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
VARIATIONS OF PLOT
THREE VARIATIONS OF PLOT
(From Story by Robert McKee)
CLASSICAL DESIGN means a story built around an active protagonists who struggles against primarily external forces of antagonism to pursue his or her desire, through continuous time, within a consistent and causally connected fictional reality, to a closed ending of absolute, irreversible change.
CLASSICAL DESIGN
(Archplot)
Causality
Closed Ending
Linear Time
External Conflict
Single Protagonist
Consistent Reality
Active Protagonist
EXAMPLES:
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
CITIZEN KANE
THE SEVEN SAMURAI
THE HUSTLER
CHINATOWN
THE GODFATHER
BIG
A FISH CALLED WANDA
THELMA AND LOUISE
THE FUGITIVE
MEN IN BLACK
MINIMALISM or miniplot does not mean no plot, for its story can be as beautifully executed as Archplot. Rather, minimalism strives for simplicity and economy while retaining enough of the classical that the film will still satisfy the audience, sending them out of the cinema thinking, “What a good story.”
MINIMALISM
(Miniplot)
Open Ending
Internal Conflict
Multi-Protagonists
Passive Protagonists
EXAMPLES:
WILD STRAWBERRIES
FIVE EASY PIECES
TENDER MERCIES
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
PARENTHOOD
SHORT CUTS
PULP FICTION
DO THE RIGHT THING
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN
MAGNOLIA
ANTI-STRUCTURE (anti-plot) variations doesn’t reduce the Classical but reverses it, contradicting traditional forms to exploit, perhaps ridicule the very idea of formal principles. The Antiplot-maker is rarely interested in understatement or quiet austerity; rather to make clear his “revolutionary” ambitions, his films tend toward extravagance and self-conscious overstatement.
ANTI-STRUCTURE (Antiplot)
Coincidence
Nonlinear
Inconsistent Realities
81/2
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL
STRANGER THAN PARADISE
WAYNE’S WORLD
LOST HIGHWAY
(From Story by Robert McKee)
CLASSICAL DESIGN means a story built around an active protagonists who struggles against primarily external forces of antagonism to pursue his or her desire, through continuous time, within a consistent and causally connected fictional reality, to a closed ending of absolute, irreversible change.
CLASSICAL DESIGN
(Archplot)
Causality
Closed Ending
Linear Time
External Conflict
Single Protagonist
Consistent Reality
Active Protagonist
EXAMPLES:
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
CITIZEN KANE
THE SEVEN SAMURAI
THE HUSTLER
CHINATOWN
THE GODFATHER
BIG
A FISH CALLED WANDA
THELMA AND LOUISE
THE FUGITIVE
MEN IN BLACK
MINIMALISM or miniplot does not mean no plot, for its story can be as beautifully executed as Archplot. Rather, minimalism strives for simplicity and economy while retaining enough of the classical that the film will still satisfy the audience, sending them out of the cinema thinking, “What a good story.”
MINIMALISM
(Miniplot)
Open Ending
Internal Conflict
Multi-Protagonists
Passive Protagonists
EXAMPLES:
WILD STRAWBERRIES
FIVE EASY PIECES
TENDER MERCIES
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
PARENTHOOD
SHORT CUTS
PULP FICTION
DO THE RIGHT THING
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN
MAGNOLIA
ANTI-STRUCTURE (anti-plot) variations doesn’t reduce the Classical but reverses it, contradicting traditional forms to exploit, perhaps ridicule the very idea of formal principles. The Antiplot-maker is rarely interested in understatement or quiet austerity; rather to make clear his “revolutionary” ambitions, his films tend toward extravagance and self-conscious overstatement.
ANTI-STRUCTURE (Antiplot)
Coincidence
Nonlinear
Inconsistent Realities
81/2
MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL
STRANGER THAN PARADISE
WAYNE’S WORLD
LOST HIGHWAY
THE HERO'S JOURNEY
JOSEPH CAMBELL AND THE HERO’S JOURNEY
THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES
(By Joseph Campbell)
An anthropologist who based his work on Carl G. Jung – who sought to understand the universal story archetypes and mythic characters that seem to pop up in varying cultures – Campbell took it a step further by outlining the basic, ageless pattern of storytelling. In his book he details how the plot structures of most heroic quest myths were similar no matter the country, culture or century from which they came.
Campbell argues that all storytellers – from the ancient Greeks to Kenyans to Chinese to Hollywood screenwriters – follow the same basic formula as they retell these heroic stories, in spite of their infinite surface variations. This ancient structure involves the twelve stages of the “Hero’s Journey.”
TWELVE STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
(From THE WRITER’S JOURNEY, by Chris Volger)
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD
A myth begins with the hero in his own element
Luke Sykwalker is a bored farm boy on a distant planet
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
A problem or a challenge is presented that will unsettle the ordinary world of the protagonist.
Princess Leia and the rebel forces who resist the evil Emperor are in trouble. She sends a holographic request for help to Obi Wan Kenobi, who in turn asks Luke to join him.
3. THE RELUCTANT HERO
The hero balks at the edge of adventure. He faces his fears concerning the unknown.
Skywalker refuses to join Obi Wan. He has too many responsibilities on the farm, but when he goes home, he finds that his family has be slaughtered by the Emperor’s storm troopers.
4. THE WISE OLD MAN
The hero acquires a mentor, who helps the hero make the right decision, but the hero must undertake the quest alone.
A wise mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi, prepares Luke for the battle ahead. He gives Luke a light saber that once belonged to Luke’s father, a Jedi knight. He tells Luke of the dark side of the force.
5. INTO THE SPECIAL WORLD
The hero makes the decision to undertake the adventure and leaves his own familiar world behind, to enter a special world of problems and challenges.
Luke decides to leave his ordinary world and set things right.
6. TESTS, ALLIES & ENEMIES
The hero confronts allies of his opponent, as well as his own weaknesses, and takes action while dealing with the consequences of his action.
Luke enters the dangerous world, meets strange creatures in the “threshold” area bar, joins forces with Han Solo, runs from Emperor’s storm troopers and enters the fight, flying off to space to rescue Princess Leia.
7. THE INMOST CAVE
The hero enters the place of greatest danger, the world of the antagonist.
Luke enters the Death Star, the home and ultimate weapon of the evil Emperor’s main warrior, Darth Vader.
8. THE SUPREME ORDEAL
The dark moment occurs. The hero must face crucial failure, an apparent defeat, out of which he will achieve the wisdom or ability to succeed in the end.
Luke, Han Solo and Princess Leia are trapped in the giant trash crusher of the Death Star; Luke is sucked under water by a strange creature. They are then saved by an ally, R2D2.
9. SEIZING THE SWORD
The hero gains power. With his new knowledge or greater capability, he can now defeat the hostile forces of the antagonist.
Luke rescues Princess Leia and seizes the plans of the Death Star.
10. THE ROAD BACK
The hero returns to ordinary world. There are still dangers and problems as the antagonists or his allies pursue the hero and try to prevent escape.
Luke is pursued by Darth Vader.
11. RESURRECTION
The hero is spiritually or literally reborn and purified by his ordeal as he approaches the threshold of the ordinary world.
Luke is almost killed by Darth Vader but fight backs and wins. He learns how to use the force and destroys the Death Star.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
The hero returns to the ordinary world with treasure that will heal his world and restore balance which was lost.
Luke is rewarded for all his hard work. The world is back in balance.
THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES
(By Joseph Campbell)
An anthropologist who based his work on Carl G. Jung – who sought to understand the universal story archetypes and mythic characters that seem to pop up in varying cultures – Campbell took it a step further by outlining the basic, ageless pattern of storytelling. In his book he details how the plot structures of most heroic quest myths were similar no matter the country, culture or century from which they came.
Campbell argues that all storytellers – from the ancient Greeks to Kenyans to Chinese to Hollywood screenwriters – follow the same basic formula as they retell these heroic stories, in spite of their infinite surface variations. This ancient structure involves the twelve stages of the “Hero’s Journey.”
TWELVE STAGES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY
(From THE WRITER’S JOURNEY, by Chris Volger)
1. THE ORDINARY WORLD
A myth begins with the hero in his own element
Luke Sykwalker is a bored farm boy on a distant planet
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
A problem or a challenge is presented that will unsettle the ordinary world of the protagonist.
Princess Leia and the rebel forces who resist the evil Emperor are in trouble. She sends a holographic request for help to Obi Wan Kenobi, who in turn asks Luke to join him.
3. THE RELUCTANT HERO
The hero balks at the edge of adventure. He faces his fears concerning the unknown.
Skywalker refuses to join Obi Wan. He has too many responsibilities on the farm, but when he goes home, he finds that his family has be slaughtered by the Emperor’s storm troopers.
4. THE WISE OLD MAN
The hero acquires a mentor, who helps the hero make the right decision, but the hero must undertake the quest alone.
A wise mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi, prepares Luke for the battle ahead. He gives Luke a light saber that once belonged to Luke’s father, a Jedi knight. He tells Luke of the dark side of the force.
5. INTO THE SPECIAL WORLD
The hero makes the decision to undertake the adventure and leaves his own familiar world behind, to enter a special world of problems and challenges.
Luke decides to leave his ordinary world and set things right.
6. TESTS, ALLIES & ENEMIES
The hero confronts allies of his opponent, as well as his own weaknesses, and takes action while dealing with the consequences of his action.
Luke enters the dangerous world, meets strange creatures in the “threshold” area bar, joins forces with Han Solo, runs from Emperor’s storm troopers and enters the fight, flying off to space to rescue Princess Leia.
7. THE INMOST CAVE
The hero enters the place of greatest danger, the world of the antagonist.
Luke enters the Death Star, the home and ultimate weapon of the evil Emperor’s main warrior, Darth Vader.
8. THE SUPREME ORDEAL
The dark moment occurs. The hero must face crucial failure, an apparent defeat, out of which he will achieve the wisdom or ability to succeed in the end.
Luke, Han Solo and Princess Leia are trapped in the giant trash crusher of the Death Star; Luke is sucked under water by a strange creature. They are then saved by an ally, R2D2.
9. SEIZING THE SWORD
The hero gains power. With his new knowledge or greater capability, he can now defeat the hostile forces of the antagonist.
Luke rescues Princess Leia and seizes the plans of the Death Star.
10. THE ROAD BACK
The hero returns to ordinary world. There are still dangers and problems as the antagonists or his allies pursue the hero and try to prevent escape.
Luke is pursued by Darth Vader.
11. RESURRECTION
The hero is spiritually or literally reborn and purified by his ordeal as he approaches the threshold of the ordinary world.
Luke is almost killed by Darth Vader but fight backs and wins. He learns how to use the force and destroys the Death Star.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
The hero returns to the ordinary world with treasure that will heal his world and restore balance which was lost.
Luke is rewarded for all his hard work. The world is back in balance.
GENRES
THE FILM GENRES
(FROM ROBERT MCKEE’S STORY)
1.LOVE STORY
BUDDY SALVATION (SUBSITUTE LOVE FREINDSHIP FOR ROMANTIC LOVE)
PRETTY WOMAN
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
MEAN STREETS
PASSION FISH
ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
2. HORROR FILM
UNCANNY
SUPERNATURAL
SUPER-UNCANNY
THE TENANT
HOUR OF THE WOLF
THE SHINNG
3. MODERN EPIC (INDIV. VS. STATE)
SPARTACUS
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLINT
4. WESTERN (EVOLVING)
UNFORGIVEN
5. WAR GENRE
PRO WAR
ANTI WAR
THE GREEN BARETS
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
BLACKHAWK DOWN
6. MATURATION PLOT (COMING OF AGE)
STAND BY ME
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
RISKY BUSINESS
BIG
BAMBI
MURIEL’S WEDDING
7. REDEMPTION PLOT (CHARACTER CHANGE BAD TO GOOD)
THE HUSTLER
DRUGSTORE COWBOY
SCHINDLER’S LIST
8. PUNITIVE PLOT (GOOD GUY TURNS BAD AND IS PUNISHED)
GREED
THE TREASURE OF THE SEIERRA MADRE
WALL STREET
FALLING DOWN
9. EDUCATION PLOT (CHARACTER MAKES A DEEP CHANGE)
HAROLD AND MAUDE
TENDER MERCIES
GROSS POINTE BLANK
SHALL WE DANCE
MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING
10. TESTING PLOT (TEMPTATION TO SURRENDER)
COOL HAND LUKE
FORREST GUMP
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
11. DISILLUSIONMENT PLOT (CHANGE OF WORLD VIEW FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE)
THE GREAT GATSBY
MACBETH
12. COMEDY
PARODY
SATIRE
SITCOM
ROMANTIC
SCREWBALL
FARCE
BLACK COMEDY
13. CRIME
MURDER MYSTER (MASTER DETECTIVE’S POV)
CAPER (MASTER CRIMINAL’S POV)
DETECTIVE (COP’S POV)
GANGSTER (CROOK’S POV)
THRILLER (VICTIM’S POV)
REVENGE (VICTIM’S POV)
COURTROOM (LAWYER’S POV)
NEWSPAPER (REPORTER’S POV)
ESPIONAGE (SPY’S POV)
PRISON DRAMA (INMATE’S POV)
FILM NOIR (PROTAGONIST PART CRIMINAL, PART DETECTIVE, VICTION OF FEMME FATALE)
14. SOCIAL DRAMA (PROBLEMS IN SOCIETY)
DOMESTIC DRAMA (PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY)
ECO-DRAMA (BATTLE TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT)
POLITCAL DRAMA (CORRUPTION IN POLITICS)
MEDICAL DRAMA (STRUGGLE WITH PHYSICAL ILLNESS)
PYSCHO DRAMA (STUGGLES WITH MENTAL ILLNESS)
15. ACTION ADVENTURE (OFTEN BORROWS FROM OTHER GENRES, WAR, POLITICAL DRAMA; INCORPORATES IDEA OF DESTINY AND HUBRIS.
16. HISTORICAL DRAMA
GLORY
MICHEAL COLLINS
UNFORGIVEN
DANGEROUS LIASONS
17. BIOGRAPHY (MIXED WITH OTHER GERNRES)
GHANDI (MODERN EPIC)
NIXON (PUNITIVE PLOT)
18. DOCU-DRAMA (CENTER ON RECENT THAN PAST ENVEENTS)
W
19. MOCKUMENTARY
THIS IS SPINAL TAP
WAITING FOR GUFFMAN
BEST IN SHOW
20. MUSICAL (ALSO USES SEVERAL GENRES)
PHANTON OF THE OPERA (LOVE STORY)
SUNSET BOULEVARD (FILM NOIR)
WEST SIDE STORY (SOCIAL DRAMA)
ALL THAT JAZZ (PUNITIVE PLOT)
21. SCIENCE FICTION (HYPOTHETICAL FUTURES; CAN ALSO MIX GENRES)
STAR WARS (MODERN EPIC AND ACTION/ADVENTURE)
22. SPORTS GENRE (USE SEVERAL GENRES)
NORTH DALLAS FORTRY (MATURATION PLOT)
BULL DURHAM (EDUCATION PLOT)
RAGING BULL (PUNITIVE PLOT)
CHARIOTS OF FIRE (TESTING PLOT)
WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP (BUDDY SALVATION)
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (SOCIAL DRAMA)
23. FANTASY (BEND AND MIX LAWS OF NATURE AND THE SUPERNATURAL; USE SEVERAL GENRES)
SOMEWHERE IN TIME (LOVE STORY)
ANIMAL FARM (POLITICAL DRAMA)
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (MATURATIN PLOT)
24. ANIMATION (SEVERAL GENRES)
BUGS BUNNY (FARCE)
THE SWORD AND THE STONE (HIGH ADVENTURE)
THE LION KING (MATURATION PLOT)
25. ART FILM
MINIMALISM
ANTISTRUCTURE
(FROM ROBERT MCKEE’S STORY)
1.LOVE STORY
BUDDY SALVATION (SUBSITUTE LOVE FREINDSHIP FOR ROMANTIC LOVE)
PRETTY WOMAN
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
MEAN STREETS
PASSION FISH
ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
2. HORROR FILM
UNCANNY
SUPERNATURAL
SUPER-UNCANNY
THE TENANT
HOUR OF THE WOLF
THE SHINNG
3. MODERN EPIC (INDIV. VS. STATE)
SPARTACUS
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLINT
4. WESTERN (EVOLVING)
UNFORGIVEN
5. WAR GENRE
PRO WAR
ANTI WAR
THE GREEN BARETS
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
BLACKHAWK DOWN
6. MATURATION PLOT (COMING OF AGE)
STAND BY ME
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
RISKY BUSINESS
BIG
BAMBI
MURIEL’S WEDDING
7. REDEMPTION PLOT (CHARACTER CHANGE BAD TO GOOD)
THE HUSTLER
DRUGSTORE COWBOY
SCHINDLER’S LIST
8. PUNITIVE PLOT (GOOD GUY TURNS BAD AND IS PUNISHED)
GREED
THE TREASURE OF THE SEIERRA MADRE
WALL STREET
FALLING DOWN
9. EDUCATION PLOT (CHARACTER MAKES A DEEP CHANGE)
HAROLD AND MAUDE
TENDER MERCIES
GROSS POINTE BLANK
SHALL WE DANCE
MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING
10. TESTING PLOT (TEMPTATION TO SURRENDER)
COOL HAND LUKE
FORREST GUMP
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
11. DISILLUSIONMENT PLOT (CHANGE OF WORLD VIEW FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE)
THE GREAT GATSBY
MACBETH
12. COMEDY
PARODY
SATIRE
SITCOM
ROMANTIC
SCREWBALL
FARCE
BLACK COMEDY
13. CRIME
MURDER MYSTER (MASTER DETECTIVE’S POV)
CAPER (MASTER CRIMINAL’S POV)
DETECTIVE (COP’S POV)
GANGSTER (CROOK’S POV)
THRILLER (VICTIM’S POV)
REVENGE (VICTIM’S POV)
COURTROOM (LAWYER’S POV)
NEWSPAPER (REPORTER’S POV)
ESPIONAGE (SPY’S POV)
PRISON DRAMA (INMATE’S POV)
FILM NOIR (PROTAGONIST PART CRIMINAL, PART DETECTIVE, VICTION OF FEMME FATALE)
14. SOCIAL DRAMA (PROBLEMS IN SOCIETY)
DOMESTIC DRAMA (PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY)
ECO-DRAMA (BATTLE TO SAVE ENVIRONMENT)
POLITCAL DRAMA (CORRUPTION IN POLITICS)
MEDICAL DRAMA (STRUGGLE WITH PHYSICAL ILLNESS)
PYSCHO DRAMA (STUGGLES WITH MENTAL ILLNESS)
15. ACTION ADVENTURE (OFTEN BORROWS FROM OTHER GENRES, WAR, POLITICAL DRAMA; INCORPORATES IDEA OF DESTINY AND HUBRIS.
16. HISTORICAL DRAMA
GLORY
MICHEAL COLLINS
UNFORGIVEN
DANGEROUS LIASONS
17. BIOGRAPHY (MIXED WITH OTHER GERNRES)
GHANDI (MODERN EPIC)
NIXON (PUNITIVE PLOT)
18. DOCU-DRAMA (CENTER ON RECENT THAN PAST ENVEENTS)
W
19. MOCKUMENTARY
THIS IS SPINAL TAP
WAITING FOR GUFFMAN
BEST IN SHOW
20. MUSICAL (ALSO USES SEVERAL GENRES)
PHANTON OF THE OPERA (LOVE STORY)
SUNSET BOULEVARD (FILM NOIR)
WEST SIDE STORY (SOCIAL DRAMA)
ALL THAT JAZZ (PUNITIVE PLOT)
21. SCIENCE FICTION (HYPOTHETICAL FUTURES; CAN ALSO MIX GENRES)
STAR WARS (MODERN EPIC AND ACTION/ADVENTURE)
22. SPORTS GENRE (USE SEVERAL GENRES)
NORTH DALLAS FORTRY (MATURATION PLOT)
BULL DURHAM (EDUCATION PLOT)
RAGING BULL (PUNITIVE PLOT)
CHARIOTS OF FIRE (TESTING PLOT)
WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP (BUDDY SALVATION)
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (SOCIAL DRAMA)
23. FANTASY (BEND AND MIX LAWS OF NATURE AND THE SUPERNATURAL; USE SEVERAL GENRES)
SOMEWHERE IN TIME (LOVE STORY)
ANIMAL FARM (POLITICAL DRAMA)
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (MATURATIN PLOT)
24. ANIMATION (SEVERAL GENRES)
BUGS BUNNY (FARCE)
THE SWORD AND THE STONE (HIGH ADVENTURE)
THE LION KING (MATURATION PLOT)
25. ART FILM
MINIMALISM
ANTISTRUCTURE
UNITY AND INTERGRATION
UNITY AND INTEGRATION
ARISTOTLE: UNITY ACHIEVED IF NO PART OF THE WHOLE CAN BE OMITTED OR TRANSPOSED WITHOUT DOING DAMAGE TO THE WHOLE.
I. ARISTOTLE GIVES US A TEST TO DETERMINE WHEN UNITY IS NOT PRESENT
II. HERE IS HIS TEST OF UNITY FOR A SCRIPT:
III. ______+_______+_________+______+ (SCENES FROM A SCRIPT)
IV. OMITTED – TAKE A SCENE AND THROW IT OUT OR OMIT IT AND IF NO ONE NOTICES AND IT DOESN’T WRECK YOUR SCRIPT, THEN IT IS NOT A UNIFIED PIECE OF THE SCRIPT
V. TRANSPOSED – A SCENE CANNOT BE MOVED OR SUBSTITUTED FOR ANOTHER ONE. TAKE A SCENE AND MOVE IT AND IF WORKS THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE A UNIFIED SCRIPT.
VI. LURCH - IF A UNIFIED SCENE IS REMOVED THERE WILL BE A LURCHING FEELING. WILL ASK WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE? NOT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
RULE OF ONE:
IN DRAMA IT IS ALWAYS CLEANER AND CLEARER. WHENEVER POSSIBLE REDUCE THINGS TO ONE. ONE REASON, ONE MOTIVATION FOR EVERY ACTION
STICK TO ONE HERO, ONE GOAL, ONE CENTRAL QUESTION
ONENESS AND UNITY ARE CLOSELY RELATED CONCEPTS
ONE PARTICULARLY PERTAINS TO MOTIVATIONS FOR ACTIONS
CHAIN OF CAUSALITY: CHAIN OF REASONS WHY A CHARACTER DOES SOMETHING
CHAIN OF EACH SCENE OF MOTIVATIONS FOR A CHARACTER
WHEN A CHARACTER TAKES AN ACTION HE NEEDS A REASON
ROB A BANK CAN HAVE ONE STRONG REASON
IF YOU HAVE ONE STRONG REASON YOU’LL HAVE A STRONG LEAN SCREENPLAY.
NEEDS MONEY FOR OPERATIONS (DOG DAY AFTERNOON)
MAKE THINGS DO DOUBLE DUTY
RULE: WHEN SOME NEW OBJECT OR CHARACTER COMES UP SEE IF YOU CAN USE A PREVIOUS OBJECT, CHARACTER.
IT WILL GIVE IT MORE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE IN YOUR SCRIPT.
OBJECTS: STRANGERS ON A CHAIN.
THE LIGHTER USED FOR THE INITIAL MEETING, BRINGS GUY AND BRUNO TOGETHER. BRUNO STEALS HIS IDENTITY WITH LIGHTER
HE CONTROLS GUY’S LIFE BY CONTROLLING HIS LIGHTER. IN THE END IT IS A RACE TO GET THE LIGHTER BACK.
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS AND OBJECTS WILL ACCRUE DEPTH AND MEANING. AUDIENCES ALREADY ARE INTERESTED IN THEM. THEY CARE ABOUT THEM MORE THAN THEY WILL ABOUT A CHARACTER YOU INTRODUCE LATER ON IN YOUR NARRATIVE.
SCENES
MORE DIFFICULT BUT WHEN YOU CAN. YOUR SCENES ARE MORE POWERFUL WHEN YOU CAN BRING MORE THAN ONE ELEMENT TOGETHER
REAR WINDOW
JIMMY STEWART’S VOYEURISM SHOWS ALL HIS POSSIBLE FUTURES DEPENDING ON HOW WHETHER OR NOT HE’LL MARRY GRACE KELLY (LONELY HEARTS, NEWLY WEDS, ARTISTS)
SOLVING WHETHER RAYMOND BURR MURDERED IS HIS GOAL AND ULTIMATELY ANSWERING THE CENTRAL QUESTION OF WHETHER HE WILL MARRY GRACE KELLEY
MOMENT AT THE END SHE GOES IN ON SLIDES THE RING ON HER FINGER
SHE HAS SOLVED THE CRIME
HE LOVES HER AND WILL MARRY HER
THIS IS ONE SCENE DOING DOUBLE DUTY: HITCHCOCK AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWER.
ARISTOTLE: UNITY ACHIEVED IF NO PART OF THE WHOLE CAN BE OMITTED OR TRANSPOSED WITHOUT DOING DAMAGE TO THE WHOLE.
I. ARISTOTLE GIVES US A TEST TO DETERMINE WHEN UNITY IS NOT PRESENT
II. HERE IS HIS TEST OF UNITY FOR A SCRIPT:
III. ______+_______+_________+______+ (SCENES FROM A SCRIPT)
IV. OMITTED – TAKE A SCENE AND THROW IT OUT OR OMIT IT AND IF NO ONE NOTICES AND IT DOESN’T WRECK YOUR SCRIPT, THEN IT IS NOT A UNIFIED PIECE OF THE SCRIPT
V. TRANSPOSED – A SCENE CANNOT BE MOVED OR SUBSTITUTED FOR ANOTHER ONE. TAKE A SCENE AND MOVE IT AND IF WORKS THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE A UNIFIED SCRIPT.
VI. LURCH - IF A UNIFIED SCENE IS REMOVED THERE WILL BE A LURCHING FEELING. WILL ASK WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE? NOT, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?
RULE OF ONE:
IN DRAMA IT IS ALWAYS CLEANER AND CLEARER. WHENEVER POSSIBLE REDUCE THINGS TO ONE. ONE REASON, ONE MOTIVATION FOR EVERY ACTION
STICK TO ONE HERO, ONE GOAL, ONE CENTRAL QUESTION
ONENESS AND UNITY ARE CLOSELY RELATED CONCEPTS
ONE PARTICULARLY PERTAINS TO MOTIVATIONS FOR ACTIONS
CHAIN OF CAUSALITY: CHAIN OF REASONS WHY A CHARACTER DOES SOMETHING
CHAIN OF EACH SCENE OF MOTIVATIONS FOR A CHARACTER
WHEN A CHARACTER TAKES AN ACTION HE NEEDS A REASON
ROB A BANK CAN HAVE ONE STRONG REASON
IF YOU HAVE ONE STRONG REASON YOU’LL HAVE A STRONG LEAN SCREENPLAY.
NEEDS MONEY FOR OPERATIONS (DOG DAY AFTERNOON)
MAKE THINGS DO DOUBLE DUTY
RULE: WHEN SOME NEW OBJECT OR CHARACTER COMES UP SEE IF YOU CAN USE A PREVIOUS OBJECT, CHARACTER.
IT WILL GIVE IT MORE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE IN YOUR SCRIPT.
OBJECTS: STRANGERS ON A CHAIN.
THE LIGHTER USED FOR THE INITIAL MEETING, BRINGS GUY AND BRUNO TOGETHER. BRUNO STEALS HIS IDENTITY WITH LIGHTER
HE CONTROLS GUY’S LIFE BY CONTROLLING HIS LIGHTER. IN THE END IT IS A RACE TO GET THE LIGHTER BACK.
CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS AND OBJECTS WILL ACCRUE DEPTH AND MEANING. AUDIENCES ALREADY ARE INTERESTED IN THEM. THEY CARE ABOUT THEM MORE THAN THEY WILL ABOUT A CHARACTER YOU INTRODUCE LATER ON IN YOUR NARRATIVE.
SCENES
MORE DIFFICULT BUT WHEN YOU CAN. YOUR SCENES ARE MORE POWERFUL WHEN YOU CAN BRING MORE THAN ONE ELEMENT TOGETHER
REAR WINDOW
JIMMY STEWART’S VOYEURISM SHOWS ALL HIS POSSIBLE FUTURES DEPENDING ON HOW WHETHER OR NOT HE’LL MARRY GRACE KELLY (LONELY HEARTS, NEWLY WEDS, ARTISTS)
SOLVING WHETHER RAYMOND BURR MURDERED IS HIS GOAL AND ULTIMATELY ANSWERING THE CENTRAL QUESTION OF WHETHER HE WILL MARRY GRACE KELLEY
MOMENT AT THE END SHE GOES IN ON SLIDES THE RING ON HER FINGER
SHE HAS SOLVED THE CRIME
HE LOVES HER AND WILL MARRY HER
THIS IS ONE SCENE DOING DOUBLE DUTY: HITCHCOCK AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWER.
TYPES OF STORY CONFLICT
TYPES OF STORY CONFLICT
CHARACTER VS. CHARACTER
Two characters want something and believe only one can have it, or one character has something (or is about to have it) and another wants to get it from her (or prevent her from getting it)
Often this involves a good protagonist and an evil antagonist, but not always the case.
The audience wants the protagonist to succeed and antagonist to fail.
Almost every Hollywood movie has this kind of conflict.
Most love stories are example of character vs. character conflicts.
Driving Miss Daisy
What About Bob?
Ordinary People
The Terminator
CHARACTER VS. SOCIETY
In this story when an individual decides to challenge society against all odds, it creates conflict. The hero faces the obstacle of organizational opposition.
A happy ending proves the theme that an individual can make a difference.
An unhappy ending, the protagonist may be crushed for his efforts, proving a darker theme that one person cannot defeat the system.
Society can mean many things: another government, our government, the military, the IRS, the CIA, aliens from outer space – in short, “them.”
The antagonist must be given a face, a character or group that personifies the faceless threat. The antagonist represents all of society’s dreaded power and brings all its resources to bear against the singular protagonist.
Dead Poets Society
All the President’s Men
Silkwood
Three Days of the Condor
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Erin Brokovich
CHARACTER VS. NATURE
This kind of story traps the protagonist in a battle with the environment. The geography or natural disasters become the obstacle or antagonist. The hero tries to make it from point A to point B, to safety.
It creates a test of the protagonist’s courage and abilities, but the question whether a human being can succeed against the irrational forces of nature is seldom enough to sustain and entire movie.
Often the environmental threat motivates CHARACER VS. CHARACTER conflicts among a group who must make the journey together.
Most dangerous-trek stories involve this conflict.
Alive
White Squall
Jurassic Park
Into Thin Air
Volcano
Twister
Homewood
Bound
The Poseidon Adventure
CHARACTER VS. FATE
To the ancient Greeks, Fate was a real force in the world, and most classical tragedies fall into this model.
Oedipus couldn’t outrun his fate even though his parents heard the prophecy.
Drama ensues when humans, seeking to express their individuality and free will, come into conflict with the preordained plans of the gods.
Hollywood has made a few movies with old-fashioned character vs. fate conflicts, but they are almost entirely based on ancient stories
Jason and the Argonauts
Hercules
Troy
Contemporary films replace fate with other innate limitations: the characters’ own fears and the limitations imposed by their sex or race or age or the constraints of the world in which they’ve grown up.
Some succeed others fail. Unlike the ancient Greek tragedies, in modern moves fate is ultimately determined not by the gods, but by the protagonist’s actions.
American Graffiti,
Norma Rae
The Last Picture Show
White Heat
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
CHARACTER VS. SELF
Internal conflict involves a character’s struggle with an inner flaw (like fear, alcoholism, mental illness), a moral doubt, or a psychic wound (responsibility for the death of a loved one)
Most protagonists have internal conflict that gets externalized but some films focus primarily on internal conflict.
But internal conflict can be harder to demonstrate.
In theatre, Hamlet and Willy Loman can express their internal struggle through long soliloquies or monologues, but film has little patience for this.
The conflict can be externalized by creating additional characters to reflect the inner conflict.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Days of Wine and Roses
How to Make an American Quilt
Leaving Las Vegas
Groundhog Day
CHARACTER VS. CHARACTER
Two characters want something and believe only one can have it, or one character has something (or is about to have it) and another wants to get it from her (or prevent her from getting it)
Often this involves a good protagonist and an evil antagonist, but not always the case.
The audience wants the protagonist to succeed and antagonist to fail.
Almost every Hollywood movie has this kind of conflict.
Most love stories are example of character vs. character conflicts.
Driving Miss Daisy
What About Bob?
Ordinary People
The Terminator
CHARACTER VS. SOCIETY
In this story when an individual decides to challenge society against all odds, it creates conflict. The hero faces the obstacle of organizational opposition.
A happy ending proves the theme that an individual can make a difference.
An unhappy ending, the protagonist may be crushed for his efforts, proving a darker theme that one person cannot defeat the system.
Society can mean many things: another government, our government, the military, the IRS, the CIA, aliens from outer space – in short, “them.”
The antagonist must be given a face, a character or group that personifies the faceless threat. The antagonist represents all of society’s dreaded power and brings all its resources to bear against the singular protagonist.
Dead Poets Society
All the President’s Men
Silkwood
Three Days of the Condor
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Erin Brokovich
CHARACTER VS. NATURE
This kind of story traps the protagonist in a battle with the environment. The geography or natural disasters become the obstacle or antagonist. The hero tries to make it from point A to point B, to safety.
It creates a test of the protagonist’s courage and abilities, but the question whether a human being can succeed against the irrational forces of nature is seldom enough to sustain and entire movie.
Often the environmental threat motivates CHARACER VS. CHARACTER conflicts among a group who must make the journey together.
Most dangerous-trek stories involve this conflict.
Alive
White Squall
Jurassic Park
Into Thin Air
Volcano
Twister
Homewood
Bound
The Poseidon Adventure
CHARACTER VS. FATE
To the ancient Greeks, Fate was a real force in the world, and most classical tragedies fall into this model.
Oedipus couldn’t outrun his fate even though his parents heard the prophecy.
Drama ensues when humans, seeking to express their individuality and free will, come into conflict with the preordained plans of the gods.
Hollywood has made a few movies with old-fashioned character vs. fate conflicts, but they are almost entirely based on ancient stories
Jason and the Argonauts
Hercules
Troy
Contemporary films replace fate with other innate limitations: the characters’ own fears and the limitations imposed by their sex or race or age or the constraints of the world in which they’ve grown up.
Some succeed others fail. Unlike the ancient Greek tragedies, in modern moves fate is ultimately determined not by the gods, but by the protagonist’s actions.
American Graffiti,
Norma Rae
The Last Picture Show
White Heat
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
CHARACTER VS. SELF
Internal conflict involves a character’s struggle with an inner flaw (like fear, alcoholism, mental illness), a moral doubt, or a psychic wound (responsibility for the death of a loved one)
Most protagonists have internal conflict that gets externalized but some films focus primarily on internal conflict.
But internal conflict can be harder to demonstrate.
In theatre, Hamlet and Willy Loman can express their internal struggle through long soliloquies or monologues, but film has little patience for this.
The conflict can be externalized by creating additional characters to reflect the inner conflict.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Days of Wine and Roses
How to Make an American Quilt
Leaving Las Vegas
Groundhog Day
TYPES OF STORY CONFLICT
TYPES OF STORY CONFLICT
CHARACTER VS. CHARACTER
Two characters want something and believe only one can have it, or one character has something (or is about to have it) and another wants to get it from her (or prevent her from getting it)
Often this involves a good protagonist and an evil antagonist, but not always the case.
The audience wants the protagonist to succeed and antagonist to fail.
Almost every Hollywood movie has this kind of conflict.
Most love stories are example of character vs. character conflicts.
Driving Miss Daisy
What About Bob?
Ordinary People
The Terminator
CHARACTER VS. SOCIETY
In this story when an individual decides to challenge society against all odds, it creates conflict. The hero faces the obstacle of organizational opposition.
A happy ending proves the theme that an individual can make a difference.
An unhappy ending, the protagonist may be crushed for his efforts, proving a darker theme that one person cannot defeat the system.
Society can mean many things: another government, our government, the military, the IRS, the CIA, aliens from outer space – in short, “them.”
The antagonist must be given a face, a character or group that personifies the faceless threat. The antagonist represents all of society’s dreaded power and brings all its resources to bear against the singular protagonist.
Dead Poets Society
All the President’s Men
Silkwood
Three Days of the Condor
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Erin Brokovich
CHARACTER VS. NATURE
This kind of story traps the protagonist in a battle with the environment. The geography or natural disasters become the obstacle or antagonist. The hero tries to make it from point A to point B, to safety.
It creates a test of the protagonist’s courage and abilities, but the question whether a human being can succeed against the irrational forces of nature is seldom enough to sustain and entire movie.
Often the environmental threat motivates CHARACER VS. CHARACTER conflicts among a group who must make the journey together.
Most dangerous-trek stories involve this conflict.
Alive
White Squall
Jurassic Park
Into Thin Air
Volcano
Twister
Homewood
Bound
The Poseidon Adventure
CHARACTER VS. FATE
To the ancient Greeks, Fate was a real force in the world, and most classical tragedies fall into this model.
Oedipus couldn’t outrun his fate even though his parents heard the prophecy.
Drama ensues when humans, seeking to express their individuality and free will, come into conflict with the preordained plans of the gods.
Hollywood has made a few movies with old-fashioned character vs. fate conflicts, but they are almost entirely based on ancient stories
Jason and the Argonauts
Hercules
Troy
Contemporary films replace fate with other innate limitations: the characters’ own fears and the limitations imposed by their sex or race or age or the constraints of the world in which they’ve grown up.
Some succeed others fail. Unlike the ancient Greek tragedies, in modern moves fate is ultimately determined not by the gods, but by the protagonist’s actions.
American Graffiti,
Norma Rae
The Last Picture Show
White Heat
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
CHARACTER VS. SELF
Internal conflict involves a character’s struggle with an inner flaw (like fear, alcoholism, mental illness), a moral doubt, or a psychic wound (responsibility for the death of a loved one)
Most protagonists have internal conflict that gets externalized but some films focus primarily on internal conflict.
But internal conflict can be harder to demonstrate.
In theatre, Hamlet and Willy Loman can express their internal struggle through long soliloquies or monologues, but film has little patience for this.
The conflict can be externalized by creating additional characters to reflect the inner conflict.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Days of Wine and Roses
How to Make an American Quilt
Leaving Las Vegas
Groundhog Day
CHARACTER VS. CHARACTER
Two characters want something and believe only one can have it, or one character has something (or is about to have it) and another wants to get it from her (or prevent her from getting it)
Often this involves a good protagonist and an evil antagonist, but not always the case.
The audience wants the protagonist to succeed and antagonist to fail.
Almost every Hollywood movie has this kind of conflict.
Most love stories are example of character vs. character conflicts.
Driving Miss Daisy
What About Bob?
Ordinary People
The Terminator
CHARACTER VS. SOCIETY
In this story when an individual decides to challenge society against all odds, it creates conflict. The hero faces the obstacle of organizational opposition.
A happy ending proves the theme that an individual can make a difference.
An unhappy ending, the protagonist may be crushed for his efforts, proving a darker theme that one person cannot defeat the system.
Society can mean many things: another government, our government, the military, the IRS, the CIA, aliens from outer space – in short, “them.”
The antagonist must be given a face, a character or group that personifies the faceless threat. The antagonist represents all of society’s dreaded power and brings all its resources to bear against the singular protagonist.
Dead Poets Society
All the President’s Men
Silkwood
Three Days of the Condor
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Erin Brokovich
CHARACTER VS. NATURE
This kind of story traps the protagonist in a battle with the environment. The geography or natural disasters become the obstacle or antagonist. The hero tries to make it from point A to point B, to safety.
It creates a test of the protagonist’s courage and abilities, but the question whether a human being can succeed against the irrational forces of nature is seldom enough to sustain and entire movie.
Often the environmental threat motivates CHARACER VS. CHARACTER conflicts among a group who must make the journey together.
Most dangerous-trek stories involve this conflict.
Alive
White Squall
Jurassic Park
Into Thin Air
Volcano
Twister
Homewood
Bound
The Poseidon Adventure
CHARACTER VS. FATE
To the ancient Greeks, Fate was a real force in the world, and most classical tragedies fall into this model.
Oedipus couldn’t outrun his fate even though his parents heard the prophecy.
Drama ensues when humans, seeking to express their individuality and free will, come into conflict with the preordained plans of the gods.
Hollywood has made a few movies with old-fashioned character vs. fate conflicts, but they are almost entirely based on ancient stories
Jason and the Argonauts
Hercules
Troy
Contemporary films replace fate with other innate limitations: the characters’ own fears and the limitations imposed by their sex or race or age or the constraints of the world in which they’ve grown up.
Some succeed others fail. Unlike the ancient Greek tragedies, in modern moves fate is ultimately determined not by the gods, but by the protagonist’s actions.
American Graffiti,
Norma Rae
The Last Picture Show
White Heat
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
CHARACTER VS. SELF
Internal conflict involves a character’s struggle with an inner flaw (like fear, alcoholism, mental illness), a moral doubt, or a psychic wound (responsibility for the death of a loved one)
Most protagonists have internal conflict that gets externalized but some films focus primarily on internal conflict.
But internal conflict can be harder to demonstrate.
In theatre, Hamlet and Willy Loman can express their internal struggle through long soliloquies or monologues, but film has little patience for this.
The conflict can be externalized by creating additional characters to reflect the inner conflict.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Days of Wine and Roses
How to Make an American Quilt
Leaving Las Vegas
Groundhog Day
THEME
HOW TO IDENTIFY THEME
WRITE DOWN THREE MOTIONS PICTURES THAT HAVE BEEN MEANINGFUL TO YOU.
A WAY TO THINK ABOUT THEME.
A THEME IS SOMETHING ACTIVE AND HAS A SENSE OF PROGRESSION
IT’S WHAT WE LEARN FROM THE FILM OF HOW LIFE WORKS.
FILM – MODEL OF LIFE: (UNIVERSE) THEMES AND TRUTHS WILL EMERGE.
A SPECIFIC THING THAT LEADS TO A CERTAIN OUTCOME.
WE’RE LOOKING FOR THEME IN ACTION. WHAT LEADS TO WHAT.
MOST COMMON
CRIME LEADS TO PUNISHMENT
LOVE LEADS TO HAPPINESS.
FEAR LEADS TO FAILURE
HUBRIS (PRIDE) LEADS TO FALL
TAKE A QUALITY AND SEE WHERE IT LEADS.
THEME IS RELATED TO THE END OF THE MOVIE. HOW IT TURNS OUT AFFECTS THE THEME.
_____________ LEADS TO ____________________
HUMAN QUALITY OUTCOME
CHARACTERISTIC STATE OF AFFAIRES
BEHAVIOR CONSEQUENCES
METHOD ENDING
THESE ARE LESSONS WE CAN APPLY TO THE WORLD.
FILMMAKERS HAVE TAKEN SPECIFIC DRAMATIC STORIES AND OUT OF THE THEMES FLOWS UNIVERSAL TRUTHS OF LIFE.
OUT OF THE SPECIFICS COME UNIVERSAL TRUTHS.
THEMATIC CONSISTENCY—WHEN MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER LEADS TO THE SAME OUTCOME
EXAMPLES:
WIZARD OF OZ: ADVENTURE LEADS TO APPRECIATION OF HOME
PRIVATE RYAN: WAR LEADS TO A WASTE OF LIFE
GODFATHER: EXCESSIVE TRIBAL LOYALTY LEADS TO DESTRUCTION
TAKE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AND SEE WHAT THEMES EMERGE.
THEN DO IT WITH YOUR SCRIPT.
ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THEME:
_____________ VS. _____________________________
LOOK AT WHO WINS.
VERY OFTEN IF THERE IS ONE STRONG CHARACTER VS. ANOTHER.
STAR WARS: GOOD VS. EVIL
ROCKY: HEART AND DETERMINATION VS. SKILL
WRITE DOWN THREE MOTIONS PICTURES THAT HAVE BEEN MEANINGFUL TO YOU.
A WAY TO THINK ABOUT THEME.
A THEME IS SOMETHING ACTIVE AND HAS A SENSE OF PROGRESSION
IT’S WHAT WE LEARN FROM THE FILM OF HOW LIFE WORKS.
FILM – MODEL OF LIFE: (UNIVERSE) THEMES AND TRUTHS WILL EMERGE.
A SPECIFIC THING THAT LEADS TO A CERTAIN OUTCOME.
WE’RE LOOKING FOR THEME IN ACTION. WHAT LEADS TO WHAT.
MOST COMMON
CRIME LEADS TO PUNISHMENT
LOVE LEADS TO HAPPINESS.
FEAR LEADS TO FAILURE
HUBRIS (PRIDE) LEADS TO FALL
TAKE A QUALITY AND SEE WHERE IT LEADS.
THEME IS RELATED TO THE END OF THE MOVIE. HOW IT TURNS OUT AFFECTS THE THEME.
_____________ LEADS TO ____________________
HUMAN QUALITY OUTCOME
CHARACTERISTIC STATE OF AFFAIRES
BEHAVIOR CONSEQUENCES
METHOD ENDING
THESE ARE LESSONS WE CAN APPLY TO THE WORLD.
FILMMAKERS HAVE TAKEN SPECIFIC DRAMATIC STORIES AND OUT OF THE THEMES FLOWS UNIVERSAL TRUTHS OF LIFE.
OUT OF THE SPECIFICS COME UNIVERSAL TRUTHS.
THEMATIC CONSISTENCY—WHEN MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER LEADS TO THE SAME OUTCOME
EXAMPLES:
WIZARD OF OZ: ADVENTURE LEADS TO APPRECIATION OF HOME
PRIVATE RYAN: WAR LEADS TO A WASTE OF LIFE
GODFATHER: EXCESSIVE TRIBAL LOYALTY LEADS TO DESTRUCTION
TAKE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AND SEE WHAT THEMES EMERGE.
THEN DO IT WITH YOUR SCRIPT.
ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THEME:
_____________ VS. _____________________________
LOOK AT WHO WINS.
VERY OFTEN IF THERE IS ONE STRONG CHARACTER VS. ANOTHER.
STAR WARS: GOOD VS. EVIL
ROCKY: HEART AND DETERMINATION VS. SKILL
QUOTES FROM OTHERS
PRINCIPLES OF SCREENWRITING
Quotes from the Experts
STRUCTURE IS SCREENWRITING
“Structure is the most important element in the screenplay. It is the force that holds every holds everything together; it is the skeleton, the spine, the foundation. Without structure, you have no story; without story you have no screenplay.” (Syd Field, Screenwriter’s Work Book, 17)
“The three most important facets of story craft are: (1) structure; (2) structure; (3) structure.” (Richard Walter, Screenwriting, 37)
“A screenplay is structure,” says William Goldman. “It is the spine you hang your story on.” When you sit down to write a screenplay, you must approach your story as a whole. A story is composed of parts – characters, plot, action, dialogue, scenes, sequences, incidents, events – and you as writer, must fashion these “parts” into a “whole,” a definite shape and form, complete with beginning, middle, and end.” (Field, Workbook 20)
CONFLICT: THE FOUNDATION OF SCREENWRITING
The idea must promise CONFLICT. That’s the heart and soul of screenwriting. (Lew Hunter, Screenwriting 434: The Essentials of Screenwriting, 19)
All drama is conflict. Without conflict there is no action; without action there is no character; without character there is no story. And without story there is in no screenplay. (Field Four Screenplay xvii)
My fellow UCLA screenwriting professor Richard Walter, on the same subject, proclaims, “Nobody wants to see the a story about the Village of the Happy People. (Hunter 19)
UNIFIED ACTION: IT’S ALL CONNECTED
Your rule at work here is Aristotle’s unity of action. The play should be about only one thing and that thing should be what the hero is trying to get. (Hunter 125-6)
And Dramatic Structure is defined as “ a linear arrangement of related incidents, episodes, and events leading to a dramatic resolution. (Field Workbook 23)
It is important that you orchestrate these obstacles so that they grow as the movie proceeds, and so that each one in some way derives from the one before it. (Wolf 26)
At all steps along the story way, make sure the scene you’re in was caused by the scene that went before. And the following scene is there because of the one you’re in. Keep that rhythm going and you’ll have a dammed good story. (Hunter 89)
Thus each scene should be tied to what comes before it; were the scene to be dropped, the film would lose coherence. This narrative inevitably comprised the skeletal vertebrae of film structure, the through line, the frame upon which the story hangs. (Pope xix)
A screenplay always moves forward with direction toward the resolution. You’ve got to be on track every step of the way, every scene, every fragment, must be taking you somewhere, moving you forward in terms of story development. (Field WB 12)
Every scene, event, and character must contribute to the hero’s motivation. (Hauge 108)
THREE ACT STUCTURE: IT’S SIMPLE
The old saying goes that in the first act you get your hero up a tree (that is, you create and initial problem), in the second act you throw rocks at him (you complicate the initial problem), and in the third act you get him out the tree (You resolve the initial problem) (Thomas Pope Good Scripts, Bad Scripts)
ACT ONE: THE BEGINNING, THE SET UP, (CREATE INTEREST)
The goal of Act 1 is to establish the setting, the characters, situation and outer motivation for the hero. (Hauge 86)
Act I: Who is my central character and does he want? (Wolf 21)
Act I is a unit of dramatic action that sets up your story. In the first 30 pages of screenplay you must set up your story: introduce your main characters, establish your dramatic pretense, create the situation, and lay out scenes and sequences that build and expand the information of your story. (Field Workbook 28)
In the first 10 pages we see there is a problem, the second 10 pages define the problem and in third 10 pages we understand the problem. (Field WB 117)
The first few scenes are the frame of your movie. Like an oil painting frame. These scenes give the audience your story’s perimeters and tone. (Hunter 132)
In terms of the action that you want to show in the first act, you must include an event that makes the character take the first step toward the goal that becomes his major preoccupation for the rest of the picture. (Wolf 24)
END OF THE BEGINNING
Invariably, beginnings end this way. All seems right and well fit. Then, in a flash, all is wrong and nothing fits. And it is in the middle that the complications are played out. (Walter 52)
It [The First Act] often ends at point of moral conflict for the protagonist, or hero. In High Noon it ends when the sheriff decides to return to town to fight the bad guys. If he had decided to run – that is, if he’d decided to morally abdicate the challenge placed before him – there’d be no further story. The bad guys would have no good guy to fight and the hero would have ethically dammed himself. End of the first act and end of story. (Pope Good Scripts Bad Scripts xvii-xviii)
Remember the first act end at “the situation.” This when E.T. meets Eliot. When Rick gets the transit letters that can get two people out of Casablanca. When the Reporter’s “Rosebud” obsession flashes us back to Charles Foster Kane’s separation from his Colorado parents. (Hunter 94)
ACT TWO: THE MIDDLE, THE COMPLICATIONS,
(HOLD INTEREST)
Act II is the unit of action in which your character confronts and overcomes (or does not overcome) all obstacles to achieve his or her dramatic need. (Field WB 31)
Your job is in the second act is to unfold the complexity of reasons. Characters getting into trouble because of their own actions or the actions of others and the conflict exacerbated by the character’s reactions ands subsequent actions. (Hunter 162)
The second act must complicate the initial problem and serve as the playing field on which the characters reach for a dramatic arc of change or catharsis and in which action is initiated by, and in turn serves to catalyze the characters. It is typically the longest act, usually running for at least half the length of the film. (Pope xvii)
The goal of Act 2 is to build hurdles, obstacles, conflicts, suspense, pace, humor, character development and character revelations. (Hauge 86)
Act II: What does my central do to bring about his goal and who or what opposes him? What are the three or four key obstacles my central character overcomes along the way? What is the “moment of truth” in my character’s quest from which there can be no retreat? (Wolf 21)
THE MIDPOINT
The midpoint is the link in the chain of dramatic action; it connects the first half of the Act II with the second half. In E.T. it is a simple scene between Elliot and E.T.
During the first half of Act II, E.T. and Elliot become friends. Elliot introduces his visitor “the goblin,” to his brother and sister. Soon Elliot and E.T. are connected by feelings; Elliot feels what E.T. feels. And E.T. is homesick; he wants to go home. He wants to phone home. “E.T. phone home,” he says to Elliot, and points out the window.
“And they’ll come?’ the boy asks. E.T. nods.
That’s the midpoint. It happens on page 61. The boys go into the garage and gather up whatever’s around and take it to E.T.: a saw blade, a few toys, a soldering iron, a coffee can. And we’re already being prepared for what’s to come. Elliot’s older brother says, “E.T. might be getting kinda sick.” It sets up the entire second half of Act II. (Field Workbook 137, 138)
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
In the second act you are leading up to what has been called the “moment of truth.” It is the point at which the character is about to embark upon his final and biggest battle to reach his goal. (Wolf 27)
The Big Gloom is that moment, occurring almost inevitably just before the beginning of the end, approximately eighty minutes into the film, where the protagonists is furthest from achieving his goal. (Walter 57)
And so the decision is made. Butch and Sundance actually go to Bolivia. Elliot chooses to rescue E.T. Rick will use his visas to get Ilsa to safety. Kane beings his move to Florida. (Hunter 262)
ACT THREE: THE END, THE CLIMAX, (SATISFY INTEREST)
The last thirty minutes of the film will play out the final conflict that is set up at the end of Act Two, and will answer the question of whether or not the central character will reach his goal. (Wolf 28)
The second act ends. The protagonist is going to take physical action. Here’s where the most famous film chase scenes are cued: the world seemingly racing after E.T. and the children, the car chase scene and the end of The French Connection, the gun battles that conclude Butch and Sundance and the various Rambos. (Hunter 105)
What happens to your main character? Does he live or die? Succeed or fail? Marry or divorce? Blow up the Death Star or not? What is the resolution of the story?
The goal of Act 3 is to resolve everything, particularly the outer motivation and conflict for the hero. (Hauge 86)
The end sees Character win or lose his battle. Remember in the regard, the story doesn’t truly end until the struggle between desire and danger is resolved, with some kind of clear-cut triumph of desire over danger, or visa versa. (Swain 89)
THE SCENE: A CONFLICT WITH A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END
Does the scene possess its own beginning, middle and end? Each scene in your screenplay is like a mini-movie: it must establish, build and resolve a situation. (Hauge 150)
Thus a scene has its own dramatic curve, which follows the rules of drama as does its big brother, the movie itself. But while a movie should be dramatically self-contained the resolution of a scene should create a new problem and thus a new scene. (the sheriff’s decision to leave the town forces his moral anguish, which causes him to turn around)
And the resolution of the second problem should, in turn, create yet a third problem and thus a third scene. (Pope xix)
SCENES CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER
Thus each scene should be tied to what comes before it; were the scene to be dropped, the film would lose coherence. This narrative inevitably comprised the skeletal vertebrae of film structure, the through line, the frame upon which the story hangs. (Pope xix)
Does the scene thrust the reader into the following scenes? At the end of each scene you must compel the reader to turn the page: any time a reader doesn’t care about what happens next, your screenplay has failed. So each scene must have the reader wanting more. (Hauge 150)
SCENES ONLY CONTAIN ACTION AND DIALOGUE
ONLY WRITE IN MASTER SCENES. Some new and even old writers feel it’s important to drop CLOSEUP, or ANGLE ON, or P.O.V. into their scripts. Let me put it to your logic. You’re going to tell Coppola, Spielberg, Pollak, et al, where to put a close up? (Hunter 121-2)
Quotes from the Experts
STRUCTURE IS SCREENWRITING
“Structure is the most important element in the screenplay. It is the force that holds every holds everything together; it is the skeleton, the spine, the foundation. Without structure, you have no story; without story you have no screenplay.” (Syd Field, Screenwriter’s Work Book, 17)
“The three most important facets of story craft are: (1) structure; (2) structure; (3) structure.” (Richard Walter, Screenwriting, 37)
“A screenplay is structure,” says William Goldman. “It is the spine you hang your story on.” When you sit down to write a screenplay, you must approach your story as a whole. A story is composed of parts – characters, plot, action, dialogue, scenes, sequences, incidents, events – and you as writer, must fashion these “parts” into a “whole,” a definite shape and form, complete with beginning, middle, and end.” (Field, Workbook 20)
CONFLICT: THE FOUNDATION OF SCREENWRITING
The idea must promise CONFLICT. That’s the heart and soul of screenwriting. (Lew Hunter, Screenwriting 434: The Essentials of Screenwriting, 19)
All drama is conflict. Without conflict there is no action; without action there is no character; without character there is no story. And without story there is in no screenplay. (Field Four Screenplay xvii)
My fellow UCLA screenwriting professor Richard Walter, on the same subject, proclaims, “Nobody wants to see the a story about the Village of the Happy People. (Hunter 19)
UNIFIED ACTION: IT’S ALL CONNECTED
Your rule at work here is Aristotle’s unity of action. The play should be about only one thing and that thing should be what the hero is trying to get. (Hunter 125-6)
And Dramatic Structure is defined as “ a linear arrangement of related incidents, episodes, and events leading to a dramatic resolution. (Field Workbook 23)
It is important that you orchestrate these obstacles so that they grow as the movie proceeds, and so that each one in some way derives from the one before it. (Wolf 26)
At all steps along the story way, make sure the scene you’re in was caused by the scene that went before. And the following scene is there because of the one you’re in. Keep that rhythm going and you’ll have a dammed good story. (Hunter 89)
Thus each scene should be tied to what comes before it; were the scene to be dropped, the film would lose coherence. This narrative inevitably comprised the skeletal vertebrae of film structure, the through line, the frame upon which the story hangs. (Pope xix)
A screenplay always moves forward with direction toward the resolution. You’ve got to be on track every step of the way, every scene, every fragment, must be taking you somewhere, moving you forward in terms of story development. (Field WB 12)
Every scene, event, and character must contribute to the hero’s motivation. (Hauge 108)
THREE ACT STUCTURE: IT’S SIMPLE
The old saying goes that in the first act you get your hero up a tree (that is, you create and initial problem), in the second act you throw rocks at him (you complicate the initial problem), and in the third act you get him out the tree (You resolve the initial problem) (Thomas Pope Good Scripts, Bad Scripts)
ACT ONE: THE BEGINNING, THE SET UP, (CREATE INTEREST)
The goal of Act 1 is to establish the setting, the characters, situation and outer motivation for the hero. (Hauge 86)
Act I: Who is my central character and does he want? (Wolf 21)
Act I is a unit of dramatic action that sets up your story. In the first 30 pages of screenplay you must set up your story: introduce your main characters, establish your dramatic pretense, create the situation, and lay out scenes and sequences that build and expand the information of your story. (Field Workbook 28)
In the first 10 pages we see there is a problem, the second 10 pages define the problem and in third 10 pages we understand the problem. (Field WB 117)
The first few scenes are the frame of your movie. Like an oil painting frame. These scenes give the audience your story’s perimeters and tone. (Hunter 132)
In terms of the action that you want to show in the first act, you must include an event that makes the character take the first step toward the goal that becomes his major preoccupation for the rest of the picture. (Wolf 24)
END OF THE BEGINNING
Invariably, beginnings end this way. All seems right and well fit. Then, in a flash, all is wrong and nothing fits. And it is in the middle that the complications are played out. (Walter 52)
It [The First Act] often ends at point of moral conflict for the protagonist, or hero. In High Noon it ends when the sheriff decides to return to town to fight the bad guys. If he had decided to run – that is, if he’d decided to morally abdicate the challenge placed before him – there’d be no further story. The bad guys would have no good guy to fight and the hero would have ethically dammed himself. End of the first act and end of story. (Pope Good Scripts Bad Scripts xvii-xviii)
Remember the first act end at “the situation.” This when E.T. meets Eliot. When Rick gets the transit letters that can get two people out of Casablanca. When the Reporter’s “Rosebud” obsession flashes us back to Charles Foster Kane’s separation from his Colorado parents. (Hunter 94)
ACT TWO: THE MIDDLE, THE COMPLICATIONS,
(HOLD INTEREST)
Act II is the unit of action in which your character confronts and overcomes (or does not overcome) all obstacles to achieve his or her dramatic need. (Field WB 31)
Your job is in the second act is to unfold the complexity of reasons. Characters getting into trouble because of their own actions or the actions of others and the conflict exacerbated by the character’s reactions ands subsequent actions. (Hunter 162)
The second act must complicate the initial problem and serve as the playing field on which the characters reach for a dramatic arc of change or catharsis and in which action is initiated by, and in turn serves to catalyze the characters. It is typically the longest act, usually running for at least half the length of the film. (Pope xvii)
The goal of Act 2 is to build hurdles, obstacles, conflicts, suspense, pace, humor, character development and character revelations. (Hauge 86)
Act II: What does my central do to bring about his goal and who or what opposes him? What are the three or four key obstacles my central character overcomes along the way? What is the “moment of truth” in my character’s quest from which there can be no retreat? (Wolf 21)
THE MIDPOINT
The midpoint is the link in the chain of dramatic action; it connects the first half of the Act II with the second half. In E.T. it is a simple scene between Elliot and E.T.
During the first half of Act II, E.T. and Elliot become friends. Elliot introduces his visitor “the goblin,” to his brother and sister. Soon Elliot and E.T. are connected by feelings; Elliot feels what E.T. feels. And E.T. is homesick; he wants to go home. He wants to phone home. “E.T. phone home,” he says to Elliot, and points out the window.
“And they’ll come?’ the boy asks. E.T. nods.
That’s the midpoint. It happens on page 61. The boys go into the garage and gather up whatever’s around and take it to E.T.: a saw blade, a few toys, a soldering iron, a coffee can. And we’re already being prepared for what’s to come. Elliot’s older brother says, “E.T. might be getting kinda sick.” It sets up the entire second half of Act II. (Field Workbook 137, 138)
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
In the second act you are leading up to what has been called the “moment of truth.” It is the point at which the character is about to embark upon his final and biggest battle to reach his goal. (Wolf 27)
The Big Gloom is that moment, occurring almost inevitably just before the beginning of the end, approximately eighty minutes into the film, where the protagonists is furthest from achieving his goal. (Walter 57)
And so the decision is made. Butch and Sundance actually go to Bolivia. Elliot chooses to rescue E.T. Rick will use his visas to get Ilsa to safety. Kane beings his move to Florida. (Hunter 262)
ACT THREE: THE END, THE CLIMAX, (SATISFY INTEREST)
The last thirty minutes of the film will play out the final conflict that is set up at the end of Act Two, and will answer the question of whether or not the central character will reach his goal. (Wolf 28)
The second act ends. The protagonist is going to take physical action. Here’s where the most famous film chase scenes are cued: the world seemingly racing after E.T. and the children, the car chase scene and the end of The French Connection, the gun battles that conclude Butch and Sundance and the various Rambos. (Hunter 105)
What happens to your main character? Does he live or die? Succeed or fail? Marry or divorce? Blow up the Death Star or not? What is the resolution of the story?
The goal of Act 3 is to resolve everything, particularly the outer motivation and conflict for the hero. (Hauge 86)
The end sees Character win or lose his battle. Remember in the regard, the story doesn’t truly end until the struggle between desire and danger is resolved, with some kind of clear-cut triumph of desire over danger, or visa versa. (Swain 89)
THE SCENE: A CONFLICT WITH A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END
Does the scene possess its own beginning, middle and end? Each scene in your screenplay is like a mini-movie: it must establish, build and resolve a situation. (Hauge 150)
Thus a scene has its own dramatic curve, which follows the rules of drama as does its big brother, the movie itself. But while a movie should be dramatically self-contained the resolution of a scene should create a new problem and thus a new scene. (the sheriff’s decision to leave the town forces his moral anguish, which causes him to turn around)
And the resolution of the second problem should, in turn, create yet a third problem and thus a third scene. (Pope xix)
SCENES CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER
Thus each scene should be tied to what comes before it; were the scene to be dropped, the film would lose coherence. This narrative inevitably comprised the skeletal vertebrae of film structure, the through line, the frame upon which the story hangs. (Pope xix)
Does the scene thrust the reader into the following scenes? At the end of each scene you must compel the reader to turn the page: any time a reader doesn’t care about what happens next, your screenplay has failed. So each scene must have the reader wanting more. (Hauge 150)
SCENES ONLY CONTAIN ACTION AND DIALOGUE
ONLY WRITE IN MASTER SCENES. Some new and even old writers feel it’s important to drop CLOSEUP, or ANGLE ON, or P.O.V. into their scripts. Let me put it to your logic. You’re going to tell Coppola, Spielberg, Pollak, et al, where to put a close up? (Hunter 121-2)
THE ANATOMY OF A SCENE
THE ANATOMY OF A SCENE
WHAT IS A SCENE?
A SCENE IS A CHARACTER BITING OFF A LITTLE PIECE OF WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS AND GOING AFTER IT.
THE SCENE: A CONFLICT WITH A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END
Does the scene possess its own beginning, middle and end? Each scene in your screenplay is like a mini-movie: it must establish, build and resolve a situation. (Hauge 150)
Thus a scene has its own dramatic curve, which follows the rules of drama as does its big brother, the movie itself. But while a movie should be dramatically self-contained the resolution of a scene should create a new problem and thus a new scene. (the sheriff’s decision to leave the town forces his moral anguish, which causes him to turn around)
And the resolution of the second problem should, in turn, create yet a third problem and thus a third scene. (Pope xix)
STRUCTURE OF A SCENE
SIMPLE RULE: GET IN LATE -- GET OUT EARLY
START RIGHT BEFORE THE CONFLICT AND GET OUT WHEN IT’S RESOLVED
TOO MUCH SET UP AND CONCLUSION WILL KILL A SCENE
1 .SET UP,
SHOULD BE QUICK AND CREATE INTEREST
2. THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
THIS IS THE HEART OF THE SCENE AND SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF THE SCENE
A SCENE’S CONFLICT RISES FROM THE HEROES WANTS
3. GET OUT WHEN CONFLICT IS RESOLVED
SCENE SHOULD END WITH A FORWARD THAT COMPELS THE AUDIENCE TO ANTIPICATE THE NEXT SCENE.
THE SCENE NEEDS TO CHANGE THE SITUATION
1. DRAMA ABOUT STRUGGLE – PEOPLE NEGOTIATING PERSUADING STRUGGLING – AT THE END OF A SCENE THERE IS A NEW SET OF AFFAIRES
2. A CLEAR RISE OR FALL IN THE HEROES FORTUNES
3. A BATTLE THAT’S WON OR LOST
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHARACTERS TO UNDERSTAND A SCENE
1. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER WANTS
a. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER WANTS AT EVERY POINT IN YOUR SCREENPLAY
b. ESPECIALLY WHAT THEY WANT IN THE SCENE YOU’RE WRITING
c. MAKE UP A CHARACTER GOAL TO ACCOMPLISH THE WRITER’S GOAL
d. AUDIENCE MUST NOT SEE WHAT YOU WANT
e. SEE WHAT YOUR CHARACTER WANTS
2. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER KNOWS (SECRETS)
A. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER KNOWS ABOUT THE SITUATION
B. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CHARACTER’S POSITION AND WHAT KNOW WHAT HE OR SHE KNOWS
C. YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS PAST AS LONG AS YOU KNOW WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS AND KNOWS
I. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHARACTER BIOS
3. RELATIONSHIPS
A. WHAT DOES EVERY CHARACTER THINK OF THE OTHER?
B. YOU DID THIS ON A LARGER SCALE NOW ASK THE QUESTION IN EVERY SCENE.
C. IT WILL AFFECT THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER BEHAVES AND CREATE SUBTEXT.
D. WE NEVER TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH
I. YOU WANT THE AUDIENCE TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES
II. GET THEM ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN YOUR SCENE LOOKING FOR WHAT YOUR CHARACTERS REALLY MEAN.
III. DO THIS ON A LARGER SCALE
WRITER’S GOAL VS CHARACTER’S GOALS
1. COMES UP WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EXPOSITION
2. REMEMBER: EXPOSITION WILL EMERGE FROM CONFLICT
A. CONFLICT IS THE HEART OF EVERY SCENE
B. IN CONFLICT CHARACTERS USE INFO AS AMMUNITION
3. PUT CHAR INTO AN ARGUMENT AND EXPOSITION WILL COME OUT
A. DON’T SLIP IT IN
B. SOMETIMES A CONFLICT WON’T SUGGEST ITSELF
C. YOU KNOW WHAT EXPOSITION YOU NEED IN THE SCENE SO MAKE UP A CONFLICT THAT REVELS IT THAT’S YOUR JOB
D. MUST BE IN LINE WITH WHO YOUR CHARACTERS ARE
TACTICS
1. CHARACTERS WILL USE SEVERAL TACTICS TO GET WHAT THEY WANT
2. TACTIC REVEAL CHARACTER
3. BE AWARE THAT CHARACTERS USE A VARIETY OF TACTICS TO GET WHAT THEY WANT
A. DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES -
I. BEG, CAJOLE, THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, DEBATE, TRICK, AND SCHEME
4. YOU CAN USE ALL KINDS OF TACTICS TO GET A CHARACTER TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL
A. THINK OF WHAT SPECIFIC TACTIC YOUR CHARACTER WOULD USE IN EACH SITUATION
B. MAKE SURE THAT THE TACTIC OR CHOICE IS PLAUSIBLE
C. YOUR AUDIENCE KNOWS WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS ACTIONS ARE CONSISTANT.
SETTING AND LOCATION TO INHANCE SCENES
FISH OUT OF WATER – COMEDY
PUTTING CHARACTERS IN LOCATIONS WITH AN AUDIENCE
MAKE SURE YOU COME UP WITH A DRAMATIC SITUATION FIRST
WRITE IN MASTER SCENES
1. N0 SHOTS OR CAMERA DIRECTIONS
HOW LONG IS A SCENE?
1. 2 TO 5 PAGES IS A GOOD BAROMETER
a. HAVE A GOOD REASON TO WRITE A SCENE LONGER THAN 5 PAGES
b. TOO MANY SHORT SCENES WILL MAKE YOUR SCRIPT FEEL CHOPPY
WHAT IS A SCENE?
A SCENE IS A CHARACTER BITING OFF A LITTLE PIECE OF WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS AND GOING AFTER IT.
THE SCENE: A CONFLICT WITH A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END
Does the scene possess its own beginning, middle and end? Each scene in your screenplay is like a mini-movie: it must establish, build and resolve a situation. (Hauge 150)
Thus a scene has its own dramatic curve, which follows the rules of drama as does its big brother, the movie itself. But while a movie should be dramatically self-contained the resolution of a scene should create a new problem and thus a new scene. (the sheriff’s decision to leave the town forces his moral anguish, which causes him to turn around)
And the resolution of the second problem should, in turn, create yet a third problem and thus a third scene. (Pope xix)
STRUCTURE OF A SCENE
SIMPLE RULE: GET IN LATE -- GET OUT EARLY
START RIGHT BEFORE THE CONFLICT AND GET OUT WHEN IT’S RESOLVED
TOO MUCH SET UP AND CONCLUSION WILL KILL A SCENE
1 .SET UP,
SHOULD BE QUICK AND CREATE INTEREST
2. THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
THIS IS THE HEART OF THE SCENE AND SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF THE SCENE
A SCENE’S CONFLICT RISES FROM THE HEROES WANTS
3. GET OUT WHEN CONFLICT IS RESOLVED
SCENE SHOULD END WITH A FORWARD THAT COMPELS THE AUDIENCE TO ANTIPICATE THE NEXT SCENE.
THE SCENE NEEDS TO CHANGE THE SITUATION
1. DRAMA ABOUT STRUGGLE – PEOPLE NEGOTIATING PERSUADING STRUGGLING – AT THE END OF A SCENE THERE IS A NEW SET OF AFFAIRES
2. A CLEAR RISE OR FALL IN THE HEROES FORTUNES
3. A BATTLE THAT’S WON OR LOST
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHARACTERS TO UNDERSTAND A SCENE
1. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER WANTS
a. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER WANTS AT EVERY POINT IN YOUR SCREENPLAY
b. ESPECIALLY WHAT THEY WANT IN THE SCENE YOU’RE WRITING
c. MAKE UP A CHARACTER GOAL TO ACCOMPLISH THE WRITER’S GOAL
d. AUDIENCE MUST NOT SEE WHAT YOU WANT
e. SEE WHAT YOUR CHARACTER WANTS
2. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER KNOWS (SECRETS)
A. WHAT EVERY CHARACTER KNOWS ABOUT THE SITUATION
B. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CHARACTER’S POSITION AND WHAT KNOW WHAT HE OR SHE KNOWS
C. YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS PAST AS LONG AS YOU KNOW WHAT HE OR SHE WANTS AND KNOWS
I. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CHARACTER BIOS
3. RELATIONSHIPS
A. WHAT DOES EVERY CHARACTER THINK OF THE OTHER?
B. YOU DID THIS ON A LARGER SCALE NOW ASK THE QUESTION IN EVERY SCENE.
C. IT WILL AFFECT THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER BEHAVES AND CREATE SUBTEXT.
D. WE NEVER TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH
I. YOU WANT THE AUDIENCE TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES
II. GET THEM ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN YOUR SCENE LOOKING FOR WHAT YOUR CHARACTERS REALLY MEAN.
III. DO THIS ON A LARGER SCALE
WRITER’S GOAL VS CHARACTER’S GOALS
1. COMES UP WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EXPOSITION
2. REMEMBER: EXPOSITION WILL EMERGE FROM CONFLICT
A. CONFLICT IS THE HEART OF EVERY SCENE
B. IN CONFLICT CHARACTERS USE INFO AS AMMUNITION
3. PUT CHAR INTO AN ARGUMENT AND EXPOSITION WILL COME OUT
A. DON’T SLIP IT IN
B. SOMETIMES A CONFLICT WON’T SUGGEST ITSELF
C. YOU KNOW WHAT EXPOSITION YOU NEED IN THE SCENE SO MAKE UP A CONFLICT THAT REVELS IT THAT’S YOUR JOB
D. MUST BE IN LINE WITH WHO YOUR CHARACTERS ARE
TACTICS
1. CHARACTERS WILL USE SEVERAL TACTICS TO GET WHAT THEY WANT
2. TACTIC REVEAL CHARACTER
3. BE AWARE THAT CHARACTERS USE A VARIETY OF TACTICS TO GET WHAT THEY WANT
A. DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES -
I. BEG, CAJOLE, THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, DEBATE, TRICK, AND SCHEME
4. YOU CAN USE ALL KINDS OF TACTICS TO GET A CHARACTER TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL
A. THINK OF WHAT SPECIFIC TACTIC YOUR CHARACTER WOULD USE IN EACH SITUATION
B. MAKE SURE THAT THE TACTIC OR CHOICE IS PLAUSIBLE
C. YOUR AUDIENCE KNOWS WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS ACTIONS ARE CONSISTANT.
SETTING AND LOCATION TO INHANCE SCENES
FISH OUT OF WATER – COMEDY
PUTTING CHARACTERS IN LOCATIONS WITH AN AUDIENCE
MAKE SURE YOU COME UP WITH A DRAMATIC SITUATION FIRST
WRITE IN MASTER SCENES
1. N0 SHOTS OR CAMERA DIRECTIONS
HOW LONG IS A SCENE?
1. 2 TO 5 PAGES IS A GOOD BAROMETER
a. HAVE A GOOD REASON TO WRITE A SCENE LONGER THAN 5 PAGES
b. TOO MANY SHORT SCENES WILL MAKE YOUR SCRIPT FEEL CHOPPY
TONE
TONE
TONE: IT IS VERY SLIPPERY
VERY OFTEN WE HAVE A SENSE OF TONE BUT IT’S HARD TO PUT IN WORDS
THERE ARE MOVIES WITH ACCEPTED TONES AS THERE ARE HOUSES WITH ACCEPTED STYLES. BUT THESE STYLES AND TONES COME AND GO AND CHANGE.
TONE OR MOOD NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT. A SHIFT IN TONE RARELY SUCCEEDS.
FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, SHALLOW HALL
TYPES OF TONES
1. REALISM – CHANGES GENERATION TO GENERATION, BUT WHAT “WE” THE CURRENT GENERATION FEELS ACCURATELY REFLECTS OUR SOCIETY.
A. SYRIANA, BLACKHAWK DOWN, ERIN BROCKOVICH, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
2. ARTIFICIAL – VERY OFTEN AWARE OF IT’S FAKENESS
A. AUSTIN POWERS, SPIDERMAN, TOY STORY, TRANSFORMERS, HARRY POTTER, LORD OR THE RINGS
3. STYLIZED – IMPLIES ARTIFICIALITY; DISTINCTIVE STYLE THAT DEPARTS FROM REALISM
A. COHEN BROTHERS, WES ANDERSON, P.T ANDERSON
4. MANNERED – STYLIZED IN WAY THAT IS NOT PLEASING
A. DUSK TIL DAWN
5. PLAUSIBILITY – DEPENDS ON WHETHER A PIECE IS STYLIZED OR REALISTIC.
A. PLAUSIBILITY OF ACTION: THE RULES OF THE SCRIPT’S WORLD
B. WE ALWAYS WANT SOMETHING PLAUSIBLE – WHETHER THE AUDIENCE BUYS IT OR NOT, MANY DIFFERENT TONES ARE PLAUSIBLE.
C. WHAT’S PLAUSIBLE IN ONE MOVIE MAY NOT BE IN ANOTHER. EACH HAS ITS OWN RULES FOR THE WORLD IT CREATES.
6. SATIRE – TONE SAVAGE AND CRITICAL, GOES AFTER POWERFUL INSTITUTIONS
A. BULLWORTH, NETWORK, SOUTHPARK
7. PARODY - THE OBJECT IS A OFTEN A WORK OF ART
A. CHRITOPHER GUESS - BEST IN SHOW, SPINAL TAP, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, A MIGHTY WIND
EXERCISE: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FILMS? ARE THEY SIMILAR IN TONE?
IS THERE A FILM LIKE YOURS IN TONE?
THINK SIMPLE AT FIRST: DARK, LIGHT, REALISTIC, AND STYLIZED
POLARITIES OF TONE
REALITY VS. ARTIFICIALITY
MEN OF HONOR, MILK VS. CHARLIE’S ANGELS, AUSTIN POWERS, BUGS BUNNY
ALSO A BLEND: STYLIZED: BIG LABOWSKI, ROYAL TENNENBAUM’S
HEAVY VS. LIGHT
SEVEN VS. JERRY MCQUIRE
SERIOUS VS. COMIC
MICHEAL CLAYTON VS. DUMB AND DUMBER
SUBTLE VS. BLATANT
AMERICAN BEAUTY VS. NAKED GUN
INTENSE VS. RELAXED
SIXTH SENSE VS. CHARLIE’S ANGELS
DISTURBING VS. CHARMING(FEEL GOOD)
JERRY MAGUIRE VS. LEAVING LAS VEGAS
TAUGHT VS. LAX
BORNE IDENTITY VS. DAZED AND CONFUSED
FAMILIAR VS. EXOTIC
CLERKS VS. CASABLANCA
TONE: IT IS VERY SLIPPERY
VERY OFTEN WE HAVE A SENSE OF TONE BUT IT’S HARD TO PUT IN WORDS
THERE ARE MOVIES WITH ACCEPTED TONES AS THERE ARE HOUSES WITH ACCEPTED STYLES. BUT THESE STYLES AND TONES COME AND GO AND CHANGE.
TONE OR MOOD NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT. A SHIFT IN TONE RARELY SUCCEEDS.
FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, SHALLOW HALL
TYPES OF TONES
1. REALISM – CHANGES GENERATION TO GENERATION, BUT WHAT “WE” THE CURRENT GENERATION FEELS ACCURATELY REFLECTS OUR SOCIETY.
A. SYRIANA, BLACKHAWK DOWN, ERIN BROCKOVICH, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
2. ARTIFICIAL – VERY OFTEN AWARE OF IT’S FAKENESS
A. AUSTIN POWERS, SPIDERMAN, TOY STORY, TRANSFORMERS, HARRY POTTER, LORD OR THE RINGS
3. STYLIZED – IMPLIES ARTIFICIALITY; DISTINCTIVE STYLE THAT DEPARTS FROM REALISM
A. COHEN BROTHERS, WES ANDERSON, P.T ANDERSON
4. MANNERED – STYLIZED IN WAY THAT IS NOT PLEASING
A. DUSK TIL DAWN
5. PLAUSIBILITY – DEPENDS ON WHETHER A PIECE IS STYLIZED OR REALISTIC.
A. PLAUSIBILITY OF ACTION: THE RULES OF THE SCRIPT’S WORLD
B. WE ALWAYS WANT SOMETHING PLAUSIBLE – WHETHER THE AUDIENCE BUYS IT OR NOT, MANY DIFFERENT TONES ARE PLAUSIBLE.
C. WHAT’S PLAUSIBLE IN ONE MOVIE MAY NOT BE IN ANOTHER. EACH HAS ITS OWN RULES FOR THE WORLD IT CREATES.
6. SATIRE – TONE SAVAGE AND CRITICAL, GOES AFTER POWERFUL INSTITUTIONS
A. BULLWORTH, NETWORK, SOUTHPARK
7. PARODY - THE OBJECT IS A OFTEN A WORK OF ART
A. CHRITOPHER GUESS - BEST IN SHOW, SPINAL TAP, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, A MIGHTY WIND
EXERCISE: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FILMS? ARE THEY SIMILAR IN TONE?
IS THERE A FILM LIKE YOURS IN TONE?
THINK SIMPLE AT FIRST: DARK, LIGHT, REALISTIC, AND STYLIZED
POLARITIES OF TONE
REALITY VS. ARTIFICIALITY
MEN OF HONOR, MILK VS. CHARLIE’S ANGELS, AUSTIN POWERS, BUGS BUNNY
ALSO A BLEND: STYLIZED: BIG LABOWSKI, ROYAL TENNENBAUM’S
HEAVY VS. LIGHT
SEVEN VS. JERRY MCQUIRE
SERIOUS VS. COMIC
MICHEAL CLAYTON VS. DUMB AND DUMBER
SUBTLE VS. BLATANT
AMERICAN BEAUTY VS. NAKED GUN
INTENSE VS. RELAXED
SIXTH SENSE VS. CHARLIE’S ANGELS
DISTURBING VS. CHARMING(FEEL GOOD)
JERRY MAGUIRE VS. LEAVING LAS VEGAS
TAUGHT VS. LAX
BORNE IDENTITY VS. DAZED AND CONFUSED
FAMILIAR VS. EXOTIC
CLERKS VS. CASABLANCA
DIALOGUE
1. MUST BE BRIEF
2. MOVE STORY FORWARD
3. EACH LINE SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE PRECEDING LINE
EVERY LINE GROWS OF THE PROCEEDING LINE.
MUST BE A REASON FOR THAT LINE AND NOT TO ACCOMPLISH THE WRITER’S GOAL.
A CAUSES B CAUSES C
4. SHOULD REFLECT WHAT THE CHARACTER KNOWS AND WHO HE OR SHE IS
PROFESSOR, BANKER, STUDENT, COP, CHILD
THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
5. GOOD DIALOGUE SHOULD GO BACK AND FORTH
LIKE PING PONG
NO LISTS OR MONOLOGUES
6. ELLIPSES . . . USE RARELY
IF A CHARACTER TRAILS OFF AT END OF SENTENCE.
7. USE A DASH FOR INTERRUPTED SPEECH
8. DON’T USE NAME CALLING, PROPAGANDA, PREACHING
HAVE CHARACTER BE REAL, SAY WHAT THEY WOULD REALLY SAY.
9. AVOID CHITCHAT AND PLEASANTRIES.
10. COMEDY DIALOGUE
TRUST YOUR CHARACTERS TO BE FUNNY BY BEING THEMSELVES
COMIC CHARACTERS ALWAYS ARE THEMSELVES IN EVERY SITUATION
LUCY, DAFFY, THREE STOOGES
DON’T WORRY ABOUT CLEVER LINES, CREATE FUNNY CHARACTERS
REAL COMEDIES COME OUT OF CHARACTER
11. AVOID ON THE NOSE DIALOGUE
12. DON’T FORGET TO USE CONTRACTIONS IN YOUR DIALOGUE
EVEN THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND USES CONTRACTIONS
13. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR CHARACTERS PREACHING OR PROPAGANDA
14. DON’T HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS ADDRESS EACH OTHER BY THEIR PROPER NAMES TOO MUCH
JOHN, HOW ARE?
JOE, I’M FINE.
JOHN, WHAT DO WANT TO DO?
I DON’T KNOW. HOW ABOUT YOU, JOE?
PEOPLE DON’T TALK THIS WAY
15. AVOID INTERRUPTED LINES – TOO MANY GET IRRITATING
HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS FINISH THEIR LINES
USUALLY IT’S DULL
OR OFTEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE CHARACTER WOULD HAVE SAID.
IV. YOU CAN PUT (OVERLAPPING) IN A PARENTHETICAL
16. AVOID NAME CALLING
WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS RESORT TO NAME CALLING THE PERSUADING AND ARGUMENT IS OVER
YOU’LL NO LONGER BE REVEALING CHARACTER AND MOVING THE STORY FORWARD.
17. CHARACTERS DON’T TALK TO THEMSELVES
LEW HUNTER: PEOPLE TALK TO THEMSELVES IN REAL LIFE AND BAD SCRIPTS
USUALLY YOU CAN CUT CHARACTERS TALKING TO THEMSELVES
WE NEED TO SEE THE SITUATION THE CHARACTERS ARE IN
A WOMAN WHOSE CHILD IS HIT BY A CAR WOULDN’T SAY, “I’M SO SAD.” WE KNOW HOW PEOPLE FEEL WHEN THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT OR DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT.
OFTEN CHARACTERS TALKING TO THEMSELVES IS AN INDICATION THAT THE WRITER IS HAVING A HARD TIME DRAMATIZING.
OFTEN YOU HAVE TO CREATE A CONFIDANT IF YOUR CHARACTER TALKS TO HIMSELF TOO MUCH.
18. DO NOT SPELL OUT PHONETICALLY HOW YOUR CHARACTERS TALK
USE POOR GRAMMAR IF CHARACTERS SPEAKS BROKEN ENGLISH, BUT WRITE AND SPELL OUT THE WORDS
2. MOVE STORY FORWARD
3. EACH LINE SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE PRECEDING LINE
EVERY LINE GROWS OF THE PROCEEDING LINE.
MUST BE A REASON FOR THAT LINE AND NOT TO ACCOMPLISH THE WRITER’S GOAL.
A CAUSES B CAUSES C
4. SHOULD REFLECT WHAT THE CHARACTER KNOWS AND WHO HE OR SHE IS
PROFESSOR, BANKER, STUDENT, COP, CHILD
THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
5. GOOD DIALOGUE SHOULD GO BACK AND FORTH
LIKE PING PONG
NO LISTS OR MONOLOGUES
6. ELLIPSES . . . USE RARELY
IF A CHARACTER TRAILS OFF AT END OF SENTENCE.
7. USE A DASH FOR INTERRUPTED SPEECH
8. DON’T USE NAME CALLING, PROPAGANDA, PREACHING
HAVE CHARACTER BE REAL, SAY WHAT THEY WOULD REALLY SAY.
9. AVOID CHITCHAT AND PLEASANTRIES.
10. COMEDY DIALOGUE
TRUST YOUR CHARACTERS TO BE FUNNY BY BEING THEMSELVES
COMIC CHARACTERS ALWAYS ARE THEMSELVES IN EVERY SITUATION
LUCY, DAFFY, THREE STOOGES
DON’T WORRY ABOUT CLEVER LINES, CREATE FUNNY CHARACTERS
REAL COMEDIES COME OUT OF CHARACTER
11. AVOID ON THE NOSE DIALOGUE
12. DON’T FORGET TO USE CONTRACTIONS IN YOUR DIALOGUE
EVEN THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND USES CONTRACTIONS
13. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR CHARACTERS PREACHING OR PROPAGANDA
14. DON’T HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS ADDRESS EACH OTHER BY THEIR PROPER NAMES TOO MUCH
JOHN, HOW ARE?
JOE, I’M FINE.
JOHN, WHAT DO WANT TO DO?
I DON’T KNOW. HOW ABOUT YOU, JOE?
PEOPLE DON’T TALK THIS WAY
15. AVOID INTERRUPTED LINES – TOO MANY GET IRRITATING
HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS FINISH THEIR LINES
USUALLY IT’S DULL
OR OFTEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE CHARACTER WOULD HAVE SAID.
IV. YOU CAN PUT (OVERLAPPING) IN A PARENTHETICAL
16. AVOID NAME CALLING
WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS RESORT TO NAME CALLING THE PERSUADING AND ARGUMENT IS OVER
YOU’LL NO LONGER BE REVEALING CHARACTER AND MOVING THE STORY FORWARD.
17. CHARACTERS DON’T TALK TO THEMSELVES
LEW HUNTER: PEOPLE TALK TO THEMSELVES IN REAL LIFE AND BAD SCRIPTS
USUALLY YOU CAN CUT CHARACTERS TALKING TO THEMSELVES
WE NEED TO SEE THE SITUATION THE CHARACTERS ARE IN
A WOMAN WHOSE CHILD IS HIT BY A CAR WOULDN’T SAY, “I’M SO SAD.” WE KNOW HOW PEOPLE FEEL WHEN THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT OR DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT.
OFTEN CHARACTERS TALKING TO THEMSELVES IS AN INDICATION THAT THE WRITER IS HAVING A HARD TIME DRAMATIZING.
OFTEN YOU HAVE TO CREATE A CONFIDANT IF YOUR CHARACTER TALKS TO HIMSELF TOO MUCH.
18. DO NOT SPELL OUT PHONETICALLY HOW YOUR CHARACTERS TALK
USE POOR GRAMMAR IF CHARACTERS SPEAKS BROKEN ENGLISH, BUT WRITE AND SPELL OUT THE WORDS
DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
1. USE SUBJECT – VERB – OBJECT
JOHN SHOOTS MARY
2. SHOULD BE SHORT – FOUR OR FIVE LINES
3. BREAK UP INTO PARAGRAPHS.
THINK OF A SHOT WITHOUT WRITING THE SHOT.
USE DIFFERENT SHORT PARAGRAPHS FOR EVERY DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES YOU WANT YOUR READER TO SEE.
IT’S YOUR WAY TO DIRECT THE DIRECTOR WITHOUT CROSSING THE LINE.
4. ELIMINATE EVERY UNNECESSARY WORD OR PHRASE IN YOUR DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
FOR A FIGHT SCENE YOU CAN SAY -- THEY FIGHT.
WILL FREE YOU FROM DESCRIBING MINUTE DETAIL –
DO IT IN A FEW QUICK STROKES.
5. AVOID MODIFIERS IN DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
LOUIS B MAYER TOLD FITZGERALD, “WE CANNOT SHOOT ADJECTIVES.”
DON’T NEED THEM – INSTEAD, GIVE US A CLEAR ACTION.
6. WHEN SETTING UP A SCENE DON’T TELL US EVERYTHING WE’D INFER ON OUR OWN.
INT. CLASSROOM – DAY
The room is full of chairs, desks, and blackboards.
WE KNOW HOW A CLASSROOM LOOKS
7. DON’T TELL US ANYTHING WE DON’T ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KNOW
The beautiful princess enters the room
WE KNOW PRINCESSES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BEAUTIFUL
8.. REVEAL INFO AT THE EXACT MOMENT WE NEED IT UNLESS IT IS A PLANT FOR LATER
WE WON’T NOTICE INFO OR DETAIL UNTIL THEY COME INTO PLAY
IF A CHARACTER FALLS ON A BED, DESCRIBE THE BED WHEN THE CHARACTER FALLS
8. DON’T TELL US ANYTHING THE AUDIENCE HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING
WE WOULDN’T KNOW A CHARACTER IS THINKING ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD IN AN ORPHANAGE.
THIS SHOULD BE SET UP IN THE STORY SO AN ACTION OCCURS THAT MAKES US THINK WHAT THE CHARACTER MAY BE THINKING.
9. NO TELLING THOUGHTS. VOICE OVER ONLY AFTER YOUR FILM IS SHOT IF POSSIBLE.
10. DON’T TELL US WHAT WE’RE ABOUT TO SEE.
John and Mary sit discussing murder
JOHN
What do you know about he murder?
11. DON’T DESCRIBE EVERY MOOD OR GESTURE YOUR CHARACTER MAKES
NODS, SMIRKS
BUT YOU CAN REPLACE A GESTURE FOR A LINE.
12. AVOID JARGON IN DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
YOU MIGHT KNOW SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT GUNS, ENGINES, ART, PAINTING, BALLET BUT USE ENOUGH DETAIL TO GIVE THE READER ENOUGH TO PROVE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.
YOUR SCRIPT IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
13. DON’T OVER DESCRIBE CHARACTER DESCRIPTION. YOU WON’T CHOOSE THE ACTOR.
TELL US THE CHARACTER NAME AND EXACT AGE
JOHN, 22, enters
IF THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL WE NEED TO KNOW POINT TN OUT.
.
ROSIE, 45, the truck stop waitress from hell, enters.
14. ORCHESTRATION OF CHARACTERS –
VARY YOUR CHARACTERS. DON’T MAKE THEM ALL THE SAME AGE, WEIGHT, HEIGHT RACE, ECT.
1. USE SUBJECT – VERB – OBJECT
JOHN SHOOTS MARY
2. SHOULD BE SHORT – FOUR OR FIVE LINES
3. BREAK UP INTO PARAGRAPHS.
THINK OF A SHOT WITHOUT WRITING THE SHOT.
USE DIFFERENT SHORT PARAGRAPHS FOR EVERY DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES YOU WANT YOUR READER TO SEE.
IT’S YOUR WAY TO DIRECT THE DIRECTOR WITHOUT CROSSING THE LINE.
4. ELIMINATE EVERY UNNECESSARY WORD OR PHRASE IN YOUR DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
FOR A FIGHT SCENE YOU CAN SAY -- THEY FIGHT.
WILL FREE YOU FROM DESCRIBING MINUTE DETAIL –
DO IT IN A FEW QUICK STROKES.
5. AVOID MODIFIERS IN DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
LOUIS B MAYER TOLD FITZGERALD, “WE CANNOT SHOOT ADJECTIVES.”
DON’T NEED THEM – INSTEAD, GIVE US A CLEAR ACTION.
6. WHEN SETTING UP A SCENE DON’T TELL US EVERYTHING WE’D INFER ON OUR OWN.
INT. CLASSROOM – DAY
The room is full of chairs, desks, and blackboards.
WE KNOW HOW A CLASSROOM LOOKS
7. DON’T TELL US ANYTHING WE DON’T ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KNOW
The beautiful princess enters the room
WE KNOW PRINCESSES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BEAUTIFUL
8.. REVEAL INFO AT THE EXACT MOMENT WE NEED IT UNLESS IT IS A PLANT FOR LATER
WE WON’T NOTICE INFO OR DETAIL UNTIL THEY COME INTO PLAY
IF A CHARACTER FALLS ON A BED, DESCRIBE THE BED WHEN THE CHARACTER FALLS
8. DON’T TELL US ANYTHING THE AUDIENCE HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING
WE WOULDN’T KNOW A CHARACTER IS THINKING ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD IN AN ORPHANAGE.
THIS SHOULD BE SET UP IN THE STORY SO AN ACTION OCCURS THAT MAKES US THINK WHAT THE CHARACTER MAY BE THINKING.
9. NO TELLING THOUGHTS. VOICE OVER ONLY AFTER YOUR FILM IS SHOT IF POSSIBLE.
10. DON’T TELL US WHAT WE’RE ABOUT TO SEE.
John and Mary sit discussing murder
JOHN
What do you know about he murder?
11. DON’T DESCRIBE EVERY MOOD OR GESTURE YOUR CHARACTER MAKES
NODS, SMIRKS
BUT YOU CAN REPLACE A GESTURE FOR A LINE.
12. AVOID JARGON IN DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGES
YOU MIGHT KNOW SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT GUNS, ENGINES, ART, PAINTING, BALLET BUT USE ENOUGH DETAIL TO GIVE THE READER ENOUGH TO PROVE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT.
YOUR SCRIPT IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
13. DON’T OVER DESCRIBE CHARACTER DESCRIPTION. YOU WON’T CHOOSE THE ACTOR.
TELL US THE CHARACTER NAME AND EXACT AGE
JOHN, 22, enters
IF THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL WE NEED TO KNOW POINT TN OUT.
.
ROSIE, 45, the truck stop waitress from hell, enters.
14. ORCHESTRATION OF CHARACTERS –
VARY YOUR CHARACTERS. DON’T MAKE THEM ALL THE SAME AGE, WEIGHT, HEIGHT RACE, ECT.
SCRIPT TIPS
1. TWO KINDS OF INFO THAT BELONG IN A SCRIPT
WHAT THE AUDIENCE SEES
WE CANNOT SEE WHAT JOHN OR MARY FEEL OR THINK.
WHAT THE AUDIENCE HEARS
DIALOGUE
SOUND EFFECTS
2. VERBS
ACTIVE -- STAY AWAY FROM “IS”
JOHN IS RUNNING. INSTEAD: JOHN RUNS
PRESENT TENSE
3. SLOPPINESS
TYPOS
MISSPELLING – THEIR, THERE, THEY’RE; YOUR, YOU’RE
INCORRECT PUNCTUATION
INCORRECT GRAMMAR
4. CONTINUITY ERRORS
UNIFIED ACTION IN ACTS, SCENES, LINES
5. LESS IS MORE.
OBJECT / CLARITY IS ACHIEVED BY TAKING AWAY WORDS, NOT ADDING THEM – EXPLAIN LESS.
6. CUT – WHENEVER YOU CAN CUT – CUT!
FIND THE DRAMATIC ESSENCE OF THE SCENE. CUT YOUR SCENE TO ITS ESSENCE AND THEN SEE IF YOU NEED IT.
YOUR WRITING WILL IMPROVE WHEN YOU LEARN TO CUT WHAT OUT WHAT IS UNNECESSARY.
7. LEAVE ROOM FOR THE AUDIENCE TO INTERPRET AND USE ITS IMAGINATION.
LEAVE GAPS. DON’T SPELL EVERYTHING OUT.
AUDIENCES LOVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, DEPARTED
THEIR MINDS WILL FILL IN WHAT IS MISSING
8. DON’T LET MUSIC TELL WHO YOUR CHARACTER IS.
YOU MIGHT NOT GET RIGHTS AND IT COULD MAKE IT HARD TO OPTION YOUR SCRIPT.
IF YOU MUST USE MUSIC – SUGGEST WHAT TYPE, DON’T BE TOO SPECIFIC
9. AVOID ASIDES TO THE READER. PUTS A FAKE INTEREST IN YOUR SCREENPLAY.
WHAT THE AUDIENCE SEES
WE CANNOT SEE WHAT JOHN OR MARY FEEL OR THINK.
WHAT THE AUDIENCE HEARS
DIALOGUE
SOUND EFFECTS
2. VERBS
ACTIVE -- STAY AWAY FROM “IS”
JOHN IS RUNNING. INSTEAD: JOHN RUNS
PRESENT TENSE
3. SLOPPINESS
TYPOS
MISSPELLING – THEIR, THERE, THEY’RE; YOUR, YOU’RE
INCORRECT PUNCTUATION
INCORRECT GRAMMAR
4. CONTINUITY ERRORS
UNIFIED ACTION IN ACTS, SCENES, LINES
5. LESS IS MORE.
OBJECT / CLARITY IS ACHIEVED BY TAKING AWAY WORDS, NOT ADDING THEM – EXPLAIN LESS.
6. CUT – WHENEVER YOU CAN CUT – CUT!
FIND THE DRAMATIC ESSENCE OF THE SCENE. CUT YOUR SCENE TO ITS ESSENCE AND THEN SEE IF YOU NEED IT.
YOUR WRITING WILL IMPROVE WHEN YOU LEARN TO CUT WHAT OUT WHAT IS UNNECESSARY.
7. LEAVE ROOM FOR THE AUDIENCE TO INTERPRET AND USE ITS IMAGINATION.
LEAVE GAPS. DON’T SPELL EVERYTHING OUT.
AUDIENCES LOVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, DEPARTED
THEIR MINDS WILL FILL IN WHAT IS MISSING
8. DON’T LET MUSIC TELL WHO YOUR CHARACTER IS.
YOU MIGHT NOT GET RIGHTS AND IT COULD MAKE IT HARD TO OPTION YOUR SCRIPT.
IF YOU MUST USE MUSIC – SUGGEST WHAT TYPE, DON’T BE TOO SPECIFIC
9. AVOID ASIDES TO THE READER. PUTS A FAKE INTEREST IN YOUR SCREENPLAY.
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