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

pocket

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

pocket

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

pocket

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

pocket

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!