Screenwriting techniques for prose (web)

ScriptScene RWApresents

Screenwriting Techniques for Prose Fiction

by Bill Pace

SCREENWRITING

PROSE WRITING

SCREENWRITING

PROSE WRITING

Also…

SCREENWRITING

JUST DIALOGUE

SCREENWRITING

IS…

I) ACTIVE PROTAGONIST

I) ACTIVE PROTAGONIST 2) STRUCTURE

I) ACTIVE PROTAGONIST 2) STRUCTURE3) LEAN (NOT MEAN) WRITING

I) ACTIVE PROTAGONIST

The 4 Essential Protagonist Questions:

The 4 Essential Protagonist Questions:

1) Who is the story about?

The 4 Essential Protagonist Questions:

1) Who is the story about?2) What does she want?

The 4 Essential Protagonist Questions:

1) Who is the story about?2) What does she want?3) What stands in her way?

The 4 Essential Protagonist Questions:

1) Who is the story about?2) What does she want?3) What stands in her way?4) What is she going to do about it?

1) Who is the story about?

An Active Protagonist is…

An Active Protagonist is…one who has a clear end-goal she wants to achieve and works to do so, confronting obstacles she must work to overcome (changing strategy as necessary) and, ultimately, getting the opportunity to achieve her goal in a climactic situation where she must confront her greatest fear and/or strongest antagonist.

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

but runs into an Obstacle…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

but runs into an Obstacle…which creates narrative Conflict…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

but runs into an Obstacle…which creates narrative Conflict.

She successfully overcomes obstacle…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

but runs into an Obstacle…which creates narrative Conflict.

She successfully overcomes obstacle…only to run into another, bigger obstacle…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

but runs into an Obstacle…which creates narrative Conflict.

She successfully overcomes obstacle…only to run into another, bigger obstacle…

she confronts with increased strength/wisdom…sometimes running into setbacks but always pushing…

The Active Protagonist Pyramid

Protagonist…has a vital Goal…

but runs into an Obstacle…which creates narrative Conflict.

She successfully overcomes obstacle…only to run into another, bigger obstacle…

confronts it with increased strength/wisdom…sometimes running into setbacks but always pushing…

toward Climax where she gets the opportunity to win her Goal!

2) What does she want?

2) What does she want?a) Outer Goal: what she wants at story’s

end

2) What does she want?a) Outer Goal: what she wants at story’s

end

b) Inner Goal: why she wants it

3) What stands in her way?

3) What stands in her way?

Obstacles!

3) What stands in her way?

Obstacles!a) External

3) What stands in her way?

Obstacles!a) Externalb) Internal

4) What is she going to do about it?

4) What is she going to do about it?

a) Must be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the Outer Goal she wants to claim.

4) What is she going to do about it?

a) Must be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the Outer Goal she wants to claim.

b) Even when pushed and tested beyond the normal boundaries of her usual world.

II) STRUCTURE

…is your Friend!

…is your Friend!No, seriously – it is.

The Purpose of Structure

The Purpose of Structure

Screenwriting is structure.

William Goldman

The Purpose of Structure

"In life, things happen one after the other. In structure, one thing happens because of the other."

Lew Hunter

The Purpose of Structure

“Good plot structure means that the right thing is happening at the right time.”

Michael Hauge

The Purpose of Structure

Because I said so!

Bill Pace

The Purpose of Structure

Good structure places the events of your story in an alignment that gives each the maximum impact possible.

Bill Pace

© Syd Field

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%)

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%)

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

2nd Turning Point

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

2nd Turning Point

Climax

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

© Syd Field

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

© Syd Field

Lowest point

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

© Syd Field

Lowest point Recommitment to Goal

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

Known World

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

Known World Unknown World

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

Known World Unknown World Mastery of Worlds

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT

Thesis

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT

Thesis Antithesis

Act I Act II Act III

Set-Up Confrontation Big Push(≈ 25%) (≈ 50%) (≈ 25%)

1st Turning Point

Mid-Point 2nd Turning Point

Climax

Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT

Thesis Antithesis Synthesis

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than a few lines long & each should describe only one thing:

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than a few lines long & each should describe only one thing:

1) a character

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than a few lines long & each should describe only one thing:

1) a character2) an image

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than a few lines long & each should describe only one thing:

1) a character2) an image3) an action

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than a few lines long & each should describe only one thing:

1) a character2) an image3) an action4) an emotional response

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than a few lines long & each should describe only one thing:

1) a character2) an image3) an action4) an emotional response5) a different view

III) LEAN (BUT NOT TOO MEAN

A scriptexample…

SIMPLE BLACK ON WHITE CREDITS ROLL.  When all is said and done, up comes a single number in parenthesis, like so: 

(478) EXT. PARK - DAY For a few seconds we watch A MAN (20s) and a WOMAN (20s) on a park bench. Their names are TOM and SUMMER. Neither one says a word. CLOSE ON her HAND, covering his. Notice the wedding ring. No words are spoken. Tom looks at her the way every woman wants to be looked at. A DISTINGUISHED VOICE begins to speak to us. 

NARRATORThis is a story of boy meets girl.

(1) INT CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY The boy is TOM HANSEN. He sits at a very long rectangular conference table. The walls are lined with framed blow-up sized greeting cards. Tom, dark hair and blue eyes, wears a t- shirt under his sports coat and Adidas tennis shoes tobalance out the corporate dress code. He looks pretty bored. 

NARRATORThe boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy until the day he met his... “soulmate.”

 INT LIVING ROOM - 1989 PRE-TEEN TOM sits alone on his bed engrossed in a movie. His walls are covered in posters of obscure bands.  From the TV, we hear: “Elaine! Elaine!”

NARRATOR This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total misreading of the movie, “The Graduate.”

INT OFFICE CUBICLE - PRESENT DAY

The girl is SUMMER FINN. She files folders and answers phones in a plain white office. She has cropped blonde hair almost like a boy’s but her face is feminine and pretty enough to get away with it.

NARRATOR The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief.

INT BATHROOM – 1994

Teenage Summer stares at herself in the mirror. Her hair extends down to her lower back.

NARRATOR Since the disintegration of her parents’ marriage, she’d only loved two things. The first was her long blonde hair.

She picks up scissors from the counter and begins to slice.

NARRATOR The second was how easily she couldcut it off...

Summer continues cutting, her expression never changing.NARRATOR

And feel nothing.

Aproseexample…

Remember…

SCREENWRITING

PROSE WRITING

But…

SCREENWRITING

PROSE WRITING

&

are…

WRITING!

WRITING!So keep on writing…

Good luck!