*Lecture 15: How do I Develop a Longer Script? Professor Christopher Bradley

Jaws (1975) Written by Peter Benchley (novel and screenplay) and Carl Gottlieb (screenplay)

Previous LessonKeeping on TrackApproaching RevisionWriting Exercise #13 Jaws (1975)

This LessonApproaching the Feature Length ScriptJaws: Act IJaws: Act IIJaws: Act IIIE-board Jaws (1975)

*Approaching the Feature Length Script Lesson 15: Part I Jaws (1975)

Feature vs. ShortAs we have seen, the feature differs from the short in several important ways including:Thematic materialAudience sympathy with the protagonistNumber of subplotsNature of the antagonist Length and complexity of the set-upHowever, as we have also seen, most of the same elements of storytelling exist in both.

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Act I: The Set UpInciting IncidentProblem and sub-problem (related to conflict and theme)Main ExpositionVisual interestRaise questions/be compellingOpen up a world at least slightly different than ours

Jaws (1975)

Act II: DevelopmentAccelerating Conflict (Cause and Effect)The Midpoint (Pseudo-Solution)First Major LossSecond Major LossThe Big PitClimaxResolution

Jaws (1975)

Act II: Development (Continued)SurpriseMysterySuspenseDramatic IronyA Flawed ProtagonistA Strong Antagonist

Jaws (1975)

Act III: The Pay OffRevelationCrisisClimaxResolution

Jaws (1975)

*Jaws: Act I Lesson 15: Part II Jaws (1975)

The Inciting IncidentThe inciting incident in Jaws is near the movies opening when the young girl goes out swimming and is attacked.After this point, balance cannot be restored to the community until the problem set in play by the inciting incident is solved.Pause the lecture and watch Clip #1.*

The Problem and Sub-problemThe problem in Jaws is that a great white shark has staked a feeding claim off the coast of a summer resort island and is eating swimmers. The mayor insists that the beaches stay open even though people are being killed.The sub-problem is that the sheriff is unable to confront his fears. He is unable to confront the mayor with enough force and unable to confront a water-dwelling antagonist.

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Problems, Conflict and ThemeThe problems are clearly related to the conflict. The protagonist (Chief Brody) must try to eliminate the danger of the shark. In pursuing this goal, he comes into conflict with the mayor, the shark and with himself.The problems are also related to theme:Wealth vs. the middle and working classMan vs. nature

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The Main ExpositionThere is a great deal of exposition in the first act. Among other things we learn:About Chief Brody and his family; significantly, we learn early on that they are outsiders.About the character of Amity, the values of its people, and how it sustains its economy.About sharks and what they are capable of.About Quint and what he is willing to do.About Hooper and how he can help.

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Visual InterestEven though Jaws has a lot of dialogue, the screenplay allows for much of the story to be told in actions and images.There are frightening scenes on the ocean and the beach that work mostly because of the way action, characters, images and location interact with little dialogue.The opening sceneThe scene with the two fisherman and the roastPause the lecture and watch Clip #2

Raising QuestionsThe movie raises a number of questions in the first act to keep the audience interested:What is the nature of the shark and how dangerous is it?How much more damage/terror will it perpetrate?Will it be caught and how?Will Chief Brody triumph over the amoral mayor?Will Chief Brody conquer his fears/inadequacies and be able to act to solve the problem?

Opening Up a Different WorldThough Amity bears resemblance to beach towns of the time (the movie was filmed in Marthas Vineyard), it is not a real place.It is strangely self-contained; despite the problems it is having, it has very little contact with the outside world.The shark problem is one that few of us would ever have to deal with.Specific, unique characters.

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*Jaws: Act II Lesson 15: Part III Jaws (1975)

Momentum and FocusMaintaining the momentum in a feature-length screenplay is clearly more difficult than maintaining it in a short.The key is developing lots of conflict, and inventing enough complications, obstacles, triumphs and setbacks for your protagonist usually about 60 pages worth in Act II.Maintaining the momentum depends on the strength of the set-up, problem and goals.

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Accelerating ConflictRemember, the acceleration of conflict works on a cause and effect basis: your protagonist takes action, meets reaction, every scene increasing in intensity.In Jaws, Brody is fighting on three fronts, against the shark, against the mayor and against himself.Up until the midpoint, there are a series of actions and reactions as Brody fights the antagonists with mixed success.

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The MidpointFinally, at the midpoint, Brody triumphs over the Mayor, convincing him to hire Quint to kill the shark (this comes almost exactly at the actual midpoint of the film, about 62 minutes in).The second half of Act II now focuses on the battle against the shark though the rest of the act is also developing an additional adversary for Brody in Quint.

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ReversalsThe midpoint, when Brody triumphs over the Mayor, is one reversal.Some other reversals:At the end of Act I, a shark is caught that turns out not to be the real shark.Brodys resolve is strengthened when he is blamed for the childs death.The shark kills Quint, their best weapon.Brody kills the shark.

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Obstacles and ComplicationsChief Brody, Hooper, and later Quint face a number of obstacles and complications as they pursue their goals, including:The beaches being re-openedLack of cooperation and obfuscation by the mayor, selectman, coroner, citizens of AmityIgnorance/lack of knowledgeA shark thats bigger than previously thoughtQuints obsessivenessTools and weapons that dont work

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A Flawed ProtagonistChief Brody is a classic flawed protagonist. The screenplay gives him a number of weaknesses and shortcomings including:His fear of waterHis naivet about the ways of the townHis ignorance about everything nauticalHis ignorance about sharksHis mistakes in giving into the town selectman*

A Strong AntagonistBrody faces an extraordinarily strong antagonist. Not in a classical sense, that is, a human foe that matches him step for step, but this antagonist is extremely powerful, and the sharks goal clearly conflicts with Brodys goal.He actually faces four powerful antagonists at different points in the film: the shark, the Mayor, Quint and his own weakness.*

The Pseudo-SolutionThe pseudo-solution in Jaws comes near the midpoint, when Brody is given the resources to make the beach safe.However, when this fails (the shark throws everybody off by feeding in the estuary) the protagonist must make the choice to hire Quint to kill the shark, which everyone thinks will work.But no. Something greater is being asked of the protagonist.*

RevelationIn addition to the revelation about who Brody is in the clinch moment, we have other revelations. One major revelation comes when Quint reveals that he was on the Indianapolis.This explains his behavior and leads to another revelation that the three men are in trouble and on their own.

CrisisThere are a number of crises in Jaws, which force the characters to take action.The main crisis occurs when the conflict intensifies and increases, causing the action to rise for the last time. The main crisis leads to the films climax.The main crisis happens when the men are stranded, the boat is sinking and the shark is now actively attacking them.Pause the lecture and watch Clip #3.

ClimaxThe climax is the highest, most exciting point in the drama, where the conflict must finally be resolved, putting the world of the movie back into balance.In Jaws, the climax comes when Quint is eaten, the ship is almost completely sunk and Brody blows up the shark.Notice how the solution to the problem is foreshadowed earlier in the film.Pause the lecture and watch Clip #4

*Jaws: Act III Lesson 15: Part IV Jaws (1975)

ResolutionJaws has a very short resolution the shark is killed and Brody and Hooper will evidently survive to bring the happy news to Amity (unless they are eaten by another shark on the way to shore).The resolution is only a minute or so long the screenwriter realizes that tying up loose ends involving the characters and the town will be ultimately anti-climatic.

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*Assignments Lesson 13: Part V Jaws (1975)

*E-Board Post #1How are the themes of Jaws discussed in the lecture man vs. nature and wealth vs. the middle and working class manifested in the film? Are there other themes present that I didnt mention?

*E-Board Post #2Discuss one or two of your ideas for full length screenplays.

Screenwriting Competitionshttp://www.moviebytes.com/directory.cfm

What You Take AwayA Beautiful Mind (1975)Screenplay by Akiva Goldsmith Based on the book by Sylvia Nasar

Creating MeaningAristotles Model

Creating Meaning (Continued)Copernicus Model

Use Rejection to Make You StrongerGodzilla (1954)Written by Ishiro Honda, Shigeru Kayama and Takeo Murata

End of Lecture 15Congratulations, youve finished the course!

Muriels Wedding (1994)Written by P.J. Hogan

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