects of this issue you would present in depth to the American public if you had 10 minutes of prime-time programming available to present your findings.
- Use the following questions to decide what facts you will present:
- What are the facts of the issue that have been obscured by rhetoric and speech making?
- When all the emotional issues have been stripped away, what are the facts of the case?
- Whose interests do you feel should prevail in this issue?
- Explain clearly to your audience why this is the case.
- What facts should the American public use to make their own decision on this issue?
- What made Edward R. Murrow's presentation on Joseph McCarthy's committee so effective was his reliance and insistence upon verifiable facts as the basis for any charges made against the senator. Be sure that you follow this course of action when writing your script.
- Carefully follow all of the guidelines below:
- Develop a clear thesis and make sure all your points are designed to prove the thesis.
- Choose proofs carefully and explain them thoroughly.
- Make sure your conclusion reiterates your thesis without directly repeating it.
- Because this text is designed to be spoken, avoid overlong sentences and be sure each point is explained clearly.
- Select words for maximum clarity.
- Make clear to your audience where your information comes from and what expertise or involvement your sources have in regard to this issue.
- Avoid inflammatory or pejorative terms.