Week 13 Notes

Script format
Importance of format: Why do we need special formats for scripts?
Ultimate goal is to make the script easy to read.
It is intended as a blueprint for production- must meet the needs of the various departments.
Format has been designed so that the flow of the story is not interrupted by the extraneous details on the page.
Only use Courier 12 point type.
]
Dos and Don’ts:
Only print on one side of the page. Only use plain, white paper.
Put the page numbers, followed by a period in the upper right hand corner.
Don’t use correction fluid; don’t draw arrows, smiley faces, etc. on the page.
1. Left margin for punching holes, right margin for notes.
2. Slug lines: Ext/Int-Location-Time (all caps)
3. Action: Describes the action. Describe vividly. Stretches across the entire page.
]
Writing style
Action description is always in narrative style, 3rd Person, & present tense.
“What can be seen” includes actions as well as description.
It is a good idea to suggest shot sizes and content through the writing but best to leave out specific shots references! (Cu, WS, Push in, etc.) This is the director’s job.
]
Character:

The first appearance (name) is in Caps, subsequent in non-caps.
Character dialogue: name in Caps, left margin at 3.5 from edge of page.
]
Others:
The character name followed by (V.O) indicates Voice Over. Usually narration.
The character name followed by (O.S) indicates Off Screen. Usually telephone calls.
A parenthetical (sarcastically/waving) appears in dialogue to give specific description of movement, gesture, or mood of delivery.
]
Online lecture:
Do and Post the final draft on discussion board. Before 22 July, 9am!
Comment on 3 classmates and 2 from T1B2 based on the Writer’s bible.
Trail: comment on Wan Fong’s story. More details needed.

Week 12 Notes

0INTERACTION LOCATION:

A place which allows you to interact.

What is a location?

A PHYSICAL place- Blk 52-07-13

It could also be a WORLD created by the writer- Harry Potter, Narnia

It is a place in your story where events occur and characters interact.

It can be a location the character is forced to move into- He has to step out of his comfort zone and adapt to the new environment

Eg: Domestic workers don’t know how to use new technology in a first world country. I don’t know how to milk a cow in an environment where milk inaccessible.

LOCATION (think of)

– RULES to abide by (Dress appropriately in a graduation ceremony)

– ADDRESS (Where Exactly?)

– Other ELEMENTS  that reside within location ( elements that will endanger your character)

Interactive location

– A setting and surrounding that interacts with the characters of the film by adding importance to their actions. (Using your left hand in India is inappropriate- It is the dirty hand)

– An environment which impacts the action and heightens the stake. (Harper’s Island- wedding guests have to do everything to stay alive- interact with the unfamiliar environment)

– The character is put into a dilemma- not sure what to do in that location.

– Challenge to get out of the location makes it interactive (Harper’s Island)

scene 3 of Godfather 2: Apartment scene

1. Location (conducive/ dangerous?) – Light was made spoilt so that Fanucci could not see the pending danger. narrow doorway to prevent any escape. No people around, deserted.

2. Character(s) (behavior) – Vito was smart and cautious (He had everything planned out. He made use of the fireworks outside to mask the sound of the gunshot; he spoilt the light) He used the cloth to cover the gun to make the sound not so loud. he was cold-blooded and determined (shot into mouth/brain to make sure victim dies.)

Fanucci was quite relaxed, he didn’t expect anything amiss when the light was not switched on. He was shocked when he realised someone was behind him.

3. Actions (what took place that prompted a reaction) – Shootings (X3), celebration outside.

Week 11 Notes

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 behavior>>> Action is the manifestation of behavior.

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>>>>> It has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the action.

Moving pictures: The power of any story lies in the narrator’s ability to project a mental picture for the audience.

Purpose of the exercise: Translating emotional responses into actions.

2 students are to act out their emotion set by a simple narrative according to the following:

–       The couple have just met. This is their first evening spent together. He is very shy. She desires him.

–       The young man has decided to leave his girlfriend.

–       The young lady has decided to leave her boyfriend

–       He has another woman friend. She is also eating at the restaurant.

–       She is pregnant. She can’t bring herself to tell him.

Steve Pavolsky’s “Inja” Australian film 2001, 17 minutes.

Action speaks louder than words.

Owner of dogs was jealous of the boy. The dog was loyal to the boy, not him. Hence he KICKED the dog and made the boy open the bag to take the rap.

Assignment:

2^nd Draft of story due 15 July 2009.

Printed copy in class.

Format courier 12, single spacing.

Week 8 Notes- Dialogue

Dialogue is not thinking to yourself. It is talking to someone.
Good Dialogue:
1. Sounds Real
2. It is Short (relatively)
Bad Dialogue:
1. Not concise (long-winded)
2. Too Real (boring)
3. Cheesy (“your eyes are as pretty as the stars)

ELEMENTS of Dialogues:

1. Dialogue REVEALS character: A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him. “The real self comes out”.
Dialogue can show if the person is rude, a complainer, a lazy person.

2. Dialogue establishes relationships between characters (how comfortable one is with another- vulgarities; let loose in front of family- rude)

3. Once you have established your main character’s Point Of View, you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternate POVs.
This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.

4. Good dialogue will help contribute to the story’s narrative. Take OUT dialogue if it is not effective/ not contributing to anything.
Dialogue communicates faces and information to the audience.
-It conveys essential exposition.
-Characters will talk about what happened/ explaining to another character, establishing the storyline. (Don’t do it too often!)

5. Dialogue comments on the Action. (Don’t do it too often like in a football commentary)
Dialogue ties the script together.
-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.”

6. Dialogue should be used SPARINGLY. If it is possible, use action.
-Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves! (Dialogue is no substitute for action)

7. 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 is how the character speaks”
Good dialogue is NOT somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life. If that was all to it, you can just push a button on the recorder and go collect your Oscar.
Good dialogue is the illusion of reality.
-You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.

8. Dialogue is affected by:
-Age (eg: speed of speech- how busy a person is)
-Gender (female talk more than males)
-Social status (how “proper”)
-Educational (how precise a person’s queen English is)
-Race (speed Malays, Indians, Chinese talk)
-Personality/ Upbringing/ Temperament/ Emotions at that time

9. Film Is A VISUAL MEDIUM- A screenplay is a story told in Pictures.

Exercise: Writing Dialogue
The scenario:
-A middle-aged man returns home from work.
-He had stopped for a few drinks with his friends and forgot to phone his wife to tell her that he’ll be late.
– The dinner is ruined.
The exercise:
-Write a short scene composed of dialogue between husband and wife.
Role-Play:
-2 students to play the role form their stories.

The real exercise (26 June deadline):
-Repeat “the experiment” but:
-Husband and Wife are your own parents.
-Get 2 people to read the dialogue.
-Record the reading (not too long)
-Post it to your blog (using YouTube/ garage band)
-Marks will be awarded based on execution (how much emotions put into it) and the script on the blog

Week 7 Notes

CHARACTERS

Every story must have a character.
Can even be an animal, eg: finding Nemo, Because they have human characteristics.

Characterization: Defining the character
The character is the heart, the soul and the nervous system.
It is through you characters that the viewer experiences emotions.
Without a character, there is no action!
Without action, you have no conflict!
Without conflict, you have no story!

Developing Characters
Ask youself:
1. who is he?
2. What does he want?
3. What is his quest? What is his goal?
4. What drives him to the resolution of the story?

Establish your main character:
Characters should have a 3 dimensional Structure

a) Physiology (physical appearance)

-Sex
-Age (maturity, mindset, etc)
-Height, weight
-Color of hair, eyes, skin
-Posture
-Appearance (handsome/pretty)
-Defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases (affects behavior)
-Hereditary

b) Sociology (background of character-rich/poor)

– Class (lower, middle, upper)
-Occupation (type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitudes towards organization, suitability for work)
– Education ( amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes)
– Home Life (parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/divorced, parents habits/neglect)

c) Psychology (what he thinks/believes in)

– Religion
– Race, nationality
– Place in community, leader among friends, clubs, sports
– Political affiliations
– Amusements (hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/ she reads)
– Sex life, moral standards
– Personal premise, ambition
– Frustration, chief disappointments
– Temperament (choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic)
– Attitudes towards life (resigned, militant, defeatist)
– Complexes (obsessions, superstitions, phobias)
– Personality (extrovert, introvert)
– Abilities (languages, talent)
– Qualities (imagination, judgement, taste, poise)
– I.Q/ E.Q
– Deep secret character does not want others to know

Separate the components of his life into 2 basic catagories

a) Interior
-the interior is a process that forms your character. When you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body and form

-How old is he when the story begins?
-Where does he live?
-Does he have siblings?
-What kind of childhood did he have?
-What was his relationship to his parents?
-What kind of child was he?
-Is he married, singled, widowed, separated or divorced?

b) Exterior
– it is a process that reveals character.

-Who are they and what do they do?
-Are they sad or happy with his life?
– Do they wish their life was different?

Movie: Taxi
You must create your characters in a 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- rob bank rob a store rob a person)
2. They interact with other characters (either in an antagonistic, friendly, or indifferent way)
3. They interact with Themselves. (eg: He overcomes his fear of being caught by pulling of the robbery successfully)

How do you invent your characters?
Try turning them upside down
A monk 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

Review Exercise: True & False Stories

Purpose of the exercise:
A true story is not necessarily a good story.

Good stories have to be worked and reworked. Add a character/ change what he says/ add more actions

True-life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
Life is unpredictable- you cannot anticipate what will happen next!
Don’t be predictable
In a story, we can and must control the events so that it gives the appearance of being like life.

NEXT WEEK STORY QUIZ 1

Week 6 notes

Storytelling tool 2: Experience

A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience. – means subsequent events which might happen. Experience sparks off change.

Everything about you- where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead- the experiences are unique and irreplaceable.

Many of your experiences are universal(everyone will know what it means) and translatable and can be used in any location.

Universal themes (friendship, love, family, death, betrayal, loneliness, hope, misunderstanding, humor, embarrassment) Use universal themes to create stories, so that people can connect.

Translating experiences/stories ( setting, characters, language, culture)- anything that is “known” in Singapore (no guns, no slumdog millionare slum settings)

Tip: If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while. ie: put yourself in his shoes. If someone you loved has been kidnapped/ murdered, how would you feel?? How would you deal with it??

Tip: Plunder your own personal background!
The things that happened to you as you grew up and the things that are currently happening to you mak terrific stories.

All people have fragments of stories.

These potential ideas prompt your desire to know more.

EG: You might not remember why you are scared of this teacher but you can make up the scary events to create this “teacher from hell”.

Respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard.(imagine yourself in that situation).

Good stories are born in the heart, not from the head.

Remember the role of the audience.( imagine yourself as the audience. Do you connect with that? )

Storytelling tool 3: Memory

Your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced OR been told.

While an experience is something that is true, a memory is something that can be manufactured. EG: can be true/false.

Tip: WRITE what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know. Ask people about your past. There is always room for personal discovery!

How do we use memory to build creative content?

Exercise: True and False Stories

Week 5 notes

Screenings: Shawshank Redemption
Undergoes an inevitable change. CHANGE is crucial.

Exercise: Letter to the Past

Week 4 Post NOtes

PRESENTATIONS:

GROUP 2 PRESENTATION

* Tragedy

1. Plot.

2. Character.

3. Thought- What the character does has to evoke thought in you (audience) Eg. Pity, fear.

4. Diction- Metaphors

5. Melody.

6. Spectacle.

*What is the “Cause and Effect” chain?

Without the first, there is no second. 

Material Cause- Without raw material, you cannot build a house.

Formal Cause- The plan. EG. Blueprint/ design of the house.

 Efficient cause- The labour(action) to build a house.

Final Cause- when the house is complete; represents an end or a goal of a scenario.

*How can a good plot create a “unity of action”? Plot must have a beginning, middle(climax) and an end (resolution).

Plot or the “first principle” – Theme

Tragedy is a representation of the real thing- it is not the real thing.

 

GROUP 4 PRESENTATION

Aristotle- the plot must be “complete” and “whole”.  Clearly recognizable beginning, middle and end.

“Periperteia” Aristotle- Take a story and turns it around a 180 degrees. Twists. Effective in drama but not comedy.

GROUP 5 PRESENTATION

Responsibilities of characters- chars of noble blood. People know little about noble blood stories.

No superhero, must be like normal people, must have human traits/characteristics

Using the 3-Act structure– Each act is given a specific amount of time.

Act 1: Set-up/ Intro

Act 2- Obstacles/ Conflict

End of Act 2- biggest conflict

Act 3- Resolve conflict & Moral of the story

 

People –watch continued exercise : half an hour

Take 1 character from the person above you on the blog list

Take 1 character from the person below you on the blog list

Write a story about how these people interact

Don’t forget the most essential element of drama- CONFLICT

Post on Page.

 

Visual Trigger Assignment

Find an image and tell a story that comes to mind as you see it. (maybe from photo album) 

Show picture. Show how picture triggers you.

Use only pictures already taken.

Incoperate Principles of Tragedy into your writing!

What is tragedy?

Tragedy doesn’t mean that something bad happens and the story ends.

It means something bad happens as a result of a flaw in your character, and you show how this tragic fall forces your character to learn something about himself or herself. 

Create Dramatic ironies into your story. EG: coping with loss. 

Week 3 Notes

 

Storytelling tool 1: OBSERVATION

Observe in a conscious manner-observe with awareness

-Dressing,

-Way they carry themselves [eye contact, walking style],

-Speech [fast, slow, mumble, loud]

-Expressions

-Gestures (hand gestures)

Train yourself to see and record people’s

-Movements (body language)

-Physical characteristics (looks)

-Settings (places they are in)

Adopt a keen eye

Develop a natural sense of curiosity (curious but not intrusive)

-An observed event, when subject to simple questions, can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.

–Imagine what would happen to a situation that hasn’t occurred.

• Who 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

-Observe in a conscious way

-Develop the ability to see and record people (their MOVEMENTS, their PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, the SETTING/ PLACES they’re in)

1. Walk into somewhere crowded enough (10 people) 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 (different gender and different age and different settings).

5. Take a picture for extra marks

6. Transcribe all these details into the People- watch page that you will create on your blog.

Photo>>

Gender<

Setting<

What happened:

Review Exercise: 50 word stories

Difficulties- constraints, did they help? Yes, they keep you focused.

Professional writers always face deadlines, plagiarism, casting problems (actress/actors), problems with directors (director wants to change story)

Conflict – week 2

CONFLICT

-Opposition of people or forces

-can result internally (when I am in a dilemma) or externally(school doesn’t allow dyed hair).

-It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interest, or wills that creates the plot.

-Mental/ emotional/physical struggle.

3 stories

1. spongebob and squibward quarrels every day

2. Wizard of Oz- the witch and Dorothy.

3. Survivor, when people vote each other off.

Types of conflict

-Dramatic conflict is the protagonist’s struggle against something or someone (man vs. man / man vs. environment/ man vs. system / man vs. self)

-Variations of conflict can arise from gender, age, religion and culture.

Religion- we go into a mosque without removing our dirty shoes. The people chase us out..

Causes and effects of Conflict

-Conflict arises when there is change

-Changes may be major or minor

Eg. of changes: seasons, lives, relationships, feelings, bodies, location, technologies.

Conflict arises when people resist changes

The intensity of conflict depends on how people react to the change.

People must learn to cope with change if they want to survive. Like animals.

The action in drama depends on conflict

Importance of conflict

Plot cannot be constructed without conflict!

It is the central feature of your screen play.

As your characters attempt to reach their goals, they come into conflict with each others

Internal conflict is hard to create.

The end of the tory nears when the protagonist and antagonist approach their goals and the conflict rises to generate maximum suspense and xcitement.

Movie : The Call Home, Directed by Han Yew Kwang

Movie: The Secret Heaven, Directed by Sun Koh

 

Writing for the audience.

Screenwriter= storyteller

The cinematic experience is not just made up of text on paper, but the audiences’ emotional reaction to that information.

Don’t think of (director to people, writer to people, camera to people)

Think about –People to People!

What is the writer’s purpose?

To connect the audiences ( to themselves, their unique vision, the material/issue/ the drama)

Audiences want to be transported by a screenplay ( farms and big city)

Where do you look for a story?

Within yourself eg. Experiences, memories, emotions

Practice observing, “ listening” and reading body language of people (in the bus/mrt)

Figure how to connect your viewers to your story through emotions, characters, etc

Assignment

5 stories of exactly 50 words each, posted to your blog on pages. (please do a word count before submission) can be a cliffhanger. Can use your openers, acknoledge if  not yours.