Week 15 – Script formatting
Only print on one side of the page. Only use plain white paper *
Put the page numbers, followed by a period in the upper right hand corner.
Only the final/shooting script is number.
Don’t use correction fluid, don’t draw arrows, smiley faces etc on the page.
1′ left and right margin
Slugline – EXT/NT – LOCATION – TIME
Describes what can be seen on screen. Stretches across entire page.
Don’t write specific shot sizes, it’s the director’s job.
First time the character appears, always in CAPS. Subsequently, normal would do. Sound, you can CAPS also.
LUKE SKYWALKER (V.O.) – Voiceover
HAN SOLO (O.S.) – Off screen, when we don’t see the person, but hear him/her. Phone conversation.
parenthetical appears in dialogue to give specific description of movement,gesture or method of delivery (sarcastically) or (waving)
Week 14
Writing is rewriting:-
- Revision and rewriting – Rewriting is not JUST REWRITING.
- It’s rethinking (perspective, sequence of things, obstacles, character’s behaviour/action/speech/goal), re-conceptualizing and approaching new things.
- Everyone should at least try and rewrite their stories 5 times.
- You will never find out what is really in you until you write and rewrite.
- This doesn’t mean just stop polishing phrases.
TIP:-
- Study your story, see it with a new vision and changed values.
- Write it afresh.
- Then maybe scrap it, start all over again – don’t be afraid to do this!
- After this, then you can begin “polishing”.
- Finding expressions with character, dialogue that has rhythm. (Character has depth, worthy to follow)
- It may take 2 more more versions to bring out the full colour of the characters or yourself.
The inclination of the egoist is to get as much as he can, but at the same time not to change.
The Final Draft
Read with a fixed eye. (focused on the story)
- Re-read through your story carefully.
- Focus on a particular aspect each time, eg character, location, action etc.
Ask yourself:
- “Is the protagonist ALWAYS the focus of the story?”
- “Is he/she doing anything or is everyone else always doing stuff around him/her?”
- “Does it make a difference is he/she is even there?”
The chainsaw is your friend
- Now is the time to look at script economy (trim a lot of scenes)
- Why have your reader dying to finish after 4 pages when they could be craving for more after 2?
Ask yourself:
- “Where do my scenes begin? Where do they end?” (cliffhanger)
- “Can six lines be said in three?”
- “Can I trim the fat? Can I cut the exposition? Can I tell it visually instead?”
Crank it up!
- The stakes are high – can they be higher?
- More to lose = more dramatic tension
Ask yourself:
- “Does everything matter enough? Can everything matter more?” (Does the situation matter enough to the characters? If it matter more to the characters, the characters will matter more to the audience)
- “Am I giving my characters hell? Is it fun to see them squirm and satisfying enough when they get out of it?”
AUTOGRAPH BOOK
- Field – Big wide, give each other stare. Jealousy.
- Bus – Autograph book, eeee. Bus shaky.
- Library – Anger, vandalising book. Empty, quiet. Cover sweater on friend.
- Classroom – Publicly humiliate Tess.
- Staff room – privacy
THREE PAGES MAX
1.5 spacing
Name/student number/tutorial group/”final draft”
submit to safeassign!
first draft with final draft!!!
due Friday January 29 by 5pm. TIME STAMP.
Week 12 – Interactive Location
What is a location?
- - A geographical place, void deck, anyone’s house
- - A physical place (created or real)
- - The place in your story where events occur and characters interact
- - May also represent the villain n the story
- - What elements make the location interesting? Eg, geographical position, climate, rules (spoken & unspoken)
A setting and surrounding that interacts with the characters of the film by adding importance to their actions.
An environment which impacts the action and heightens the stakes.
The threat of being in the location.
Impact of a newly introduced character/element.
Eg. Norma Rae (threatened by man)
Eg. Jurassic Park, stuck on the island
Week 9
We write best what we know well. (We are able to predict what our close friends would say)
DYNAMIC ACTION
<<STORY IS ACTION>>
When there’s no action, there’s no interaction, there’s no conflict. Henceforth, NO STORY.
Action encompasses any kind of movement, activity and interaction between the characters and also between the characters and their surroundings.
Talking about how one feels is not as powerful as illustrating why one feels the way they do through action.
<<FILM IS BEHAVIOUR>>
Action is the manifestation of behaviour.
The complexity of the human psyche and interaction is better understood then it is possible to watch the actions, nuances and reactions of the characters.
<<DYNAMIC ACTION>>
Has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the tension. Keep them at the edge of their seats.
MOVING PICTURES
THE POWER OF ANY STORY LIES IN THE NARRATOR’S ABILITY TO PROJECT A MENTAL PICTURE FOR THE AUDIENCE.
Machine vs Human. Create a parallelism between the human movements and machine’s movements.
Behaviour/music/visual
Addresses the problem many newbies have to screenwriting.
How to convey visually any sense of inner conflict of emotion.
–
INJA
He kicked the dog as he wanted to keep the dog for himself, to make the dog loyal to him, rather to Thembile. (Jealousy & Fear)
He allowed the boss to abuse the dog as he is afraid of getting shot. (Fear)
He cut the rope of the flag as he wanted to give the dog a collar. (Affection)
He told Thembile to shoot the dog, to save his life. (Desperation)
–
1st draft of story due web, 6 Jan 2010
Printed copy in class, softcopy on Safeassign
Format: Courier 12, single spacing.
max three pages.
min two pages.
Week 8 – Dialogue
Dialogue reveals character.
- A character will talk about yourself and other people will talk about him.
- You know yourself best/HUGE ASS EGO.
- We talk about someone who’s different.
Dialogue establishes relationships between characters.
- Once you have established your main character’s POV, you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternate POVs.
- This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.
Good effective dialogue will move the story forward.
Dialogue communicates facts and information to the audience.
- It conveys essential exposition.
- Characters will talk about what happened, establishing the storyline.
Dialogue comments on action.
Dialogue ties the script together.
- It is one of the devices that YOU as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters.
“If you can see it or hear it, don’t write it.” - Neville Smith
Dialogue should be used sparingly.
Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves!
<DIALOGUE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTION>
European market, everything spelled out.
In Hollywood when they look at a page and it’s got too much black, too much ink on the paper, they say: “Shit! It’s freeze the camera time!!”
Common mistake
- Students sometimes never achieve a level of competence as they tend to reproduce conventional spoken language, long statements of “REAL TALKING”, and defend their decisions by telling us that: “It’s how the character speaks.”
- Students tend to create radio shows with images.
GOOD dialogue is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.
- If that was all these is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and then go collect your Oscar.
Bad dialogue – cheesy, unfocussed, inappropriate tone/lang, long winded.
GOOD dialogue is the illusion of reality.
- You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.
<FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM>
A SCREENPLAY IS A STORY TOLD IN PICTURES.
Week 7 – Story
- A true story is not necessarily a good story.
Good stories have to be worked and re-worked.
- True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
- Life predictable, anything and everything can happen.
- In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being like life.
- Every story must have a character.
- The character is the heart, the soul, the nervous system.
- It is through your characters that viewers experience emotions.
WITHOUT A CHARACTER, THERE IS NO ACTION.
WITHOUT ACTION, YOU HAVE NO CONFLICT.
WITHOUT CONFLICT, YOU HAVE NO STORY.
WITHOUT A STORY, YOU HAVE NO SCREENPLAY.
When developing a character, ask yourself:
- Who is your character?
- What does he want? (Little wants and needs)
- What is his quest? (bigger scale than his desires)
- What drives him to the resolution of the story?
1. Establish your main character.
Characters should have a 3 Dimensional Structure.
-Physiology
(Gender, age, height & weight, colour of the hair, eyes, skin, posture, appearance, defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases, heredity)
-Sociology
(standing in society, status
class : lower, middle, upper
occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organization, suitability of work
education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favourite subjects, poorest subject, aptitudes
home life: parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/divorced, parents’ habits/mental development/vices, neglect, character’s marital status
Religion
Race, nationality
Place in the community: leader among friends, clubs, sports
Political affiliations
Amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads)
-Psychology
(Sex life, moral standards, personal premise, ambition, frustrations chief disappointments,
Temperament: choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic,
Attitude towards lifeL resigned, militant, defeatist,
Complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias
Personality: extrovert, introvert
Abilities: language, talents
Qualities: Imagination, judgement, taste, poise
IQ, EQ – emotional quotient
What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/hide?)
Separate the components of the his life into 2 basic categories:
- Interior – Anything we don’t see on screen, his background. (Takes place from birth until the moment the story begins) (Process that forms the character: when you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body and form) (How old he is when the story begins, where does he live, does he have siblings, what kind of childhood did he have. what was his relationship to his parents, what kind of child was he, is he married, single, widowed, separated or divorced?)
- Exterior – Everything we see in the film. (Takes place the moment your story begins to it’s conclusion) (Process that reveals character) (Who are they and what do they do, are they sad or happy with their life, do they wish their life was different, another job, another wife?)
You must create your characters in relationship to other people or things.
All dramatic characteristics interact in 3 ways:
- They EXPERIENCE CONFLICT in achieving their dramatic need. (need money – rob bank, store, person)
- They INTERACT with other CHARACTERS. (either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent way)
- They INTERACT with THEMSELVES. (he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully)
How do you invent characteristics? – Try turning them[world] upside them. A monk who is devoted to his religion, but is a football fanatic. A serial kill whose obsession is to kill other serial killers. A common street rat who loves to eat and cook only fine food.
3 storytelling tools: MEMORY, OBSERVATION, EXPERIENCE
Aristotle’s storytelling techniques
Developing 3 Dimensional characters
Writing for an audience
Week 6
Letter to the Past Review
Sparked off by:
- Event/person
- Reflect on emotions then/now
- Most important thing you wanted to know/say (fear of confrontation, self-denial, having to deal with the situation/consequences)
- Revisit the past, relive the past. Emotions. Painful memories.
The letter is a practical, personal example of how a character – YOU – undergo an inevitable process of change.
Process of change is an essential ingredient of any effective story.
In dramatic writing, the very essence is character change/development.
Observation –> Learn
Experience –> Learn (ex-convict release from prison)
Memory –> Learn
How we learn depends on each individual’s mindset. Learn from mistake?
A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience.
Everything about you – where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead – your experiences are unique and irreplaceable.
Many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location. (Home, Run)
TIP:
- If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while. Be careful not to put your OWN personality onto the character.
- See how he/she relates to the world he has been thrown into.
- PLUNDER YOUR OWN PERSONAL BACKGROUND! The things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make terrific story sources.
Record your experiences: Diary, blog
Reflect your past (colourful past, good/bad)
Recall how you felt then/now.
All people have fragments of stories. Bits and pieces of our existence. Remember the emotion.
These potential ideas prompt your desire to know more.
Respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard. Emotionally first, need some time to adapt.
Good stories are born in the heart, not the head.
Initial ideas sparked off by:
- Memories/emotions (heart)
- Development – research etc (head)
Remember the role of an audience, YOU ARE THE AUDIENCE! make the film worthwhile.
Take them on a ride of discovery. Feed them new info. Different angle, tell it from a diff POV. Most of the time, stereotypical view.
Your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told.
Her memory, and your memory is different, although the same incident.
These memories are points of reference to your own past existence.
Write something you do not know.
- Imagination
- Research
- Interviews
Always room for personal discovery!
Experience vs Memory
Experience – What you go through.
Memory – Manufactured, what you remember.
Sunat 2006, M. Raihan halim
True/False stories
Write one true, one false story.
By 3 Nov, Wed, 10 am
Week 5 – Shawshank Redemption
Why would we classify Andy as a tragic hero?
Andy Dufresne would be considered a tragic hero as he had a wonderful future (banker of a reputable bank) in front of him and he lost everything. He also has fine qualities: helpful (help the inmates achieve their high school equivalencies) and self-sacrificing (He risks his own neck to get beers for his friends). Furthermore, he was accused of a crime he did not commit.
What was his flaw and how it cause his fall from grace?
Like all humans, he was prone to jealousy. He caught his beautiful wife cheating on him, and naturally, would want to take revenge to ease his pricked ego.
What lessons did he learn from his mistakes?
He was too trustworthy and placed his trust on the warden, yet the latter betrayed him. He had to be crafty. He was also quiet and kept mostly to himself, however, he still got picked on.
How did he change and how did he change others?
He felt that he should learn to interact more, and accept people into life.
He came into the prison to become a crook. He taught Red to hope, to believe, to have faith.
–
Jealousy –> Death threat
Rage –> Violence
Impulsiveness –> Misunderstanding
Too kind –> Taken advantaged of/unable to say no/hypocrite
Trustworthy –> don’t question other people’s motives/believe in others (eg, help some one check in luggage, bomb)
Hope is the two sides of the same coin. The more you hope, the harder you fall when disappointment comes. Hope also provides motivation and drive people to do things.
Week 4 – Aristotle
ABCDEF – Linear
BEFDAC – Non – linear
Incorporate principles of tragedy into your writing!
It means something bad happens because as a result of a flaw in your character, and you show how this tragic fall forces your character to learn something about himself/herself.
Group A:
1. Who is Aristotle?
He was a Greek philosopher.
2. When and where did Aristotle live?
Greece, 384 – 322 B.C
3. What was Aristotle’s Poetics?
He taught that Poetry should be divided into 3 genres – tragedy, comedy and epic.
Poetics focuses on tragedy.
4. What is the definition of Greek tragedy?
Tragedy is the ‘imitation of an action’ according to the law of probability or necessity’
Group B:
1. Explain Aristotle’s 6 required parts of a tragedy?
Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song/Melody, Spectacl
2. What is the “cause-and-effect” chain?
Reveals what MAY happen.
3. How can a good plot create a “unity of action”?
‘Arrangement of incidents’, not the story itself but the way the incidents are presented to the audience.
4. Definition of mimesis:
Imitation/Representation
Group C:
1. Aristotle thought episodic plots were the worst kind of storytelling. What is an episodic plot and why did Aristotle think this way?
Episodic plots only concentrate on random and unrelated incidents that happen to a character.
2. What is an example of a movie or a play that follows Aristotle’s definition of tragedy? Explain your selection.
3. Definition of katharsis:
Purification/Clarification
Group D:
1. What is the difference between a simple and a complex plot?
2. What can scriptwriters today learn from the opinions of Aristotle?
3. Definition of the Greek word ‘peripetieia’
Reversal
Group E:
1. What is the responsibility of characters in an Aristotelian tragedy?
They support the plot. Their motivation is connected to part of the cause & effect chain.
2. Aristotle originated the concept of the three act structure. What is it, and how does it apply to scriptwriting?
3. Definition of anagnorisis?
Discovery of recognition, a hero suddenly becoming aware of a situation.
Week 3 – Observation
Do constraints help you to be a better writer? What constraints do professional writers face?
1 min = 1 page of script
Feature films, TV shows.
W/o constraints, lose focus, indulgent.
Behaviour, attire, speech, stance(posture, gesture)/gait, physical looks
Attire
Behaviour
Characteristics
Dialogue
Expression
Facial features
Gestures
Observe in a conscious way. Train yourself to see and record: movements, physical characteristics, settings (workplace vs home).
Adopt a keen eye, develop a natural sense of curiosity.
curious vs intrusive
Curious : Show concern, allow the person the choice to reveal the answer.
* An observed event, when subject to simple questions, can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.
Whom am I writing as?
Character?
Like?
Occupation?
Ending?
Mindless observation vs True observation (ask qns, why why why???)
HOMEWORK – OBSERVE TWO PEOPLE, 2 diff gender, 2 diff settings, 2 diff age group.
