Lights, Camera, DistractionAn introduction to screenwritingGaz J Johnson

PhD Researcher & Lecturer, Media & Communications, Nottingham Trent University

Tuesday 11th March 2014

gareth.johnson2012@my.ntu.ac.uk

@llordllama

Overview

Introduce concepts of the screenwriting process

Consider the importance of clean concepts and

concise pitches

Examine the cinematic narrative structure

Explore the importance of characterisation, plot and

dialogue

Experiment with the form

7 Ways A Screenplay isn’t a Novel

1. Format and layout

2. Dialogue really REALLY matters

3. White space

4. Enter late and leave early

5. K.I.S.S.

6. Audience, audience, audience

7. Turning points are always right where you expect them to be…

Film Production

Conceptualise

Characterisation

Plot Outline

Scripting

Filming

Editing

Premier

Beginnings

The golden rule - Show. Don’t tell.

Words and pictures – only write what appears on screen

Narrative exposition a common flaw

Films ideally should have one core concept

Don’t write a film you wouldn’t want to see

A burning passion is better than a lukewarm idea

The pitch

Concept encapsulated in 25 words or less

Used to pitch to studios, The Money, The Man with the Plan etc

Layout & Format

FADE IN: / FADE OUT:

Top and tail a script, opening and closing your narrative

Also CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO, FADE TO BLACK between scenes

INT/EXT. LOCATION – DAY/NIGHT

The scene/setting - Inside or outside, location, time of day

Scene description

Key objects, sounds or actions should be capitalised (e.g. a LOUD KNOCKING at the door)

Character names CAPITALISED as well first time they appear

Brief character bios can be included

CHARACTER

The dialogue speaker’s name

(CONT’D) indicates new dialogue by same speaker after action

(direction)

A note to the actor, for a pause, a beat, an emphasis

And So It Begins

The opening 10

The hook(s) - opening line and establishing shot

Script readers only read ten pages

Setting up your store

Establish tone, pace, setting and milieu

Show the audience what they’re in for

Establish the protagonist(s) and their world

The Inciting Incident

The protagonist’s journey begins…

The Shawshank Redemption

Act I (32 mins)

The hook: Andy’s Wife is killed by…?

Instigating incident: Andy in court – goes to prison

Key plot point – asks Red for a rock hammer

Act II (~80 mins)

Andy and Red develop a friendship

Obstacles: Andy and The Sisters, failure to be paroled, crushing futility of prison life

Andy gains the trust of the warden and the prisoners

Midpoint: Warden shoots the man who could prove Andy’s innocence

Key plot point: Andy escapes

The Shawshank Redemption

Act III (~30 mins)

Andy’s escape is discovered

Red is released into the real world

The Warden and corrupt chief guard are punished

Key plot point: Red finds Andy’s box under the tree

Wrap up:

Red finds Andy in Mexico

Fearsome Plot Engines

Grand narrative can be driven forward in different ways

Character led -> their decisions shapes the narrative

Event led -> circumstances force the characters to respond

Conflict is the essence of drama

Individual against Individual (external)

Individual against the environment (external)

Individual against the self (internal)

Outer conflicts personalised as character relationships

Inner conflicts externalised in physical manifestations

Or through subtle signals to the audience

Plotting a Narrative

Timelining

Events in chronological order

Script can rearrange these to suit the narrative

Storyboarding

Visual thumbnails of actions and events

Commonly used for the shooting script

Mind-mapping

Spider-diagram of events, impact and consequence

Image credit: Dehahs, http://dehahs.deviantart.com/art/Pulp-Fiction-infographic-142978351

Image credit: RobKing21, http://www.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-Lego-Droid-storyboards-1-291377272

Script Boarding

Scene

WHERE is it?

WHO is there?

WHAT is going to happen?

WHY does it matter?

OUTCOME of the events?

PROPS/SFX needed (if any)?

EXT LIQUOR STORE- Night A liquor store in downtown Detroit at the dead

of night

A jittery sales clerk, and scruffy armed thug. And thence the protagonist enters

Thug intends to rob, and will be stopped by the protagonist

Demonstrates the superior power of the protagonist, and the weakness of the “common criminal” against him. Establishes them as a “hero”

One (very) dead thug, about 10 shot gun shells, a whole lot of smashed groceries

A whole lot of things that go BANG!

Characters

Character + Obstacle => Growth + Narrative progression

Character and structure are symbiotic

Story and Character Arcs

Protagonist/antagonist’s journey from and to equilibrium

Changes they experience and embody

Turning points & especially the point of no return

Motivation and goals are key

What do they want and what drives them?

Why should they meet and overcome the obstacle(s)?

Text and subtext – never say what a character is thinking/feeling

Characters

Characterisation

Ensure each character has a unique tone

Small well defined cast more powerful than assemblage of cyphers

Traits

Mannerisms, catchphrases, attitudes and thumbnail backstory

Can include in scene descriptions briefly

Provides the actors with guidance on how to inhabit the role

2o and 3o characters

Do not need to be as well drawn as primaries

Enough characterisation to avoid being ciphers

Location as character

Character Sketches

JOE is a dishevelled pudgy 35 going on 50, and could easily pass for one of the homeless if only he smartened up a little. He’s lived and worked his whole adult life on the streets of New York and it’s left him bitter, cynical and world weary. He greets each morning with a snarl, hacking cough and 1,000 yard stare. One of these mornings he’s going to hand in his badge, climb in his beaten up old Corvette and head west. Today, might just be that day.

MARI-ANN is the girl you’d take home to your parents, if only you could get her to sit still long enough. 21 years young, she’s just the kinda girl who just exudes self-confidence, making even a thrown-together ensemble look chic. A ball of constantly distracted energy, she’s the one who makes every head turn as she flicks back her long blonde hair and giggles. It’s only when she’s alone that she dares to let the façade slip away.

Dialogue

Give voice to your characters

Authenticity comes from understanding

Roleplay how they would respond to a situation

Effective dialogue

Most dialogue is between two actors

More voices harder to script, harder to differentiate

Dialogue should set the tone and define expectations

Interplay is important

Conversation is about turn taking, dialogue is about the narrative

Interruptions, over-speaking and action all play a part

Dialogue

Opening (hook) and closing (punch) lines count

Catchphrases or repeated lines as leitmotifs

Less is more

Brevity and punch give effective dynamism (e.g. Aaron Sorkin)

Question and answer interplay

Make use of silences & pauses (C’Era Una Volta Il West)

Different film milieus use different tonal structures

e.g. thriller, comedy, romance, psychodrama etc

Clever scripts subvert these expectations

Interaction

Movement brings an additional dimension to scripts

Silences can be powerful storytelling tools

Montages can build up a narrative picture

NVC - all actions, no words can tell an entire story in mime

SFX and music

Define music where a piece is essential

Important sounds in CAPS

Don’t dictate to the Director

Avoid camera angles and instructions unless essential

But be descriptive (e.g. “struts” is not the same as “walks”)

Editing and Polishing

Read your script aloud

Use the characters’ inflections and tones

What looks good on paper…might not sound right

Perform it for a critical friend

Writing is rewriting

Coherence

Structure and plot

Characters

Visuals and dialogue

Emotion and style

Fade Out

Next steps

Download and read a few scripts for style, layout, tone and approach

Watch a movie and follow along with the script

Go audience watching!

Remember

Show. Don’t tell.

Character and structure

Hook and punch

Words…and pictures!

Resources: http://bit.ly/PkO8YM