Screenplay

Text The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field On Story--Screenwriters and their craft

Why screenplay Caught in No Man’s Land Way too short for a novel Way too long for a short story Perfect medium for me to tell a story

Quick Info Every page of screenplay equals 1 min. of screen time. So a 90 page screenplay translates to 1 hr. 30 mins of time. When you hear “Industry Standard” it refers to the font type and size. Courier 12 pt. font is the standard Formatting is key. Celtx is a free website with tools to help with that.

Telling the story My opinion here There are 2 types of screenplays Plot / Setting Driven Character Driven

Plot and Setting Driven These stories offer sometimes but not always less than memorable characters but offer something else in their place. Inception and Avatar are great examples of this. Characters reacting to the setting or the plot.

Character Driven These stories offer strong characters that drive the story forward. To Kill a Mockingbird is not that story without Atticus Finch. You need Batman for his movies to work.

Perfect Storms These are rare! The perfect mix of storytelling with awesome and memorable characters. Almost Famous is a major favorite of mine because of this.

Nuts and Bolts What is needed? Characters / Concept Find something to wrap the story around Dialogue Limited descriptional text, tell the story through what the characters are saying Scenes Scenes help move the story forward

The How Scene Heading Where we are--Int or Ext Action What is happening Character Who is talking Dialogue What do they say Parenthetical Extra explanation (can help convey emotion / tone)

Celtx rundown https://youtu.be/c2lzfxY9jrQ

Character Dynamic characters in screenplay Change over the course of the three acts May have an impact on other characters Come to a realization As a writer you have to 1-visually show their change and growth and 2- have dialogue and scenes that provide opportunity for the change to occur

Character Static characters in screenplay Do not change over the three acts Are not necessarily boring characters Can have a major influence over other characters and impact the story Writers must establish these characters early and abide by their own rules for that character.

Dialogue Tips for writing Dialogue Listen to how people talk and try to mimic it Try to have authentic dialogue (can be tough to do) Dialogue can be an extension of character (can have a unique style) Dialogue can also drive story forward

Assignment Write a screenplay between 60-75 pages in length. Grading will be over: Page requirement Three act structure Character development Dialogue

3 Act Structure--according to Syd Field Beginning Act I Approx. pages--1-30 The Set-Up “Set-Up the story, establish character, launch the premise” (p.23) Also used to “illustrate the situation” and “create relationships between characters” (p.23)

3 Act Structure Middle Act II Approx. pages--30-90 Confrontation “During the second act the main character encounters obstacle after obstacle” that interfere with getting what they want/ need/ desire. (p.25)

3 Act Structure End Act III Approx. pages--90-120 Resolution “Resolution does not mean ending; resolution means solution” (p.26).

Plot Points “Plot Point--any incident, episode, or event that hooks into the action and spins it around in another direction.” (p.26). Should have plot points created at ends of Act I and Act II. They are the major story progress (where you can change gears and move the story forward)