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In Witness, Kelley and Wallace are careful to spend time throughout the script developing situations through the use of report, comment and description rather than simply dialogue alone. In the script, the profuse use of report conjures up visual stimuli.
Aside from employing the modes of presentation with skill and precision, details in the slug lines help to elicit visuals. Specifically, through the use of “point of view camera directions.“ Not only do such directions make it easier to comprehend basic motives characters share, they help to bring about a feeling of unrest or outright fear. By simply writing the screenplay in such a way that the audience experiences phenomena simultaneously with the protagonist, visual acuity is augmented tremendously. In this technique, seemingly insignificant details become elucidated and meaning is assigned through such camera directions.
Also, Kelley and Wallace use a variant form of the master-scene screenplay format in which “sub-scenes” are introduced by simply writing the locations out as being locations inside scenes, rather than entirely new scenes as some writers would do. This technique allows the writers to seamlessly move around within the special context of their film while maintaining obvious reference points. “Angle in the kitchen,” evokes more of a visual sense rather than being redundant and saying “INT. Kitchen-NIGHT” Even though it does give us “night,” we already know that and besides, writing “angle” allows us to see what happens instead of just reading what happens.

Discussion Questions:
1. Were you confused at all by the omissions?
2. If you were to read the screenplay without knowing two authors contributed, would anything stand out as an indication that it was in fact written by two different authors. Did any creative decision feel like a compromise?

- Jon Perez