THE THREE ACT STUCTURE
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR STEPS (SCENE LIST)
THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA
BUT YOU CAN MAKE YOUR ACTS TOO LONG OR TOO SHORT
THREE ACT STRUCTURE (30 to 50 steps)
BEGINGING MIDDLE END
SET UP COMPLICATION RESOLUTION
CREATE INTEREST HOLD INTEREST SATISFY INTEREST
ACT ONE: 5 TO 10 STEPS
OBJECTIVES:
ESTABLISH THE SPINE
INTRO WORLD: ESTABLISH THE RULES
INTRO CHAR: ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS
CONCEPTS TO CONSIDER:
1. EXPOSITION: INFORMATION THAT EXPLAINS CHARACTERS
a. MUST REVEAL IT THROUGH CONFLICT
b. OCCURS THROUGOUT THE STORY, BUT OFTERN EARLY
c. EXPPSITION EASILY REVEALED THROUGH THE CONFIDANT/CENTAL RELATIONSHIP
d. BACKSTORY - EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED BEFORE YOUR FIRST SCENE
2. PLAUSIBILTIY: WHAT’S ACCEPTABLE TO THE AUDIENCE
e. ESTABLISH YOUR RULES EARLY (FIRST ACT) AND BE CONSISTANT
f. ALL CHARACTER’S ACTIONS MUST BE MOTIVATED
i. STORY LOGIC -- THE CHAIN OF EVENTS COMES FROM THE CHARACTER’S DESIRES RATHER THAN THE WRITER’S
3. COINCIDENCES COME EARLY
a. WE WON’T BELIEVE THEM IN SECOND ACT
THREE MOVEMENTS IN THE FIRST ACT
1. POINT OF ATTACK/OPENING BALANCE
AS LATE AS POSSIBLE
JUST BEFORE YOUR HERO’S WORLD CHANGES
2. INCITING INCIDENTS
SHAKE UP YOUR HEROES WORLD
INTRO THE GOAL
3. LOCK IN SPINE
CENTRAL CONFLICT, QUESTION, GOAL ALL CLEAR
NO MORE WAITING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS
NOW WE ASK WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
ACT II: (20 TO 30 STEPS)
OBJECTIVE: COMPLICATE THE SPINE
CONCEPTS TO CONSIDER:
1. ORDERING EVENTS AND REVEALING INFORMATION
SUSPENSE AND THE CHRONOLOGICAL STORY
TIME WITHHOLDS INFORMATON: CREATES SUPSPENSE
2. SUSPENSE VS SURPRISE
USE BOTH, BUT IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE SUSPENSE IS USUALLY PREFERABLE
3. WHO KNOWS WHAT AND WHEN
WRITER KNOWS EVERTHING AT EVERY POINT
AUDIENCE LEARNS INFORMATION WHEN THE HERO DOES OR A LITTLE BEFORE
4. DRAMATIC IRONY - AUDIENCE KNOW MORE THAN CHARACTERS ON THE SCREEN
THE SECRET TO GETTING YOUR AUDIENCE COMPLETELY ENGAGED
BOMB UNDER THE TABLE
ii. MONSTER IN THE CLOSET
iii. THE GRANPA’S BODY IN THE BACK OF THE BUS
7. GOOD NEWS LATER – DON’T’ RELIEVE THE TENSION
a. DON’T SHOW THE GUARD SLEEPING
8. BAD NEWS SOONER -- CREATE SUPENSE
a. SHOW THE GUARD AWAKE WITH GUN
9. WAVY NARRATIVE LINE: YOUR HEROES FORTUNES RISE AND FALL
a. MAKE IT HARD ON YOU’RE HERO
i. FERRISS BUELLARS DAYS OFF – THE EXCEPTION
ii. LEAVING LAS VEGAS—THE EXTREME EXAMPLES
iii. MONTSER
iv. MONSTER’S BALL -- (OSCARS FOR ACTORS)
THREE MOVEMENTS OF THE SECOND ACT
1. NEW PLAN
MET BY A SERIES OR REVERALS
HERO IS INFLUENCED BY OTHERS
DOESN’T TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR ACTIONS
2. MIDPOINT
HERO TAKES RESPONSIBITY FOR HIS OR HER QUEST
SECOND HALF
PLOT NARROWS/CHOICES LESSEN
3. DARKEST HOUR
HEROS ACTIONS MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THERE’S NO HOPE
ACT III: 5 TO 10 STEPS
OBJECTIVE: RESOLVE SPINE
YOUR SCRITP IS OVER WHEN YOU RESOLVE SPINAL ISSUES
THREE MOVEMENTS OF THE THRID ACT
1. ENLIGHTENMENT/ MOMENT OF CLARITY
a. HERO UNDERSTANDS HOW TO CONFRONT THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
b. PAST ACTIONS IN ACT II TAUGHT THE HERO HOW TO CONFRONT THE CENTRAL CONFLICT, GO FOR THE GOAL
2. CLIMAX
HERO CONFRONTS THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
GOAL ACHIEVED OR NOT
CENTRAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED
3. DENOUMENT / WRAP UP
RESTORE BALANCE; HOW HAS YOU HERO CHANGED?
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
SCREENWRITING U
SCREENWRITING
1. MOST ACCESSABLE FORM OF CREATIVE WRITING
2. A BLUE PRINT FOR A FILM
3. CHARACTERS AND ACTION IS WHAT THE SCREENWRITER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AND THAT’S ENOUGH
4. SEVERAL MORE LEVELS OF COLLABORATION NEEDED
5. DIRECTOR IS STAR
6. MOST PEOPLE CAN’T NAME A SCREENWRITER WHO IS NOT AN ACTOR OR DIRECTOR
1. MOST ACCESSABLE FORM OF CREATIVE WRITING
2. A BLUE PRINT FOR A FILM
3. CHARACTERS AND ACTION IS WHAT THE SCREENWRITER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AND THAT’S ENOUGH
4. SEVERAL MORE LEVELS OF COLLABORATION NEEDED
5. DIRECTOR IS STAR
6. MOST PEOPLE CAN’T NAME A SCREENWRITER WHO IS NOT AN ACTOR OR DIRECTOR
RULES OF FORMATTING
THE RULES OF FORMATTING
PAPER
Three-hole punched, not two-hole. Normal, white paper of the sort they don’t charge extra for at the photocopy store, which is white, 20 lb. bond.
TYPEFACE
12 point Courier or Courier New. This font looks like an old-fashioned typewriter’s font. It doesn’t look typeset. It’s not supposed to look fancy or “produced” or published.
Nothing is boldfaced, even on the title page. Nothing is italicized (though that rule may be changing). Underlining for emphasis may be employed extremely sparingly. The same rule applies ALL CAPS (capital letters).
THREE PARTS TO FORMATTING
There are three parts to screenplay formatting.
1) The slug line (or heading) comes at the beginning of every scene, which is to say every time there’s a new location. It tells us generally where we are and whether it’s day or night.
2) The description “describes” actions of the characters and anything else that needs to be explained. It’s usually visual information or sound effects. “Bob squeezes the trigger and the gun goes BLAM.”
3) The dialogue is what characters say.
SLUG LINES (AKA “SLUGS” or “HEADINGS”)
Slug lines are not indented. They begin at the left-hand page margin and may extend (when necessary) to the right hand page margin. They are written in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
The first element in the slug line is INT. or EXT.
It’s EXT. if the scene is an exterior, INT. if it’s an interior. These are indications of whether the camera and crew will have to set up outside or inside. 99 percent of all scenes are inside or outside. Rarely, a scene takes place in a doorway, or with people on opposite sides of a window, and in such cases INT./EXT. is acceptable.
The second part of the slug tells us where we are – the precise location. If that location repeats in the course of the film, it should always be referred to in the same way. In other word’s, DESIREE’S BEDROOM remains DESIREE’S BEDROOM, and does not change from BEDROOM to DESIREE’S BEDROOM to DESIREE’S BOUDOIR. Here’s a slug:
INT. DESIREE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The location should be specific, but not more specific than necessary. For example, if a scene takes place in a park but it doesn’t really matter which part of the park, just leave it at “PARK” and give the production personnel the freedom to pick the most picturesque or convenient park location they can find.
Notice we don’t go into any detail regarding the description of the bedroom – the slug line isn’t the place for that. If more words are needed to describe the room’s fluffy whiteness, do it in the description.
The third part of the slug is the time of day, but there are only two options here: DAY or NIGHT. All scenes are DAY or NIGHT. There’s no need to specify “TWILIGHT,” “LATE NIGHT,” “HIGH NOON” or “ABOUT THREE O’CLOCK.” If that kind of elaboration is needed, put it in the description. To use anything but DAY or NIGHT breaks with tradition and will be seen as amateurish.
Slugs should be short and sweet:
INT. JOE’S BAR - DAY
If you are unable to fit the slug on a single line, then you probably are writing slugs that are too wordy. Elaboration should be handled below the slug.
There is no need to provide new slugs if you’re shifting locations in a single room, but if you move to a new room, a new slug is probably required. If you’re not sure if you’ll need a new slug, ask yourself, will the camera set-up and lights need to move? New set-up equals new location.
SLUG LINES FOR DREAMS, FANTASIES AND FLASHBACKS
In the cases of dreams, flashbacks and fantasies, it is sometimes acceptable to include a fourth part to the slug: an indication, in parentheses, of the scene’s special nature.
INT. DESIREE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT (DESIREE’S DREAM)
Some people also do it this way:
INT. DESIREE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT – DESIREE’S DREAM
DESCRIPTION
Description is the second major part of formatting.
Description is accomplished in paragraphs of prose that stretch across the page from margin to margin. They are not indented. They resemble the paragraphs of a business letter.
The paragraphs of description should be short – no more than four or five lines – and generally speaking shorter is better. A single sentence – or even a single word – is fine.
Long blocks of description should be broken into paragraphs.
Skip a line between paragraphs of description.
Each paragraph should make a single point.
When we say “description,” we don’t mean that you are invited to “describe” ornately the sets, costumes and landscape, as though you were a nineteenth century novelist. Quite the contrary. In the “description” you briefly describe what we see on the screen, usually the actions of the characters and other visual (and sometimes aural) information.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
Robinson, looking sleepy, pours Annie coffee. Ken enters and sits by Annie.
Put at least one brief line of description after each slug. It looks odd to jump straight from a slug to dialogue.
DIALOGUE
There are three elements to the blocks of dialogue: the speaker’s name, the parentheticals, and the dialogue itself.
The block of dialogue is single-spaced so the eye perceives it as a unit. Do not double-space between the speaker’s name and the actual dialogue.
Let’s start with the speaker’s name or “character name.” This is the person speaking the “speech” or “line” you are about to write.
Indent four tabs (or 20 spaces) for the speaker’s name above the speech.
This should put the speaker’s name more or less in the center of the page – but don’t use your word processing program to “center” every name. Each name is indented the same distance from the left-hand margin. The left hand margin on all character names should be the same. The right hand margin will vary because names come in varying lengths.
Next let’s talk about the speech itself – the dialogue.
Indent the dialogue 10 spaces (or two tabs if your tabs are five spaces).
Dialogue should run in a column down the center of the page.
That column should be between three and three-and-a-half inches wide, or about as wide as your fingers without your thumb.
You may test it on the page by holding your fingers over the dialogue column – it should block out just about everything except for a few stray long words that hang over on the right.
Don’t hyphenate long words at the end of the line – let them run.
Your block of dialogue will look like this:
WESLEY
How come I have to go to school?
They ain’t teachin’ me nothin’!
There you have it, a block of dialogue. There’s one more element to the block of dialogue that you will need, though not very often: the parenthetical.
DIALOGUE AND PARENTHETICALS
The parentheticals (also called “wrylies” or “dialogue directions”) are those little remarks in parentheses usually situated just below the speaker’s name in the blocks of dialogue.
There are only two truly acceptable types of information to include in the parentheticals: How the line is said, and to whom it is directed.
Sometimes – quite rarely, because it’s the actor’s job to inflect the lines, not yours – it’s appropriate to tell an actor how a line is said ("wryly," "tearfully," "whispering," and so on).
ROBERT
(wryly)
I love having my eyes poked with
sticks. It’s festive.
In situations where there are a lot of characters in the scene, it’s sometimes necessary to specify to whom a line is spoken.
OFFICER LINDSTROM
(to Keefa)
You – in the red sweater. Did you
see the robbers clearly?
Remember that in 999 cases out of a thousand, it’s perfectly obvious how the line should be said and to whom it is directed, and to indicate such is a redundant bore. Your readers aren’t stupid. There’s a lot they figure out from context, and to tell them more than they need is insulting and tedious.
Even when you think you need to tell the actor how to read the line, restrain yourself, because the actor will usually make a more interesting choice than you will. That’s the actor’s job. For example.
DR. SIN
(viciously)
I’m going to have Monkeyboy tear
your throat out and eat it.
For one thing, “viciously” is a pretty obvious choice for such a line. For another, there are other ways that might be more interesting. How about “blandly?” Or “amiably?”
Physical actions, “stage business,” and so on, belong within the descriptive passages, not in the parentheticals.
Very occasionally, a small physical action that can be described in a word or two may be contained in the parentheticals, but don’t do this more than a few times in the entire script.
GLENDA
How do you do?
(eyes narrowing)
I’ve met you somewhere. Oh, yes!
You’re that man from the bus station!
I wouldn’t kiss you again…
(she drags on her cigarette)
With my dachshund’s lips.
Notice that the parenthetical may occur again in the same block of dialogue, always occupying its own line.
Remember to use the parentheticals sparingly. Whenever possible let the actor decide for himself whether the line is to be read “indignantly,” “wryly,” “pusillanimously” – whatever.
Don’t use the word “beat” in the parentheticals to indicate where the actor should pause. In fact, only rarely should you presume to tell the actor when he should pause in a line of dialogue.
Parentheticals are very useful to indicate when people interrupt, overlap, or speak simultaneously.
DIALOGUE: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN (OS) AND (VO)
To indicate that a character is heard but not seen, place the abbreviation (OS) in parentheses directly to the right of the character's name. (OS) stands for “off screen,” and it means that the character is physically present in the scene but not seen by the camera. For example:
MIDGE (OS)
When are you going to be done
in that bathroom?
There are good dramatic and comedic reasons a voice might occasionally come from off screen, but if overused OS taxes the reader.
If the speaker is functioning more or less as an omniscient narrator, then use (VO), which stands for voice-over. If the audience hears what a character is thinking (a choice you’d rarely if ever make as a beginning screenwriter), use (VO).
TOM (VO)
I remember the summer of 1985
as though it were yesterday…
You can also use a voice-over to indicate voices from public address systems, radios, and telephones.
Voice-overs are commonly used when a character is reading a letter. The audience sees the character reading the pages and hears the letter-writer speaking them in voice-over.
NAMING CHARACTERS: LABEL DIALOGUE CONSISTENTLY
In the description and in character names above speeches, consistently refer to characters by the same name, usually their first names.
In other words, instead of inconsistently labeling Sam’s dialogue DR. ROSENTHAL and SAM ROSENTHAL and SAM, it should always be SAM. In dialogue, Sam may be called many things: Dr. Rosenthal, Sam, Dad, Doc – whatever. But in the description and dialogue headings, stick with one name: Sam. It avoids confusion.
PHONE CONVERSATIONS
When writing phone conversations, if we’re only hearing one side of it, there’s no need to keep repeating the name of the character who’s speaking. There’s really not even a need to indicate pauses.
Write a phone conversation of which we hear only one side like this:
The phone rings and Mary picks up.
MARY
Hello? Yes, this is Mary Monahan.
My son? What about him? What precinct?
Yes, I’ll be right there.
Notice the absence of ellipses.
If you want to show both sides of the conversation, write:
INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Briefly describe where the other caller is located, and then write the dialogue as usual. When the conversation ends you can write a subheading that reads
BACK TO SCENE
Or better still, simply indicate that the person hangs up, and leave out “back to scene.”
SKIP TWO LINES BETWEEN SCENES
While you skip ONE line between most of the elements in the script, you skip TWO lines between scenes. Another way to say this is that you skip two lines before every slug.
MARGINS
Your left-hand page margin should be 1.5 inches, while your right hand margin should be an inch or half an inch. (A one-inch left-hand margin is less common, but when used should be accompanied by a one-inch right hand margin.)
The margin at the top of the page is one inch. The margin at the bottom of the page is also one inch.
As we said before, don’t indent slugs or description.
Indent the speaker’s name 20 spaces (or four tabs if your tabs are five spaces). You indent parentheticals (wrylies) 15 spaces (three tabs) and the dialogue itself ten spaces (two tabs).
Remember that dialogue forms a column down the middle of the page and does not reach the right hand margin as the description does.
An alternate indentation scheme indents the character names 22 spaces from the left-hand margin, the parentheticals 16 spaces from the left-hand margin, and the dialogue 10 spaces.
All margins are hard left, ragged right. Do not right-justify your columns.
CAPITALIZATION IN GENERAL
THE SLUG LINE: ALL CAPS
CHARACTER NAME above a speech: ALL CAPS
CHARACTER NAME the FIRST time it appears in the DESCRIPTION: ALL CAPS. In other words, if a new character walks in, then you indicate this by having the character’s name capitalized:
KRISTINA, 45, a smoothly professional businesswoman, opens the door.
Suppose you mention the character in the dialogue several pages before the character physically appears on screen. Should you then write the name in ALL CAPS in the dialogue? No! Use lower case as usual.
GREG
You’re going to love Kristina.
IMPORTANT PROPS can be CAPITALIZED, but not necessarily:
Bob draws a GUN from his trench coat.
SOUND EFFECTS can be CAPITALIZED, but not necessarily. “The DOORBELL RINGS” is fine, but so are “the doorbell RINGS” and “the doorbell rings.” If the sound effect is KA-BOOM, use all caps.
SUBHEADING OR SECONDARY HEADINGS
Sometimes, when you want to indicate a shift of scene or lapse of time within a scene and a new slug seems like overkill, use SUBHEADINGS (or SECONDARY HEADINGS).
For example, if you want to indicate a lapse of time, you might do it this way:
Paris lights a cigarette.
LATER
Cigarette butts spill over the sides of the ashtray.
Or suppose you want to indicate various locations within a larger location.
INT. NIGHT CLUB – DAY
Lilith slithers past the bouncer.
AT THE BAR
Paul notices her arrival and chugs his martini.
Subheadings can be useful, but don’t overuse them. Master scenes (scenes that aren’t broken down into shots, but rather simply tell us what’s said and done at the given location) read very fluidly, and that’s what you want in a spec script.
PAGE NUMBERS
Put the page number at the top right corner of the page. There’s no need for anything more than the number itself, followed by a period. (Without the period is acceptable but not preferable.) There’s no need for a “P." or “page," or the script’s title preceding the page number. There is no need to number the first page, but to do so is acceptable.
Page 1 is the first page of the script, not the title page.
“CONTINUED” AND SCENE NUMBERS
There’s no need to write CONTINUED at the tops and bottoms of the pages in a spec script. It adds clutter and some readers find it pretentious. Likewise, don’t number the scenes.
BREAKING A SPEECH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
Try not to break a speech at the bottom of the page – if it’s short, it doesn’t hurt to push it over to the next page. If you must, simply write as much as you can of the speech on the page you've begun with, then place (more) under it.
MARIA
I can’t stand you coming home late
(more)
Then resume the speech atop the following page thus:
MARIA (cont’d)
night after night.
THE TITLE PAGE
Place the title in the center of the page, or a little higher.
There is no need to underline the title, put it in quotation marks, or use any typeface other than 12 point Courier or New Courier. ALL CAPS will suffice. Do not boldface. Skip a line before centering the writer’s name. Do not put the writer’s name in all caps.
It is acceptable to skip a line (double-space) and then center the word “by,” then skip a line and center the name, but I think “by” is understood. Whose name besides the author’s would be under the title?
Include your address, phone number and email on the lower right corner of the title page, hard left margin, ragged right margin, single spaced. Never forget to do this. You never know whose hands the script will fall into, and you want them to be able to reach you.
If you have registered the script with the Writer’s Guild of America, include the registration in the lower left-hand corner.
Do not include a draft number or date on any script you submit to anyone. A low draft number will make some people think the script isn’t ripe, and high draft number will make some other people think it’s been overworked or stale. A copyright date is also not a good idea, as one from even a year ago makes some people wonder what’s wrong with the script that it hasn’t sold yet.
FADE OUT AND FADE IN
At the beginning of the first page you write
FADE IN:
to indicate that the script is beginning. It’s traditional.
At the end of the script, about 105 pages later, against the right hand margin of the last page, indicate the end of the script by writing
FADE OUT:
Do not write FADE IN and FADE OUT between every scene. That would indicate a fade to black between every scene, which would be interesting and Brechtian under certain circumstances, but probably not what you intended.
SYNOPSIS AND CAST LIST
Unless someone insists, do not include a synopsis (plot summary) with your script. If you do, people will read the synopsis and skip the script. Do not include a cast list or character list as in a play – it is not customary and looks amateurish.
COVER
The script should be covered on front and back with single sheets of 8 _ by 11 cardstock (60 to 110 lb.), any color.
NO illustrations of any kind and indeed no writing of any kind should mar the cover. The title page will be inside the cover.
NO TITLE ON THE SPINE
The people to whom you submit scripts often write the title of a script on the spine so that it’s easier to find on a bookshelf. They do that, not you.
FASTENERS
Fasten your script with two, not three, round-headed brass brads, and make sure those brads are not flimsy but STURDY so the script doesn't fall apart as one tries to read it (very annoying). Acco #5 1 _ inch Solid Brass Fasteners, stock # 71505, are a good choice. They come in boxes of 100. Order them now and keep them on hand because if you live anywhere but Los Angeles no store will have them in stock. Never get brads that are too long and clip them, because that leaves sharp edges. How favorably disposed would you be toward a script that ripped your flesh? And do not under any circumstances have the copy shop bind your script with a plastic spiral.
CREDITS
Don’t bother specifying where the credits roll at the beginning and end of the film.
MONTAGE
A montage is a series of shots, usually without dialogue, usually meant to show a process such as falling in love or becoming famous. Montages are often used where in fact the point would be better made with a single, strong scene of conflict. Some screenwriters think montages are old fashioned and perhaps lazy. Still, there are times one might want justifiably to use them, and they’re done like this, single-spaced with dashes:
MONTAGE
- John and Mary frolic on the beach.
- John and Mary share a soda.
- John and Mary stand at the altar on their wedding day.
- Mary throws a dish at John’s head. He ducks.
- Mary walks in on John in bed with a Shetland pony.
- John, on his knees, begs Mary to stay as she walks out the door with her suitcases.
Sometimes at the end you might include the following subheading:
BACK TO SCENE.
INSERT SHOTS
If a brief shot of another location interrupts the scene – for example a single-shot flashback, or a letter, or a computer screen – you might employ an insert shot.
INSERT – THE LETTER
“Dear Rick, You’d better leave Paris
without me. I’ll always remember you.
Ilsa.”
BACK TO SCENE
Notice that the letter is indented like dialogue, but enclosed within quotation marks. BACK TO SCENE is unnecessary if a fresh slug follows the insert.
CAMERA AND EDITING DIRECTIONS
Camera directions are in ALL CAPS and formatted as description. They are flush left. If you wanted to indicate a couple of close-ups followed by a POINT OF VIEW shot, you would do it this way.
CU JOAN WINKING at John.
CU STEVEN smiling.
STEVEN’S POV: CAMERA TILTS down Joan’s shapely body.
But you’re not going to include camera directions, you’re going to leave that to the director, so there’s no need for you to know how to do them.
You’re also going to avoid editing directions, but if you can’t they’re in ALL CAPS, flush right, followed by a colon. For example, if you wanted to end a scene with a dissolve you would write this:
DISSOLVE TO:
“WE SEE”
Avoid using “we see” in description. Most description in a script is of things “we see.” Of course we see it – it’s a movie. Reading “we see” breaks the story’s spell by distancing the reader from what he’s reading. Just describe what we see without telling
PAPER
Three-hole punched, not two-hole. Normal, white paper of the sort they don’t charge extra for at the photocopy store, which is white, 20 lb. bond.
TYPEFACE
12 point Courier or Courier New. This font looks like an old-fashioned typewriter’s font. It doesn’t look typeset. It’s not supposed to look fancy or “produced” or published.
Nothing is boldfaced, even on the title page. Nothing is italicized (though that rule may be changing). Underlining for emphasis may be employed extremely sparingly. The same rule applies ALL CAPS (capital letters).
THREE PARTS TO FORMATTING
There are three parts to screenplay formatting.
1) The slug line (or heading) comes at the beginning of every scene, which is to say every time there’s a new location. It tells us generally where we are and whether it’s day or night.
2) The description “describes” actions of the characters and anything else that needs to be explained. It’s usually visual information or sound effects. “Bob squeezes the trigger and the gun goes BLAM.”
3) The dialogue is what characters say.
SLUG LINES (AKA “SLUGS” or “HEADINGS”)
Slug lines are not indented. They begin at the left-hand page margin and may extend (when necessary) to the right hand page margin. They are written in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
The first element in the slug line is INT. or EXT.
It’s EXT. if the scene is an exterior, INT. if it’s an interior. These are indications of whether the camera and crew will have to set up outside or inside. 99 percent of all scenes are inside or outside. Rarely, a scene takes place in a doorway, or with people on opposite sides of a window, and in such cases INT./EXT. is acceptable.
The second part of the slug tells us where we are – the precise location. If that location repeats in the course of the film, it should always be referred to in the same way. In other word’s, DESIREE’S BEDROOM remains DESIREE’S BEDROOM, and does not change from BEDROOM to DESIREE’S BEDROOM to DESIREE’S BOUDOIR. Here’s a slug:
INT. DESIREE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The location should be specific, but not more specific than necessary. For example, if a scene takes place in a park but it doesn’t really matter which part of the park, just leave it at “PARK” and give the production personnel the freedom to pick the most picturesque or convenient park location they can find.
Notice we don’t go into any detail regarding the description of the bedroom – the slug line isn’t the place for that. If more words are needed to describe the room’s fluffy whiteness, do it in the description.
The third part of the slug is the time of day, but there are only two options here: DAY or NIGHT. All scenes are DAY or NIGHT. There’s no need to specify “TWILIGHT,” “LATE NIGHT,” “HIGH NOON” or “ABOUT THREE O’CLOCK.” If that kind of elaboration is needed, put it in the description. To use anything but DAY or NIGHT breaks with tradition and will be seen as amateurish.
Slugs should be short and sweet:
INT. JOE’S BAR - DAY
If you are unable to fit the slug on a single line, then you probably are writing slugs that are too wordy. Elaboration should be handled below the slug.
There is no need to provide new slugs if you’re shifting locations in a single room, but if you move to a new room, a new slug is probably required. If you’re not sure if you’ll need a new slug, ask yourself, will the camera set-up and lights need to move? New set-up equals new location.
SLUG LINES FOR DREAMS, FANTASIES AND FLASHBACKS
In the cases of dreams, flashbacks and fantasies, it is sometimes acceptable to include a fourth part to the slug: an indication, in parentheses, of the scene’s special nature.
INT. DESIREE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT (DESIREE’S DREAM)
Some people also do it this way:
INT. DESIREE’S BEDROOM – NIGHT – DESIREE’S DREAM
DESCRIPTION
Description is the second major part of formatting.
Description is accomplished in paragraphs of prose that stretch across the page from margin to margin. They are not indented. They resemble the paragraphs of a business letter.
The paragraphs of description should be short – no more than four or five lines – and generally speaking shorter is better. A single sentence – or even a single word – is fine.
Long blocks of description should be broken into paragraphs.
Skip a line between paragraphs of description.
Each paragraph should make a single point.
When we say “description,” we don’t mean that you are invited to “describe” ornately the sets, costumes and landscape, as though you were a nineteenth century novelist. Quite the contrary. In the “description” you briefly describe what we see on the screen, usually the actions of the characters and other visual (and sometimes aural) information.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
Robinson, looking sleepy, pours Annie coffee. Ken enters and sits by Annie.
Put at least one brief line of description after each slug. It looks odd to jump straight from a slug to dialogue.
DIALOGUE
There are three elements to the blocks of dialogue: the speaker’s name, the parentheticals, and the dialogue itself.
The block of dialogue is single-spaced so the eye perceives it as a unit. Do not double-space between the speaker’s name and the actual dialogue.
Let’s start with the speaker’s name or “character name.” This is the person speaking the “speech” or “line” you are about to write.
Indent four tabs (or 20 spaces) for the speaker’s name above the speech.
This should put the speaker’s name more or less in the center of the page – but don’t use your word processing program to “center” every name. Each name is indented the same distance from the left-hand margin. The left hand margin on all character names should be the same. The right hand margin will vary because names come in varying lengths.
Next let’s talk about the speech itself – the dialogue.
Indent the dialogue 10 spaces (or two tabs if your tabs are five spaces).
Dialogue should run in a column down the center of the page.
That column should be between three and three-and-a-half inches wide, or about as wide as your fingers without your thumb.
You may test it on the page by holding your fingers over the dialogue column – it should block out just about everything except for a few stray long words that hang over on the right.
Don’t hyphenate long words at the end of the line – let them run.
Your block of dialogue will look like this:
WESLEY
How come I have to go to school?
They ain’t teachin’ me nothin’!
There you have it, a block of dialogue. There’s one more element to the block of dialogue that you will need, though not very often: the parenthetical.
DIALOGUE AND PARENTHETICALS
The parentheticals (also called “wrylies” or “dialogue directions”) are those little remarks in parentheses usually situated just below the speaker’s name in the blocks of dialogue.
There are only two truly acceptable types of information to include in the parentheticals: How the line is said, and to whom it is directed.
Sometimes – quite rarely, because it’s the actor’s job to inflect the lines, not yours – it’s appropriate to tell an actor how a line is said ("wryly," "tearfully," "whispering," and so on).
ROBERT
(wryly)
I love having my eyes poked with
sticks. It’s festive.
In situations where there are a lot of characters in the scene, it’s sometimes necessary to specify to whom a line is spoken.
OFFICER LINDSTROM
(to Keefa)
You – in the red sweater. Did you
see the robbers clearly?
Remember that in 999 cases out of a thousand, it’s perfectly obvious how the line should be said and to whom it is directed, and to indicate such is a redundant bore. Your readers aren’t stupid. There’s a lot they figure out from context, and to tell them more than they need is insulting and tedious.
Even when you think you need to tell the actor how to read the line, restrain yourself, because the actor will usually make a more interesting choice than you will. That’s the actor’s job. For example.
DR. SIN
(viciously)
I’m going to have Monkeyboy tear
your throat out and eat it.
For one thing, “viciously” is a pretty obvious choice for such a line. For another, there are other ways that might be more interesting. How about “blandly?” Or “amiably?”
Physical actions, “stage business,” and so on, belong within the descriptive passages, not in the parentheticals.
Very occasionally, a small physical action that can be described in a word or two may be contained in the parentheticals, but don’t do this more than a few times in the entire script.
GLENDA
How do you do?
(eyes narrowing)
I’ve met you somewhere. Oh, yes!
You’re that man from the bus station!
I wouldn’t kiss you again…
(she drags on her cigarette)
With my dachshund’s lips.
Notice that the parenthetical may occur again in the same block of dialogue, always occupying its own line.
Remember to use the parentheticals sparingly. Whenever possible let the actor decide for himself whether the line is to be read “indignantly,” “wryly,” “pusillanimously” – whatever.
Don’t use the word “beat” in the parentheticals to indicate where the actor should pause. In fact, only rarely should you presume to tell the actor when he should pause in a line of dialogue.
Parentheticals are very useful to indicate when people interrupt, overlap, or speak simultaneously.
DIALOGUE: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN (OS) AND (VO)
To indicate that a character is heard but not seen, place the abbreviation (OS) in parentheses directly to the right of the character's name. (OS) stands for “off screen,” and it means that the character is physically present in the scene but not seen by the camera. For example:
MIDGE (OS)
When are you going to be done
in that bathroom?
There are good dramatic and comedic reasons a voice might occasionally come from off screen, but if overused OS taxes the reader.
If the speaker is functioning more or less as an omniscient narrator, then use (VO), which stands for voice-over. If the audience hears what a character is thinking (a choice you’d rarely if ever make as a beginning screenwriter), use (VO).
TOM (VO)
I remember the summer of 1985
as though it were yesterday…
You can also use a voice-over to indicate voices from public address systems, radios, and telephones.
Voice-overs are commonly used when a character is reading a letter. The audience sees the character reading the pages and hears the letter-writer speaking them in voice-over.
NAMING CHARACTERS: LABEL DIALOGUE CONSISTENTLY
In the description and in character names above speeches, consistently refer to characters by the same name, usually their first names.
In other words, instead of inconsistently labeling Sam’s dialogue DR. ROSENTHAL and SAM ROSENTHAL and SAM, it should always be SAM. In dialogue, Sam may be called many things: Dr. Rosenthal, Sam, Dad, Doc – whatever. But in the description and dialogue headings, stick with one name: Sam. It avoids confusion.
PHONE CONVERSATIONS
When writing phone conversations, if we’re only hearing one side of it, there’s no need to keep repeating the name of the character who’s speaking. There’s really not even a need to indicate pauses.
Write a phone conversation of which we hear only one side like this:
The phone rings and Mary picks up.
MARY
Hello? Yes, this is Mary Monahan.
My son? What about him? What precinct?
Yes, I’ll be right there.
Notice the absence of ellipses.
If you want to show both sides of the conversation, write:
INTERCUT TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
Briefly describe where the other caller is located, and then write the dialogue as usual. When the conversation ends you can write a subheading that reads
BACK TO SCENE
Or better still, simply indicate that the person hangs up, and leave out “back to scene.”
SKIP TWO LINES BETWEEN SCENES
While you skip ONE line between most of the elements in the script, you skip TWO lines between scenes. Another way to say this is that you skip two lines before every slug.
MARGINS
Your left-hand page margin should be 1.5 inches, while your right hand margin should be an inch or half an inch. (A one-inch left-hand margin is less common, but when used should be accompanied by a one-inch right hand margin.)
The margin at the top of the page is one inch. The margin at the bottom of the page is also one inch.
As we said before, don’t indent slugs or description.
Indent the speaker’s name 20 spaces (or four tabs if your tabs are five spaces). You indent parentheticals (wrylies) 15 spaces (three tabs) and the dialogue itself ten spaces (two tabs).
Remember that dialogue forms a column down the middle of the page and does not reach the right hand margin as the description does.
An alternate indentation scheme indents the character names 22 spaces from the left-hand margin, the parentheticals 16 spaces from the left-hand margin, and the dialogue 10 spaces.
All margins are hard left, ragged right. Do not right-justify your columns.
CAPITALIZATION IN GENERAL
THE SLUG LINE: ALL CAPS
CHARACTER NAME above a speech: ALL CAPS
CHARACTER NAME the FIRST time it appears in the DESCRIPTION: ALL CAPS. In other words, if a new character walks in, then you indicate this by having the character’s name capitalized:
KRISTINA, 45, a smoothly professional businesswoman, opens the door.
Suppose you mention the character in the dialogue several pages before the character physically appears on screen. Should you then write the name in ALL CAPS in the dialogue? No! Use lower case as usual.
GREG
You’re going to love Kristina.
IMPORTANT PROPS can be CAPITALIZED, but not necessarily:
Bob draws a GUN from his trench coat.
SOUND EFFECTS can be CAPITALIZED, but not necessarily. “The DOORBELL RINGS” is fine, but so are “the doorbell RINGS” and “the doorbell rings.” If the sound effect is KA-BOOM, use all caps.
SUBHEADING OR SECONDARY HEADINGS
Sometimes, when you want to indicate a shift of scene or lapse of time within a scene and a new slug seems like overkill, use SUBHEADINGS (or SECONDARY HEADINGS).
For example, if you want to indicate a lapse of time, you might do it this way:
Paris lights a cigarette.
LATER
Cigarette butts spill over the sides of the ashtray.
Or suppose you want to indicate various locations within a larger location.
INT. NIGHT CLUB – DAY
Lilith slithers past the bouncer.
AT THE BAR
Paul notices her arrival and chugs his martini.
Subheadings can be useful, but don’t overuse them. Master scenes (scenes that aren’t broken down into shots, but rather simply tell us what’s said and done at the given location) read very fluidly, and that’s what you want in a spec script.
PAGE NUMBERS
Put the page number at the top right corner of the page. There’s no need for anything more than the number itself, followed by a period. (Without the period is acceptable but not preferable.) There’s no need for a “P." or “page," or the script’s title preceding the page number. There is no need to number the first page, but to do so is acceptable.
Page 1 is the first page of the script, not the title page.
“CONTINUED” AND SCENE NUMBERS
There’s no need to write CONTINUED at the tops and bottoms of the pages in a spec script. It adds clutter and some readers find it pretentious. Likewise, don’t number the scenes.
BREAKING A SPEECH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE
Try not to break a speech at the bottom of the page – if it’s short, it doesn’t hurt to push it over to the next page. If you must, simply write as much as you can of the speech on the page you've begun with, then place (more) under it.
MARIA
I can’t stand you coming home late
(more)
Then resume the speech atop the following page thus:
MARIA (cont’d)
night after night.
THE TITLE PAGE
Place the title in the center of the page, or a little higher.
There is no need to underline the title, put it in quotation marks, or use any typeface other than 12 point Courier or New Courier. ALL CAPS will suffice. Do not boldface. Skip a line before centering the writer’s name. Do not put the writer’s name in all caps.
It is acceptable to skip a line (double-space) and then center the word “by,” then skip a line and center the name, but I think “by” is understood. Whose name besides the author’s would be under the title?
Include your address, phone number and email on the lower right corner of the title page, hard left margin, ragged right margin, single spaced. Never forget to do this. You never know whose hands the script will fall into, and you want them to be able to reach you.
If you have registered the script with the Writer’s Guild of America, include the registration in the lower left-hand corner.
Do not include a draft number or date on any script you submit to anyone. A low draft number will make some people think the script isn’t ripe, and high draft number will make some other people think it’s been overworked or stale. A copyright date is also not a good idea, as one from even a year ago makes some people wonder what’s wrong with the script that it hasn’t sold yet.
FADE OUT AND FADE IN
At the beginning of the first page you write
FADE IN:
to indicate that the script is beginning. It’s traditional.
At the end of the script, about 105 pages later, against the right hand margin of the last page, indicate the end of the script by writing
FADE OUT:
Do not write FADE IN and FADE OUT between every scene. That would indicate a fade to black between every scene, which would be interesting and Brechtian under certain circumstances, but probably not what you intended.
SYNOPSIS AND CAST LIST
Unless someone insists, do not include a synopsis (plot summary) with your script. If you do, people will read the synopsis and skip the script. Do not include a cast list or character list as in a play – it is not customary and looks amateurish.
COVER
The script should be covered on front and back with single sheets of 8 _ by 11 cardstock (60 to 110 lb.), any color.
NO illustrations of any kind and indeed no writing of any kind should mar the cover. The title page will be inside the cover.
NO TITLE ON THE SPINE
The people to whom you submit scripts often write the title of a script on the spine so that it’s easier to find on a bookshelf. They do that, not you.
FASTENERS
Fasten your script with two, not three, round-headed brass brads, and make sure those brads are not flimsy but STURDY so the script doesn't fall apart as one tries to read it (very annoying). Acco #5 1 _ inch Solid Brass Fasteners, stock # 71505, are a good choice. They come in boxes of 100. Order them now and keep them on hand because if you live anywhere but Los Angeles no store will have them in stock. Never get brads that are too long and clip them, because that leaves sharp edges. How favorably disposed would you be toward a script that ripped your flesh? And do not under any circumstances have the copy shop bind your script with a plastic spiral.
CREDITS
Don’t bother specifying where the credits roll at the beginning and end of the film.
MONTAGE
A montage is a series of shots, usually without dialogue, usually meant to show a process such as falling in love or becoming famous. Montages are often used where in fact the point would be better made with a single, strong scene of conflict. Some screenwriters think montages are old fashioned and perhaps lazy. Still, there are times one might want justifiably to use them, and they’re done like this, single-spaced with dashes:
MONTAGE
- John and Mary frolic on the beach.
- John and Mary share a soda.
- John and Mary stand at the altar on their wedding day.
- Mary throws a dish at John’s head. He ducks.
- Mary walks in on John in bed with a Shetland pony.
- John, on his knees, begs Mary to stay as she walks out the door with her suitcases.
Sometimes at the end you might include the following subheading:
BACK TO SCENE.
INSERT SHOTS
If a brief shot of another location interrupts the scene – for example a single-shot flashback, or a letter, or a computer screen – you might employ an insert shot.
INSERT – THE LETTER
“Dear Rick, You’d better leave Paris
without me. I’ll always remember you.
Ilsa.”
BACK TO SCENE
Notice that the letter is indented like dialogue, but enclosed within quotation marks. BACK TO SCENE is unnecessary if a fresh slug follows the insert.
CAMERA AND EDITING DIRECTIONS
Camera directions are in ALL CAPS and formatted as description. They are flush left. If you wanted to indicate a couple of close-ups followed by a POINT OF VIEW shot, you would do it this way.
CU JOAN WINKING at John.
CU STEVEN smiling.
STEVEN’S POV: CAMERA TILTS down Joan’s shapely body.
But you’re not going to include camera directions, you’re going to leave that to the director, so there’s no need for you to know how to do them.
You’re also going to avoid editing directions, but if you can’t they’re in ALL CAPS, flush right, followed by a colon. For example, if you wanted to end a scene with a dissolve you would write this:
DISSOLVE TO:
“WE SEE”
Avoid using “we see” in description. Most description in a script is of things “we see.” Of course we see it – it’s a movie. Reading “we see” breaks the story’s spell by distancing the reader from what he’s reading. Just describe what we see without telling
Monday, January 26, 2009
Spring 09 syllabus for SJSU
Screenwriting
Syllabus for RTVF 175, Sec. 3, SPRING 2009,
San Jose State University
Instructor: Barnaby Dallas
Contact information: 924-4573 Email: Barnaby.dallas@sjsu.edu (no emailed assignments but email contact preferred to phone).
Class meeting: Mon. 3:00 – 5:45, HGH 120
Office hours: Mon. 6:00-7:00 P.M. and by appointment.
Instructor’s Office location: Hugh Gillis Hall 137
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: “Principles and practices in writing scripts for film and/or television. Prerequisite: RTVF 77, RTVF 91 and TA 100W. Repeatable for credit. 3 units.”
REQUIRED TEXTS: “All About Dad,” a screenplay by Mark Tran; and WRITING THE FIRST SCREENPLAY: THE RTVF 175 COURSE READER by Scott Sublett. Both texts will be available at the Associated Student Print Shop, across from the student union.
OPTIONAL READING: “Screenwriting” by Richard Walter.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To understand dramatic writing through learning to write dramatically for the screen.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING: your grade depends to a great degree on the quality of your final script. It should be well-written, full of dramatic conflict, creative, clear, artistic, intelligent, consonant with the rules of dramatic writing taught in this course, neat and professional-looking. You can and will create clear, properly formatted screen drama. You are expected to produce a document that at the very least looks professional. Failure to do so will result in a lower grade.
YOU MAY NOT MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ASSIGNMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE PREVIOUS ONE. IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR STEP OUTLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNTIL YOU HAVE TURNED IN YOUR STEP OUTLINE OF THE EXAMPLE SCREENPLAY.
Over the course of the semester you will turn in assignments which add up to 200 points. The grading scale is as follows: 185 points = A; 180 = A-; 175 = B+; 165 = B; 160 = B- 155 = C+; 145 = C; 140 = C-; 120 = D.
¸ A Spine Exercise (hook, hero, goal, central question, central conflict). You will NOT be permitted to proceed until your spine has been approved by the instructor. This assignment must be typed. 20 pts.
¸ A Scene List/Step Outline of the example script. 20 points.
¸ A Step Outline of the script you propose to write. Include a rewritten spine reflecting the feedback you have received from the instructor and a brief list of main characters and who they are to aid my understanding of the outline. You will not be permitted to proceed to the next phase until your step outline has been approved by the instructor. 20 pts.
¸ The first 17 pages of your script, properly formatted. 40 pts. You may not proceed to the writing of scenes until your spine and step outline have been approved by the instructor. Include with this assignment your rewritten spine and a rewritten step outline reflecting the feedback from the instructor.
¸ The first 60 pages of your proposed full-length screenplay for a feature film. No late final scripts will be accepted under any circumstances. If you have not completed 60 pages, turn in whatever you have. Please note that your script will be unfinished. A finished, feature-length screenplay runs anywhere from 90 to 130 pages. 100 points.
¸ Class participation can add up to 10 extra credit points. Apart from that there will be no extra credit accepted. Extra credit will not result merely from attendance or from talking in class. Good participation in class discussion consists of being “on point,” addressing very precisely the questions posed by the instructor – not in taking the class off onto tangents, or in offering irrelevant comments, opinions or anecdotes. Class discussion is not an invitation to spew whatever happens to pop into one’s head, but rather, an opportunity to participate in the group’s search for very specific answers to very specific questions as defined by the instructor.
No adaptations. All scripts must be original and not based on material from another medium. This includes prose works you yourself authored. Your idea must be approved by the instructor. You are not free to write any idea you please.
Work is due the week after it is assigned unless otherwise specified. Oral assignment in class takes precedence over the guidelines in the syllabus.
Late papers will be marked down 30 per cent off the top. That is to say, a late 20-point assignment will be docked 6 points. Writing 60 pages is a big job and it’s crucial for students to stay on schedule.
No late finals will be accepted except with evidence of university-approved excuses, which will be stringently enforced.
If you are not finished when the final is due, please simply turn in what you have. No incompletes will be given in this course unless compelled by university-approved conditions. To receive an "incomplete" a student must have completed at least 2/3 of the semester work and be passing the class.
Students are required to keep originals of all returned graded assignments.
All assignments will be typed in 12-point Courier or Courier New (the typeface in which this sentence is printed). No handwritten work will be accepted, including the spine. Electronic submissions are not acceptable.
If you miss class, get the notes and assignments from someone else in the class. Do not expect to miss class and have it later taught to you personally. The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus with proper notification.
The instructor will lecture extensively but students will also be questioned in the Socratic fashion and expected to respond.
This is a writing workshop. We are here to learn from each other. Your fellow students can solve your problems if you let them. Bring your writing problems to class.
Prerequisite: RTVF 77, RTVF 91 and TA 100W.
Dropping and Adding: Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. Information on add/drops are available at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-fall/rec-324.html . Information about late drop is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/sac/advising/latedrops/policy/ . Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for adding and dropping classes.
The University’s Academic Integrity Policy is at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/download/judicial_affairs/Academic_Integrity_Policy_S07-2.pdf. Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University and the University’s integrity policy, require you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The website for Student Conduct and Ethical Development is available at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise specified. If you would like to include in your assignment any material you have submitted, or plan to submit for another class, please note that SJSU’s Academic Policy F06-1 requires approval of instructors.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the DRC (Disability Resource Center) to establish a record of their disability.
Special note to students retaking 175 to finish a script begun in a previous section. Your script is due on the day of the last class session. No late scripts will be accepted. Instructor permission is required to retake 175 for the purpose of finishing a script already begun.
PERTINENT DEPARTMENTAL STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (Rev Spring 2005) Performance Outcomes, B.A. in Radio-Television-Film; students will:
• Tell meaningful stories through production of good narratives.
• Appreciate the art and aesthetics of media (radio, television, film).
• Communicate information and entertainment to diverse cultures using radio, television and film. Be sensitive to the ways and processes of, and the attitudes held by races, religions, political and social groups that are not their own.
• Understand how to write television and film/cinema projects.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF CLASS SESSIONS
According to University policy F69-24, “Students should attend all meetings of their classes, not only because they are responsible for material discussed therein, but because active participation is frequently essential to insure maximum benefit for all members of the class.”
(It should be noted that screenwriting is an organic and integrated process in which one does everything at once, and therefore any division or ordering of its elements becomes somewhat artificial and difficult to maintain. Moreover, every class is different and moves at a different rate. Therefore, dates are subject to change.)
1) Jan. 26. THE IDEA. Dramatic structure in a nutshell. Myths of screenwriting. The ease of writing what you know; your life is not boring. Summoning the courage to write. The dangers of genre. Assignment: come to class next time with your single best idea. Boil it down as far as it will boil.
2) Feb 2. CHOOSING AND SHAPING THE DRAMATIC IDEA: THE SPINE. Reading ideas aloud and making your initial decisions. Where is the story? What’s it about? Hook, hero, goal, central question, central conflict. Reading: Course Reader, chapters 1 and 2.
3) Feb. 9 THE DRAMATIC IDEA AND SPINE CONTINUED. Assignment: Your spine.
4) Feb 16. PLOT STRUCTURE AND THE SCENE. Dialogue and character you’re born with, the rest can be learned. What is a scene? Models of structure: graphing the hero’s fortunes, moving the story forward conflict by conflict. Revealing character in action. Exposition is conflict. Spines due. Reading: Course Reader, chapters 3 through 6.
5) Feb. 23 PLOT STRUCTURE AND THE SCENE. Turning a foundation into a step outline. Outlining a student idea. Return spines. Unfocused scenes. Writer’s goals versus characters’ goals. Length of scenes. Real conflict versus “trumped up” conflict. Writing in master scenes. Return spine. Reading: Course reader, chapter 7 through the end of the book. Homework: step outline example screenplay.
6) March 2. THE STEP OUTLINE. Turning an idea into a step outline. How to step outline. Step outlining a student idea. Homework: step outline for the script you intend to write. Example script step outline due.
7) March 9. IDEA TO STEP OUTLINE TO SCENE: FLESHING THE BONES. Script step outlines due. Return example script outlines due.
8) March 16. FORMATTING. Assembling a professional-looking package. The importance of brevity. Describing the room exercise. Return step outlines. Homework: first 17 pages due class session after next.
9) March 30. STYLE: DIALOGUE, DESCRIPTION AND VERBOSITY. On the nose dialogue. Announcement-style dialogue. Over-formality. Preachiness. Interrupted lines. Verbosity. The “don’ts” of lean screenwriting. Grammar and spelling. First 17 pages due next week.
10) April 6. GENERAL PRINCIPLES. Unity and integration. Integrating plot, theme, character and style under the rule of one. Making elements do double duty. Creating and fulfilling expectations. Symbols. Also: STYLE, TEXTURE, TONE AND GENRE. First 17 pages due. Assignment: step outline GENERIC THRILLER.
11) April 13. READINGS OF STUDENT SCRIPTS. Return 17 pages.
12) April 20. More readings of student scripts.
13) April 27. THEME. Plot and “active” theme. Big themes, e.g. KANE. Exercise: discover and articulate the theme of a film you love. Also: CHARACTER. Motivation. Introducing characters. Pet the dog scene. Too many characters. Comic characters. The confidant. The central relationship. Unity in conflict. Depicting minorities.
14) May 4. Also: COMEDY. Signaling comedy. Situation versus character. Farce requires complications. Obsession. Attitude. Inappropriate behavior. Incongruity. Mistaken identity. Collapse of dignity .
15) May 11. THE REWRITE. Also: REVIEW. Last day of class.
FINAL:
• Your 60 page final assignment must be turned in to HGH 100, the departmental office, by at 2:30 P.M, on Wednesday, May. 20 (the day of the final examination as stated in the course catalogue).
• No late final assignments will be accepted under any circumstances except excuses officially sanctioned and required by the university.
• If the office is closed, your script may be slipped through the mail slot, with the instructor’s name clearly marked on it. A self-addressed stamped envelope should accompany your final assignment if you expect extensive notes. The marked script will be mailed back to you. The envelope should be large enough to contain the script and bearing sufficient postage to get it where it's going. Padded envelopes are unprofessional. Inclusion of the SASE signals to the reader that you are serious about receiving comments on your script.
• Any student wishing to take 175 over again for credit may do so, once, if he or she begins a new script. However, to retake 175 and finish a script begun a previous semester in the second taking of 175, the student must secure special instructor permission. Graduate students taking RTVF 175 for the second time are required to complete their scripts in one semester.
Syllabus for RTVF 175, Sec. 3, SPRING 2009,
San Jose State University
Instructor: Barnaby Dallas
Contact information: 924-4573 Email: Barnaby.dallas@sjsu.edu (no emailed assignments but email contact preferred to phone).
Class meeting: Mon. 3:00 – 5:45, HGH 120
Office hours: Mon. 6:00-7:00 P.M. and by appointment.
Instructor’s Office location: Hugh Gillis Hall 137
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: “Principles and practices in writing scripts for film and/or television. Prerequisite: RTVF 77, RTVF 91 and TA 100W. Repeatable for credit. 3 units.”
REQUIRED TEXTS: “All About Dad,” a screenplay by Mark Tran; and WRITING THE FIRST SCREENPLAY: THE RTVF 175 COURSE READER by Scott Sublett. Both texts will be available at the Associated Student Print Shop, across from the student union.
OPTIONAL READING: “Screenwriting” by Richard Walter.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To understand dramatic writing through learning to write dramatically for the screen.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING: your grade depends to a great degree on the quality of your final script. It should be well-written, full of dramatic conflict, creative, clear, artistic, intelligent, consonant with the rules of dramatic writing taught in this course, neat and professional-looking. You can and will create clear, properly formatted screen drama. You are expected to produce a document that at the very least looks professional. Failure to do so will result in a lower grade.
YOU MAY NOT MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ASSIGNMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE PREVIOUS ONE. IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR STEP OUTLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNTIL YOU HAVE TURNED IN YOUR STEP OUTLINE OF THE EXAMPLE SCREENPLAY.
Over the course of the semester you will turn in assignments which add up to 200 points. The grading scale is as follows: 185 points = A; 180 = A-; 175 = B+; 165 = B; 160 = B- 155 = C+; 145 = C; 140 = C-; 120 = D.
¸ A Spine Exercise (hook, hero, goal, central question, central conflict). You will NOT be permitted to proceed until your spine has been approved by the instructor. This assignment must be typed. 20 pts.
¸ A Scene List/Step Outline of the example script. 20 points.
¸ A Step Outline of the script you propose to write. Include a rewritten spine reflecting the feedback you have received from the instructor and a brief list of main characters and who they are to aid my understanding of the outline. You will not be permitted to proceed to the next phase until your step outline has been approved by the instructor. 20 pts.
¸ The first 17 pages of your script, properly formatted. 40 pts. You may not proceed to the writing of scenes until your spine and step outline have been approved by the instructor. Include with this assignment your rewritten spine and a rewritten step outline reflecting the feedback from the instructor.
¸ The first 60 pages of your proposed full-length screenplay for a feature film. No late final scripts will be accepted under any circumstances. If you have not completed 60 pages, turn in whatever you have. Please note that your script will be unfinished. A finished, feature-length screenplay runs anywhere from 90 to 130 pages. 100 points.
¸ Class participation can add up to 10 extra credit points. Apart from that there will be no extra credit accepted. Extra credit will not result merely from attendance or from talking in class. Good participation in class discussion consists of being “on point,” addressing very precisely the questions posed by the instructor – not in taking the class off onto tangents, or in offering irrelevant comments, opinions or anecdotes. Class discussion is not an invitation to spew whatever happens to pop into one’s head, but rather, an opportunity to participate in the group’s search for very specific answers to very specific questions as defined by the instructor.
No adaptations. All scripts must be original and not based on material from another medium. This includes prose works you yourself authored. Your idea must be approved by the instructor. You are not free to write any idea you please.
Work is due the week after it is assigned unless otherwise specified. Oral assignment in class takes precedence over the guidelines in the syllabus.
Late papers will be marked down 30 per cent off the top. That is to say, a late 20-point assignment will be docked 6 points. Writing 60 pages is a big job and it’s crucial for students to stay on schedule.
No late finals will be accepted except with evidence of university-approved excuses, which will be stringently enforced.
If you are not finished when the final is due, please simply turn in what you have. No incompletes will be given in this course unless compelled by university-approved conditions. To receive an "incomplete" a student must have completed at least 2/3 of the semester work and be passing the class.
Students are required to keep originals of all returned graded assignments.
All assignments will be typed in 12-point Courier or Courier New (the typeface in which this sentence is printed). No handwritten work will be accepted, including the spine. Electronic submissions are not acceptable.
If you miss class, get the notes and assignments from someone else in the class. Do not expect to miss class and have it later taught to you personally. The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus with proper notification.
The instructor will lecture extensively but students will also be questioned in the Socratic fashion and expected to respond.
This is a writing workshop. We are here to learn from each other. Your fellow students can solve your problems if you let them. Bring your writing problems to class.
Prerequisite: RTVF 77, RTVF 91 and TA 100W.
Dropping and Adding: Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. Information on add/drops are available at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-fall/rec-324.html . Information about late drop is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/sac/advising/latedrops/policy/ . Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for adding and dropping classes.
The University’s Academic Integrity Policy is at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/download/judicial_affairs/Academic_Integrity_Policy_S07-2.pdf. Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University and the University’s integrity policy, require you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The website for Student Conduct and Ethical Development is available at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise specified. If you would like to include in your assignment any material you have submitted, or plan to submit for another class, please note that SJSU’s Academic Policy F06-1 requires approval of instructors.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the DRC (Disability Resource Center) to establish a record of their disability.
Special note to students retaking 175 to finish a script begun in a previous section. Your script is due on the day of the last class session. No late scripts will be accepted. Instructor permission is required to retake 175 for the purpose of finishing a script already begun.
PERTINENT DEPARTMENTAL STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (Rev Spring 2005) Performance Outcomes, B.A. in Radio-Television-Film; students will:
• Tell meaningful stories through production of good narratives.
• Appreciate the art and aesthetics of media (radio, television, film).
• Communicate information and entertainment to diverse cultures using radio, television and film. Be sensitive to the ways and processes of, and the attitudes held by races, religions, political and social groups that are not their own.
• Understand how to write television and film/cinema projects.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF CLASS SESSIONS
According to University policy F69-24, “Students should attend all meetings of their classes, not only because they are responsible for material discussed therein, but because active participation is frequently essential to insure maximum benefit for all members of the class.”
(It should be noted that screenwriting is an organic and integrated process in which one does everything at once, and therefore any division or ordering of its elements becomes somewhat artificial and difficult to maintain. Moreover, every class is different and moves at a different rate. Therefore, dates are subject to change.)
1) Jan. 26. THE IDEA. Dramatic structure in a nutshell. Myths of screenwriting. The ease of writing what you know; your life is not boring. Summoning the courage to write. The dangers of genre. Assignment: come to class next time with your single best idea. Boil it down as far as it will boil.
2) Feb 2. CHOOSING AND SHAPING THE DRAMATIC IDEA: THE SPINE. Reading ideas aloud and making your initial decisions. Where is the story? What’s it about? Hook, hero, goal, central question, central conflict. Reading: Course Reader, chapters 1 and 2.
3) Feb. 9 THE DRAMATIC IDEA AND SPINE CONTINUED. Assignment: Your spine.
4) Feb 16. PLOT STRUCTURE AND THE SCENE. Dialogue and character you’re born with, the rest can be learned. What is a scene? Models of structure: graphing the hero’s fortunes, moving the story forward conflict by conflict. Revealing character in action. Exposition is conflict. Spines due. Reading: Course Reader, chapters 3 through 6.
5) Feb. 23 PLOT STRUCTURE AND THE SCENE. Turning a foundation into a step outline. Outlining a student idea. Return spines. Unfocused scenes. Writer’s goals versus characters’ goals. Length of scenes. Real conflict versus “trumped up” conflict. Writing in master scenes. Return spine. Reading: Course reader, chapter 7 through the end of the book. Homework: step outline example screenplay.
6) March 2. THE STEP OUTLINE. Turning an idea into a step outline. How to step outline. Step outlining a student idea. Homework: step outline for the script you intend to write. Example script step outline due.
7) March 9. IDEA TO STEP OUTLINE TO SCENE: FLESHING THE BONES. Script step outlines due. Return example script outlines due.
8) March 16. FORMATTING. Assembling a professional-looking package. The importance of brevity. Describing the room exercise. Return step outlines. Homework: first 17 pages due class session after next.
9) March 30. STYLE: DIALOGUE, DESCRIPTION AND VERBOSITY. On the nose dialogue. Announcement-style dialogue. Over-formality. Preachiness. Interrupted lines. Verbosity. The “don’ts” of lean screenwriting. Grammar and spelling. First 17 pages due next week.
10) April 6. GENERAL PRINCIPLES. Unity and integration. Integrating plot, theme, character and style under the rule of one. Making elements do double duty. Creating and fulfilling expectations. Symbols. Also: STYLE, TEXTURE, TONE AND GENRE. First 17 pages due. Assignment: step outline GENERIC THRILLER.
11) April 13. READINGS OF STUDENT SCRIPTS. Return 17 pages.
12) April 20. More readings of student scripts.
13) April 27. THEME. Plot and “active” theme. Big themes, e.g. KANE. Exercise: discover and articulate the theme of a film you love. Also: CHARACTER. Motivation. Introducing characters. Pet the dog scene. Too many characters. Comic characters. The confidant. The central relationship. Unity in conflict. Depicting minorities.
14) May 4. Also: COMEDY. Signaling comedy. Situation versus character. Farce requires complications. Obsession. Attitude. Inappropriate behavior. Incongruity. Mistaken identity. Collapse of dignity .
15) May 11. THE REWRITE. Also: REVIEW. Last day of class.
FINAL:
• Your 60 page final assignment must be turned in to HGH 100, the departmental office, by at 2:30 P.M, on Wednesday, May. 20 (the day of the final examination as stated in the course catalogue).
• No late final assignments will be accepted under any circumstances except excuses officially sanctioned and required by the university.
• If the office is closed, your script may be slipped through the mail slot, with the instructor’s name clearly marked on it. A self-addressed stamped envelope should accompany your final assignment if you expect extensive notes. The marked script will be mailed back to you. The envelope should be large enough to contain the script and bearing sufficient postage to get it where it's going. Padded envelopes are unprofessional. Inclusion of the SASE signals to the reader that you are serious about receiving comments on your script.
• Any student wishing to take 175 over again for credit may do so, once, if he or she begins a new script. However, to retake 175 and finish a script begun a previous semester in the second taking of 175, the student must secure special instructor permission. Graduate students taking RTVF 175 for the second time are required to complete their scripts in one semester.
Friday, January 23, 2009
SYNOPSIS EXAMPLES
SYNOPSIS EXAMPLES
NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE
This indie favorite follows Napoleon Dynamite, a quirky, ninja-loving teenager growing up in the far reaches of Idaho. Napoleon's life gets complicated when his shady Uncle Rico shows up, a shy girl starts showing him some attention and his best friend Pedro decides to run for school president. Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Convinced little Olive is beauty queen material, parents Richard and Sheryl and the rest of the family embark on a life-altering road trip to a pageant in this madcap comedy. Struggling motivational speaker Richard pushes Olive to win, while her silent brother, depressed uncle and nursing-home reject grandpa add their own quirks to the mix.
SWINGERS
In director Doug Liman's career-making look at twenty-something guys, struggling comedian Mike despairs over his love life, so his four pals, fellow Hollywood hopefuls, pump up his nightlife. Buddy, (Vince Vaughn) offers dubious lessons on "babes," even whisks Mike to Vegas. Although their attempts at living la vida loca seldom work out as fantasized, Mike meets one woman who might finally break his funk.
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
Nia Vardalos plays Toula Portokalos, a single Greek woman who falls in love with a non-Greek , which is a no-no to her strict family -- especially her commanding mother, Maria, and her traditional father, Gus. Think of it as a cross between Meet the Parents and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner … with a flavoring on the souvlaki side.
CLERKS
Made on a shoestring budget by director Kevin Smith, this classic indie comedy won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Convenience and video store clerks Dante Hicks and Randal Graves are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed … and bored out of their minds. Between serving nonstop shoppers, the overworked counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their offbeat love lives.
DAZED AND CONFUSED
Director Richard Linklater's follow-up to Slacker takes an autobiographical look at some Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976. Despite the school's stratified culture, Randall Floyd moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. A star athlete, Floyd wrestles with signing a "no drugs" pledge demanded by the football coach. Like American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused is rich in period detail.
AMERICAN GRAFFITI
The film that put director George Lucas on the Hollywood map also expertly showcased newcomers such as Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Suzanne Somers and "Ronny" Howard. Lucas masterfully weaves together the stories of a disparate group of high school students as they struggle with adolescent rites of passage in 1962. Touching and timeless, American Graffiti is a not-to-be-missed classic.
THE DEPARTED
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise in Martin Scorsese's multiple Oscar-winning crime thriller, including Best Director and Best Picture. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
TOY STORY
I's tough being a toy. One day, you're at the top of the heap; the next, you're down in the dumps -- literally. Cowboy-toy Woody feels threatened when space ranger Buzz Lightyear arrives. But they're both lost when the family moves -- and finding their way home is only half the adventure. Director John Lasseter won a special Academy Award for this 3-D "compu-toon."
TOY STORY II
Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the rest of the toys in Andy's playroom are back! When Andy goes off to cowboy camp, an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody, and it's up to Buzz and the gang to save their pal. With a story that's great for kids and adults, amazing technical work from Disney and Pixar Animation and the voices of Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Wayne Knight and more, Toy Story 2 is among the best sequels ever made
NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE
This indie favorite follows Napoleon Dynamite, a quirky, ninja-loving teenager growing up in the far reaches of Idaho. Napoleon's life gets complicated when his shady Uncle Rico shows up, a shy girl starts showing him some attention and his best friend Pedro decides to run for school president. Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Convinced little Olive is beauty queen material, parents Richard and Sheryl and the rest of the family embark on a life-altering road trip to a pageant in this madcap comedy. Struggling motivational speaker Richard pushes Olive to win, while her silent brother, depressed uncle and nursing-home reject grandpa add their own quirks to the mix.
SWINGERS
In director Doug Liman's career-making look at twenty-something guys, struggling comedian Mike despairs over his love life, so his four pals, fellow Hollywood hopefuls, pump up his nightlife. Buddy, (Vince Vaughn) offers dubious lessons on "babes," even whisks Mike to Vegas. Although their attempts at living la vida loca seldom work out as fantasized, Mike meets one woman who might finally break his funk.
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING
Nia Vardalos plays Toula Portokalos, a single Greek woman who falls in love with a non-Greek , which is a no-no to her strict family -- especially her commanding mother, Maria, and her traditional father, Gus. Think of it as a cross between Meet the Parents and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner … with a flavoring on the souvlaki side.
CLERKS
Made on a shoestring budget by director Kevin Smith, this classic indie comedy won awards at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Convenience and video store clerks Dante Hicks and Randal Graves are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed … and bored out of their minds. Between serving nonstop shoppers, the overworked counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their offbeat love lives.
DAZED AND CONFUSED
Director Richard Linklater's follow-up to Slacker takes an autobiographical look at some Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976. Despite the school's stratified culture, Randall Floyd moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. A star athlete, Floyd wrestles with signing a "no drugs" pledge demanded by the football coach. Like American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused is rich in period detail.
AMERICAN GRAFFITI
The film that put director George Lucas on the Hollywood map also expertly showcased newcomers such as Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Suzanne Somers and "Ronny" Howard. Lucas masterfully weaves together the stories of a disparate group of high school students as they struggle with adolescent rites of passage in 1962. Touching and timeless, American Graffiti is a not-to-be-missed classic.
THE DEPARTED
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise in Martin Scorsese's multiple Oscar-winning crime thriller, including Best Director and Best Picture. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
TOY STORY
I's tough being a toy. One day, you're at the top of the heap; the next, you're down in the dumps -- literally. Cowboy-toy Woody feels threatened when space ranger Buzz Lightyear arrives. But they're both lost when the family moves -- and finding their way home is only half the adventure. Director John Lasseter won a special Academy Award for this 3-D "compu-toon."
TOY STORY II
Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the rest of the toys in Andy's playroom are back! When Andy goes off to cowboy camp, an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody, and it's up to Buzz and the gang to save their pal. With a story that's great for kids and adults, amazing technical work from Disney and Pixar Animation and the voices of Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Wayne Knight and more, Toy Story 2 is among the best sequels ever made
ARISTOTLE AND THE POETICS
Aristotle and the Poetics (six elements)
1. PLOT – THE ARRANGEMENT OF INCIDENTS
2. CHARACTER – THE PERSONALITIES
3. DICTION – THE MODES OF UTTERANCE
4. THOUGHT – THE IDEAS /THEMES BEHIND THE STORY
5. SPECTACLE – THE PERFORMANCE, SET, COSTUMES AND EFFECTS
5. SONG – ANCIENT TRAGEDIES WERE SUNG
PLOT MOST IMPORTANT
1. CONFLICT
2. UNITY
3. BEGINNING/MIDDLE/END
1. PLOT – THE ARRANGEMENT OF INCIDENTS
2. CHARACTER – THE PERSONALITIES
3. DICTION – THE MODES OF UTTERANCE
4. THOUGHT – THE IDEAS /THEMES BEHIND THE STORY
5. SPECTACLE – THE PERFORMANCE, SET, COSTUMES AND EFFECTS
5. SONG – ANCIENT TRAGEDIES WERE SUNG
PLOT MOST IMPORTANT
1. CONFLICT
2. UNITY
3. BEGINNING/MIDDLE/END
GENRE & THEME
THEME AND GENRE
(FROM RUSSIN AND DOWN’S WRITING THE PICTURE)
ACTION ADVENTURE / COURAGE
OTHER RELATED THEMES
REVENGE
FREEDOM
RELATED GENRES
WAR
WESTERN
HISTORICAL EPIC
HEROIC SCIENCE FICTION
CHARACTER TYPES
THE HERO AS COMMON MAN
THE (INTIMATE) ENEMY
THE TEAM
PLOT DEVICES/CONCEPTS
TRAINING
ATTACK AND COUNERATTACK
VICTORY OVER DEATH
INDIANA JONES
PRIVATE RYAN
PLATOON
UNFORGIVEN
GLADITOR
SPARTACUS
TROY
BRAVEHEART
TERMINATOR
INDEPENDENCE DAY
STAR WARS
STAR TREK
HORROR / FEAR AND LOATHING
OTHER RELATED THEMES
TERROR
THE ILLUSION OF THE RATIONAL AND THE FAILURE OF LAW
LUST
RELATED GENRES
SUPERNATURAL
DARK SCIENCE FICTION
CHARACTERS
PROTAGONIST BREAKS TABOOS
THE FATAL ATTRACTION TYPE
ANTAGONISTS WARPS WORLD INTO THE REALM OF THE NIGHTMARE
THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE
PLOT DEVICES/CONCEPTS
SUSPENSE (TERROR) VS SHOCK (HORROR)
SCORCED EARTH.
THE RELIC
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
JURASSIC PARK
DRACULA
JAWS
THE THRILLER / THE NEED TO KNOW
OTHER COMMON THEMES:
INNOCENCE AND PARANOIA
CODE OF HONOR
DETECTIVE STORY
SUSPENSE THRILLER
POLITICAL THRILLER
EROTIC THRILLER
CHARACTERS
THE CYNICAL BELIEVER
THE INNOCENT MAN
PLOT CONCEPTS
SUSPENCE VS. SURPRISE
CHINATOWN
THE MALTESE FALCON
CONSPIRACTY THEORY
BODY HEAT
JFK
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
COMEDY / LAUGHTER
THEMES
LAUGHING AT LOVE
TRUE LOVE CONQUERS
SITUATIONAL COMEDY
FARCE
ROMANTIC COMEDY
CHARACTERS
TWO POTENTIAL LOVERS MUST APPEAR RIGHT FOR EACH OTHER TO THE AUDIENCE WHILE APPEARING CLEARLY WRONG FOR EACH OTHER
THE CONFIDANT
PLOT DEVICES
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY LOSES GIRL BOY GETS GIRL
WRONG TURNS – PROTAGONISTS INTERNAL FLAWS OR SELF DOUBTS MUST CAUSE HIM TO TAKE CERTAIN DECEPTIVE ACTIONS THAT HE MISTAKENLY THINKS ARE APPROPRIATE, BUT THAT IN FACT ARE SELF-DEFEATING.
FESSING UP
ONCE THE DECEPTIONS ARE REVEALED AND THE PLANS UNRAVELS, THE PROTAGONIST MUST COME CLEAN WITH A CONFUSION THAT EVERYTHING HE DID WAS BECAUSE OF TRUE LOVE.
SLAPSTICK COMEDY
CHARACTERS
FISH OUT OF WATER
NORMAL PEOPLE IN ABSURD SITUATIONS
INNAPROPRIATE OR ABSURD CHARACTERS IN NORMAL SITUATIONS
RIGID AND INFLEXIBLE
OBSESSION
MISCONCEPTION OF ABILITY
REVEALING THE HYPOCRITE
CUT CHARACTERS DOWN TO SIZE
PLOT DEVICES
BREAKING TABOOS FOR COMEDY
SEX. BODILY FUNCTIONS
CUT CHARACTERS DOWN TO SIZE
ROAD RUNNER
BUGS BUNNY
HOME ALONE
AUSTIN POWERS
DUMB AND DUMBER
THREE STOOGES
DARK COMEDY
RELATED THEMES
ABSURDITY
CORRUPTION
CHARACTERS
EVERYONE INCLUDING PROTAGONISTS IS CORRUPTED.
ROMANCE / LOVE AND LONGING
RELATED THEMES
MELODRAMA
PLATONIC LOVE
OTHER COMMON THEMES
PASSION
SACRIFICE
UNREQUITED LOVE
CHARACTERS
STAR CROSSED LOVERS AGAINST THE WILL OF SOCIETY
PLOT DEVICES
LOVE STORIES WITH HAPPY ENDINGS ARE USUALLY SET IN A WORLD WHERE THE NORMAL ORDER APPEARS SOLID.
TRAGIC LOVE STORIES ARE OFTEN SET IN A WORLD WHERE CHAOS HAS BEEN UNLEASED BY WAR OR OTHER EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES
(FROM RUSSIN AND DOWN’S WRITING THE PICTURE)
ACTION ADVENTURE / COURAGE
OTHER RELATED THEMES
REVENGE
FREEDOM
RELATED GENRES
WAR
WESTERN
HISTORICAL EPIC
HEROIC SCIENCE FICTION
CHARACTER TYPES
THE HERO AS COMMON MAN
THE (INTIMATE) ENEMY
THE TEAM
PLOT DEVICES/CONCEPTS
TRAINING
ATTACK AND COUNERATTACK
VICTORY OVER DEATH
INDIANA JONES
PRIVATE RYAN
PLATOON
UNFORGIVEN
GLADITOR
SPARTACUS
TROY
BRAVEHEART
TERMINATOR
INDEPENDENCE DAY
STAR WARS
STAR TREK
HORROR / FEAR AND LOATHING
OTHER RELATED THEMES
TERROR
THE ILLUSION OF THE RATIONAL AND THE FAILURE OF LAW
LUST
RELATED GENRES
SUPERNATURAL
DARK SCIENCE FICTION
CHARACTERS
PROTAGONIST BREAKS TABOOS
THE FATAL ATTRACTION TYPE
ANTAGONISTS WARPS WORLD INTO THE REALM OF THE NIGHTMARE
THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE
PLOT DEVICES/CONCEPTS
SUSPENSE (TERROR) VS SHOCK (HORROR)
SCORCED EARTH.
THE RELIC
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
JURASSIC PARK
DRACULA
JAWS
THE THRILLER / THE NEED TO KNOW
OTHER COMMON THEMES:
INNOCENCE AND PARANOIA
CODE OF HONOR
DETECTIVE STORY
SUSPENSE THRILLER
POLITICAL THRILLER
EROTIC THRILLER
CHARACTERS
THE CYNICAL BELIEVER
THE INNOCENT MAN
PLOT CONCEPTS
SUSPENCE VS. SURPRISE
CHINATOWN
THE MALTESE FALCON
CONSPIRACTY THEORY
BODY HEAT
JFK
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
COMEDY / LAUGHTER
THEMES
LAUGHING AT LOVE
TRUE LOVE CONQUERS
SITUATIONAL COMEDY
FARCE
ROMANTIC COMEDY
CHARACTERS
TWO POTENTIAL LOVERS MUST APPEAR RIGHT FOR EACH OTHER TO THE AUDIENCE WHILE APPEARING CLEARLY WRONG FOR EACH OTHER
THE CONFIDANT
PLOT DEVICES
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY LOSES GIRL BOY GETS GIRL
WRONG TURNS – PROTAGONISTS INTERNAL FLAWS OR SELF DOUBTS MUST CAUSE HIM TO TAKE CERTAIN DECEPTIVE ACTIONS THAT HE MISTAKENLY THINKS ARE APPROPRIATE, BUT THAT IN FACT ARE SELF-DEFEATING.
FESSING UP
ONCE THE DECEPTIONS ARE REVEALED AND THE PLANS UNRAVELS, THE PROTAGONIST MUST COME CLEAN WITH A CONFUSION THAT EVERYTHING HE DID WAS BECAUSE OF TRUE LOVE.
SLAPSTICK COMEDY
CHARACTERS
FISH OUT OF WATER
NORMAL PEOPLE IN ABSURD SITUATIONS
INNAPROPRIATE OR ABSURD CHARACTERS IN NORMAL SITUATIONS
RIGID AND INFLEXIBLE
OBSESSION
MISCONCEPTION OF ABILITY
REVEALING THE HYPOCRITE
CUT CHARACTERS DOWN TO SIZE
PLOT DEVICES
BREAKING TABOOS FOR COMEDY
SEX. BODILY FUNCTIONS
CUT CHARACTERS DOWN TO SIZE
ROAD RUNNER
BUGS BUNNY
HOME ALONE
AUSTIN POWERS
DUMB AND DUMBER
THREE STOOGES
DARK COMEDY
RELATED THEMES
ABSURDITY
CORRUPTION
CHARACTERS
EVERYONE INCLUDING PROTAGONISTS IS CORRUPTED.
ROMANCE / LOVE AND LONGING
RELATED THEMES
MELODRAMA
PLATONIC LOVE
OTHER COMMON THEMES
PASSION
SACRIFICE
UNREQUITED LOVE
CHARACTERS
STAR CROSSED LOVERS AGAINST THE WILL OF SOCIETY
PLOT DEVICES
LOVE STORIES WITH HAPPY ENDINGS ARE USUALLY SET IN A WORLD WHERE THE NORMAL ORDER APPEARS SOLID.
TRAGIC LOVE STORIES ARE OFTEN SET IN A WORLD WHERE CHAOS HAS BEEN UNLEASED BY WAR OR OTHER EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES
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