WEEK 12
INTERACTIVE LOCATION
What is a location?
- A physical place
- The place in your story where events occur and characters interact
Interactive location
- a setting and surrounding that interacts with the characters of the film by adding importance to their actions
- an environment which impacts the action and heightens the stakes
WEEK 11
Review Exercise 3: Dialogue
- Purpose of the exercise
–> We write best what we know well
DYNAMIC ACTION
STORY IS ACTION
Action encompasses any kind of movement, activity and interaction between the characters and also between the characters and their surroundings.
Talking about how one feels is not as powerful as illustrating why one feels the way they do through action.
FILM IS BEHAVIOUR
Action is the manifestation of behaviour.
The complexity of the human psyche and interaction is better understood when it is possible to watch the actions, nuances and reactions of the characters.
DYNAMIC ACTION
- has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the tension
MOVING PICTURES
- THE POWER OF ANY STORY LIES IN THE NARRATOR’S ABILITY TO PROJECT A MENTAL PICTURE FOR THE AUDIENCE
EXERCISE: Translating emotional responses into actions
Purpose of the exercise
- addresses the problem many newbies have to screenwriting: how to convey visually any sense of inner conflict of emotion
Steve Pavolsky’s INJA (character unwittingly did something to cause his downfall – kicking of the dog)
Story Assignment
- write a first draft of an Original 1-2 page story (note: give it a title)
- write it in a third person narrative/present tense
- use 12pt Courier/Single spaced
- no less than 1 page and no more than 2 pages
- besides writing your Name, Student Number and Tutorial Group, also label your story as “1st Draft”
- due next week at tutorial
- remember film is a visual/aural medium
- “SHOW” VERSUS “TELLING”
WEEK 8
ELEMENTS OF DIALOGUE
Dialogue reveals character.
- A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him.
Dialogue establishes relationships between characters.
- Once you have established your main character’s POW, you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternative POVs.
- This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.
Good effective dialogue will move the story forward. (intertwine dialogue to plot and character)
Dialogue communicates faces and information to the audience.
- it conveys essential exposition
- characters will talk about what happened establishing the storyline
- keep to the present tense: need to make dialogue present and immediate
Know the purpose of the scene> central issue being discussed> how chars feel about the situation
Dialogue comments on the action
Dialogue ties the script together
> moves one scene to the next, transition
- it is one of the devices that YOU as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters
“If you can see it or hear it, don’t write it.” – Neville Smith
DIALOGUE SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY
NEVER TELL THE AUDIENCE WHAT THEY CAN SEE FOR THEMSELVES!!
DIALOGUE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTION.
In Hollywood when the look at a page and it’s got too much black, too much ink on the paper, they say: “SHIT! IT’S FREEZE THE CAMERA TIME!!”
COMMON MISTAKE
- Students sometimes never achieve a level of competence as they tend to reproduce conventional spoken language, long statements of “REAL TALKING”, and defend their decision by telling us that: ‘It’s how the character speaks.’
When giving characters a voice, think about their:
- age
- gender
- educational qualifications
- race
- etc..
- Interruptions occur in dialogues, not always one full sentence
GOOD DIALOGUE is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.
If that was all there is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and then go collect your Oscar. (ha-ha)
GOOD DIALOGUE is the illusion of reality.
You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.
COMMON MISTAKE
- Students tend to create radio shows with images.
FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM
Reduce dialogue when possible and set up a visual action.
A SCREENPLAY IS A STORY TOLD IN PICTURES.
WEEK 7
A true story is not necessarily a good story.
Good stories have to be worked and re-worked.
True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
Life is unpredictable.
In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that is gives the appearance of being like life.
CHARACTERIZATION: DEFINING THE CHARACTER
Every story starts with a character.
The character is the heart, the soul and the nervous system of your story.
It is through your characters that the viewers experience emotions.
It is through your characters that touched the hearts.
Without a character, there is no action> no conflict> no story> no screenplay
When developing a character, ask yourself:
- who is your character?
- what does he want?
- what is his quest?
- what drive him to the resolution of the story?
1. Establish your main character.
Character should have a 3 Dimensional Structure.
a) Physiology
- Physical make up
b) Sociology
- Social make up, i.e. Background
c) Psychology
- How he/she thinks
A) PHYSIOLOGY
- sex (gender)
- age
- height, weight
- color of hair, eyes, skin
- posture
- appearance
- defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases
- heredity
- etc..
b) SOCIOLOGY
- class (lower, middle, upper)
- occupation
- education
- home life
- religion
- race, nationality
- place in the community; leader among friends,clubs, sports
- political affiliations
- amusements: hobbies, books..
- etc..
c) Psychology (a character’s psychology can be a result of sociology and physiology)
- sex life, moral standards
- personal premise, ambition
- frustrations, chief disappointments
- temperament: choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic
- attitude towards life: resigned, militant, defeatist
- complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias
- personality: extrovert, introvert
- abilities: language, talents
- qualities: imagination, judgment, taste, poise
- IQ
- What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/hide?
- etc..
Developing Characters
1. Seperate the components of his life into basic categories:
>Interior
The interior life takes place from birth until the moment your story begins.
It is a process that forms character. (when you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body and form)
>Exterior
The exterior life takes place the moment your story
It is a process that reveals character.
YOU MUST CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS IN RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PEOPLE OR THINGS.
ALL DRAMATIC CHARACTERS INTERACT IN 3 WAYS:
1. They EXPERIENCE CONFLICT in achieving their dramatic need. (eg, need money – go rob bank/person)
2. They INTERACT with other characters. (either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent way)
3. They INTERACT with THEMSELVES. (eg, he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully)
HOW DO YOU INVENT CHARACTERS?
- try turning them upside down
EG A monk who is devoted to his religion…but is a football fanatic. A serial killer…whose obsession is to kill other serial killers. A common street rat…who loves to eat and cook only fine food.
Recap:
3 storytelling tools
- Memory
- Observation
- Experience
Third person present tense
Aristotle storytelling techniques
3 Dimensional characters
- physio, socio, psychology
- interior, exterior
Cause and effect leads to unity of action…everything flows towards the central plot.
3 act structure
Writing for an audience
TEST!
WEEK 6
The process of change is an essential ingredient of any effective story.
in dramatic writing, the very essence is character change.
STORYTELLING TELLING TOOL 2: EXPERIENCE
What is experience…it is something you have gone through, gives us what is needed to fulfill a story –> the details.
A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience.
Everything about you – where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead – your experiences are unique and irreplaceable.
Many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location.
Tip: if you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for awhile. See how he relates to the world he has been thrown into. Plunder your own personal background!
The things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make
terrific story sources.
All people have fragments of stories.
These potential ideas prompt your desire to know more.
Respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard.
Good stories are born in the heart, not the head.
Remember the role of an audience.
After all, you ARE the audience.
STORY TELLING TOOL 3: MEMORY
- a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told
- points of reference to your own past existence
Tip:
Write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know.
Memory can be fake — selective memory.
There’s always room for personal discovery!
What is the difference between memory and experience?
How do we use memory to build creative content?
Memory is how you remember, it is coloured while experience is the actual thing that happened.
EXERCISE: TRUE & FALSE STORIES
- Write 2 short stories
- One is completely true
- One is completely false
Only the author knows which is which!
Go to 3 people below me in the blogroll and vote for which is true or which is false.
Storytelling tools:
1) Observation
2) Experience
3) Memory
WEEK 5
ASSIGNMENT
- reflection
- letter to the past: select a person that meant sth to u in ur past, but whom u no longer speak to now.
then write a letter which expresses all e things u wish cld say to e person but cant
communicate the memories of impt moments u had tgt in e past, n how ur time spent tgt has made u a diff person now than u were b4.
WEEK 4
After another tired day from work, Sunny sees Hayase dribbling at the playground. He starts to laugh and casts scornful comments to Hayase. “Why are you dribbling in the playground when there’s a basketball court nearby? And why are you wearing slippers? Can’t you even afford the cheapest shoes? If you can’t afford, you shouldn’t play at all!”
Hayase’s loses grip of the ball and stands rooted to the ground. Sunny’s words echoes in his mind. His rage begins to consume him and as if blinded by it, he stomps towards Sunny and delivers him a hard punch. “Just because you are rich, it doesn’t give you the right to look down on poor people!” With that, he leaves a dumbfounded Sunny lying on the ground. Moments later, when Sunny slowly recovers, he mutters under his breadth, “That son of a bitch, I’m going to sue him.”
THE WORLD IS FULL Of POTENTIAL STORIES!
ARISTOTLE
Definition of tragedy
- an imitation of an action (mimesis), that is serious, complete and of certain magnitude…arousing pity and fear…
6 parts of tragedy:
- Plot (how incidents are planned to tell a story)
- Characters (arouses emotions like pity and fear)
- Thought
- Diction
- Melody (music)
- Spectacle (everything seen in film: cinematography, visual effects, etc..)
Tragedy
- creates a cause-and-effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen
- arouses not only pity but fear, because members of the audience can imagine themselves within the cause-and-effect chain
PLOT is the most important thing in tragedy.
It is the arrangement of incidents.
It is not the story itself, but the way the incidents are presented to the audience.
The structure of the play.
BEGINNING
- the incitive moment
- must start the cause-and-effect chain
- inciting
MIDDLE
- climax
- must be caused by earlier incidents and itself cause the incidents that follow it
END
- resolution
- must be caused by the preceding events but not lead to other incidents
- should resolve the problem created during the incitive moment
EPISODIC PLOTS
- according to Aristotle, it is the worst kinds of plots
- the acts (episodes) succeed one another w/o probability or necessity
- the only one thing tying tgt the events in such a plot is the fact that they happen to the same person
Simple vs Complex plots
Simple
- has only “change of fortune”
Complex
- has a reversal of intention “peripeteia” and recognition “anagnorisis” connected with the catastrophe
Character
- supports plot
- personal motivations are connected to the cause-and-effect chain
- the protagonist in a tragedy shd be renowned and prosperous, so his change can be from good to bad
- in an ideal tragedy, the protagonist will mistakenly bring abt his own downfall – not because he is sinful or weak – but because he does not know enough
- this lack of self-knowledge is called “hamartia”
Important vocabuarly
- katharsis
- mimesis
- anagnorisis
- perepeteia
- hamartia
3 act structure
- Advantage of working in 3 act structure is it breaks down the story and makes it more manageable.
First act:
- set up
- story begins with a goal-oriented character introduced at a point of crisis
- the character meets roadblocks produced by the plot antagonist
Second act:
- confrontation
- action intensifies
- an event happens which forces the character to make his or her choice
Third act:
- resolution
- level of effort rises to new heights
- both plot and character is resolved
- but the main character either achieves or does not achieve his goal
ASSIGNMENT
- reflection
- visual trigger: find an image and tell a story that comes to your mind as you see it.
- pictures shd not be taken for this purpose – use only pictures you can find
- incorporate principles of tragedy into your writing!
- that doesn’t mean tt sth bad happens and the story ends. It means sth bad happens as a result of flaw in ur char, n u show how this tragic fall forces ur char to learn something abt herself/himself.
WEEK 3
50 Word stories review:
Do constraints help you to be a better writer?
ARISTOTLE
Storytelling Tool 1: Observation
- Observe in a conscious way
- Develop the ability to see and record movements, physical characteristics and settings
- Adopt a Keen eye
- Develop a Natural sense of curiosity
- An observed event, when subject to simple questions, can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.
- Whom am I writing about?
- Who is my character?
- What is he/she/it like?
- What does he/she/it do?
- What happens to him/her/it in the story?
Exercise: Awareness Level
People rarely observe familiar people or things closely.
Most people pass through the day with 20%-30% awareness.
Mindless observation vs True observation
Exercise: People-Watch WEEK 2
1. Walk into the canteen/lib etc, and watch people pass by.
2. Eventually, one will catch your attention.
3. Write down as many details as possible through observation.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for a second character.
5. Transcribe all these details into the “PEOPLE-WATCH” page that you will create on your blog.
From Wee Kiat’s Openers..number 8:
As he stretches his right leg over the railings, Leo can now see the busy traffic under him from where he is sitting. The more he leans forward, the more he can see under him, and he smiles at the world which he is ’stepping’ on. Just one more step. That is all he needs to take to begin his final flight.
Every breadth he takes reminds him of Johnny. My little brother Johnny, what have I done to you? He has seen in movies that the most precious moments in life return to visit someone when they plunge down 50 storeys above. But right now, he has no wish to visualize those memories.
—————————————————————————————
The Role of Conflict
Conflict is the central feature of the screenplay.
- man vs man
- man vs environment
- man vs himself
It’s variations of sex, age, religion and culture which provide variety to the Conflict.
Conflict = Change
- Change is common to everyone
- Change is universal
- bodies, seasons, lives, relationships, feelings, locations, technologies etc change…
As universal as change may be, people often resist it for the fear of the unknown.
People must learn to cope with change if they want to survive,
The action in drama depends on conflict.
Definition of conflict:
- (Opposition of persons or forces)
- It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills, and creates the plot.
Plot cannot be constructed without conflict.
As characters attempt to reach their goals, they come into conflict with each other.
The end of the story nears when the protagonist and antagonist approach their goals and the conflict rises to generate maximum suspense and excitement.
The Call Home
Man vs Man: Kasi vs Supervisor, vs Roomate, vs Wife
Man vs Environment: Phonecard, Kasi vs SG (main concern of the short film)
Man vs Himself: self-esteem problem
The Secret Heaven
Man vs Man: Mum vs daughter, teacher vs daughter
Man vs Environment: daughter vs piano (forced to go for piano lessons), daughter vs home environment
Man vs Himself: playtime vs piano time
(MvM & MvH is stronger in this short film)
Writing for an Audience:
Screenwriter = storyteller
- The cinematic experience is not just made up of words u might put on paper, but the audiences’ emotional reaction to that information.
Director to People, Writer to People, Camera to People? NONE OF THESE. it’s People to People.
What is the writer’s purpose?
To connect:
- themselves
- their unique vision
- the material
- the drama
- others
Audiences want to be transported by a screenplay.
Where do we look for a story?
Inside ourselves.
Everything to learn abt other people is already in us.
And we need to figure out how to connect to it.
Assignments
- Reflection (for blog post each week, as usual, DON’T WRITE ABOUT WHAT WE LEARNT IN CLASS!)
- 5 stories of exactly 50 words each, posted to blog. (has to be 50, no more and no less) in present tense, third person. give each story a title. (title nt counted towards 50 word count)
WEEK 1
Storytelling vs Scriptwriting
- Storytelling is more of like coming up with a story whereas scriptwriting is when we really go into characterization, planning, dialogues…
How story telling fits into FMS
- Content
Proper writing format:
- present tense
- 3rd person
- visual voice (e.g. Aileen stomps into the room. Michelle picks up the chainsaw…)
The 3rd person/Present tense
- the character is narrating the story as it is happening
- presents more immediate and urgent feel
- commonly used in: Screenplays (story/film is unfolding as we read it), Thriller & Suspense Genres,
Passive vs Active voice
Passive voice
- uses weak verbs
- tells us what is happening in the character’s head
- distances the reader from the story
Active voice
- uses strong action verbs
- shows the action
- uses an immediate sentence structure
- conveys the story in a lively manner
Tips for writing
- the biggest problem is GETTING STARTED (procrastination)
- never stop work for the night even if we get stuck
- always solve the problem and keep going; don’t sleep on problems
- if we can’t get starting, start writing anyway – to do this, we need to have some words to write
- it doesn’t matter what is being written, we’ll soon begin to think and move in our own rhythm/pace
Exercise 1A: Openers
Li walks into Bukit Timah police post wearing nothing but a hula skirt. The police officer on duty looks at him in shock as if the world’s most absurd image has just presented itself in front of him. A man and a hula skirt, what a disappointment, he thought . If only it was Janet Jackson coming to him with another case of wardrobe malfunction…
“Can I help you in any way?” the officer’s curiosity grows as he speaks. He is not going to entertain any nonsense from this guy if he wants gender change on his identification card.
“Yes, you can…I’ve just met the most wanted man on your list, Mas Selamat! I was walking along Bukit Timah Nature Reserve when he appeared from behind the bushes and assaulted me. In my unconsciousness, I could sense what he was doing…he stripped me off my clothes and left me with this hula skirt! I don’t know where he got it from, but this guy sure needs some clothes to disguise and sadly, I was his victim!” Li exclaims. “Well, I guess he must’ve stolen someone’s clothing only to realise that he got a useless hula skirt, which I should be thankful for…” he continues.
The police officer stares at Li sternly, wondering if he ought to believe the words coming out of his mouth. He does not know if this funny looking man is here to tell the truth or trying to get into trouble with the law.
Questions to ask myself:
Whose story am I telling?
What is the point of this story?
How can I engage the attention of the audience?
