1.2 Script Writing
Writing Task
What I struggle with the most:
What I struggled with the most with this writing task was practically everything. One of the things I most struggled with was trying to put everything I had in my head into words and trying to make it as understandable as possible. Another was trying to actually remember what happened in the childhood memory I had had.
What aspect I need to improve the most:
I need to improve my writing skills and my planning for the story, so what I write is intriguing and enjoyable.
How I would plan differently next time:
What I would do to plan for a story differently the next time I write a story or script, will be to maybe think about multiple different possibilities and memories, instead of just choosing one story and developing of that.
What I could do to improve next time:
What I could do to improve in general for next time is to expand my range of literature and my wording to get a better result from my story. I must also plan out my story better so I know what I am writing before I actually write it out.
Generating Ideas
Generating Character Ideas:
Script Filming:
For this task, I was given a already made script for a short film about two friends who take a walk in the woods and then get attacked by a serial killer and both die at the end. With the script and the rest of the group I was with, we had to analyse and annotate the script with the different camera angles and tools that we were going to use in the film and for the certain scenes that were going to be shot and what rolls each person in our group was going to play. After me and the group did this, we took a camera and tripod and went outside to shoot the film from the script. The link below being the result.
In my personal opinion, I think this short film is the best made short film I've made in this entire coarse so far, compared to the other film shoots I've done. I think its better in that my group was more organised and active for the filming of this video, compared to one of my last film group, which I have to say, could have been more cooperative. In tern, this made me feel more comfortable with the filming so I could ask for more from my group members and the acting I wanted them to do during the video.
BFI Short Film Analysis:
Script Presentation:
In this task, I had to choose a film and its script, and isolate a particular scene in the film and pick out the same part in its script, and then I had to voice record myself talking about the comparison between the script and the film, and also answer a few given questions about the script and the film. Questions like: how reading the script makes the viewer feel in comparison to the actual film itself. Anther is how can the viewer distinguish this part in the film in the script. And discuss what parts in the script have been changed in the film. Then I had to take all my assets and put them together in a short video of the film scene with my voice recording over it and with the script visible underneath it for the viewers to see and understand my analysis for the film scene.
For this script to film analysis task, I think I could have done better in the sense that I think I could have used more descriptive and talked in more detail about the certain scene in the film and script in my voice recording. I think I was a bit limiting and lazy in the expanse of things I could have said about my analysis of the film scene I have chosen, and I think I could have isolated more topics to talk about during my voice recording; I left too many gaps in-between audio.
Basic Script Knowledge:
Script Reading Task:
"Iron Man" page 99 - 109
- Perspective - The perspective the audience is given in this script alternates between multiple different actors in the scene. It also gives the perspective of the narrator for the most part of this scene.
- Script Tense - In this part of the script I have chosen, to do work on, the tense used in it are always used in the and they, as if the script is viewing them as a narrator of the story.
- Average Action&Slugline - In my personal opinion, for this short part of the script I have chosen, I would say that almost all of it has some form of action in it, about 90% of it. The Sluglines used in this script are appear almost as consistent as the action, with the change in view point from the character described in it, wether they are inside a car or in another building at the same time of the events that take place.
- Action Descriptions - There were many different things being described during the action parts of this script; parts like how the Dynamo is "coming at him like a bullet-train", or picks up the car, and how he "ponds" Iron Man "mercilessly", and how the protagonist uses a motorbike to beat Tony with, all of which are describing how the protagonists actions are more cruel in combat than the antagonist "Iron Man" who's actions are more based on preventing other people from getting hurt; actions like blasting Dynamo with his own propulsion blast, and how he try's to catch the car from falling and being crushed.
Screenplay Formatting Topics:
Header&Sluglines
These are the line in-between the text in a script, written in big caps, that describe the area in which the scene is going to take place, wether it is on the interior, which is described as "INT" or exterior, which is described as "EXT".
Action Lines
Actions lines are the text in a script that describe what's happening in the scene, like in a regular book you read to understand what's going on and what the characters actions are.
Character ID
These are the names of the characters in the scene, used in the script in an action line or above dialogue so the viewers know who is doing what and saying what in the in the scene. They are always made with capital letters so the viewers have a clear idea around the cast when filming.
Dialogue
This is the text in the script that is what the actors will say during the scene they are used in. They are always placed under the names of the actors in the script, to identify who's saying them.
Character Parenthetical's
These are small text used next to characters names above dialogue, or just above dialogue as a narrator, that describes what the position the audio is coming from in the scene. Like INTO PHONE, or Off Set "O.S.", or even Voice Over "V.O.", or even if the one character dialogue is directed to someone or something else that the viewers are unaware of.
Dialogue Parenthetical's
Dialogue parenthetical's are small pieces of text that are used to describe the tone at which a certain character is speaking, wether they are "Angry", or "Sad", or "Sympathetic", or even if the characters speaking in a different language, which is presented as "In Italian". These bits of text are always placed in-between the dialogue and the name of the character.
Transitions
Transitions are used just above the Sluglines, they are small bits of text in the script that describe the cuts and what kind of cuts they are in-between scenes, like "CUT TO", or "SMASH TO", or "FADE TO BLACK".
Over Black
This is used in the script for the one scene in the video is completely black with a caption or title put over it. It is used as a good alternative from a Slugline.
Script Analysis:
Film script being analysed - Toy Story
In this task I had to analyse a script (two pages form a script) and highlight each of the properties that appear in any script, like the Slugline, the Dialogue, the Characters, etc.
Memory Redraft:
In this task I had to take my previous writing task I had done at the beginning of this course, the one where I had to write a quick script draft based on a childhood memory of mine, and turn it into a proper functioning script with script elements.
In this task however, I decided to base the story of this script off a completely different story I had had come up with. Reasons for this are at the bottom.
In this script, as said above, the plan was to try and add as many script formats and techniques that I had learnt in the last task, to this one script, like parenthetical's, transitions and even an Over Black at the end, all of which I think gave the script more quality than the script I would have written if the story of the previous memory task I had written was implemented.
Genre & Brief:
In this task, I had to find out and understand the certain elements and conventions that makes a certain genre distinguishable in any film or video. I chose four scenes from four different films (that the teacher offered) and I analysed and depicted all the tropes, themes and sub-genres from them. I even tried to understand the certain messages (semiotics) that were trying to be shown to the audience in the films/scenes.
Genre Research:
Genre
Genre is the particular style and theme of any movie, tv show, or any media, wether it be horror, action, sci-fi, or a drama.
Conventions & Trops
In any film/tv show, there are specific tropes and conventions that distinguish the film, what makes it the type of film that it is. For example, in an action based film, the most common tropes you would always see in it are explosions, fight scenes, and death.
How to write a specific genre
To write a script in a specific genre requires specific tropes (of course) and individual planned steps throughout the course of the film and writing the script, each one designed to make the viewers genre of the film and for the viewers understandable. For example in a horror film/script, the first stage in writing the script would be the hook, the thing that gets the viewers interested, something like someone killing someone else, start off the story, and the steps continue all the way until the mass murdering scene, and then to the investigation scene, and then to the resolution where other the story has a happy ending or a bad ending, or it seems happy but then theres a teaser at the end to maybe signify a sequel to the story.
Narrative theory is the theory that all sorts of films go through a three film structure, The Beginning, the part that is supposed to entice the viewers and the start of the journey, The Midpoint, the part where the main character tries to resolve the situation that could either end in success or failure, and the protagonist prevails, The End, this is the part in narrative where the resolution takes place, and there is a last desperate struggle for the main character to resolve the situation I the narrative.
I can use this three film structure to design my own narrative by following the same three step procedure.
Brief / Netflix:
Script Writing Research:
Brief / Netflix:
Netflix Questions
What is your project's 1 sentence longline?
When one sibling grows up to become a terrorist and threatens the world, his big brother is forced to follow behind him to make sure that his baby brother is kept in check.
Please summarise your project in 4-5 sentences. What's the elevator pitch?
So this story is about two brothers, with one how grows up to become a freelance agent with crazy skills, as you can imagine, and does all of these impossible missions. But his brother on the other hand, becomes the worlds greatest terrorist, so, with the responsibility that the agent feels for his sibling, he is forced to follow his brothers trail and makes sure that whatever bad things his brother plans to do, and this becomes their life style for almost their entire lives. And then, with the introduction of this third character, that continuity shifts and gets the agent to make some tuff decisions to bring his brother down of before something bad happens to the world and a lot of people die.
What is the world/setting of your story and what is unique about it?
The world that this story will be based in will be the modern world where catastrophe is more impacting and can be random and come from anywhere with any type of human disaster as there are millions in the modern world. Also it is easier for someone to hide in, like the antagonist, and makes it harder for the protagonist, the agent, to find.
Tell us about your lead character(s) and what their are(s) may be?
The lead character in this film is the one who became an agent, we follow him threw-out the story as he tries to track down his brother. There is also this third character who gets introduced some time at the beginning of the film who follows in the same sort of footsteps a the lead, and is important to the story. The arc of the lead character (the agent) and his brother (the terrorist) is that when they were young, something bad happened in their lives which made a strong bond between them, so when they where grown up and the protagonist is on the hunt for his brother, secretly he'l never have the courage to bring his brother to justice, by carrying this bond they have between them.
What is unique about your character and why do you think audiences will emotionally invest in their journey?
I think that what's unique about this protagonist is that he is a man on a constant mission, to fins his brother and to stop and bad that he may do, kind of like living in his own hell, where he is forced for all his life to chase his brother until one of them die or they both die. The protagonist is completely stripped of any emotion he has for himself and for his career, he has to forget about his life goals to unsure the safety of the world from his brother. This might make the audience sympathetic towards the protagonist and might make them curios as to how his life, or the rest of his life, might play out.
What kinds of obstacles do you see your characters having to overcome in order to complete their journey or get what they want?
In the film, the protagonist is given multiple opportunities to take down his brother or bring him to justice, but for the reasons I gave above, he can't bring himself to do that, the main plot of this story is that the protagonist has to cut away his emotion towards his brother in order to stop him, this is the obstacle that the protagonist has to overcome, which will cause a lot of emotion for the character and for the viewer.
Who or what is the antagonist in your story, and what do they want?
The antagonist in this story, as I said before, is the protagonists brother. I thought it would be best to make the antagonist the brother of the main character in this story to strengthen the connection between them and the reason the main character is after him all the time.
One of the reasons this character became terrorist is of coarse to for money and to see people suffer, but secretly, the other side of this purpose to make his brother suffer for betraying him when they went their separate ways down their own paths in life. As the antagonist new that his brother was undoing his plans over the first few years, he decided to turn this endeavour into a perpetual ordeal that would slowly drain his brother bit by bit, and the antagonist was there to see it all while it happened.
What is the central theme of your movie and how is it communicated?
The central theme of this film is action and adventure, it is communicated through the visuals of the film, with the fight scenes, the gun fights and even the explosions.
What are the emotions at the heart of your story an how are they embodied by your central character(s)? What are the emotional stakes of your movie?
The emotions at the centre of this story are about brotherly love and how it hurts to have to treat them like an enemy, because nobody wants to hurt there relatives, especially the ones that we love the most. These emotions are shown in the main character in the film when he comes into contact with his brother and with little scenes threw out the film showing the audience the backstory and history these two characters had together.
Who are the audience that you think would watch your film?
I think the audience that would be invested in watching this film will be people who enjoy action in movies and who also likes the suspense in films and drama as well.
Describe the audience of your project in more detail. Who is going to watch your movie and why will they watch it?
I don't think there's a specific reason for people to want to watch this film because of its content, I think the audience would want to watch it as another cool action film that they have already seen multiple of, people who have see films like the Bourne series, the Mission Impossible series, 007, Marvel and DC films, all of which are films the audience enjoy from just the action side of it, and that is the kind of audience that will be invested in this film.
What question of problem does your movie pose to the audience? How or why will your audience relate to to be invested in that question?
I don't think there is an intentional message or problem that is going to be communicated to the audience in this film, its just an enjoyable action film with a harsh emotional base behind it. I guess, if there really was something you wanted to take from this, is the danger and the seriousness of a terrorist attack, but that's not the main theme of the film.
Practical Script writing - 1st Draft
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Script Evaluation & Improvements:
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