Lesson 1,
Proper Writing Format
- Present Tense
- 3rd Person
- Visual Voice
Why do you use The 3rd Person/Present Tense? ( All script writing uses this. )
- A character is ”narrating” the story as it is happening.
Example: “Mark picks up the gun and holds it in his hand. It begins to tremble, as if alive.”
- It presents a more immediate and urgent feel to the material.
- Commonly used in :
-Screenplays
- The story/film is unfolding as we read it.
- Fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the story
-Thriller and Suspense Genres
PASSIVE VOICE VS ACTIVE VOICE
Passive Voice
- uses weak verbs
- tells what’s happening in the character’s head.
- distances the reader from the story
Active Voice
- uses strong action verbs
- SHOWS THE ACTION
- uses an immediate sentence structure
- conveys the story in a lively manner
Example Of Passive Voice:
- The sky was blue with a lot of fluffy white clouds
- Jon was angry with Jane for tricking him into helping her
Example Of Active Voice:
- Fluffy white clouds drift like cotton in the ocean blue sky
- Jon slams the door and stalks across the chamber. He shouts, ”Bitch!”
TIPS FOR WRITING:
- Every WILL NOT HAVE PROBLEMS coming up with a list of excuses for procrastination
- The BIGGEST PROBLEMS is GETTING STARTED.
- If you have a work in progress, Never stop for the night if you are stuck.
- Always solve the problem and keep going until you are in safer water. A good night’s sleep is important. Sleeping on problems is a myth.
- If you can’t get started on a project, start writing anyway. To Do This, you need to have some words to type.
- It doesn’t matter what you write, you’ll soon begin to think and move in your own rhythm/pace.
Exercise 1A: OPENERS
- Write With This Opener:
Wearing a banana suit, Johnson walks towards the Botanic Gardens…
Wearing a banana suit, Johnson walks towards the Botanic Gardens. He open the black metal large skull door in front of him, the door creaks open slowly with noises a lone operating machine in a huge dark factory. The air becomes chilly all of a sudden, nothing can be heard, no cars around nor any sign of a living soul. “It’s nothing, i am going to be fine. The invitation told me its a Haunted Game that will bring spines down my back. I bet it’s one of their so called games to scare the living out of me. ” As Johnson walked on, slowly, summoning his courage, bringing his one foot forward and singing softly to himself, “thud thud thud thud” sounds comes behind him. Before he tries to turn his head behind, “BANG”. It’s quiet after few seconds, nothing moves. Is this even a game?
- Note down question you were asking yourself as you wrote it.
- Whose story am i telling?
- What is the point of this story?
- How can i engage the attention of the audience?
Assignment 1 : Write 12 OPENING PHRASES in your blogs under the Openers Page.
Example :
-Sally keeps glancing at her watch…
-Joe opens the bottle and takes a whiff…
-May closes her eyes and jumps off…
-James paces around the empty hallway…
-Mel opens the envelope. Her hand shakes…
DO NOT WRITE INCOMPLETE SENTENCES!!!!!
Assignment 2: Blog Post
Written at 23/04/2010
Lesson 2,
Adam swims for dear life as an unknown force is following him. He looks around, the ocean blue sea is still silent. Fearing that things going to happen, he continues to swim and he soon meets up with a waterfall like 10 stories building high. As he goes towards the waterfall, he try ways to get himself up and out of the water before the unknown force is going to grap him. He presses the A button and the message came out ” You need HM07 Waterfall to scale up this Waterfall. ” Adam feels pissed and he swim back, Suddenly the unknown force grasp him! Teng teng teng teng teng, A Wild Sharpedo has appeared. “Go Jon!” Sharpedo used Ice Fang. Jon Takes A Massive Blow, His health points drop to 1hp. The Attack Was Super Effective!!! Jon picked up his nearly frozen body and Summons the Grey Clouds. While the clouds are here, Jon shouts out, THUNDER! Sharpedo dies, Jon gained 2784exp and He Finally Levels up going to level 2.
Elements Of Dialogue
- Dialogue reveals character
-A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him.
- Dialogue Established Relationships Between Characters
-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/alternative point of views.
- This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters
- Good Effective Dialogue Will Move The Story Forward
- Dialogue Communicates Faces And Information To The Audience
-It conveys essential exposition.
-Characters will talk about what happened, establishing the story line.
- Dialogue Comments On The Action
- Dialogues Ties The Script Together
-It is one of the devices that YOU as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters.
- Dialogue Should Be Used Sparingly
- Never TELL The Audience What They Can See For Themselves!!
<< Dialogue Is No Substitute For Action >>
In Hollywood when they look at a page and it’s got too much black, too much ink on the paper, they say : ” SHIT! IT’S FREEZE THE CAMERA TIME!!!”
- 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’s how the character speaks.”
- GOOD DIALOGUE is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.
-If that was all there is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and then 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.
- Common Mistakes
-Students tend to create radio show with images.
<< 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 he’ll be late.
- The dinner is ruined.
The Exercise: Write a short scene composed of dialogue between husband and wife.
Husband Enters The Room,
Wife:” WHERE ARE YOU HONEY? I’ve BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG. “
Husband: ” Huh? Waiting? “
Wife:” You Know I’ve COOKED dinner AND WHERE ARE YOU? “
Husband: ” “Huh. At The Bar, Drinking. “
Wife:” F**K YOU HONEY! “
Husband: ” Sure, Sweet Hearts! I Didn’t Know You Are So Desperate For That. I’ve Just Been Away For 8 hours?”
Wife:” NOT THAT, I MEAN SCREW YOU! “
Husband:” You Mean You Need A Screw? Or You Need A Screw Driver To Secure A Screw, Or Is It…… “
Wife:” SHUT…”
Husband:” Okay Okay I Know, I Will Show You My HeHeHeHeHe. “
Wife:” AH IM LAZY TO TALK TO YOU BASTARD.”
After Wife Walks Away….
Husband : ” I Didn’t know Acting Blur Helps!! “
THE REAL EXERCISE:
- Repeat “THE EXPERIMENT” but:
- Husband And Wife are YOUR own parents.
Wife:” Where You Went To? I Cooked Dinner, Never Come Home Eat Never Say, Call You Never Answer”
Husband: “Drink Lor. “
Wife:” Orh. Next Time Call Back Can Please? “
Husband:” Okay Can. Got Dinner Mah? “
Wife:” I Go Prepare.”
Purpose Of The Exercise : We Write Best What We Know Well
STORYTELLING TOOL 1 : OBSERVATION
- Adopt A KEEN EYE
- Develope 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.
Question we should ask ourselves,
- Whom 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?
- People rarely observe familiar people or things closely.
- Most people pass through the day with 20%-30% awareness.
Mindless Observation Vs True Observation
- OBSERVE in a conscious way
- DEVELOP the ability to SEE and RECORD people:
- Their MOVEMENTS
- Their PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
- The SETTING/PLACES they’re in.
EXERCISE: PEOPLE-WATCH
- Walk into the canteen/library, etc. and watch people pass by.
- Eventually, one will catch your attention.
- Write down as many details as possible through observation.
- Write What It Is Above and also Why You Think These three things are there. WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY.
- Repeat steps 1-3 for a second character.
- Transcribe all these details into the “PEOPLE-WATCH” page you will create on your blog.
Lesson 3 notes 07052009
Characterisation: Defining The Character.
- A STORY STARTS WITH A CHARACTER
- A Character is the heart and soul and nervous system of your screenplay
- It is through your characters that viewers experience emotions. It is through your characters that they are touched.
< Without A CHARACTER, there is no ACTION >
< Without ACTION, you have no CONFLICT >
< Without CONFLICT, you have no STORY >
< Without STORY, you have no SCREENPLAY >
- When developing a character, ask yourself
- Who is your character?
- What does he want?
- What is his quest?
- What drives him to the resolution of the story?
Establishing Your Main Character
- Characters should have a 3 Dimensional Structure.
- Physiology
- Sociology
- Psychology
a) Physiology
- Sex
- Age
- Height, Weight
- Colour of hair, eyes,skin
- Posture
- Appearance
- Defects, Abnormalities, deformities, birthmarks, diseases
- Heredity
b) Sociology
- Class(lower, middle, upper)
- Occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organisation, suitability for work.
- Education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favourite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes
- Home Life: parents living
- Religion
- Race, Nationality
- Place in the Community
- Political Affiliations
- Amusements
c) Psychology
- Sex Life, Moral Standards.
- Personal Premise, Ambition
- Frustrations, Chief Disappointments
- Temperament
- Attitude Towards Life
- Complexes
- Personality
- Abilities
- Qualities
- I.Q.
- What is the deep and personal secret this characters has which he is desperate to protect/hide? (MOST MOST MOST IMPORTANT!)
- Separate The Components Of His Life Into 2 Basic Categories:
a) Interior
b) Exterior
>>Interior
The Interior life takes place from birth until the moment your story begins.
It is a process that forms 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, single, widowed, separated or divorced?
>>Exterior
The Exterior Takes Place When The Plays Begin
It is a process that reveals character.
- Who are they and what do they do?
- Are they sad or happy with their life?
- Do they wish their life was different? Another job, another wife?
>>You must create your characters IN RELATIONSHIP to other people or things.
All Dramatic Characters Interact in 3 ways:
- They EXPERIENCE CONFLICT in achieving their dramatic need. [ eg, Need money - Rob and bank, Rob a store, rob a person? ]
- They INTERACT with other CHARACTERS. [ Either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent way ]
- They INTERACT with THEMSELVES [ eg, he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully ]
CONFLICT
- Definition
Opposition of persons or forces
- It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills, and creates the plot
- Conflict is the central feature of the screenplay
-Man Against Man
-Man Against environment
-Man Against self
- It’s variations of sex, age, religion and culture which provide variety to the Conflict.
CONFLICT = CHANGE
- As universal as change may be, people often resist it for fear of the unknown.
- People must learn to cope with change if they want to survive
- The action in drama depends on conflict.
- Plot cannot be constructed without conflict
- 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 the conflict rises to generate maximum suspense and excitement.
- the protagonist(main character) and antagonist(person who oppose the main character and prevent anything good for protagonist.) must be locked together with no possible compromise between them.
- This is done by having characters of Strong conviction and purpose who will fight for what they want.
- The more evenly matched they are, the stronger the battle will be and the more suspense will be aroused.
Exercise: 50 Word Stories
- Write an essay of EXACTLY 50 words
- Post 5 stories each on a ”50 Word Stories” Page on your blog.
Review Exercise 3: 50 word stories
>> Purpose:
- Breaks down the myth of handling only 1 idea at a time.
- Encourage precise and concise writing
- Teaches basic script editing skills, to focus and reveal the essential elements
Lesson 4 May 14 2010
Gona learn about
- Action
- Location
Dynamic 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 actions.
<<Film Is Behaviour >>
- Action is the manifestation of behaviour.
- 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>>
- 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.
- 2 Students are to act out their emotion set by a simple narrative.
- We Guess!
-The Couple have just met. This is their first evening spent together. He is very shy. She desires him.
THE POWER OF ANY STORY LIES IN THE NARRATOR’S ABILITY TO PROJECT A MENTAL PICTURE FOR THE AUDIENCE.
Location
Location is
- A physical location
- A place in which events occur and characters interact.
Interactive Location is
- A physical setting and surrounding that INTERACTS with the characters of the film by positively heightening their action.
- It can enhance the impact of the action and heighten stakes.
- Eg. a high rise building invokes more suspense than a low rise building if a character is afraid of height and has to leap between two buildings.
STORY TELLING TOOLS 2 : Memory
- 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
TIP:
- Write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know.
- THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR PERSONAL DISCOVERY!
Exercise: Letter To Someone From The Past
- This might be a person to whom you can no longer speak to
- Could be someone you completely lost touch with
- Even someone who is dead.
You should describe yourself exactly as you are in present time and then try and contrast that image with how you were earlier, when you and the recipient were together.
You cannot write letters to pets, plants. Have to write about yourself last time and now.
- Entries to be posted on your blogs under the page “Letter To The Past”.
- You can password-protect your page – just remember to let Leslie know.
Lesson 5,
- A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every single experience
- Everything about you – where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead – your experiences are unique and irreplaceable.
- Many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location.
TIP FOR WRITING:
- If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for awhile.
- See how he relates to the world he has been thrown into
>>> PLUNDER YOUR OWN PERSONAL BACKGROUND!
the things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make terrific story sources.
>> Purpose of the exercise
- A true story is not necessarily a good story.
Good stories have to be worked and re-worked.
- True life stories do not offer neat and relevant ending.
- Life is unpredictable
- In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being like life.
STORY TELLING TOOLS
1. OBSERVATION
2.MEMORY
3.EXPERIENCE
What is going to appear in quiz.
- Writing in third person
- Writing in present tense
- Writing in the visual voice
week 2
- The role of conflict / creating conflict
- Element of dialogue
- Story telling tool 1 : Observation
week 3
- Characterisation : defining the character
- Developing characters
week 4
- Dynamic action
- story is action = film is beaviour
- Interactive location
- Storytelling Schematised
- Storytelling Tool 2 : Memory
week 5
- Storytelling tool 3 : Experience
- Summary of the 3 storytelling tools and techniques
-Pabrik Dodol – Ari Rusyadi
-The Call Home – Han Yew Kwang
-Wet Seasons – Michael Tay
-The Secret Heaven – Sun Koh
-Autograph Book – Wee Li Lin
-Sunat – M. Raihan halim
Quiz is week 7 (4th june 2010)
Worth 10% of your overall grade
-Please Be Punctual-
