Screenplay by Rod Serling Screenplay Teleplay Play written

Screenplay by Rod Serling

Screenplay/ Teleplay • Play written for television. Written to be filmed by a camera and not acted on stage. • Screenplays deliver ideas through dialogue and stage directions. • Audience hears dialogue (actors speaking to each other).

Stage Directions • Written for actors, directors, and crew members • Describe characters, setting, costumes, mood & atmosphere • Tells actors, camera crew and other crew members what to do

Stage Direction Terms Pan- turn the camera to follow a person or object Cut- switch camera from one scene to another Close-up – camera moves in for a “zoomed in” shot Long shot- camera films from long distance

Rod Serling (1924 - 1975) • Became serious about writing in college • Loved radio drama and won 2 nd place in a national script contest. • Began his career writing for radio drama. • Wrote more than 200 television scripts during his career. • Won 6 Emmy Awards (Highest honor in the television industry. )

Twilight Zone • Serling was creator of the Twilight Zone television series. • Science fiction genre • Twilight Zone ran from 1959 – 1964. • One of the most popular shows in television history. • His writing became know for surprising twist endings and thought provoking social commentary

Social Commentary • Serling wanted to write teleplays about important social issues such as prejudice and intolerance. • In the 1950’s and 1960’s television censors banned scripts that questioned American society. • Television executives thought his topics were too controversial, but Serling had more freedom because his teleplays were not realistic (i. e. , he used the science fiction genre to his advantage).

Background & Setting • The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street aired March 4 th, 1960. It was written during the Cold War (1946 – 1989), a period when the U. S. & Soviet Union were engaged in a nuclear arms race. • Fear led to suspicion and people were often accused of being Communist spies. There was a lot of anti-communist sentiment in the U. S. • Many prominent Hollywood actors and directors were interrogated about involvement with the Communist party. Some were even “blacklisted” for alleged involvement with the Communist Party.

America in the 1960’s • No cordless phones • No cell phones • “Regular” phones did not use electricity. • Phone calls often still went through an operator. • No ipods or CD players. • “Portable” radios were battery operated. • No remote starters for cars.