Digging Deep
Every
scriptwriter wants to write a brilliant script and it’s a well known fact that
some
profound
investigation needs to be done for this to be accomplished. So what exactly is
digging
deep and going beyond the facts? What exactly is the scriptwriter looking for
and
how
can it be defined? There are a few ways of looking at these concerns. Suppose a
scriptwriter
is researching a film on the migratory killer whales or Orcas off the New
Zealand coast. Here is
an example of the kinds of research material he might look for:
· The
‘Top’ of the issue
The
top of the issue includes the facts; killer whales and their appearance,
migratory
patterns and when they go, where are they spotted, their behavior, their
sounds,
activities, intelligence. The scriptwriter could delve into scientific
research
being done on the whales by interviewing two marine researchers, lets
call
them Ted and Sue, a couple who live and work on the New Zealand coast.
The
writer could find out the history of the Orcas and the role that humans played
in
it. Ted and Sue could even take the scriptwriter on a whale observing
expedition,
where he would experience the whales first hand and also get an idea
of
what could be shot for the film.
· The
‘Heart’ of the issue
The
scriptwriter could find out more insightful details about the whales as living
creatures
and fellow mammals. Do they love, do they hate? Why do they beach
themselves
all together – is it really collective suicide because they mourn their
dead
like us humans? What kinds of relationships do they have among each
other?
Yes, a mother whale is attached to her calf, but are the aunts, the uncles?
What
do they say to each other when they click and whine? Have Ted and Sue
ever
come into close contact with any whale? Did they feel a connection? How
did
the whale react to human contact and was it significant in terms of its
emotional
value? What did the scriptwriter feel when he looked at a whale for the
first
time and did he get a sense of the ‘spirit’ of the creature?
· The
‘Root’ of the issue
The
scriptwriter would find out that the whales have a tragic history because of
the
excessive whaling that took place in past decades. This tragic and brutal past
was
because of people, who hunted them almost to extinction. Could their
subsequent
conservation by people later on be a result of guilt? The scriptwriter
could
ask what larger role this film could have and the answer might well be to
aid
in conserving the Orcas for the future by dispelling myths and increasing
awareness.
This could the message of the film; that everybody needs to get on
board
to save the killer whale and help them flourish in the oceans.
‘How
to Write a Documentary Script’
Page
15 of 52
· The
‘Branches’ of the issue
The
scriptwriter could try and find related issues that would add value to the
film.
Does
the migration of the whales have any effect on the surrounding ecosystems?
How
about thinking about the spirit of travel or of the ocean itself? Perhaps talk
to
a
person or a group of people who have saved a beached killer whale in the past.
Or
go in the opposite direction and talk to a person who has killed a killer whale
or
eaten one. The possibilities of branching out to explore the issue in greater
detail
are endless. The scriptwriter should then choose which of the details add
value
to the film.
· Finding
Challenges
An
issue, when explored in a film, is incomplete when there is nothing introduced
that
challenges it. The scriptwriter must study the challenges facing the killer
whale
and their survival as a species. What is being done by people that is hurting
their
health and causing their numbers to decline, if at all? Are there any
challenges
put forth by nature that they have to overcome, for instance, like
changing
temperatures in the waters of the Antarctic? How about large sharks and
the
threat they pose? Then, the scriptwriter must ask, ‘Is it possible for the
killer
whales
to triumph over these challenges?” and “If they can, then how?” and
possibly
even, “What can people (i.e. the audience) do to help?”
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