“Give an actor a good script and he’ll move the world” Paul Newman ( )

A narrative is a chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space. NARRATIVE (Story)

Cause Why something happened; the event that made another event occur. Cause and Effect Effect The event that happened because of the cause; the result.

Take a few minutes to fill in the chart with events in your life where there was a cause and an effect. Example: Cause: When I was a child I would run carelessly in the backyard. Effect: I stepped on a nail and I had to go to the doctor. What’s the Effect?

Major Elements of the Screenplay 1.Font (Courier New), page number (upper right hand corner of page) 2.Title page with contact info 3.Slug lines (scene headings) 4.Action lines (tells the reader what is happening) 5.Parenthetical (describes character’s actions and dialogue) The Screenplay

Title Page Title and Author (centered) Contact Info (lower right hand corner of page). WGA Registration (if applicable)

Slug Lines Slug lines indicate the start of a new scene and is used one time per scene a the beginning. INT. or EXT. (Interior or exterior) LOCATION TIME OF DAY (Day, night, dawn, etc)

Slug Lines Example: INT. RESTAURANT – DAY EXT. GARDEN - NIGHT

Action Lines Action lines: Describe the action of your characters or describe the location, mood, etc. Make sure you speak in the active voice (less is more!) –The window was opened by Casey (passive) –Casey opened the window (active)

Action Lines Example: EXT. GARDEN – NIGHT A sprinkler starts watering the lawn. WALLY, sits on the porch, contemplating the moonlight. He cautiously takes a drink from his coffee mug. A gun shot goes off. Wally’s eyes open wide. The cup of coffee spills on the floor. Wally gasps for air as he puts pressure on his bleeding chest wound. Wally closes his eyes and lets his head fall back. The sprinkler continues to spit water rhythmically back and forth.

Parenthetical Use parentheticals to give actors directions. Use sparingly. Don’t use them too often. GEORGE (accusing) What are you doing here?

Example from Jaws (1975) Read the exert from Jaws (1975) and circle the following: Slug lines Action lines Dialogue Parentheticals

Define the following Narrative Cause Effect Screenplay Slug line Action line Parenthetical