WEEK TEN: INTERACTIVE LOCATION
What is a LOCATION?
- A physical place
- The place in your story where events occur and characters interact.
INTERACTIVE LOCATION isss…. (gives you FLAVOURRRR of the story)
- A setting and surrounding that interacts with the characters of the film by adding importance to their action.
- An environment which impacts the action and heightens the stakes
EG: JURASSIC PARK is a zoo/amusement park located on an island off the coast of Central America
—> INTERACTIVE LOCATION: The island is completely isolated, and anyone on it will be trapped until assistance from the mainland arrives.
EG: LAKE HOUSE, the story would be straightforward if there is no location but with the whole time travelling and the “lake house” idea, it makes it more dynamic. A totally different story.
EG: THE HEISEBNBERG PRINCIPLE
Desert : Isolation place (being trapped feeling) makes him think and think and think. One day he wakes up and realise the world is upside down. Most literal way to make use of the location. Serves the story plot. MAKES THE FILM SLIGHTLY MORE INTERESTING. *flips the world upside down*
_________________________________________
WEEK NINE: DYNAMIC ACTION
>> DYNAMIC – STIMULATES DEVELOPMENT OR PROGRESS
<<STORY IS ACTION>> (action more important than dialogue. it reveals emotions)
- 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.
- Use action to explain everything- not dialogue
- The complexity of the human psyche and interaction is better understood when it is possible to watch the actions, nuances (the little ticks of a person character) and reactions to the characters.
EG OF NUANCES : I LIFT MY PInKY WHEN IM DRINKING MY COKE<<DYNAMIC ACTION>>
Has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the tension. ?????!!!!!!??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MOVING PICTURES
>>>>>>EXERCISE: Translating emotional responses into actions.
>>>>>>>>>PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE: Addresses the problem many newbies have to screenwriting
:HOW TO CONVEY VISUALLY ANY SENSE OF INNER CONFLICT OF EMOTION
PS::: ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW IT WILL LOOKS VISUALLY.
STORY TELLING ASSIGNMENT
- Write a first draft of n original 1-2 page story. (Give a title)
- Write it in 3rd person narrative in present tense
- use 12pt courier/ single spaced
- No less than 1 page and no more than 2 pages
- Besides writing your Name, Student ID and Tut Grp, also label your story as first draft.
- Due Week 10 at tutorial
- Remember Film is a Visual/ Aural Medium
- “SHOW” VERSUS “TELLING”
_________________________________
WEEK EIGHT: DIALOGUE
Elements Of Dialogue
- Dialogue reveals the character. *intrigued you to listen by the showcase of character*
- through their responses, their personal opinions reveal their character - Dialogue established relationships between characters
- discern that of a new-loved couple and that of a 40-year old couple
- Once you have established your main character’s POV, you can use dialogue with other characteristics to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternative POVs.
- This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters - Determines his background.
– how he conduct himself, if he’s educated or not - Good effective dialogue will move the story forward
- Dialogue communicates faces and information to the audience.
- conveys essential exposition.
- characters will talk about what happened, establishing the story line. - Dialogue comments on the action.
- Dialogue ties the script together.
- it is one of the devices that YOU as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters. - Used sparingly
- Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves!
- *** DIALOGUE IS NOO SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTION!!
- Good dialogue is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.
- Illusion of reality (FAKE IT)- you’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit (the essence)
<<<< FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM!! >>>>
<<<< A SCREENPLAY IS A STORY TOLD IN PICTURES>>>>
* IT IS EASIER FOR THE WRITER TO BE A DIRECTOR RATHER THAN THE DIRECTOR BE THE WRITER*
- 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: “ITS HOW THE CHARACTER SPEAKS”
- When giving characters a voice; thinks about age, gender, educational qualification, race.
- Students tend to create radio shows with images.
WHAT IS A BAD DIALOGUE?Bad dialogue is boring and cheesy OR reality is removed.
WEEK SEVEN: CHARACTERIZATION: DEFINING THE CHARACTER
- Every story starts with a character. We have to associate with the character and know their personality BECAUSE….
- The Character is the heart, the sol and nervous system of your story. *Audience connects*
- It is through your character that the viewers experience emotions (makes people feel things)
- WITHOUT A CHARACTER, THERE IS NO ACTION, no action= NO CONFLICT, no conflict= NO STORY
- The character must have form, background and a certain way of thinking. 3 DIMENSIONAL!!
- Who is your character?
- What does he want?
- What is his quest?
- What drives him to the resolution of the story? (motivation, the reason behind the determination)
- Physiology – sex, age, height, weight, color of hair, posture, appearance, heredity, defects, birth marks.
How he looks like, character by seeing how the person look like. - Sociology - class (lower, middle,upper), education, occupation, home life (produces different type of people), religion, race, nationality, place in community, political affliations, amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads.
- Psychology(how he/she thinks) sex life, moral standards,personal premise, ambition, frustrations, chief disappointments, temperament: optimistic, tolerance; attitude towards life: resigned, militant, defeatist; complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias; personality: extrovert, introvert; abilities, qualities, IQ
Psychology is the most important dimension in character development, because you can work backwards
What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect and hide, then work your story around it.
>> who are they and what do they do?, are they sad or happy with their life? do they wish their life was different?
***YOU MUST CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS IN 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 money)
2. They interact with other characters in different ways to different people. (Either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent ways)
3. They interact with themselves (Eg: He overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully)
HOW DO YOU INVENT CHARACTERS?
- Try turning them UPSIDE DOWN!
[Eg: Monk by day, Pornstar by night]
[Eg: Serial Killer whose obsession is to kill other serial killers]
[Eg: A common street rat who loves to eat and cook only fine food.
WEEK SIX: STORYTELLING TOOL 2: EXPERIENCE
- A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience.
- Everything about you, what food you eat, where you were born – your experiences are unique and irreplaceable.
- Everyone has scars- SCARS TELL STORY
- How do you connect with the audience with YOUR experience.
- You are convinced!! WHY ARE YOU CONVINCED?
TIP:
- If you don’t know what to do with a character, MAKE YOURSELF HIM (put yourself into his shoe)
- See how he RELATES to the world he has been thrown into (Adopt his perception/ viewpoints/what hesee/feel)
- PLUNDER YOUR OWN PERSONAL BACKGROUND!! The things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to youmake terrific story sources.
- Everyone have fragments of stories
- These potential ideas prompt your desire to know more
- Respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard.
- Good stories are born in the heart, not the head; based emotionally.
- Remember the role of an audience, after all, you ARE the AUDIENCE.
- If you don’t know what to do with a character, MAKE HIM YOURSELF (put yourself into his shoe.)
STORYTELLING TOOL 3: MEMORY
is what you make it, not A FACT!
- your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told
- these memories are points of reference to your own past existence. (like the paper on the table, your bag on the floor indicates that you ARE here)
TIP:
- Write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know. (IRONY, but in contrast)
- Memories can be fake ( SELECTIVE MEMORY – you choose what you want to remember)
- THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR PERSONAL DISCOVERY ( like in LETTER TO THE PAST ; these memories are there but you suppress them because these memories are being digged, you don’t think about it on a daily basis)
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEMORY AND EXPERIENCE? HOW DO WE USE MEMORY TO BUILD CREATIVE COMMENT?Experience is the act of doing it. Memory is good or bad or indifferent
_______________________________________________________________
WEEK FOUR: STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES
TRAGEDY: Imitation of an action(mimesis),
your story needs to have something serious to happen so that audience feel pity, fear. A CAUTIONARY TALE
6 PARTS OF TRAGEDY:
- PLOT
> most important element
> an ACTION PLAN. “nice”
> presentation of incidents that you use to tell your story, way you tell your story - CHARACTERS
> arouse pity and fear
> experience emotions - THOUGHT
> a particular opinion - DICTION
> acting abilities - MELODY
> music - SPECTACLE
> the visual aspects
> aristotle era: what you see on the stage
> modern era: everything you see in a film, the visual effects/lightning/cinematography/set design
CAUSE&EFFECT chain
- arouses pity and fear because audience can imagine themselves within the cause-and-effect chain
What is plot?
- Arrangement of incidents
- Not the story itself, but the way incidents are presented to the audience
- Structure of the play
- Incitive moment
- start the cause and effect chain
MIDDLE
- climax
- must be caused by earlier incidents and must be relevance
END
- resolution
- must be caused by preceding events BUT not lead to other incidents
EPISODIC PLOTs
- succeed one another
- EG: SITCOMS SERIES > story revolves a group of character but each episode is different
> each episode lives,breathes on it’s own
> no connection to previous episodes
Simple VS Complex
• Simple has only a ‘change of fortune’
• Complex has a reversal of intention ‘peripeteia’ and recognition ‘anagnorisis’ connected with the catastrophe
CHARACTER
- Supports plot
- Personal motivations are connected to the cause and effect chain
- The protagonist in a tragedy should be renowned and prosperous, so his change can be from
- In the ideal tragedy, the protagonist will mistakenly bring about his own downfall – not because he is sinful or weak – but because he does not know enough
- This lack of self-knowledge is called ‘hamartia’
Important vocabulary
• Katharsis – cleansing
• Mimesis – mimic of live
• Anagnorisis – good being good
• Perepeteia – change of fortune
• Harmatia – lack of self knowledge
TROIS ACT STRUCTURE
1st act: set up
• Story begins with a goal-oriented character introduced at a point of crisis ie; dilema
• The character meets roadblocks produced by the plot and antagonist.
2nd act: confrontation
• action intensifies, climax
• an event happens which forces the character to make his or her choice. “CHOOSE PATHS”
3rd act: resolution
• level of effort rises to new heights
• both plot and character is resolved
• but the main character either achieves or does not achieve his goal
————————————————————————————
EXERCISE 2
What would Character A do to provoke Character B to an extreme action?
So Enie with eccentric ideas got out of the studio room and idly threw her bag down beside the door. She sat down, took out her packets of sweets and started emptying her bag. One by one she took out her notebooks, then her sketchbook, a huge AQUA water bottle, a frame and several other stuff.
“Excuse me, what are you doing?”
“Just chilling mam”
“Urhm, there’s an exhibition going on inside you know”
Enie looks up to the woman who has a name tag. It read “Michiels Tania”
” yea, i just got out of it.”
This time, Michiels perturbed by Enie’s nonchanlant ignorance sarcastically added ” yea, and which part of common sense do you not understand?” Enie lazily chucked her stuff back into her bag and walked away. Before she went out of sight’s view, Michiels shouted across the hallway “Don’t forget to buy your common sense down at the mamak stall” Her face was calm but she walked back to Michiels in her towering heels and slapped her across the face. “WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT??!??”
” that’s a pretty common sensed question, isn’t it?”
PURPOSE: THE WORLD IS FULL OF POTENTIAL STORIES!
______________________________________________________________
WEEK THREE: STORYTELLING TOOLS
STORYTELLING TOOL 1 : OBSERVATION
a writer/film-maker is always a good observer
- observe in a conscious way
- develop ability to see and record movements, physical characteristics and settings
- Adopt a KEEN EYE
- Develop a natural SENSE OF CURIOSITY
> an observed event when subject to simple questions, can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling
- whom am i writing about?
- who is my character?
- what is he/she/it like?
MINDLESS OBSERVATION VS TRUE OBSERVATION
- movements
- physical characters
- settings/places
***people who don’t understand people don’t make good films
THE END.
_____________________________________________________
WEEK TWO: CONFLICT
continuing a story from dj’s opener.
Mark shoves Jane roughly on to the floor. Corners of lips turning up in a sadistic smile, he slowly raises the metallic, shiny object to his chest level. “BAM!” Jane’s shrilly voice echoes throughout the empty hallway and slowly silence once again became the dominator of the hallway. Blood’s already splattered across his face, barring that slight evidence of inhumanity and sadistic actions. His breathing was erratic but gradually it stabilizes and he is left with a sensational feeling of power and….
WHAT IS CONFLICT?
It is the interaction of opposing ideas (SEPET; interracial differences), interests (PORK VS NO PORK), or wills and creates the plot.
Conflict is the central feature of the screenplay. It’s variations of sex,age, religion and culture which provide variety to the CONFLICT.
- Man VS Man (Kasi VS Supervisor/ Kasi VS Roommate) (Mom VS Daughter)
- Man VS Environment (environment can be people around you, the noise, the opinions) **(Kasi VS Singapore)
- Man VS Himself (internal struggle of the main character;Neo) (how a character is torn)
CONFLICT = CHANGE
- change is COMMON to everyone
- change is UNIVERSAL
- seasons/locations/feelings/lives/bodies/technologies change
People is often resistant to change. Nobody wants to change, people are afraid of the unknown. We must learn to cope with change if we want to survive. The action in drama depends on conflict. How will you use change to keep the conflict going?
EG: Girl wants to be the greatest singer –> Girl becomes the greatest singer
+ But how do you use change to inject conflict?
- accident, can’t sing
- mother doesn’t consent etc
- making a film about a mute’s girl struggle to be the greatest singer in the world.
PLOT & CONFLICT
- A plot cannot be constructed without a conflict.
- Without a conflict, nothing happens. Stagnant story plot. (SUCKS)
- As your characters attempt to reach their goals, they come into conflict with each other.
- The end of the story nears when the protagonist and antagonist approach their goals and conflict arose to generate maximum suspense and excitement.
WRITING FOR AN AUDIENCE
Screenwriter = Storyteller
- The cinematic experience is not purely words and beautiful phrases all trashed together but the audiences’ emotional reaction to it.
- Director to People? Writer to People? Camera to People? NO, it’s PEOPLE TO PEOPLE.
_____________________________________________________________________
WEEK ONE: STORYTELLING?
Storytelling gives you a starting point and a pull of stuff that you need.eg in locprod or advance film productions etc. It gives you the skill to tell a story. injecting action, elements of conflict etc.
Proper Writing Format:
What is a treatment?
a 3 page document about your film,a visual representation of your film on paper. attention to detail and description.
Occurrence of 3rd person/present tense
- commonly used in screenplays;story is unfolding, fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the story, visually engaging in your mind.
- commonly used in thriller & suspense genres
Passive VS Active Voice
Passive:
- uses weak verbs
- tells you what’s happening in the character’s head
- distances the reader rom the story.
eg: he is chopping (WEAK) (the picture that he paints you) (slow) (no ACTION/MOOD)
Active:
- uses strong action verb
- shows
- conveys in a lively manner
there’s action and movement, urgent calling to actions.
always think if something is happening or not. there must be something that anticipates the viewer’s urgency to watch. constantly, how do i keep the story moving?
- start with an emotion(gets audience hook) and draw them out to the big picture etc
Dummies guide to writing
- Don’t stop for the night. Get moving and progressing
- Just write your wits out, eventually ideas will rush like fizzy coke and you’ll get something.
- If stuck on a problem that would possibly alter your biological clock, so be it. the worse is you’ll become a walking ju-on the next morning. sleeping on problems is soo yesterday.
EXERCISE 1A: OPENERS
Write with this opener:
Li, clad in nothing but a crimson green hula skirt he stole from his grandmother casually strolls into the bukit timah police post. He nudges the door open with his muscular arm and glances around stoically. his very exclusive sense of fashion elicits a derange laughter from an old ah pek who happens to be sitting at one of the counters. “aiyo. siao ah” the ah pek crudely comments.
questions to ask oneself especially when you ran out of ciggar’s inspiration
- whose story am i telling?
- the point?
- engaging? how to? drugdown? keep thinking how to hook.
“the most simple story are the best story.” TAN HONG MING!!
THE END.
_______________________________________________________________________
