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SCRIPTWRITING: TOOLS & RESOURCES. FOUR KEY GUIDELINES. Consider the script ‘ holistically ’ Balance strategy and creativity (redefine ‘ market ’ & ‘ commercial ’ ) Differentiate between filmmaking, scriptwriting and storytelling - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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SCRIPTWRITING:TOOLS &
RESOURCES
FOUR KEY GUIDELINESConsider the script ‘holistically’Balance strategy and creativity
(redefine ‘market’ & ‘commercial’)Differentiate between filmmaking,
scriptwriting and storytellingBe careful about applying the same
strict rules in different cultural contexts
FOUR DISTINCT CRAFTSStorytellingDramaturgyScriptwriting
Filmmaking
STORIES: BUILDING BLOCKS CONFLICT (presentation of predicaments that
require a decision or resolution => what will generate CURIOSITY and TENSION)
CURIOSITY / EXPECTATION (what’s going to happen? => intellectual response)
TENSION / SUSPENSE (hope, fear, anger, sadness about what might happen=> emotional response)
FLUCTUATION BETWEEN WHAT YOU GUESS, HOPE OR DREAD MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT
What makes a story a story?
We don’t live inside a story, but we turn everything we experience or remember into a
story.And we don’t usually tell it like this:
THEN…AND THEN…AND THEN…but rather like this: THEN…BUT…THEN…
BUT…THEN…
We use time, tension and dramatic stakes
1. Telling a story => narrative content (the facts)
2. Telling a good story => semantic content (the meaning)
3. Telling a story well => dramatic content (the tension)
1 (facts) + 2 (meaning) + 3 (tension)
=You’re on the right
track!
What makes a script a script?
Format (what does it look like?) Genre (what are the codes?) Theme (why?) Time (when?) Location (where?) Plot (what?) Structure (how?) Characters (who?) Dialogue (what do they say?)
Spirit(theme)
Brain (concept)
Heart (characters)
Sex (dramatic tension)
Muscle (plot)
Skeleton (structure)
FADE IN: 1 INT. DERELICT HOUSE - DAY 1 A POLAROID PHOTOGRAPH, clasped between finger and thumb: a crude, crime scene flash picture of a MAN'S BODY lying on a decaying wooden floor, a BLOODY MESS where his head should be. The image in the photo starts to FADE as we SUPER TITLES. The hand holding the photo suddenly FANS it in a rapid FLAPPING motion, then holds it still. The image fades more, and again the picture is FANNED. As TITLES END the image fades to nothing. The hand holding the photo FLAPS it again, then places it at the front of a POLAROID CAMERA. The camera SUCKS the blank picture up, then the FLASH BURSTS. The Polaroid camera is lowered, revealing the sweaty, heavy- breathing face of LEONARD (mid-30's). There are droplets of blood across his face. Leonard stares, satisfied, at something on the ground in front of him. There is WET BLOOD on his BLUE SHIRT and BEIGE SUIT. His hand opens and catches a HANDGUN which leaps up into his grasp.
Still staring, he crouches down and pulls a BODY off the floor by the wet hair of its BLOODY HEAD. He slowly inserts the barrel of the gun into the bloody mess where the mouth should be. Leonard FLINCHES. A DEAFENING ROAR as wet red leaps off his face and suit and head, with a SPASM, reassembles itself into the face of TEDDY (40's, moustache) and we- CUT TO: 2 INT. MOTEL ROOM 21 - DAY (BLACK AND WHITE SEQUENCE) 2 Close on Leonard's eyes. He rolls them to one side, then turns his head. LEONARD (V.O.) So where are you? Leonard lifts his head. He is lying on a queen-sized bed. LEONARD (cont'd) You're in some motel room. CUT TO:
3 EXT. DERELICT BUILDING - DAY 3 A late model Jaguar bumps across some railroad tracks and approaches a large, clearly abandoned DERELICT BUILDING. Leonard is driving. He wears a BEIGE SUIT and BLUE SHIRT (no blood). Next to him is TEDDY. Leonard stops the car next to a PICKUP TRUCK sitting Outside the derelict building. Leonard kills the engine, staring at the pickup. LEONARD Looks like somebody's home. Teddy looks from Leonard to the pickup and back. TEDDY That thing's been here for years. Leonard gets out of the Jaguar and moves to the pickup. He inspects it with a methodical, practiced eye. Teddy follows. LEONARD I think you're wrong. These tracks aren't more than a few days old. Leonard opens the door of the pickup and searches the interior. On the dirty vinyl of the passenger seat he finds
six BULLETS. Leonard picks two of them up and studies them. He drops them onto the dashboard then SHUTS the door. LEONARD (cont'd) Let's take a look inside. Leonard walks towards the house, patting his jacket pockets. Teddy leans on the pickup, uneasy, watching Leonard. 4 INT. DERELICT BUILDING - DAY 4 Leonard stands in the dimly-lit, decaying former hallway. He pulls a stack of POLAROID PHOTOGRAPHS out of his pocket and leafs through them as Teddy starts walking towards him. Leonard finds a photo showing Teddy with a shit-eating grin standing in front of the pickup truck. On the broad white strip beneath the photo is handwritten: "TEDDY GAMMELL TEL. 555 0134" Leonard flips the photo over. On the white strip on the back, in the same small handwriting. "DON'T LISTEN TO HIS LIES"
"HE IS THE ONE" "KILL HIM"
LEONARD (V.0.) I've finally found him. How long have I been looking? Leonard stuffs the Polaroids back into his pocket, reaches around to the back of his waistband and draws a HANDGUN, keeping it out of Teddy's line of sight. Teddy enters, wary. TEDDY Find anything? Didn't think so, let's go, yeah? Leonard neither replies nor turns around. Teddy, worried, affects a casual air, shrugging dismissively, TEDDY (cont'd) Fuck this. Teddy turns and heads for the door. Leonard LEAPS on him, pistol-whipping him furiously as he shouts: LEONARD YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! YOU BEG FORGIVENESS, THEN YOU PAY!
Teddy is down. Leonard DRAGS him back, deeper into the dark house. Leonard is in a frenzy. He dumps Teddy at the end of the hall and stands over him. Teddy SPITS BLOOD. TEDDY You don't have a clue, you freak. Leonard crouches down and grabs Teddy by the lapels. LEONARD Beg my forgiveness! Beg my wife's forgiveness before I blow your brains out! TEDDY Leonard, you don't have a clue what's going on. You don't even know my name. LEONARD (triumphant smile) Teddy! TEDDY You read it off your fucking photo. You don't know me, you don't even know who you are.
LEONARD I'm Leonard Shelby, I'm from San Francisco and I'm - TEDDY (bloody grin) That's who you were, you don't know who you are. LEONARD Shut your mouth! TEDDY Lemme take you down in the basement and show you what you've become. Teddy gestures towards the basement door, in pain, but enjoying Leonard's growing anxiety. TEDDY (cont'd) (intimate) C'mon, Lenny - we'll take a look down there together. Then you'll know. You'll know what you really are. Leonard glances fearfully at the door, then looks at Teddy. He THRUSTS the barrel of his gun into Teddy's mouth and WE ARE AT THE SHOT FROM THE END OF THE OPENING SEQUENCE..
Genres DRAMA (Romantic, family, personal, erotic) COMEDY (Romantic, family, personal) DRAMEDY (Dramatic comedy) MELODRAMA THRILLER (Psy thriller) EPIC SATIRE NOIR / CRIME / GANGSTER / COPS HORROR (Vampires, zombies, ghosts) GORE (Slasher, torture) WAR SCIENCE-FICTION FANTASY ACTION / ADVENTURE BIOPIC DOCUMENTARY MOCKUMENTARY DOCUFICTION FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT / KIDS
ThemeWhat is your story about? (Or why do
you want to tell it?) A genre is not a theme (‘war’) A concept or a sentiment are not themes
(‘revenge’ or ‘love’ ) A character is not a theme (‘Big Lebowski’ or
‘Michael Jackson’ ) A place or a time are not themes (‘the Amazon
forest’ or ‘1492’)
It’s what you feel about each of these, and you want to pass on to your audienceThe theme is an emotional enactment of an idea, not a didactic statement
Plot & Story Conflict Chain reaction (causes and
consequences) Consistency (narrative, dramatic,
thematic)
A PLOT IS A JOURNEYIt involves time, space and movement
One or more characters start from point A and ‘travel’ through the plot to point B.
What happens on the way?
What moves or prevents the character(s) from moving?
Are they external or internal factors?
1
1 2 3 4 5
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
Leaves
for
work
on foot
Goes
down
side
street
Finds
lost
phone
Arrives
at
work
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
Cuts
himself
with a
knife
during
breakfast
Leaves
for
work
on foot
Sees
woman
run
over,
follows
along
the
way
Goes
down
side
street
Witnesses
street
fight in
side
street
Finds
lost
phone
further
down
the
street
Picks
up
phone
Has chat
with
caller: a
sweet
woman’s
voice
Arrives at
work and
tells
colleague
he thinks
has found
his soul
mate
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
Cuts
himself
with a
knife
during
breakfast
Leaves
for
work
on foot
Sees
woman
run over,
changes
direction
Goes
down
side
street
Witnesses
street
fight in
side
street
Sees
phone
fall from
of one
of the
brawlers
Picks
up
phone
Accidentally
punches
number with
cut finger
Has
chat
with
caller: a
sweet
woman’s
voice
Arrives at
work and
tells
colleague
he thinks
has found
his soul
mate
Structure
Chronology: linear, reverse, mosaic Ellipses Parallel storylines & intercutting
(meanwhile…) Genesis/Development/Resolution (= three
acts…?) Information management (when you give
it, how and how much) Contrast (pacing, mood, light, sound) Flashbacks Voice over
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Man
arrives at
work and
tells
colleague
he thinks
has found
his soul
mate
Has
chat
with
caller: a
sweet
woman’s
voice
Accidentally
punches
number with
cut finger
Picks
up
phone
Sees
phone
fall from
of one
of the
brawlers
Witnesses
street
fight in
side
street
Goes
down
side
street
Sees
woman
run over,
changes
direction
Leaves
for
work
on foot
Cuts
himself
with a
knife
during
breakfast
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
Leaves
for
work
on foot
Goes
down
side
street
Finds
lost
phone
Picks
up
phone
Has
chat
with
caller: a
sweet
woman’s
voice
Arrives at
work and
tells
colleague
he thinks
has
found his
soul
mate
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
Leaves
for work
on foot,
changes
direction
Goes
down
side
street
Witnesses
street
fight in
side
street
Sees
phone
fall from
of one
of the
brawlers
Accidentally
punches
number with
cut finger
Arrives at
work and
tells
colleague
he thinks
has
found his
soul
mate
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lonely,
depressed
man gets
up,
showers,
dresses
Leaves
for
work
on foot
Sees
woman
run over,
changes
direction
Witnesses
street
fight in
side
street
Sees
phone
fall from
of one
of the
brawlers
Picks
up
phone
Arrives
at
work,
looks
at
phone
“Somebody wants something badly and is having difficulty
getting it”. Frank Daniel’s definition of 'The Dramatic
Predicament'.
Characters
Listen to your charactersWhat do they need or want to do?What would they logically do in the situation your story has put them?If it doesn’t make sense, alter either the story or the characters, but don’t try to force them into a plot they don’t want to be in
Give characters: nuances inner conflicts dilemmas and tough choices something to lose if they win or
viceversa motivations that are universally
understandable, though not necessarily universally shared
Audiences don’t have to agree with, approve of or justify what a character does. They need to understand and relate to it.
If someone cries and I don’t know why, I’ll feel sorry (and may cry too: mirror neurons)
If someone cries because their religious belief has been mocked, I might not feel much
If someone cries because their baby child has died, I’ll probably cry with them
The way characters speak in a film needs to be in keeping with the genre, the style, the degree of realism, the period, and the overall coherence of the film.
Dialogue
Dialogue is not meant to reproduce the way people actually speak but to make the words sound believable in a given environment.
Dialogue is also: what characters do not say what characters do while they
speak what characters do instead of
speaking what characters mean rather
than what they say how good it sounds (musicality)
TWO INTERESTING EXAMPLES OF GOOD DIALOGUE
Scenes from Bob Fosse’s ‘CABARET’ and Roman Polanski’s ’CHINATOWN’
Chinatown.mp4
Cabaret - Screw Max.flv
What makes a story memorable?
Strong dramatic stakes: what do the protagonists stand to lose (even if they win)?
What would I do in the character’s place? What would my priority be?
Contradictory feelings: I disapprove morally or intellectually but empathise emotionally
A WORD ABOUT DRAMATURGY
The Kuleshov Effect: the projection of personal feelings onto a character
The Dramatic Intensity Scale: depending on how identifiable and powerful an emotion, you need to stress it more or less
The Kuleshov Effect
An identical facial expression will be interpreted differently according to what we assume or know the person is witnessing or thinking
Dramatic Intensity Scale0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Low Low-medium
Medium Medium-high
High
-Bird flies off rooftop-It starts raining-Girl skates by in the street
-Boy breaks favourite toy-Man misses flight-Woman loses mobile
-Man’s wife cheats on him-Woman’s best friend spreads nasty gossip about her-Man fails to get better job
-Pregnant woman is left by husband-Man is laid off-Bomb explodes in local metro
-Woman’s husband and child die in crash-Man goesblind-Man’s home is burned to the ground
Telling backstory A major scriptwriting challenge
Use referential knowledge
Less is more: trust your audience
AND…
TRUST YOUR STORY!