Week 3
REVIEW EXERCISE 1B: OPENERS
Before Wenting could reach the exit, the masked man pulled her hair and dragged her back into pitch-black corridor. There was a long struggle between the two of them before Wenting managed to break free. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, at the same time, screaming for help. Out of a sudden, another man in black grabbed her at the waist and shouted, “ HAPPY BIRTHDAY! “
Elements of Dialogue
DIALOGUE REVEALS CHARACTER
-A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him.
DIALOGUE ESTABLISHES RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHARACTERS
• The different tones when you speak can show what’s your relationship with the person (Eg, a conversation with your mom is different from a conversation with your friend.)
• Once you have established your main character’s POV, you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternative POVs.
• This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters. Conflicts can help make the stories interesting.
GOOD EFFECTIVE DIALOGUE WILL MOVE THE STORY FORWARD
The first scene with a connecting dialogue.
DIALOGUE COMMUNICATES FACES AND INFORMATION TO THE AUDIENCE
• It conveys essential exposition. (Expose means to show) Exposition is to EXPOSE THE FACTS; telling the audiences about the storyline.
• Characters will talk about what happened, establishing the storyline.
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.
•DIALOGUE SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY
•NEVER TELL THE AUDIENCE WHAT THEY CAN SEE FOR THEMSELVES!!!
<< DIALOGUE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTION >>
•GOOD DIALOGUE is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.
•GOOD DIALOGUE is the illusion of reality.
COMMON MISTAKE
-Students tend to create radio shows with images.(talking with a lot of pictures)
<< FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM >>
A SCREENPLAY IS A STORY TOLD IN PICTURES.
EXERCISE: WRITING DIALOGUE
Husband: Im home!
Wife: Where the hell have you been to?!
Husband: Whats wrong with you? I’ve just reached home after a long and tired day. Cant you just give me a break?
Wife: Look at the time now! We’re supposed to have dinner at 7pm and you can go for a drinking session until 2 in the morning with your friends! Don’t you even remember that its our 10th anniversary today?
Husband: Look, im too tired to argue with you. I need my sleep.
Wife: * frowns *
The real exercise:
• Repeat “THE EXPERIMENT” but:
• Husband and wife are YOUR own parents
Husband: I’m home.
Wife: I’m going to bed already.
Husband: Why? Accompany me for dinner lah.
Wife: Look at the time now! I got work tomorrow!
Husband: Don’t you think YOU SHOULD accompany me for dinner?
Wife: Then why don’t you come home earlier so that we can have dinner together?
Husband: Please understand! It’s not as if I’m so free to have dinner with you everyday!
Wife: …
PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE: WE WRITE BEST WHAT WE KNOW WELL
STORYTELLING TOOL 1: OBSERVATION
• 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?
• WHAT DOES HE / SHE / IT DO?
• WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM / HER / IT IN THE STORY?
EXERCISE: AWARENESS LEVEL
• People rarely observe familiar people or things closely
• Most people pass through the day with 20% – 30% awareness
STORYTELLING TOOL 1: OBSERVATION
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
Week 4
Hiroshi was waiting for his friends at Starbucks when suddenly this tall and sexy Caucasian walked past him. “Hey there, cutie”, she whispered. Hiroshi looked at her, dumbfounded. He stared into her eyes, his mouth a little open, waiting for her to explain what is she doing. “My name is Celine”, she added. When Hiroshi moved his hands, he accidently spill over the cup of hot cappuccino on Celine’s limited edition Louis Vuitton tote bag. Her face changed immediately. She stood up and stared at her pathetic bag that was now brown in color. Hiroshi started apologizing and kept bowing to her. ( I guess that’s what most Japanese do) Celine was so annoyed by Hiroshi that she slapped him in public and scolded him like hell. Suddenly, she sat down beside Hiroshi… “ Gotcha!” she cried. “It’s a fake LV bag, so… no worries!” Hiroshi, still in shocked, was waiting for an explanation. “ Okay, actually I’m scouting for a male model, and I think you fit the description. Interested?” This time, after being silent for the whole time, Hiroshi started to react. He did some hand language. It was then Celine realized that he was mute.
Purpose of the exercise:
The world is full of potential stories. Every movie has a conflict.
Developing characters:
Characterization: defining the character
• Every story starts with a character (to let audience have something to associate with)
• A characters doesn’t have to be a human
• The character is the heart, the soul and nervous system of your story
• We can relate ourselves with the characters
• It is through your characters that the 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]
Developing characters
When developing a character, ask yourself:
Who is your character?
What does he want?
What is his quest?
What drive him to the resolution of the story?
1.Establish your main character.
Character should have a 3 dimensional structure – more interesting
(a) physiology- Physical appearances
(b) Sociology- how you interact
(c) Psychology – mental
Physiology
• Sex
• Age
• Height, Weight
• Colour of hair, eyes, skin
• Posture
• Appearance
• Defects, abnormalities, Deformities, Birth Marks, Diseases
• Heredity
Sociology
• Class (lower, middle, upper)
• Occupation: Type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organization, suitability for work
• Education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes
• Home Life: Parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/divorced, parents’ vices, neglect, character’s marital status
• Religion
• Race, Nationality
• Place in the Community: Leader among friends, clubs, sports
• Political Affiliations
• Amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads
Psychology
• Sex Life, Moral Standards
• Personal Premise, Ambition
• Frustrations, Chief Disappointments
• Temperament: Choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic
• Attitude Towards Life: resigned, militant, defeatist
• Complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias
• Personality: Extrovert, Introvert
• Abilities: language, talents
• Qualities: imagination, judgment, taste, poise
• I.Q.
• What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/hide?
2. 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]
The interior life of your character can explain the story (example, Why Lyra kills HuiQing? – Because of Lyra’s interior life… HQ broke her arm when she was young)
Exterior- The exterior life takes place the moment your story begins to its conclusion.
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>
3.How do you invent character?
- Try turning them upside down.
A monk who is devoted to his religion…
… but is a football fanatic.
A serial killer …
… whose obsession is to kill other serial killers.
A common street rat…
… who loves to eat and cook fine food only.
The role of conflict
Conflict is the central feature of the screenplay
- man against man
- man against environment
- man against self
ASSIGNMENT
WRITE AN ESSAY OF EXACTLY 50 WORDS
POST 5 STORIES EACH ON A “50 WORD STORIES” PAGE ON YOUR BLOG
EXACTLY 50 WORDS!!!
Week 5
Review exercise 3: 50 word stories
PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE
- Breaks down the myth of handling only 1 idea at a time
- Encourages precise and concise writing
- Teaches basic script editing skills, to focus and revel the essential elements
DYNAMIC ACTION
<<STORY IS ACTION>>
• Action encompasses any kind of movement, activity and interaction between 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 BEHAVIOUR>>
• Action is the manifestation of behavior
• 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. (Actions, nuances and reactions is what you think about the character)
<<DYNAMIC ACTION>>
Has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the tension.
Dynamic action affects many things in your story
MOVING PICTURES
THE POWER OF ANY STORY LIES IN THE NARRATOR’S ABILITY TO PROJECT A MENTAL PICTURE FOR THE AUDIENCE
Exercise: Translating emotional responses into actions.
>> PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE
Addresses the problem many newbie’s have to screenwriting: How to convey visually any sense of inner conflict of emotion?
INTERACTION 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 enhances the impact of the action and heighten stakes (same as dynamic action)
• Eg, a high-rise building invokes more suspense than a low rise building if a character is afraid of heights and has to leap between two buildings.
1) Vivid Characters
2) Dynamic Action
3) Interactive Location
Makes up a good story!
STORY-TELLING TOOL 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. (When someone tell you about something in the past, you will not be able to remember it. But it’s in your memory. You will start to remember when you write.)
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.
STORY ASSIGNMENT
• Write a 1st draft of an original 1-2 page story (Note: Give your story a title)
• Write it in 3rd Person Narrative/ Present Tense
• Use 12-pt Courier/ Single Spaced
• No Less than 1 page and No More than 2 pages
• Besides writing your Name, Student Number and Tutorial Group, also label your story as “1st draft”
• Due Friday 29 May 2009 (next week!!) by classtime
• *Remember Film is a Visual / Aural Medium*
• “SHOW” VERSUS “TELLING”
Week 6
Review exercise 4: Letter to the past
PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE
• The letter is a practical, personal example of how a character –YOU- undergo an inevitable process of change.
• This process of change is an essential ingredient of any effective story.
In dramatic writing, the very essence is character change.
STORYTELLING TOOL 3: EXPERIENCE
• A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every 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:
If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while.
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 are currently happening to you make terrific story sources.
Exercise 5: true and false stories
Write one true story, write another false story
When I was still a secondary school student and I used to hate school so much that I will try to find all sorts of ways just to skip school. There was once, when I was on my way home, it then started to rain heavily. The pathways were soon flooded. I thought it was a good idea to get soaked in the rainwater so that I will get sick the next morning. Well, i was drenched, but did not fell sick. This mentality of hating to wake up for school carried on till I got into secondary 4. O levels was crucial so she didn’t want to miss any classes. However, my dream came true. I was hospitalized for 2 days and on medical leave for 1 week. If only that happened during secondary 3, I would surely be overjoyed.
When I was a kid, I used to love cats so much that I would beg my mum to get one for me. In contrast, I hated dogs to the core. Those dogs were so stinky that I had to cover my nose whenever I walk pass them. There were once when I went to my friend’s house, I was shocked. There was 10 dogs waiting for me behind those metal gates. The moment I opened the gate, every dog pounced on me. I couldn’t move at all. I felt like I’m being molested by those dogs as they lick me all over my face. But after being molested by them, I start to love dogs cause they are more lively, unlike cats, so lazy.
>>PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE
• A true story is not necessarily a good story.
• Good stories have to be worked and reworked.
• 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.
FILMS
AH MA – ANTHONY CHEN
WET SEASONS – MICHEAL TAY
THE SECRET HEAVEN – SUN KOH
AUTOGRAPH BOOK – WEE LI LIN
SUNAT – M.RAIHAN HALIM
