Task 3 - Creating Dialog

Task 3 - Creating Dialog

Game dialogue sources - 

There are many ways that dialogue is communicated within video games. For example, in Mortal Kombat there are several ways dialogue is distributed throughout. The most popular example is a when you are having an interaction with a character they will say something to intimidate their opponent. Quotes like this give the player a feeling of submersion and give them a sense of pride once you have killed the opponent.

Another game that uses dialogue in their game is 'Grand Theft Auto V', they use dialogue throughout the entire game and is used not only between the main characters but the NPC's will give some sort of dialogue to try and give the player a sense of actually being in the game. 

For my own story script, I would add dialogue that immerses the player into the story and makes them feel involved instead of being an outsider  

Verbal elements of narration  -

Narration in video games is when there is dialogue either spoken or in a text format to describe the story and what is going on. The narration is usually spoken over the top of a cut scene or either it's in text and will show up while on a mission. An example of this is in the game 'Battlefield 1', while you are in the cut scene before the mission starts you will have the main character explain what's going on during the time of the mission. The narration gives the player either a quick overview of why they're in the situation they're in or can tell you what the character is thinking or feeling. For my own script, I may have some narration in the form of who the character is.

Monologue in scripts is when a character will have a long-overdrawn speech by themselves. This is most popular when the character is talking to himself. For example, if the main character is travelling by himself he may begin to talk about what he's thinking, feeling or what his next plan may be. Monologues are very popular in films and can be used to create an atmosphere like in The Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith he has a short monologue explaining that you should protect your dreams and go them which has a very touching and warm feel to it. A monologue can also be part of a conversation usually when it's very sentimental and they give some words of wisdom, for example, in Naughty Dog's Red Dead Redemption there is a scene in which Dutch speaks his final words saying how "we can't always fight nature" and giving some inspirational words. For my own script, I may use a monologue since my character is quite a loner and keeps to himself it may work in that sense.  

Dialogue is any conversation between two or more people. Dialogue features in books, films, games, plays etc. In all sorts of media, dialogue is very important otherwise the play or book film or whatever case would be one long tedious monologue along with a few points of description in between. In games dialogue between characters is vital, it is found in every story line and sometimes even in the multiplayer. A prime example of dialogue is in the game 'The Last of Us' where Joel meets up with multiple other characters along the way and they discuss things from how they're doing to their ways of surviving the apocalypse. For my own script, I will add dialogue between characters so that I have a story to go with. 

Script Writing -

Scripts are very exclusive to any other text format, they have very distinct things that set them out as different from the others. For example, in a script the dialogue between characters will be directly in the middle of the page rather than following the typical right to left. Also in scripts you will have stage ques which will tell the actor/actress what to do as well as what to say. Other things that set themselves apart from other text is that before a scene is set there will be a 'FADE IN:' ques. After this will be where the scene is set, this is where the story is based, what it looks like and whats going on will be described. Below i have added an example of a script from the film Godfather. 

Industry Practice -

For my script, I decided to do the beginning scene. I did a dream/flashback scenario for my character in which he relieves his past experience of being in a situation where his friends die and he can't do anything about it. This is the cause of his PTSD and the reason why he is no longer a soldier. 

I think that my script was well set and thought out. It consisted of dialogue between the characters but then once he wakes up there is a narration from my main character. 

Overall I think the script shows why the character is closed off to the civilian life.

Script - 

FADE IN:

Opening
EXT. - Baghdad, Iraq - 4.35pm

July 3^rd, 2022, around 35 degrees Celsius, the suns is lowering behind the hills. Team of four sit on top a hillside on over watch. They watch a small closed off village in which they suspect their target, Ahamed Al Inquiri, is hiding. The surrounding mountains are very dry and dusty surround by patches of dark green shrubs. The team of four is split up into two groups, Anthony Kruger are one sniper team, Cooks and Dean make up another team perched around 50 meters away watching over another angle. 

Anthony KRUGER

*whispering* Tom, TOM! I get wait to get out of this sinkhole, what are you doing when you get home?

First Seargent Tom Mann

I’m going straight to my parents’ house, I haven’t seen them in so long. How about your parents? I’ve never heard you mention them

Anthony Kruger

They died when I was 22, car accident, drunk driver t-boned them doing 85. Never caught the guy cause the car was already stolen.

First Seargent Tom Mann

Sorry… that’s a shit situation… Hope you catch the fucker.

Anthony Kruger

He’ll be long gone now, cops stopped searching a while ago, they just say it’s an open case. Same old, same old

I have visual, north east 425 meters

First Seargent Tom Mann

Radio in for those two to get on our mark

Anthony kruger

Yes sir.

(over the radio)

Anthony Kruger

Cooks, Dean get over here we have visual. Over

*barely hearable over the radio*

Cooks

We’re on our way. Over

Anthony Kruger

Get a move on, we’re ready to him out. Over

(Dean and Cooks walking behind the Tom and Anthony who are lay down on the edge of the cliff)

Dean 

Where is he?

First Seargent Tom Mann

He’s down there, we need to get him while it’s still light, we’ll lose him in the dark and we can’t risk it. Cooks, call an attack in.

Cooks

Are you sure? The radios aren’t working properly the order might not go through. We could just move tomor--

First Seargent Tom Mann

What did I say?... We move now, we don’t have any time for discussion.

Anthony Kruger

Are you sure about this?

First Seargent Tom Mann

I'm sure, this will work     

(Cooks calls in over the radio)

Cooks

Come in, this is Kilo, Two, Alpha, We need an airstrike coming off our location. Over

(Repeatedly taps on the radio which isn’t functioning fully)

Cooks

Again, this is Kilo, Two, Alpha, We have visual and need assistance. Requesting strike on our flare. Over

                            (through a load of static, making the communication barely hearable)

Command post

Repeat… Attack… flare… ETA…

Cooks

We’re not getting anything through, I told you the radios down. What’s our move now?

First Seargent Tom Mann    

We’ll move in slowly ourselves. Me, Cooks and Dean will move down there and Kruger you’ll stay here and watch from above. Cooks call them in and cancel that strike. Everyone okay with that?

Anthony Kruger                                                       Dean

                                           Yes sir                                                               yes sir

Cooks

 yes…. Yes sir…

(Cooks calls back over the radio, banging it against his hand before hoping to get the message through)

Cooks

This is Kilo, Two, Alpha, we are no longer in need our assistance, we are cancelling the call for backup. Repeat, we are cancelling the call for back up.

     (nothing I received but static, they all look at each other and they assume the message was received and carry on)

Dean

Are we moving?

First Seargent Tom Mann    

Of course, we’re moving. Let’s go, on me.

(Tom, Dean and Cooks begin heading down the hill while Kruger adjusts his position to get comfy)

---after 8 minutes of walking---

(The team of three kneel about 30 meters away from the village in the darkness hidden by their camo, they are disguised by shrub)

First Seargent Tom Mann   

Right, the plan is we take it slow using the cover we have, there’s a suspected nest of them in one of the houses on the far side of the village.

Dean, I need you to move through the door of the first house then Cooks you’ll follow clearing the room. Once clear we will set ourselves for a few hours and decide how we’re doing this, they have around 25-70 lookouts surrounding this place. Do not be surprised if they already know we’re here.

This is just us on this, we have no back up except Kruger back on that ledge so we need to slow dance this.

(The team of three make their way to what looks like an abandoned house and move in)

Dean

Breaching the door now…

(Dean creaks the door open slowly and Cooks follows him into an empty room, Tom makes his way upstairs and clears the two main rooms while Crooks sets himself at the main window which is barred off)

Cooks

Movement in house north east from my position, cannot confirm our target. Sir, we’re going to need a better position.

First Seargent Tom Mann   

We’re going to move from house to house and clear this place out. Silently though, we can’t have the entire camp of them on our ass. 

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

Kruger is still lay down on the cliff side, he has lost vision of his team who were last seen by him when they entered the house in the village. He’s prepared himself for a long night watching over the village, talking to himself to keep himself company.

(attempting radio contact)

Anthony Kruger

What are you lot doing down there, how long is this going to take?

----------------------

Anthony Kruger

No radio, no visual, can’t do much from sat up here, what was the point in leaving m---

(The sound of jets interrupts his train of thought)

Support?!? Wasn’t that cancelled? They must’ve got through in the end...

They wouldn’t have cancelled and re-asked for it? Something’s not right

(over static filled radio)

Command post

...... Visual.... village.....Ready to..... bombs

Anthony kruger

NO! WE HAVE MEN DOWN THERE! REPEAT, WE HAVE THREE MEN DOWN IN THAT VILLAGE, DO NOT DROP.

(Anthony smashes the radio off the palm of his hand desperately trying to get it to work)

THIS IS KILO, TWO, ALPHA, WE HAVE THREE MEN IN ONE OF THOSE HOUSES, YOU'RE GOING TO KILL THEM.

(Anthony watches as three fighter jets shoot over his head and)

Stupid fucking radio’s. This can’t be happening.

(explosions blow up the village till what’s left is nothing but rubble, smoke and dust.

 An incoming, faint radio communication)

Command post

...Success...

He watches in horror knowing the men he left to go down into the village are now dead. But they did not die to the enemy, they were murdered by the same people they are trying to protect due to simple radio malfunctions.

FADE OUT:

FADE IN:

Wake up
INT - Anthony's front room - Early Morning 

Santa Clarita, March 2023, seven months since his honourable discharge. Anthony Kruger now lives a rural life by himself and his dog Max. It’s been 8 months since his Honourable discharge, he was released due to PTSD, he is starting to get back into the civilian life well by being by himself most of the time. He is woken up at 5.33am by Max howling and scratching at the door to get out.

Narration by Anthony

(Anthony slept on the couch)

I have the same dream every night. Reliving the same moment over and over in my head like a broken tape stuck on a loop. What if? That question... What if? What if I stopped them from going? What if I went with them? What if the radio worked?

‘Life contracts and death is expected,

As in season of autumn.

The soldier falls.

He does not become a three-day personage

 Imposing his separation,

 Calling for pomp.

Death is absolute and without memorial,

As in a season of autumn,

 When the wind stops,

When the wind stops and, over the heavens,

The clouds go, nevertheless,

 In their direction.

(walking up to the door where Max is barking he wipes the sleep from his eyes)

Anthony

What are you doing? There’s nothing out there this early.

(Max begins growling and barking at the sky)

Max! leave the birds alone.

The sky is still unlit by the sun, and there are very few birds chirping which is unusual. There is no breeze and the trees look like statues under the mild weather. Everything looks off. 

FADE OUT: