1. Learning Objective: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Show Don’t Tell
Exploring Themes
Lesson 1

2. Aim of this session
To experiment and think about using a different form e.g. scriptwriting.
Explore how a single image or a series of images can have explicit and implicit meanings.
To explore ways of Showing Not Telling using film
To explore a brief/commission in an original and creative way – risk taking.
Placing visuals in your readers head.

3. Visual Representation
Visual representation of a theme e.g. Loneliness
Groupwork
Film, Documentary or series of images/photographs that depict loneliness in the narrative.
Once you have a film script, storyboard backed by your research you will then write this as piece of non-fiction: article, memoir or reportage.

4. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Show, don’t tell.

5. Rewrite three of these lines to SHOW
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Rewrite three of these lines to SHOW
He felt tired. She loved him. They loathed one another. The children were bored. Grandmother came home drunk.

6. Showing Answers Questions Subtly
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Showing Answers Questions Subtly
“Grandmother fell over.” Why is she falling over? Is she ill? Has she been drinking? Why has she been drinking? Does she always do this? Did something happen that caused her to get drunk? Remember, your reader is working through these kind of questions in their mind. We enjoy being active in making these connections when reading.

7. Discuss: Why is B better than A?
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Discuss: Why is B better than A? A
“They went to the park and he said to her that it was going to be okay.” The lights from the road reached the children’s slide, but the swings where they were sitting were in almost complete darkness. A dog shuffled past, sniffing briefly, before running back off towards the road. The wind swelled. “It will be alright you know,” he said. “Yeah” she replied, her hair falling over her eyes. “No, really – it will be alright.” “I said okay, didn’t I?” she snapped, pushing off and swinging high into the starless night. B

8. Showing Vs. Telling in Film
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Showing Vs. Telling in Film
We are going to watch a small selection of short films – for each one, please make notes on the following ideas:
Themes
Character’s needs
Plot
Visual signifiers (symbols)
Use of colour
Use of sound

9. Showing Vs. Telling in Film 1
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Showing Vs. Telling in Film 1
nohtml5=False

10. Showing Vs. Telling in Film: Discussion
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Showing Vs. Telling in Film: Discussion
Share some of your notes/ideas with people on your table. I may ask you to share one or two with the class, shortly.
Themes
Character’s needs
Plot
Visual signifiers (symbols)
Use of colour
Use of sound

11. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief

12. Showing Vs. Telling in Film: Discussion
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Showing Vs. Telling in Film: Discussion
Share some of your notes/ideas with people on your table. I may ask you to share one or two with the class, shortly.
Themes
Character’s needs
Plot
Visual signifiers (symbols)
Use of colour
Use of sound

13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85HDu87TGy0& nohtml5=False
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
nohtml5=False

14. Showing Vs. Telling in Film: Discussion
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Showing Vs. Telling in Film: Discussion
Share some of your notes/ideas with people on your table. I may ask you to share one or two with the class, shortly.
Themes
Character’s needs
Plot
Visual signifiers (symbols)
Use of colour
Use of sound

15. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
The Screenplay Layout
INT/EXT – Place/Location – Day or Night Description of scene: where? – describe place; who is there? – describe character/s – feelings, needs and wants; why they are there, time of day. INT. Office - DAY. A box-room office. One desk occupies most of the space. The walls are pallid and brown. A fan spins begrudgingly. OSCAR is stood in the doorway.
Write a short example of your own which SHOWS a moment in your day so far.

16. The Structure of a Screenplay
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
The Structure of a Screenplay
Please ensure that you retain a copy of this.

17. There’s no business like show-business
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
There’s no business like show-business
Your task today will be to make a movie.
The movie will be the epitome of “Show, don’t Tell” because:
- it will be one continuous take
- it will have a maximum of 5 words of dialogue
- it will be correctly scripted

18. Your Task: Making a Movie
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Your Task: Making a Movie
Come up with an idea (based on the question)
Write a synopsis with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Use “The Beat Sheet” to help you structure your story arc.
Writing the
Write the screenplay (1 pg. A4 = 1 minute)
Storyboard your shots.
Shoot
Show

19. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
The Brief
A national charity is running a campaign bringing attention to the way loneliness can affect the lives of teenagers and young adults.
You have been commissioned to write a 300 word fictional account, using a central character, to show the devastating effects of loneliness. This will be used in the campaign. You may choose the form and content of the piece but it should create an impact on your audience.
Take the theme and brainstorm ideas for a short film which SHOWS a fictionalised or non-fiction account.

20. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Synopsis
Using your mind-map, write a synopsis of the script. Keep in mind that there can be no dialogue.
Consider how you can SHOW ideas and emotion through:
Location
People
Objects
Posture
Camera angle
Framing

21. Narrative Considerations
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Narrative Considerations
Whose story are you telling?
The characters motivation: “Getting your character up a tree and down again”.
Beginning: Need
Middle: Need confronts obstacles
End: Need fulfilled or denied

22. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Synopsis
Using your mind-map, write a synopsis of the script. Keep in mind that there can be no dialogue.
Consider how you can SHOW ideas and emotion through:
Location
Objects
Posture
Framing etc.
Share your synopsis with your partner. What is the best bit about it? How might it be improved?

23. Create a Production Team
L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Create a Production Team
Read each other’s synopsis.
Choose your favourite one (or come up with a new one as a team).
Discuss how you could improve on the narrative, characterisation and, most importantly, the “show don’t tell aspect” of the story.
Create a group plan/mind-map
If you’re stuck, consider:
Think of an opening image or central image and use this to structure the piece, whether a story or journalistic piece or poem etc.
Think of an Extended Metaphor.
Word Choice – synonyms – write down a Word Pallet in your plan (for the script).

24. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Using the “Beat Sheet”

25. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Write Your Screenplay
Remember, it must SHOW not TELL the narrative and ideas behind the piece.
It must be THREE MINUTES long (1 pg. A4 = 1 min).
You must all be involved in writing it.
It should contain symbolic objects and places.
Avoid cliché (e.g. a clock to show it’s late)

26. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Storyboard

27. L/o: to identify and integrate features of screen writing and respond to a brief
Film

28. Theme: Loneliness
Take the notes and the experiences from film making and now write a journalistic piece from the brief on Loneliness.
A national charity is running a campaign bringing attention to the way loneliness can affect the lives of teenagers and young adults.
You have been commissioned to write a 300 word fictional account, using a central character, to show the devastating effects of loneliness. This will be used in the campaign. You may choose the form and content of the piece but it should create an impact on your audience.
Write your account.