Week 9

Review Exercise 3: Dialogue

Purpose of the exercise: We write best what we know well.

Dynamic Action

<<story is action>>

No action = No interaction = No reason for conflict.

- Action encompasses any kind of movement, activity & interaction between the characters and also between the characters & 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>>

What you see on screen is someone behaving in a certain way to their emotions.

- Action is the manifestation of behaviour.

- The complexity of the human psyche & interaction is better understood when it is possible to watch the actions, nuances & reactions to the characters.

<<Dynamic Action>>

Has the potential to enrich the experiences of the audience by heightening the stakes & increasing the tension.

MOVING PICTURES

The power of any story lies in the narrator’s ability to project a mental picture for the audience.

Pabrik Dodol:

The pros & cons between man-made & machine-made.

Purpose of the exercise: Address the problem many newbies have to screenwriting: HOW TO CONVEY VISUALLY ANY SENSE OF INNER CONFLICT OF EMOTION.

Review: Inja

Dog’s POV:

- Because Thimbila called the dog, then it was kicked, and Thimbila was the 1st one who let the dog out, thus there is mistrust.

- The dog thought that Thimbila would harm it’s owner because since Thimbila harmed the dog, he could do harm to the boss too.

- “Once bitten, twice shy”, the dog didn’t heed Thimbila’s call when he called for the dog to stop chasing his friend — mistrust. ):

Boss’ POV:

- he wants the dog to not trust Thimbila because he doesnt want the dog to be too close to Thimbila.

- the boss could be jealous of the friendship between Thimbila and the dog. (Fear & envy goes hand-in-hand)

Thimbila’s POV:

- He cut the extra length of the rope from the flag to make a collar for the dog because of their close friendship.

- He was afraid of his boss when the boss pointed the rifle at his heart when he didn’t want to put the dog into the bag.

Week 8

Elements of Dialogue

- Dialogue reveals character.

- A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him.

* Because we know ourselves best.

- Dialogue establishes relationships between characters.

- 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 & sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.

- Good effective dialogue will move the story forward.

- Dialogue communicates  faces & information to the audience.

*It conveys essential exposition.

* 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 & enlarge your characters.

“If you can see it or hear it, don’t write it” – Neville Smith

- Dialogue should be used sparingly.

* It is so cheap that it spoils the whole production if used too much.

- Never tell the audience what they can see or themselves.

<<DIALOGUE IS NO SUBSTITUTION 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.

Bad dialogue:

* Cheesy

* Unfocused

* Inappropriate tone/language.

- If that was all there is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and the go collect your Oscar.

- You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.

- Common mistake!

# students tend to create radio shows with images.

<<FILM IS A VISUAL MEDIUM>>

A screenplay is a story told in pictures.

The Real Exercise:

- Repeat “The Experiment” but:

*HUSBAND & WIFE ARE YOUR OWN PARENTS.

* Get 2 people to read the dialogue.

week 7

Review Exericse: True/False Stories

- A true story is not necessarily a good story.

- Good stories have to be worked & re-worked (a lot of dramatisation)

- True life stories do not offer neat & relevant endings.

- Life is unpredictable — you do not know what will happen next.

- In a story, we CAN & MUST control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being like life.

Characterization: Defining the character

Every story must have a character.

Animated characters have human-like traits that’s why we can “connect” with them.

The character is the heart (emotions), the soul (beliefs), the nervous system.

It is through your characters that the viewers experience emotions.

Without a character, there is no action.

Without action, you have no conflict.

Without conflict, there’s no story.

Developing characters:

- When developing a character, ask yourself:

> Who is your character?

> What does he want?

> What is his quest?

1. Establish your main character.

- Characters should have a 3 Dimensional Structure.

a) Physiology

- Sex

- Age

- Height/Weight

- Colour of hair, eyes & skin

- Posture

- Appearance

- Defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases.

- Heridity

b) 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, favourite subjects, aptitudes.

- Home Life: Parents’ living earning power, orphan, parents’ separated/divorced, parents’ habits, parents’ mental development, parents’ vices, neglect, character’s marital status.

- religion

- Race, Nationality

- Place in the community leader among friends, clubs, sports.

- Political Affliations.

- Amusements: Hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads.

c) 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, phobia.

- Personality: Extrovert, introvert

- Abilities: language, talents.

- Qualities: Imagination, judgment, taste, poise.

- IQ/EQ.

- What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/hide.

1. Separate the components of his life into 2 basic categories:

- INTERIOR

> Everything we don’t see on screen.

> Takes place from birth until the moment your story begins.

> The process that forms character (when you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body & form.)

- How old is he?

- 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.

> Everything we see in the film.

> 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 RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER PEOPLE /THINGS.

all dramatic characters interact in 3 ways:

1. The EXPERIENCE CONFLICT in achieving their dramatic need. [E.G. Need money -- rob a bank/rob a store/rob a person?]

2. They INTERACT with other CHARACTERS. [Either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent way.]

3. They INTERACT with THEMSELVES. [E.G. He overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully.]

- How do you invent characters>

> Try turning them upside down — Turn their world 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.

Week 6!

Review exercise: 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.

> Observation > learn from it.

> Experience

> Memory

- In dramatic writing, the very essence is character change.

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 & irreplaceable.

- Many of your experiences are universal & 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.

* When you make a character yourself, don’t be exactly like you.

* 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.

All people have fragments of stories.

These potential ideas prompt your desire to know more.

Respond emotionally & intellectually to what you hear.

Good stories are born in the heart, not the head.

Initial ideas are sparked by emotions/memories (heart)

Development stage (in your head)

After all, you ARE the audience.

1. Take them on a ride of discovery

2. Feed them new info.

Memory:

Your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told.

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!

Experience: What you REALLY go through.

Memory: Manufactured. What you remember.

Sunart

Les Minston

STORYTELLING TOOL 1: OBSERVATION

- Observe in a conscious way.

* Behaviour

* Attire

* Speech

* Stance/Gait: posture, gestures

* Physical attributes

Train yourself to see & record:

- movements

- physical characteristics

- settings

Adopt a KEEN EYE

develop a natural sense of curiousity

An observed event, when subject to simple qurstions can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.

For eg, when you observe a couple having a meal yet totally not talking … what questions come to mind?

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?

MINDLESS OBSERVATION vs TRUE OBSERVATION

Review Exercise 2: 50 word stories

Difficulties – What were they?
Restraints – Did they help?

Do constraints help you to be a better writer?
What constraints do professional writers face?

 

1 min = 1 page of script

Week 1

Write a story which you are close to.
In 3rd person format; present tense – EVERY TIME.
A VISUAL voice.
“Mark picks up the gun and holds it in his hand. It begins to tremble, as if alive.”

Narration helps the audience understand the story better.
You need to imagine the images when you write for a story.

Commonly used in:
- Screenplays (The story/film unfolds as we read it; fosters a more urgent & immediate feel to the story)
- Thriller & Suspense Games

Passive vs Active
Passive: Uses weak verbs; tells what’s happening in the character’s head; creates a distance between the reader from the story.
Active: Uses strong action verbs; shows the action; uses an immediate sentence structure; conveys the story in a lively manner.
- when you’re writing, choose the stronger verb.

TIPS FOR WRITING:
- Everyone has no problems coming up with a lst of excuses for procrastination.
- The biggest problem is getting started.
- Begin with a short description of your story.
- When you have a writer’s block, take a break, find inspiration then continue until you derive solution.
- All writers sleep better when they solve the problem in their stories. Sleeping on the (writing) job is a no-no.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself, what you write at the beginning is seldom good but eventually …..

Ask yourself:
- Whose story am I telling?
- What is the point of this story?
- How can I engage the attention of the audience?

Story comments:
- It’s credibility (Had happened to you)
- Passages drawn from reality or experience.
- Passages created artificially to keep the narrative flowing.

CONFLICT.

- serious disagreement
- hostile encounter
- struggle (mental/emotional/physical)

^ Opposition of persons/forces.
^ can result internally/externally.
^ It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills that creates the plot.

Types of conflict:

1. Dramatic conflict is the protagonist’s struggle against something or someone
- man vs man (EG: X-Men, Mortal Combat, Troy)
- man vs environment (EG: The Happening, Day After Tomorrow, Volcano)
- man vs system (EG: Valkyrie, XXX 2, Dark Knight)
- man vs self (EG: Dorian Gray, Spiderman 3, 7 Pounds)

2. Variations of conflict can arise from gender, age, religion & culture.

3. C&E of conflict
- Conflict arises when there is CHANGE.
- Changes may be major/minor.
- While change is universal & common, it is not always accepted.
- Conflict arises when people resist changes.
- The intensity of conflict depends on how people react to the change.
- People must learn to cope with change if they want to survive.
- The action in drama depends on conflict.

EG of changes:
- Seasons
- lives
- relationships
- feelings
- bodies
- locations
- technologies.

IMPORTANCE OF CONFLICT:
- plot cannot be constructed without conflict
- central feature of the screenplay
- as yur 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.

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