Empowered by wheels- writing scripts -2

YOUR concept?

What IF ?

Rock their world

Story that YOU WILL want to/ WON’T tell your grandchildren

A STORY THAT IS WORTH TELLING

Your story is : FOOTPRINTS LEFT IN SAND BY A CHARACTER IN QUEST OF HIS HEATS DESIRE AGAINST IMPOSSIBEL ODDS

The 3 essentials

PLOTS

STRUCTURE

CHARECTERS

watch - inception / training day / grand turino ( Clint Eastwood)

no country for old men/ real steal /

PLOT: is the building block

The string of events / actions, reactions resolving the main story portrayed in the script.

Superficial story line about what it is ABOUT

More challenge

More conflict

Adheres to central conflict or through line or central line.

In plots there is reversal, twists and up down roads

Avoid holes in stories, it might be far fetched, but must be believable,

Backstory – what happened to character before this, via- flashback / dialogue, though best is through Visuals

movie- fugitive/ pans Labrinth

ABOUT - treasure or love or revenge

About- the immediate what’s trying to be achieved

In the scrip for “ growing up flat chested “

It’s about – getting bigger boobs, but it was ABOUT accepting oneself.

STRUCTURE:

ACT 1.

Meet the lead character in everyday life

New elements will push pull the hero called INCITING INCIDENT

We meet the key antagonist

Main character is pushed into dangerous situations

1^st PLOT POINT , 1^ST TURNING INCIVENT

ACT 2A.

Hero makes new friends and enemies

Some will flip flop as pals , or enemies

Often spend crawling out of deep holes or slowly slipping from relatively high points

All will eventually lead up to MID POINT (could be string of events too)

It’s usually after a major low or followed by one.

It also refreshes the plot, if the plot was getting weak; sometimes it saves the movie,

A reversal will turn the plot around

ACT 2B

Spend in reacting to new info PLOT POINT 2

Could be a reversal after 1^st plot point, where the hero is worse off then what he started out at, or even worse.

Hero might achieve his goal – but does eh want it now?
(Change of heart, or change of desire)

ACT 3.

New ticking clock

Into the hornets nest , might lead to death or near death

Climax- inevitable main event of the script

Quick resolution

Resolution

CHARACTER : is the heart soul dimension, emotion , universal appeal ,

Question of “ Likability “

Sympathy for the DEVIL

What does the character WANT?

What does the character DESIRE?

How does the character PERSUE HIS DESIRE?

DESIRE TRUMPTS MORALITY

EMPATHY HUMANITY

Real bad Vs something else

What is the backdrop that the character leads us to?

Character arc:

Protagonist undergoes changes

What’s at stake?

He has to be active

Dimensions

Protagonist is antagonist driven

Character vs. plot driven

YOUR concept?

What IF ?

Rock their world

Story that YOU WILL want to/ WON’T tell your grandchildren

A STORY THAT IS WORTH TELLING

Your story is : FOOTPRINTS LEFT IN SAND BY A CHARACTER IN QUEST OF HIS HEATS DESIRE AGAINST IMPOSSIBEL ODDS

The 3 essentials

PLOTS

STRUCTURE

CHARECTERS

PLOT: is the building block

The string of events / actions, reactions resolving the main story portrayed in the script.

Superficial story line about what it is ABOUT

More challenge

More conflict

Adheres to central conflict or through line or central line.

In plots there is reversal, twists and up down roads

Avoid holes in stories, it might be far fetched, but must be believable,

Backstory – what happened to character before this, via- flashback / dialogue, though best is through Visuals

ABOUT - treasure or love or revenge

About- the immediate what’s trying to be achieved

In the scrip for “ growing up flat chested “

It’s about – getting bigger boobs, but it was ABOUT accepting oneself.

STRUCTURE:

ACT 1.

Meet the lead character in everyday life

New elements will push pull the hero called INCITING INCIDENT

We meet the key antagonist

Main character is pushed into dangerous situations

1^st PLOT POINT , 1^ST TURNING INCIVENT

ACT 2A.

Hero makes new friends and enemies

Some will flip flop as pals , or enemies

Often spend crawling out of deep holes or slowly slipping from relatively high points

All will eventually lead up to MID POINT (could be string of events too)

It’s usually after a major low or followed by one.

It also refreshes the plot, if the plot was getting weak; sometimes it saves the movie,

A reversal will turn the plot around

ACT 2B

Spend in reacting to new info PLOT POINT 2

Could be a reversal after 1^st plot point, where the hero is worse off then what he started out at, or even worse.

Hero might achieve his goal – but does eh want it now?
(Change of heart, or change of desire)

ACT 3.

New ticking clock

Into the hornets nest , might lead to death or near death

Climax- inevitable main event of the script

Quick resolution

Resolution

CHARACTER : is the heart soul dimension, emotion , universal appeal ,

Question of “ Likability “

Sympathy for the DEVIL

What does the character WANT?

What does the character DESIRE?

How does the character PERSUE HIS DESIRE?

DESIRE TRUMPTS MORALITY

EMPATHY HUMANITY

Real bad Vs something else

What is the backdrop that the character leads us to?

Character arc:

Protagonist undergoes changes

What’s at stake?

He has to be active

Dimensions

Protagonist is antagonist driven

Character vs. plot driven

writing a script -1

Here are a few books to look up

Writing short films by Linda cowgill

Making a good script read by Linda sager (I think)

So we need to focus on:

1. Screen writing fundamentals

2. Develop your concept

3. Pitch

4. Outline (beat sheet)

5. Write feedback from classmates

6. In class table reads (feedback)

7. Rewrite feedback from Instructor.

WHATS YOUR CONCEPT?

Make sure there is conflict

Conflict engages

True story could be the place from where the idea originates

Be cautious though, Reality could be boring, look for the conflict, what’s the conflict?

How to work on an idea, viz- human trafficking, and n highlight the angle through the medium of filmmaking

WHAT IF ?

THE ONE THING THAT THE CHARACTER WILL WANT TO TELL THERE GRANDDAUGHTER

ROCK THE CHARACTER ‘S LIFE

SUB CULTURE skaters/super heroes/ gang/ hackers

MOMENT IN TIME / SNAPSHOT, e.g. – TV- Seinfeld

When writing a script, remember to break a Para, every time you want to change the camera angle, or do a effect or have some movement, break the Para,

Remember in short film we don’t have time to develop a character, as much as we do in a feature film

more on negotiation and scripting

a little child in hollywood, wonder what all he will learn to negotiate as he grows up ?

Good Logline: a paralyzed soldier is given an opportunity to be an alien spy, n he starts to question those who hired him: avatar

Negotiations:

a. Stone wall

b. Attack

c. Trick

d.

Pause and say nothing

Rewind the tape- (repeat what they said)

Go to the balcony - (take a break)

More strategies

1. Stepping to the side

2. Listen actively –

a. Ack their point (but not agreeing with them)

b. Ack their feeling (e.g.-you have every right to be pissed, so would I.)

c. Offer an apology

d. Project confidence.

e. Agree without conceding

i. Agree on the weather

Ii. Agree a compromise has to be made

iii. Get a bunch of yes.

f. Acknowledge the person (go to their office)

g. Acknowledge their confidence and authority.

(Compliment them)

h. Build a working relationship.

Coverage:

Write to explain what happens in the script, should be2 pages long, + w 1 to 2 page of comment + a logline: 1 -3 sentences (best if 1 sentence)

Look for

1. Does the story have an idea, which you can say in one sentence?

2. 5 trailer moments what are they?

3. Is there an identifiable love story? Do you identify with that?

4. Is it episodic (good for TV, bad for films)?

5. Were you ahead of the script (could you predict the script)?

6. Did the writer spring a surprise (something happened which you did not presume will happen)?

7. By page 25 – 35 the big reveal should have happened (story taking a turn)

8. Is there a dialogue or scene or idea that you will not forget?

9. 3 scenes that surprised you.

All the above is the begning of coverage.

Also look for

a. Does movie open on action within page 1 – 3

b. Hero: what’s his problem, and does he come across as an underdog by page 3. (So audience will care for him)

c. How does the hero’s problem convert to need by page 7?

Eg: he is poor. Gambles by habit, n needs to win money to pay off those he owns money or will be killed.

PLOT POINT.

d. What’s the hero’s talent (he has to be good at something, very good)?

e. Meet villain by page 10, if not how can we meet him by then?

f. How has the villain created the problem for the hero before the movie began

g. How is the villa stopping the hero from fulfilling the heroes need

h. If villain and love interest is the same, it will be brilliant

i. What’s the villains talent

j. How does the villains talent put the heroes life in jeopardy

k. Do you despise the villain

l. Who is the love interest, n why do we care about it?

m. Ticking clock, what’s that, by page 25 we should know the device

n. The speed of the ticking clock should double by act 2.

o. The villain he should die 3 times

End of second act, hero should be very vulnerable, at his weakest point