Scriptwriting Handouts BFI Complete

TeachingScriptwriting, Screenplays

and Storyboards for Film and TV Production

S E R I E S T E A C H I N G F I L M A N D M E D I A S T U D I E S

Mark Readman

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Series Editor: Vivienne Clark

of 2 Scriptwriting, Screenplays and Storyboards for Film and TV Production

worksheet ?worksheet 1 Screenplay format

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Key terms in screenwriting

Scene: screenplays are divided into scenes. (This is a technicaldefinition, rather than the dramatic definition Robert McKeedescribes in Story which he also calls a story event.) A scenecan be defined as a unit of dramatic action which takes placein a specific location in continuous time.

Slug line or scene heading, eg EXT. MARTHAS HOUSE. NIGHT:This tells us whether the scene is inside or outside, where it isand whether its day or night. If more information about thelocation is needed it can go from the general to the specific orvice versa, eg INT. JACKS CAR. HIGH STREET. DAY.

Scene direction: always written in the present tense, thiscontains descriptions of the characters actions and eventsrelevant to the story. Characters names are usually capitalised,eg

JACK notices MARTHA standing at the side of theroad. He slams the brakes on and the car screechesto a halt.

Character cue: the name of the character who speaks. Alwayscapitalised and centred above their speech.

Actor direction: in brackets under the characters name, usedto describe the way, or to whom, they speak. Mostlyredundant, and disliked by actors, but can be useful if themanner of speaking contradicts what appears to be themeaning or if there is potential uncertainty about who is beingaddressed.

Dialogue: what the characters say.

Camera shots and angles should not appear in the screenplay(although some writer/directors writing for themselves willinclude them).

On the page of thescreenplayattached, usearrows or bracketsto indicate theposition of thefollowing:

Scene Slug line Scene direction Character cue Actor direction Dialogue

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worksheet 1

Page 2 of 2 Scriptwriting, Screenplays and Storyboards for Film and TV Production

Screenplay format

Screenplay format

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worksheet 2


In small groups:

1 Read the following short story.

2 Construct a short screenplay based on the story making sure youuse standard screenplay format. This should include:

More than one scene; Screen directions; Dialogue.

3 Allocate parts (including a narrator for slug lines and directions) tomembers of the group and prepare a reading of your script forpresentation to the class.

A girl and her father were driving along a country road on their wayhome when they saw a young girl hitchhiking. They stopped andpicked her up and she got in the back seat. She told the girl and herfather that she lived in a house about five miles up the road. She didntsay anything after that but just turned to watch out the window. Whenthe father saw the house he drove up to it and turned around to tell thegirl they had arrived but she wasnt there. Both he and his daughterwere really mystified and decided to knock on the door and tell thepeople what had happened. They told him they had once had adaughter who answered the description of the girl they supposedly hadpicked up, but she had disappeared some years ago and had last beenseen hitchhiking on this very road. Today would have been her birthday.

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worksheet


Story structure3

A Slave ran away from his master, by whomhe had been most cruelly treated, and, inorder to avoid capture, betook himself into thedesert. As he wandered about in search of foodand shelter, he came to a cave, which he enteredand found to be unoccupied. Really, however, itwas a Lions den, and almost immediately, to thehorror of the wretched fugitive, the Lionappeared. The man gave himself up for lost. But,to his utter astonishment, the Lion, instead ofspringing upon him and devouring him, cameand fawned upon him, at the same time whiningand lifting up his paw. Observing it to be muchswollen and inflamed, the Slave examined it andfound a large thorn embedded in the ball of thefoot. He accordingly removed it and dressed thewound as well as he could: and in the course oftime it healed up completely. The Lionsgratitude was unbounded: he looked upon theSlave as his friend, and they shared the cave forsome time together. A day came, however, when

the Slave began to long for the society of hisfellow men and he bade farewell to the Lion andreturned to the town. Here he was presentlyrecognised and carried off in chains to hisformer master, who resolved to make anexample of him, and ordered that he should bethrown to the beasts at the next public spectaclein the theatre. On the fatal day the beasts wereloosed into the arena, and among the rest aLion of huge bulk and ferocious aspect: andthen the wretched Slave was cast in amongthem. What was the amazement of thespectators, when the Lion after one glancebounded up to him and lay down at his feetwith every expression of affection and delight!It was his old friend from the cave! Theaudience clamoured that the Slaves lifeshould be spared: and the governor of thetown, marvelling at such gratitude and fidelityin a beast, decreed that both should receivetheir liberty.

1

Read these alternative versions of thestory and, in your group, discusswhether or not you think they are betteror worse than the original and why.

a The Slave escapes, finds the cave,meets the Lion, removes the thornand lives happily ever after in thecave with him.

b The Slave escapes and meets theLion, as in the original, but, uponreturning to town his master tells himhow much hes missed him andpromises to be much kinder in future.

c Everything happens exactly as inthe original except that the Lion killsthe Slave in the arena.

In small groups, discuss the story, TheSlave and the Lion in relation to thefollowing questions:

1 Who is the main character in thisstory? Why?

2 What is the difference between theSlave at the beginning and theSlave at the end?

3 What are the different goals or aimsthat the Slave has during the courseof this story?

4 Does this story feel finished?Why?

5 What is this story about? Have thecharacters learned anything?

Read the following story and complete the activities which follow.

The Slave and the Lion

Activity 1 Activity 2

Story structure analysing Friends

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student notes


(Worksheet 4)

Scene 1 (teaser)B Monica is unemployed and short of

money. Shes been watching thebusiness channel and has noticed thatthere is some stock which correspondsto her initials.

C Phoebe decides to visit her estrangedfather because she has beeninterpreting a range of everydayoccurrences as signs which are tellingher to go.

Scene 2A Ross and Chandler are moved from

their usual seat in the coffee house,Central Perk, by two intimidating menwho claim to have been sitting therebefore them. One of them takesChandlers hat and refuses to return it.

Scene 3B Monica has had an interview for a

terrible job at a fifties themedrestaurant. She cant bear to thinkabout taking it but she is desperatelyshort of money and may have to.

A Chandler and Ross return and describehow they were bullied.

B Monica notices that the stock with herinitials has gone up and suddenlydecides to play the market.

Scene 4C Phoebe arrives at her fathers house

with Joey and Rachel, but is chasedaway by an aggressive dog.

Scene 5A Ross and Chandler meet the bullies

again in Central Perk. The bullies claimownership of the sofa and, after someverbal sparring, suggest that they taketheir dispute outside. Chandler andRoss back down and the bullies tellthem never to return to the coffee shop.

(Season 2 Episode 21 The one with thebullies).

Like many recent US sitcoms Friendsexemplifies a highly condensed economicalmode of story telling. In 22 minutes of screentime, this episode contains three distinctstories, each of which reaches a resolution.Each story is told in five or six scenes and,as there is no room for superfluous narrative,they provide excellent material for investigatingstory construction and causality.

For ease of reference, the followingbreakdown of the episode includes only theessential bits of narrative information andeach element is preceded by an A, B or C,depending on which story it relates to (nohierarchy of stories should be inferred fromthis).

There are three distinct stories in thisepisode of Friends:

A The bulliesB Monicas moneyC Phoebes father

Friends


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student notes 1


(Worksheet 4)

Scene 6C Night has fallen and the dog has

disappeared, but Phoebe thinks thatthe dog was a bad sign and thatperhaps the meeting is not meant to beafter all. She drives away andaccidentally runs over the dog.

ADVERT BREAK

Scene 7B Monica has been transformed into an

enthusiastic trader and is confidentlybuying shares over the phone.

C Phoebe reveals that the dog is at thevets and will be OK. She feels obligedto let the dogs owner know, butdoesnt want her first contact with herfather to be over the phone and abouthis damaged dog. Joey phones for herand explains that the dog will bereturned shortly.

Scene 8A Chandler and Ross drink instant

cappuccino in Chandlers apartment,putting a brave face on their enforcedexile from Central Perk. Joey offers toescort them later, but Ross becomesinfuriated by the situation and arguesthat they should stand up to thebullies.

Scene 9B Monica is desperate she has lost all

her money and wants to borrow moneyfrom Rachel or shell have to take thejob in the diner. Rachel cant help her.

Scene 10C Phoebe returns the dog to her fathers

house. She discovers that her fatherleft four years ago, but meets her halfbrother Frank with whom sheestablishes some kind of rapport.

Scene 11A Ross and Chandler bravely gulp down

their coffee in Central Perk and, havingasserted their right to be there, dashout. However, they meet the bulliesoutside. They all prepare to fight, and,after outlawing them as potentialweapons, put their keys and watchesin a hat. They take some time toestablish rules of engagement and,meanwhile, their stuff is stolen by acouple of opportunist thieves.

Scene 12A Ross and Chandler return to the coffee

house with the bullies, flushed withsuccess at their triumph over thethieves. They have all bonded throughthe experience and decide that they nolonger have a problem with each other.

Scene 13 (Tag)B Monica is suffering at her new job in

the fifties diner.

Friends


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worksheet 4


(Season 2 Episode 21 The one with the bullies)

Concentrate on the bullies story.

Summarise what happens in each scene with the bulliesstory in it.

After each of these scenes stop and think what do youthink will happen next? Why?

Again, concentrating on the bulliesstory in the Friends episode, wouldthis be as effective if:

Chandler and Ross accept thebullies offer to take it outside inScene 5 and the same things happenas in Scenes 11 and 12? Why?

Chandler and Ross decided neverto return to the coffee shop afterthe confrontation in Scene 5? Why?

Chandler and Ross were actually tohave a bloody fist fight in the streetwith the bullies, finally vanquishingtheir foes? Why?

Stories tend to have three acts:

Act I: set-upAct II: confrontationAct III: resolution

Concentrate on the bullies story andbreak it down into three acts.

Describe the set-up. Describe the confrontation. Describe the resolution.

What are the two key events or PlotPoints that separate the acts? In otherwords, what causes the confrontation?What causes the resolution?

Friends

Activity 1


Story structure

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worksheet 5


In a small group, look at the following story set-up:

Carnelle Scott is young and full of dreams and feeling marooned inYazoo city, Mississippi. Her only way out is by winning the townsbeauty pageant on the Fourth of July.

Carnelle Scott successfully escapes from her home town by winningthe beauty pageant.

2 Describe the possible story events that might take us from the set-up to the resolution. The following questions might help you:

Will it be easy for her? Why? Will she have to do anything she doesnt want to do? What?

Why? Will she have to sacrifice anything? Friends? Family? Will she be different at the end? How?

3 What is the key story event, or Plot Point that might bring aboutAct II the confrontation?

4 What is the key story event, or Plot Point that might bring aboutAct III the resolution?

1 How might this story end?Lets imagine that the resolution to the story is this:

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student notes 2


(Worksheet 6) Synopsis of Joyride(Jim Gillespie, 1995, UK)

The film opens at night, there are sounds of a storm brewing in thedistance. An engineer is on the phone to a colleague as he inspects afaulty overhead power line. He tells his colleague that the fault is notserious and that he is late for a date so he packs up and leaves.

Changing his shirt while driving, he stops abruptly when he notices abody in the road. He gets out, approaches the body but, when thebody turns to look at him and another man approaches him frombehind, he realises that this is a set-up. The second man knocks himout.

He wakes up, hands tied, in the boot of his own car, which is nowbeing driven by his attackers. He manages to switch on a torch andthen kicks at one of the rear light clusters, in order to disconnect thewiring. The car is then noticed by two police officers who give chase.The ambushers pull over and field questions about the rear light, butwhen the kidnapped engineer kicks and shouts from inside the boot,and is heard by the police, the villains attack and, we assume, kill them.

The journey resumes and the engineer frantically tries to cut hisbonds with a knife from his tool kit. Another police car is now inpursuit and, as it bumps the pursued car, it causes the loose wiringon the light to spark and for a can of petrol to spill over the engineer.With his hands free, the engineer pulls out the main fuse, cutting thepower to lights and engine and the car veers off the road, into somewoods and crashes.

He staggers from the wreckage one of the attackers has gonethrough the windscreen and makes for the road where the policecar has stopped, but the other attacker seizes him from behind andholds a knife at his throat to ensure his silence. Suddenly one of theloose wires from the fuse box makes contact again and the car alarmgoes off, alerting the police to their presence. Threatening to kill hishostage, the attacker demands the police car and the police agreeand back off, but the engineer, drawing on his last reserves of energy,lunges backwards and knocks down his tormentor.

A policeman helps the engineer out of the woods and comments onthe smell of petrol. The engineer realises that he has ended up wherehe started, at the site of the faulty power line. He calls out to thepoliceman that, if he had fixed the fault, he would never have met hisattackers. As he looks up there is a crackle and a shower of sparksand we cut to black with the sound of sudden combustion.

Story structureand theme

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worksheet 6


Story structure

Write, in list form, the things that happen in Joyride. Where one thing happens because of another link them with

the word because.

Theme

Describe the main character at the beginning of the film. Describe him at the end. Write a single sentence which sums up what this film is

about. If you think it is about different things, write a single

sentence for each one.

Story structure

Consider the Three Act Structure in relation to Joyride.Act I: set upAct II: confrontationAct III: resolution

Describe the set up. Explain where Act II starts. Describe the confrontation. Explain where Act III starts. Describe the resolution.

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Watch the film, Joyride.

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student notes 3


(Worksheet 7)

Phil Parker in The Art and Science ofScreenwriting (1999) suggests that there areten basic story types:

1 The RomanceA character is seen to be emotionally lackingor missing something or someone.Something/someone the object of desire is seen as a potential solution. The characterstruggles to overcome barriers betweenhimself and the object of desire andsucceeds in overcoming some, if not all, ofthem. The resolution comes when thecharacter unites with the object of desire (egWhen Harry Met Sally, Rob Reiner, 1989,US).

2 The Unrecognised VirtueThe character with a virtue becomes part ofsomeone elses world and falls in love with apowerful character in this world. Thecharacter seeks to prove that she isdesirable to the powerful character but thepower relationship undermines this. Thecharacter attempts to solve a problem forthe powerful character and, in doing so, hervirtue is finally recognised (eg Pretty Woman,Garry Marshall, US, 1990).

3 The Fatal FlawThe character has a quality that bringssuccess and enables him to gainopportunities denied to other characters. Heuses opportunities for his own gain at theexpense of others, but when he recognisesthe damage he has done he sets himmself anew challenge. However, the quality whichbrought him success leads to failure in thenew challenge (eg William ShakespearesMacbeth).

4 The Debt That Must Be RepaidThe character wants something or someoneand becomes aware that something orsomeone is available which will possibly giveher what she wants at a price. Thecharacter agrees to pay the price later andpursues her original desire. The characterattempts to avoid settling the debt but isfinally confronted by the debtor and the debtis repaid (eg Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde byRobert Louis Stevenson).

5 The Spider and the FlyThe character wants to make anothercharacter do his bidding but, having nopower to force her, devises a plan to trap herinto doing it. The character successfullyexecutes the plan, achieves his initial goaland then faces a new future (eg DoubleIndemnity, Billy Wilder, US, 1944).

6 The Gift Taken AwayThe character has a gift which she loses andseeks to regain. The pursuit of the gift leadsher into a new situation to which she becomesreconciled (eg Rain Man, Barry Levinson, US,1988).

7 The QuestThe character is set a task to find someoneor something. He accepts the challenge,searches for and finds the someone orsomething. He is then rewarded, or not, forhis success in the quest (eg Star Wars,George Lucas, US, 1977).

8 The Rites of PassageThe character recognises that she hasreached the next age in her life and attemptsto learn what she needs to know to adapt tothis new age. She tries to act as if she hasalready acquired the necessary knowledgeand fails. She then encounters a challengewhich requires her to reach beyond what shehas already achieved. Her success reflectsher maturation into the new phase of her life(eg Stand by Me, Rob Reiner, US, 1986).

Story types

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(Worksheet 7)

Story types

9 The WandererThe character arrives in a new place anddiscovers a problem associated with it. Infacing the problem she reveals why she leftthe last place, then attempts to move onagain (eg Shane, George Stevens, US, 1953).

10 The Character Who Cannot Be PutDown

The character demonstrates his prowess in acertain situation but then faces a biggerchallenge, which he accepts. He succeedsby triumphing over a range of antagonisticforces (eg Die Hard, John McTiernan, 1988,US).

Other story types

Robert McKee, in Story (1998), also offers usa list of story types, a genre and sub-genresystem used by screenwriters whichincludes entries based on setting as well asstory structure the most useful of which are:

Maturation Plot (the coming of age story);

Redemption Plot (moral change inprotagonist from bad to good);

Punitive Plot (protagonist changes fromgood to bad and is punished);

Testing Plot (willpower versus thetemptation to surrender);

Education Plot (protagonists view oflife/self/people changes from negative topositive);

Disillusionment Plot (protagonistsworldview changes from positive tonegative).

Story types

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worksheet 7


Consider The Slave and the Lion, Joyride and other filmnarratives you have examined, and put each of them into oneor more of the following categories:

The Romance The Unrecognised Virtue The Fatal Flaw The Debt That Must Be Repaid The Spider and the Fly The Gift Taken Away The Quest The Rites of Passage The Wanderer The Character Who Cannot Be Put Down.

Now try to place them in these categories:

Maturation Plot Redemption Plot Punitive Plot Testing Plot Education Plot Disillusionment Plot.

What does this tell you about: The story? The protagonist?

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student notes 4


(Worksheet 8) Synopsis ofGroundhog Day(Harold Ramis, 1993, US)

Cynical, egocentric Pittsburgh weatherman, Phil Connors, aftermaking a no blizzard prediction for the region, reluctantly journeys toPunxsutawney with his new producer, Rita, and cameraman, Larry inorder to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities (a ritual hasdeveloped around the idea that if the groundhog sees its shadow onFebruary 2nd, there will supposedly be six more weeks of winter).They spend the night in Punxsutawney, cover the festival and headhome, but are forced back by the blizzard Phil failed to anticipate.

Phil awakes next morning in his guest house and gradually realisesthat it is still February 2nd and that the day is repeating itself. Initiallyhe thinks that he is ill but soon becomes intoxicated with the idea that,as the day starts afresh every morning, there are no consequences tohis actions, and he exploits this by, for example, eating excessively,seducing a local woman and robbing a security van.

He then turns his attentions to Rita, using his special circumstancesto discover her tastes and desires and fuel a calculated campaign ofseduction. Despite repeated attempts to create the illusion that he isher ideal partner she continues to see through him and rejects him.

Groundhog Day

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student notes 4

Phil then enters a state of despair and, after kidnapping thegroundhog and driving over the edge of a quarry with it, repeatedlyends his life in a variety of ways, only to re-awaken every morningback in the guest house. Finally he unburdens himself to Rita, provingthrough his intimate knowledge of the local people and the events ofthe day that he is in an extraordinary state. She agrees to spend therest of the day with him in order to see what happens but, later, theyfall asleep in his room and when he wakes up he is alone again and itis February 2nd.

He then begins to live differently, treating people with respect andgenerosity, taking piano lessons and learning how to ice sculpt. Hetakes a particular interest in a tramp who, despite his best efforts,repeatedly dies. At the end of the day he meets Rita at the party andshe witnesses his musical prowess as well as the gratitude of themany people he has helped during the day. When the bachelorauction commences she outbids everyone else for him and, after awalk during which Phil sculpts her face in ice and tells her he lovesher, they spend a chaste night together.

The next morning Phil awakes to the same song that has playedevery morning, but quickly realises that Rita is still with him and that,at last, it is February 3rd and the spell is broken.

Synopsis of Groundhog Day


(Worksheet 8)

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worksheet 8


Story structure andtypes

Story type

Which story type best fits GroundhogDay?

Romance? The Rites of Passage? Redemption Plot? Education Plot?

Why?

Discussion

Why isnt the blizzard which forcesthem back to Punxsutawney PlotPoint I?

Why doesnt Act II begin when Philwakes for the first time to discoverits still February 2nd?

Structural analysis

Groundhog Day can be divided into three acts. Describe whathappens in:

Act I: the set-upAct II: the confrontation/developmentAct III: the resolution

What are the key story events, or Plot Points, that propel Phil,the protagonist, from Act I into Act II and from Act II into Act III?

Groundhog Day

Activity 1

Activity 2

Character

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worksheet 9

Read the following three extracts from screenplays which introduceus to characters, then answer the questions at the end.

1

INT. HALLWAY. NIGHT

Follow a pair of feet as they shuffle across the cement floor.The shoes are shabby and worn, as are the wrinkled pants thathang too low and loose at the cuffs. The right foot is turnedslightly inward and falls with a hard limp. It is clear that theknee does not extend fully.

The sound of a steel door opening. The bottom corner of a steelcage comes into view. Another set of feet falls into step withthe first. Another set of feet falls into step with the first.Another steel door and another set of feet. Another door, anotherand another. Five pairs of feet walk single file down the hall.

The lame feet are in the front of the line. They come to anothersteel door, this one solid and covered with dents and rivets.

Crane up to reveal: ROGER KINT, VERBAL to his few friends. Hehas a deeply lined face, making his thirty-odd years a good guessat best. From his twisted left hand, we can see that he suffersfrom a slight but not debilitating palsy.

The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, US, 1995). Screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie.


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worksheet 9


TRAVIS BICKLE, aged twenty-six, lean, hard, the consummate loner.On the surface he appears good-looking, even handsome; he has aquiet steady look and a disarming smile which flashes fromnowhere, lighting up his whole face. But behind that smile,around his dark eyes, in his gaunt cheeks, one can see theominous strains caused by a life of private fear, emptiness andloneliness. He seems to have wandered in from a land where it isalways cold, a country where the inhabitants seldom speak. Thehead moves, the expression changes, but the eyes remain ever-fixed, unblinking, piercing empty space.

TRAVIS is now drifting in and out of the New York City nightlife, a dark shadow among darker shadows. Not noticed, with noreason to be noticed, TRAVIS is one with his surroundings. Hewears rider jeans, cowboy boots, a plaid western shirt and a wornbeige Army jacket with a patch reading King Kong Company, 1968-70.

He has the smell of sex about him; sick sex repressed sex, lonelysex, but sex none the less. He is a raw male force, drivingforward; towards what, one cannot tell. Then one looks closer andsees the inevitable. The clock spring cannot be wound continuallytighter. As the earth moves towards the sun, TRAVIS BICKLE movestowards violence.

Character

2

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, US, 1976) Screenplay by Paul Schrader.

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worksheet 9


Character

INT. BEDROOM. EARLY-MORNING HOURS.

A DOG sleeps on a neatly made bed. A CLOCK reads twenty to six. A SHELF OF BOOKS holds such classics as Dantes Inferno, BeyondGood and Evil, The Catcher in the Rye and The Dark KnightReturns. A FRAMED DIPLOMA, dusty and unkempt, hangs askew on thewall. A snapshot of a girl is stuck in the corner, and a braweighs one end down. A PHONE sits quietly atop a bundle oflaundry. It suddenly explodes with a resounding ring once,twice, three times. A CLOSET DOOR swings open, and a half-cladfigure falls out. THE PHONE rings yet again, and a hand fallsupon the receiver, yanking it off the trash can, OC. THE RUMPLEDFIGURE lays with his back to the camera, phone in hand.

FIGURE(groggily)

Hello...What?...No, I dont worktoday...Im playing hockey at two.

3

What does each extract tell us about the character? Which one has the most information about outer presence, inner

presence and context? Which one do you think is the most effective? Why?

Clerks (Kevin Smith, US, 1994) Screenplay by Kevin Smith.

Character

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worksheet 10


Using a slug line and screen directions (but little or no dialogue), inabout 200 words, create and introduce a character in a screenplay.You should make sure that you convey information about:

The impression they create (their appearance); Their attitude (personality, temperament); The world they inhabit (where and how they live).

When you can visualise the character and their world, consider thefollowing questions:

What would this character do if her husband was kidnapped and aransom was demanded?

What would this character do if a homeless man had a heartattack in front of him?

What would this character do if he were mugged? What would this character do if she were offered a bribe to betray

company secrets? What would this character do if he had a chance to cheat on his

girlfriend?

Dialogue

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worksheet 11


Read the followingextract from TheFull Monty (PeterCattaneo, UK, 1997)and answer thequestions thatfollow. (Screenplay bySimon Beaufoy.)

INT. POLICE INTERVIEW ROOM. DAY

GAZ, GERALD, THE HORSE and THE INSPECTOR are sittingwatching the TV screen. Behind them the room iscrowded with the rest of the police station, allleering in through the door. Except for the GANG,the room is in good-natured uproar. On the TV,captured by the security cameras, is the GANGSwhole dance routine, including the raid.

GERALD(to the inspector)Do you mind a sec?

GERALD leans forward, presses rewind and turns toGAZ accusingly.

GERALDI told you look, youre always ahead here.

Watch.

GAZYoure always bloody behind, more like.

Forgetting where he is now his professionalism hasbeen called into question, GERALD turns to thecrowd of POLICE.

GERALDLook, shurrup, will you?

The crowd of POLICE fall silent. The video playsthrough.

INSPECTORHes right. Youre ahead.

GAZ(annoyed)

Oh go bollocks.

What does thedialogue tell usabout theindividualcharacters andthe relationshipsbetween them?

Does any of thedialogue strikeyou as unusual orfunny? Why?

Dialogue

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worksheet 12


Read the followingscene from GoodWill Hunting (GusVan Sant, US, 1997)and consider thequestions thatfollow. (Screenplay by Matt Damon andBen Affleck.)

INT. BOW AND ARROW, AT THE BAR LATER

WILL sits with MORGAN at the bar, watching withsome amusement as CHUCKIE and BILLY play a barbasketball game where the players shoot miniatureballs at a small basket. In the background weoccasionally hear CHUCKIE shouting Larry! whenhe scores. SKYLAR emerges from the crowd andapproaches WILL.

SKYLARYou suck.

WILLWhat?

SKYLARIve been sitting overthere for forty-fiveminutes waiting foryou to come talk tome. But Im just tirednow and I have to gohome, and I wasntgoing to keep sittingthere waiting for you.

WILLIm Will.

SKYLARSkylar. And by theway, that guy overthere is a real dick,and I just wanted youto know he didnt comewith us.

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worksheet 12


WILLI kind of got thatimpression.

SKYLARWell, look, I have togo. Gotta get up earlyand waste some moremoney on my overpricededucation.

WILLI didnt mean you.Listen, maybe...

SKYLARHeres my number.

SKYLAR produces a folded piece of paper andoffers it to WILL.

SKYLARMaybe we could go outfor coffee sometime?

WILLGreat, or maybe wecould go somewhere andjust eat a bunch ofcaramels.

SKYLARWhat?

WILLWhen you think aboutit, its just asarbitrary as drinkingcoffee.

Dialogue

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worksheet 12


SKYLAR(laughs)

Okay, sounds good.

She turns.

WILLFive minutes.

SKYLARWhat?

WILLI was tryin to besmooth.

Indicates clock

But at twelve-fifteenI was gonna come overthere and talk to you.

SKYLARSee, its my lifestory. Five moreminutes and I wouldhave got to hear yourbest pick-up line.

WILLThe caramel thing ismy pick-up line.

SKYLAR(beat)

Glad I came over.

Dialogue

What does thisdialogue revealabout thecharacters andhow does it do it?

How does itreveal theirinterest in eachother?

How does itrelate to thesetting?

What informationis conveyed thatcould have beenconveyedvisually?

Dialogue

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worksheet 13


Read the extract from Fargo (Joel andEthan Coen, US,1996) and considerthe questions thatfollow. (Screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen.)

A BEDROOM

We are square on NORM, who sits in bed watchingtelevision. After a long beat, MARGE enters framein a nightie and climbs into bed, with someeffort.

MARGEOooph!

NORM reaches for her hand as both watch thetelevision. At length NORM speaks, but keeps hiseyes on the TV.

NORMThey announced it.

MARGE looks at him.

MARGEThey announced it?

NORMYah.

MARGE looks at him, waiting for more, but NORMSeyes stay fixed on the television.

MARGE...So?

NORMThree-cent stamp

MARGEYour mallard?

NORMYah.

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MARGENorm, thats terrific!

NORM tries to suppress a smile of pleasure.

NORMIts just the three-cent.

MARGEIts terrific!

NORMHautmans blue-wingedteal got the twenty-nine cent. Peopledont much use thethree-cent.

MARGEOh, for Petes acourse they do! Everytime they raise thedarned postage, peopleneed the littlestamps!

NORMYah.

MARGEWhen theyre stuckwith a bunch a the oldones!

NORMYah, I guess.

13 Dialogue

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worksheet 13


MARGEThats terrific.

Her eyes go back to the TV.

...Im so proud a you,Norm.

They watch TV.

...Heck, were doinpretty good, Norm.

NORM murmurs:

NORMI love you, Margie.

MARGEI love you, Norm.

Both of them are watching the TV as NORM reachesout to rest a hand on top of her stomach.

NORM...Two more months.

MARGE absently rests her own hand on top of his.

MARGETwo more months.

Hold; fade out.

What does thedialogue tell usabout Marge andNorm and theirrelationship?

Why does itseem strangethat thisconversation islargely devotedto Normspainting?

What dont theytalk about? Whatis the effect ofthis?

What kind oflanguage do theyuse? What is theeffect of this?

Dialogue

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student notes 5


(Worksheet 14) ConstructingdialoguePhil Parker, in The Art and Science of Screenwriting, provides somepointers on good dialogue in a screenplay:

1 It has a clear dramatic function (eg advances the story, revealscharacter).

2 It relates to the visual aspect of the moment (it should relate insome way to what we see on screen it may be ironicallyjuxtaposed against a setting, for example).

3 It is character-specific (a well-established test of this is to cover upthe names in a screenplay and see if it is still clear who isspeaking).

4 It is economical (in a realist drama, dialogue should be short andto the point).

5 It reflects the style of the narrative (the way that every characterspeaks should fit the world they inhabit and should add to therhythm and pace of the script).

6 It delivers only what the action and visuals cannot.7 It is speech, not prose (it should convey the illusion of real speech,

even though it is inevitably more structured).

Raymond Frensham, in Teach Yourself Screenwriting, offers a list ofdonts:

1 Avoid passing-the-time-of-day dialogue: greeting, polite nothings,goodbyes etc.

2 Dont repeat information in dialogue that has already occurredelsewhere in the dialogue.

3 Avoid dialect and writing phonetically: when the character isintroduced, the description can contain information about accent,but script readers and actors dont like having to read phoneticrepresentations of voices.

4 Never italicise dialogue to create emphasis and try to avoidexclamation marks.

5 Not every question asked in dialogue needs to be answered. Theuse of silence, a reaction or non-reaction can be as, or morepowerful than dialogue.

Dialogue

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worksheet


Choose one of the following scenarios and write a short scene ofdialogue (about 500 words) in which the characters negotiate witheach other:

A man tries to tell his father that he is gay; A woman tries to break up with her boyfriend; A man tries to ask a woman out; A child tries to patch up an argument with a friend.

Before beginning to write, consider the following questions aboutyour characters:

How do they talk? Do they have any mannerisms or verbal tics? How might they avoid saying what they want to say? How might they try to imply particular meanings? What do they do with their bodies? Where are they? Can their conversations play against the grain of

the setting for dramatic effect?

When you have written the first draft of your scene consider thefollowing:

Is it clear who the main character is? What is the difference between the beginning of the scene and the

end? How has the condition of the main character changed by the end

of the scene? Did they start powerful or happy and end up weakor sad? Or vice versa? If the condition of the main character doesnot change, what is the point of the scene?

14

Shot types

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worksheet 15


Using the human figure as yoursubject, sketch storyboard framesshowing the following shot types:

Extreme Long Shot Long Shot Medium Shot Close Up.

Compare your frames with someoneelses. Which is most effective? Why?

Storyboard the following 10 shot sequence:

1 ELS a character walks towards the camera s/he pauses near a building.2 CU s/he looks down at something.3 POV ECU scrap of paper with an address on it.4 CU s/he looks up.5 TILT UP to LOW ANGLE on building.6 LS from inside building as s/he opens door and enters.7 CU TRACK of his/her legs moving from SCREEN RIGHT to LEFT.8 LS s/he arrives at a closed door.9 CU s/he looks off-screen at door.

10 ECU door number.

Optional: Using your storyboard as a blueprint, shoot the sequence, editing in-camera by

using the pause button. Use a tripod for every shot except one. Do not use the zoom function (except to frame your shot) or any special effects.

Use storyboard frames to show thefollowing movements of the cameraand objects within the frame:

1 Zoom in on human figure frommedium shot to close up;

2 Low angle shot of building tiltdown from top to ground level;

3 Close up of a hand opening a door;4 Canted angle of a car driving off-

screen.

Compare your frames with a partners.Which are most effective at conveyingmovement? Why?


Activity 3

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worksheet 15


Shotno.

Type of shot& duration

Sound/dialogue

Working title ________________________________________________

Group names ________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Picture

Shot types

Shot types

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worksheet 16


In small groups create a storyboard sequence based on the followinglist of shot descriptions:

1 CU side-on tracking shot of a woman walking across a car park.She thinks she hears something and turns.

2 MS rear angle. Slow zoom into CU on face. She turns back.

3 Front angle CU of face. She resumes walking.

4 Front angle CU of her feet walking.

5 CU of bag as she fumbles for keys.

6 CU of her face trace of anxiety.

7 POV tracking LS as she approaches her car.

8 CU of her face as she continues to fumble, then breaks into a run.

9 CU side angle her feet running.

10 MS rear angle as she approaches car and stops at door.

11 CU of door lock as she fumbles with keys.

12 High rear angle zoom in to her back.

13 CU of keys and lock. She drops keys.

14 MS ground level from far side of car as she bends down to lookfor keys.

15 MS rear angle as she bends down.

16 MS ground level as she lies on floor trying to reach keys.

17 CU of her face and hand as she tries to reach keys.

18 POV ground level male feet approaching the car from the farside.

19 CU of her face panic. She gets up.

20 High rear angle she runs away.

Compare your version with another one.

Is it clear what happens in each shot? If not, why? Is it clear how the shots link with each other to form a sequence?

If not, why?

Sequencing

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worksheet 17


Choose one of the following six scenarios and create a storyboardconsisting of 1520 shots.

Avoid using dialogue, but make sure that you convey informationabout narrative and character through

Shot types Sequence of shots Camera movement Movement within the frame.

Scenarios

1 LateCharacter A is waiting for Character B. Character B is oblivious tothe fact, until it is too late.

2 TVCharacter A gets so sick of watching TV s/he makes a decision todo something else.

3 AttractionCharacter A and Character B notice each other in a public spaceand are attracted to each other, but one of them is meetingsomeone else.

4 Banana SkinCharacter A is careless with a banana skin and it looks as ifCharacter B will suffer the consequences.

5 UnwellCharacter A begins to feel unusual and has to sit down.

6 UnwelcomeCharacter A is very anxious about the impending arrival ofCharacter B for some reason.

Pass your storyboard on to another student (or group). Can theymake sense of what happens? If not, why not? How can it beimproved?

Can you make sense of someone elses storyboard? If not, why not?

Planning a project

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worksheet 18


Finding a protagonist

You may have an idea for a moment, acharacter, an image but have difficultyseeing how this could be made into astory.

Brainstorm for a while use a bigsheet of paper and put yourcharacter, moment or image in themiddle, then just write downANYTHING that occurs to you inrelation to this central object.

Your aim is to come up with a maincharacter, male, female, young, old,gay, straight, rich, poor, black, white who are they?

Next, what do they want out of life?Perhaps the following list of thingsthat make people act will give yousome ideas: Pursuit of love/lust Desire for justice/order/revenge Fear Greed Compassion Ambition Need for validation.

So what will your character DO inthis story? Will they be driven bydifferent things at different points inthe story?

Finding a story

Its not easy coming up with a storyfrom scratch. If you need inspirationyou could try the following:

Look at other films (especially if youneed to produce something in aparticular genre) and consider: What sorts of stories are typical

(of the genre)? What sorts of characters are

typical? Are there any opportunities for

hybridisation or mixing elementsfrom different films?

What qualities would you expecta main character or protagonistto have?

Look at newspapers and magazinesand consider: Which of the stories sound

interesting? Which would make a good visual

story? Can you identify a protagonist? Can you imagine what might

drive this protagonist?

Look at your own experience andconsider An event that was funny/

shocking/scary/dramatic. How might this event form part of

a story? Does an individual emerge as a

central character? How might they have reached the

moment of the event? What might they do afterwards?


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worksheet 18


Planning a project

Developing a storystatement

You should now have

A protagonist; A sense of what this character will

do in this story; A rough idea of what kind of story

this will be a romance, forexample.

Write a statement of what your film isabout. It should be one or two (but nomore than three) sentences long andbe based on your central character.For example:

This story is about apoliceman who, on his last dayin the job before retiring,promises a mother that he willfind the killer of her daughter.His promise becomes anobsession and he ends upusing another little girl as baitin order to catch the murderer.

Before you can get to this stage youwill need to go through a number oflonger versions. You may have loadsof ideas for what happens, but try tofocus on the essence of the story what and who is it really about?

Read your statement to the group. Make a note of peoples questions andcomments they might help youdevelop your idea.

Developing an ending

You now have a statement of whatyour story is about.

You now need to come up withanother statement which tells us:

how your story will end; how your protagonist will have

changed at the end.

For example, if your story were about:

A young unemployed man,separated from his wife andson, tries to make somemoney by organising hisunemployed friends into agroup of male strippers.

Your new statement could read:

Despite numerous setbacksthey finally manage to put ona successful show. Theprotagonist will have forged a new relationship with hisson and, more importantly,managed to regain some self-respect.


Categorising thestory

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worksheet 19


Look at Phil Parkers ten story types:

1 The Romance2 The Unrecognised Virtue3 The Fatal Flaw4 The Debt That Must Be Repaid5 The Spider and the Fly6 The Gift Taken Away7 The Quest8 The Rites of Passage9 The Wanderer

10 The Character Who Cannot Be Put Down

Look at Robert McKees six plot types.

1 Maturation Plot 2 Redemption Plot 3 Punitive Plot 4 Testing Plot 5 Education Plot 6 Disillusionment Plot

Look at your two statements about your story.

What sort of story do you have? Does it fall into one or more ofParkers categories? Which ones? If it doesnt seem to fitanywhere why is this? Can you improve it by making it fit?

Does your story fit any of McKees plot types? If not, why not?Your main character should have changed in some way by the endof the story do they? If not, can you make them?

Structuring the story

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worksheet 20


The Three Act Structure represents a screenplay. You already know:

What and who your story is about; How it ends.

Act I Set up Act II Confrontation Act III Resolution

I II

Use the model above to design the structure of your story. Drawthree columns with these headings on an A4 sheet of paper. In thethird column summarise the ending of your story.

Now consider the following:

How will your protagonist get from the beginning to the end? What sorts of obstacles will they have to overcome? What will the first Plot Point (I) be the one that forces them to

confront something? What will the second Plot Point (II) be the one that drives them

towards the resolution?

Some tips

The first act must set up who the protagonist is and should tell usif they have a particular need, flaw or quality.

Plot Point I must be a story event that forces the protagonist to actdifferently it should give the character a goal.

In Act II we often see the protagonist confronting a problem in thewrong way, or looking in the wrong place for something.

Plot Point II should be something that makes the protagonistrealise the right way to confront the problem they may evenrealise that its a different problem or the right place to look forsomething.

In the final act the protagonist is properly focused on the goal. Itshould build towards a climax the high point of the story and afinal encounter, after which the protagonist is changed they mayhave learned something, achieved something or satisfied a needfor something.

Developing atreatment and a pitch

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worksheet 21


A treatment

Write a treatment for your screenplay, with reference to yourThree Act diagram which you have used to determine:

Set-up Plot Point I Development Plot Point II Resolution

The treatment should be about 6001000 words long for afeature length work and about 300400 words for a self-contained short. It should be in the present tense and tell us who the maincharacters are and what happens in the film. Look at anexample before writing your own.

Eventually it may be necessary for you to reduce this to a shortsynopsis, but for now you will find it easier to write the longversion.

A pitch

You have your treatment. You know what your screenplay isabout. Your task is to communicate this in a brief, exciting waythrough a sales pitch. You will have one minute in which to:

State the title of your film; Give a tagline; Make people want to see it.

Afterwards did they? Why? Why not?

Activity 1

Activity 2

Developing asequence

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worksheet 22


You now have a treatment for a complete screenplay. Unless this is ashort you will need to select an extract from it to script. Consider thefollowing:

Which parts of your narrative would make an interesting or excitingextract in narrative terms?

Which parts of your narrative would make an interesting or excitingextract in visual terms?

Try to choose a part of the narrative which has a sense of a beginningand a sense of an ending. It could be, for example, a sequence:

In which the main character (orcharacters) is established;

Which features a plot point and builds upto the start of the next act;

In which a story reaches a climax.

Script

Produce an extract of your treatmentin script form.

Break your sequence into scenes. Make sure that, in each scene,

some sort of change has beenbrought about it should move thestory along.

Tell your story visually dont justlet your characters talk at eachother, but tell us what we will seeon screen that will provide us withnarrative information.

If using dialogue, make sure youknow why people are speaking andhow.

Your script should be formatted correctly; consist of approximately 800

words; combine screen directions and

dialogue.

Storyboard

Produce an extract of your treatmentin storyboard form.

Use different shot types to conveyinformation an eyeline match, aclose up, a point of view shot, ashot held for longer than is merelyfunctional can all convey loads ofinformation about character andintention.

Dont forget to establish a spacebefore fragmenting it into differentshots.

Be creative and imaginative try tomake your storyboard visuallyappealing.

Your storyboard should consist of at least 15 shots and

no more than 25 shots; use arrows to indicate camera

movement; use arrows to indicate the

movement of characters withinthe shot;

indicate the duration of shots; provide information about

dialogue, and diegetic and non-diegetic sound/music.

Activity 1

Activity 2

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student notes 6


Glossary

BeatDirectional word used to indicate a pause inan actors speech or action of a sequence.

Camera angleThe position of the frame in relation to thesubject it shows: looking down (high angle),on the same level (straight-on angle) orlooking up (low angle).

Canted angle (also known as Dutch angle)Shot in which the horizontal frame line is notparallel to the horizon.

Close upShot in which the subject is larger than theframe approximately from the top of thechest to the top of the head.

ContinuityThe continuous flow of a film/TV programmewhere shot follows shot in a smoothunderstandable way. Effective continuity isdependent upon the logical matching ofdetails, movement and dialogue from shot toshot and makes us unaware of the cutting.

Contra zoomAn effect created by tracking in and zoomingout, or tracking out and zooming in. Thesubject in the foreground maintains itsposition within the frame, yet the backgroundchanges, thus causing a disorienting effect.

CutThe instantaneous change from one shot toanother.

DiegesisIn a narrative film (or TV programme), theworld of the films story. The diegesisincludes events, actions and spaces whichare not necessarily shown on screen.

Diegetic soundAny voice, musical sound or sound effectpresented as originating from a source withinthe films world. Non-diegetic sound,therefore, includes such elements as moodmusic and a narrators commentary becausethey do not have a source within the fictionalworld of the film.

Dissolve (also known as mix)A transition between two shots whereby thefirst gradually fades out as the secondgradually fades in. The technique can beused to create various meanings, eg a slowdissolve can be used to suggest thepassage of time between two scenes.

EditingThe entire process of assembling a film or TVproduct, which includes the selection andsequencing of shots, the arrangement ofscenes and the integration of soundtracks.

Establishing shotUsually a long, wide shot showing much ofthe location, intended to prime the audiencefor an imminent scene.

InsertClose-up shot of an object in the context ofa scene.

Jump cutCut which interrupts the continuity of time.

Medium shotCamera angle often used to describe a shotof a figure from the waist up.

Mise en scneAll the elements placed in front of thecamera to be filmed - the settings andprops, lighting, costumes, make up andactions of characters. Mise en scneanalysis examines how the arrangement ofthese elements creates particular meanings.

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student notes 6


OS (Off screen)An indication in a screenplay (in bracketsafter the characters name) that, although thecharacter is present in the scene, they arenot visible. Not used in the same way as VO(Voice over).

PanA camera movement along a horizontal axis,with the camera body turning to the left orright on a stationary tripod.

PropObject on the set used by an actor, such asphones, guns or cutlery.

Point of view shot (POV shot)A shot taken with the camera placedapproximately where the characters eyeswould be, showing what the character wouldsee; usually cut in before or after a shot ofthe character looking off screen.

Reaction shotShot of person reacting to dialogue or action.

Slug lineA header appearing in a script before eachscene detailing the location and time.

Synchronous soundThe placement of sound so that it seems tocome directly from some action within theimage, eg, dialogue corresponding to lipmovements.

TiltA camera movement along a vertical axis,with the camera body swivelling up or downon a stationary tripod.

Tracking shotAny shot in which the camera body moves,often on a wheeled support (or dolly),forwards, backwards or laterally.

VO (Voice over)An indication in a screenplay (in bracketsafter a characters name) that a characters(or narrators) voice only is present. Unlike anoff screen voice, this is non-diegetic (it doesnot exist within the fictional world of the film)and addresses the audience.

Whip panExtremely fast pan, incorporating motionblur.

WipeA transition between two shots whereby thesecond gradually appears by pushing orwiping off the first.

ZoomShot in which the magnification of theobjects by the cameras lenses is increased(zoom in) or decreased (zoom out).

Glossary

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appendix A


London. The present. John Foster is 26 and ascientist. He works in a lab for apharmaceutical company in their researchdivision. Its fairly routine work but he has alaugh with his good friend Simon, a technicianat the lab, and at the weekends they party onthe various designer drugs that Johnsynthesises in his spare time. At work Simonflirts effortlessly with Sarah, a fellow technician,and it becomes clear that John is ratherinfatuated with her. Simon encourages him toask her out, but John is still, at heart, the geekyscience kid from school and is too inhibited.

One evening, working late and pursuing hisillicit career as alchemist of consciousness,John stumbles across a kind of hyperamphetamine which accelerates the entiremetabolism to hundreds, maybe thousands oftimes more than normal. For the user, theworld appears to slow down almost to astandstill so that, whereas they mayexperience ten minutes, only a second or sohas elapsed in reality.

Excited by the discovery, John visits Simonand they take the drug together. Out on thestreet the world, stalled in time, becomes theirplayground and they play pranks on passers-by. John, intoxicated with the experiencedeclares from the roof of a car that they aregods. Suddenly the drug begins to wear off,the world begins to come to life again andwith it come cramps and nausea for John andSimon.

The next day John suggests a repeatperformance that evening, but Simon

regretfully declines hes meeting an oldfriend. Later, on his way home, John noticesSarah going into a bar. He girds his loins andfollows her in but loses the courage toapproach her once inside. However, herealises that he could get closer if he takesthe new drug. He takes some in the lavatoryand, at the motionless bar starts to tell Sarahhow he feels, but then follows her eyeline andrealises that she is greeting Simon! Confusedand feeling a bit betrayed, John then has todeal with the comedown from the drug, whichis significantly worse than before.

John now becomes more withdrawn andsecretive. He uses the drug to spy on Simonand Sarah, obsessively analysing their bodylanguage as if they were statues and becomesconvinced that they are lovers. Hiswithdrawals from the drug becomeprogressively worse.

Finally he confronts Simon, accusing him ofstealing Sarah behind his back. Simon deniesthis, telling John that he was simply putting ina good word for him. He realises that Johnsdependency on the drug has become totaland, when John collapses, has to administera dose to his friend in order to save his life.

At the end we hear John, in voice over, tell usthat, far from being a god, he is now trappedin this world of statues. We see his lonelyexistence in a silent, still world. A final closeup shows a much older, haggard John kissingSarah, but it is revealed that she is makinglove with Simon. John tells us that one day hemight have the courage to let go, but not yet.

Fast ForwardA treatment for a sci-fi short

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