Notes (Week 8)

What is dialogue?
It is a conversation between two or more people.

Functions of Dialogue:

Giving a message
Express feelings
Show your character
Information

- Effective dialogue moves the story forward
- Dialogue communicates facts and information to the audience
(It conveys essential exposition / Characters will talk about what happened, establishing the storyline [E.g. “He should have know better. She’s nice but not blind. Sooner or later, she’s going to dig out those roving eyes of his.”])

- Dialogue reveals character
(A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him. [E.g. “I’ll be embarrassed to interrupt once the event has begun.” “Jon would be appalled if we don’t show up on time.”])

- Dialogue establishes relationships between characters
(Once your main character’s POV is established, use his dialogue with other characters to show their differing attitudes on the same subject matter. / This dialogue exchange creates varied and alternative POVs. / Differing POVs in turn, sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.)

- Dialogue comments on the action on screen

- Dialogue is used to tie various elements in the script e.g. characters, action, intention

I (dialogue) is one of the devices that YOU as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters.

Dialogue Writing Tips
1. Dialogue should be used sparingly.
2. Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves.
(If you can see it or hear it, don’t write it. – Neville Smith)
3. Dialogue is no substitute for action. **

Writing Tip
1. Eavesdropping
Pay attention to the expressions that people use in daily conversations. It’s helpful to get a sense of ‘authentic’ dialogue.

2. Genuinely Fake
In writing dialogue, remove words (that may seem realistic) that don’t contribute to the plot in some way.

3. Reveal information sparingly
Don’t tell the audience everything up front. Trust them to remember details from the earlier points in the story.

4. Punctuated Dialogue with Action
For ease of comprehension, long periods of dialogue should be broken with action and vice versa.

5. Avoid stereotypes, profanity and slang
Cliché stereotyping (widely fixed but oversimplified view)
Profanities (vulgarities/obscene language)
Slang (informal phrases/words e.g. blur like sotong)

These elements may distract or alienate your viewers.

6. Read (Scripts) Widely
Think about at which point you taken out of the story’s action? Or when did you stop believing in a character? Does the character seem larger than life and how did dialogue help accomplish that?

7. Punctuate Dialogue Correctly
Take time to learn the basics. Viewers/readers should feel the impact of your words – not feel lost trying to follow your dialogue.

Elements of Dialogue
Good dialogue is the illusion of reality.
You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.

‘A good story was “life, with the dull parts taken out.” – Alfred Hitchcock.

Common mistake: Students tend to create radio shows with images.
(Film is a visual medium. A screenplay is a story told in pictures.)

Notes (Week 7)

Characterisation: Define the character

The character is the heart, the soul, and 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, you have no story.
Without story, you have no screenplay

When developing characters ask yourself:
Who is your character?
What does he want?
What is his quest?
Quest is the journey to get what he wants.
What drives him to the resolution of the story?

Characters should have a 3 Dimensional Structure:
1. Physiology – Built/Physical
2. Sociology – Social Status
3. Psychology – Mental State

Physiology
Defined as the physical appearance of a person:
Gender
Age
Height/Weight
Colour of hair, eyes, skin
Posture
Appearance
Defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases
Heredity

Sociology
Defined as the social status of a person:
Class (lower,middle,upper)
Occupation: Type/hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organization, suitability for work
Education: Amount, kind of schools, marks, favourite subjects, poorest 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 Affiliations
Amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, and magazines he/she reads

Psychology
Defined as a person’s perception, thoughts and beliefs:
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, supersititions, phobias
Personality: Extrovert, introvert
Abilities: language, talents
Qualities: Imagination, judgment, taste, poise
I.Q.
What is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/hide.

Separate the components of his life into 2 basic categories

a)Interior – this takes place from birth until the moment your story begins
b)Exterior – This takes place the moment your story begins to it’s conclusion

Interior: It is a process that forms character.
(when you start formulating your character from birth you see your character build in body and form)
How old is he when the story begins?
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: 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?

Interaction between characters
- Your characters’ personalities and traits are revealed through their interaction with other characters in the story world.
- Audiences must see your characters in relationships with other people or things.

All dramatic characters interact in 3 ways
1.They experience conflict in achieving their dramatic need.
(Eg. Need money – rob and 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 puling off the robbery successfully)

How do you invent characters?
Try turning your characters 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.
A common street rat…. Who loves to eat and cook only fine food.

Notes (Week 6)

Story telling tool 2: Experience

- A storyteller should be able to identify the potential of every experience.
- Everything about you is unique – where you were born, what type of food you prefer, the birthmark, bump on your forehead, etc.
- The events in your life may be similar to others BUT your reaction to these experiences are personal to you and irreplaceable.
- Many of your experiences are universal and translatable and can be used in any location.
- List some experiences that would be common & relatable regardless of the culture or country:
1. School Bullying  2. Accidents  3. loss of a loved one  4. friendship  5. Family Problems  6. ‘abused’ by the rich  7. loss of virginity
8.1^st day of school  9. first crush  10. moving house  11. school camp

Why is the audience able to relate to your stories?
The writer must connect to his reader/audience through the most vital aspect of being human- emotions!
People connect with the emotions that are evoked in stories, (not the actors, not the location, not the camera angles/shot sizes, etc.)

TAP ON 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.

Tip:

If you are unsure how to proceed with your character’s development or don’t know what to do with him, imagine you ARE him.
How would you cope with the situation you’ve put your story character in?
What is his state of mind when he copes with the events in the story world? Is he afraid, angry, contented, etc.

All people have fragments of stories.
Those potential ideas prompt your desire to know more
Respond emotionally and intellectually to what you hear.
Good stories are born in the heart, not the head.
What appeals to you is likely to appeal to someone out there.

Story telling tool 3: Memory

Your memory is a delightful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told.
These memories serve as points of references to your own past.
What types of past incidents tend to be embedded in one’s memories?
Good: Birthdays/outings/holidays/public holidays/
Bad: teachers/first dental

Tip for writing from memory:

Be brave and write what you do not know as well.
How can writers write on topics they are unfamiliar with?
- Through research
- Through Interviews
- You will find some part of you that does know.

There is always room for personal discoveries.

What is the difference between memory and experience?
- Memories can be ‘manufactured’, depending on our state of mind and emotions during that period of time.
- Experiences are deemed as ‘more authentic’ and real.

How do we use memory to build creative content?
- They can be used as a spark to initiate new story ideas.

Notes (Week 5)

Principles of tragedy.
What is tragedy?

- Tragedy is not that something bad happens or that a character dies and the story ends.

INSTEAD,
- Tragedy means something bad happens as a result of a flaw in your character.
E.g. his obsession with wealth and power leads him to neglect his family and they leave him.

How does this force your character to learn something about herself or himself?

Notes (Week 4)

Constraints help us to remember what we are actually doing.

People rarely utilize their observation skills fully,so
What consumes our attention?
- Something that stands out or catches our eye.
We are very self absorbed and therefore not aware of our surroundings.

Distractions that compete for our attention on a daily basis:
1. Sleep
2. Gadgets – due to insecurities

Most people pass through the day with 20%-30% awareness

Storytelling tool 1: Observation
- Adopt a KEEN EYE
- Develop a natural SENSE OF CURIOSITY
(An observed event, subjected to simple questions, can set up a series of possible events that will develop into a story worth telling.)

Questions derived from an observed scenario:

A couple having a meal yet totally not talking.. . What questions come to mind?
- What is their relationship?
- Why are they not chatting?
- How is their relationship? Feelings towards each other? What are actions that prove your conclusion?
- What is their social class based on their attire, manners speech etc…

Observe in a conscious way. How? What do we look out for when observing someone?

Think about what is NOT said but implied.
How can a person communicate his feelings without stating it? (Facial Expressions)

A thought can manifest itself through behavior. How?
Train yourself to see and record people’s
- MOVEMENTS
- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
- BEHAVIOUR

Does the SETTING/PLACE affect the overall manner of the person? How? Why?
- Restaurant?
- Religious places?
- School?

Whom am I writing about?
Who is my character? Is he/she featured in most scenes?
What is he like? (Calm? Fussy?)
What does he do? Occupation, etc
What happens to him in the story?

Mindless Observation Vs True Observation
A- attire, attitude
B- Behaviour
C- Characteristics
D- Dialogue
E- Expressions
F- Facial features
G- Gestures, gait
H- Height
I- Idiosyncrasies

Notes (Week 3)

Conflict

Conflict -  Opposition of persons or forces.
There is internal/external conflict.
E.g. Internal – What to have for breakfast.
External – Having an argument with a friend.
Conflict is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills that creates the plot.

Dramatic conflict is the protagonist’s struggle against something or someone.

Types of conflict:

Man versus
1. Man   E.g. Catch me if you can
2. System (Gov. organisations)   E.g. Die Hard
3. Self  (Drugs, Results)
4. Environment  (Natural Disasters) E.g. Castaway, 2012

Causes/Effects of Conflict

Conflict arises when there is CHANGE.
Changes can be minor or major

Major change – Death, Moving (overseas)
Minor change – Hair cut, change in schedule

Change is universal and common, BUT it is not always accepted.
Change: Season, lives, relationships, feelings, bodies, locations, technologies.

- Conflict arises when people resist changes.
- Intensity of conflict depends how people react to the change.
- In order to survive, people must learn to cope with change.
- The action in a drama depends on conflict.

Importance of conflict:

Plot cannot be constructed without conflict.
It is the central feature of the screenplay.
As your 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.

The Call Home

Types of Conflict

Man vs self
- Drinking and smoking and visiting the brothel. (Moral)

Man vs Environment
- No privacy while staying with the other workers
- Dog barking.

Man vs System
- With the foreman. Not allowed to get a day off.

How to improve?

- Pacing (Remove unimportant shots)
- Vary the shots
- Show more of his facial expressions while on the phone

Secret Heaven

Types of conflict

Man vs Man
- Daughter doesn’t want to play the piano while mother wants

Writing for an Audience
The cinematic experience is not just your story on paper, but the audience’s emotional reaction to it.
If your audiences feel nothing or little emotion, you would have failed as a storyteller.
Hence, the screenwriter IS the storyteller.

Writers write to connect with readers to
1.Themselves
2. his unique vision
3. highlight the stated issue
4. the drama of the plot
5. other characters facing the same situation

Where do you look for a story?
- Within yourself eg. Experiences, memories emotions
- Practice observing, ‘listening’ and reading body language of people.
- Figure how to connect your viewers to your story through emotions, characters, etc

Notes (Week 2)

Every concept eventually leads to a story.

Story – defined as a ‘sequence of events.’
Written assignments must be written in

-       Present tense

-       A 3^rd persons point of view

-       Visual
3^rd person/present tense

-       style of writing would appear as if character is “narrating” the story as it is happening.

e.g “ Mark picks up the gun and holds it in his hand. It begins to tremble, as if alive.”

- commonly used in sreenplays.

Screenplays: the story/film unfolds as we read it.

Fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the story.

Often in thriller and suspense genres.
Passive / Active writing

Passive writing

-       uses weak verbs

-       tells what the character is thinking

-       increases distance between reader & characters in the story

-       delayed or non immersion into story world

eg of passive : Mark was angry with Jane.

Active writing

-       uses ACTION words

-       shows what the character is doing (not feeling)

-       reduces distance between readers & characters in the story

-       immediate immersion into story world

eg of active : Mark storm across the room to pour himself a drink. He slams the bottle down and gulps his drink. When Jane steps into the room, Mark turns around and smashes his empty glass at her feet.

 

Tips for writing:

-       Stop procrastinating

-       Think of a title

-       Add a short description of your story

-       Review who should be the ‘star’ in your story

-       Task him/her with something to attain by the end of the story.

-       Simmer your story idea

-       Try to stop your ‘star’ from getting what he wants

-       Observe what would this make him/her do then

-       Trust that he/she would eventually attain his/her goal or die trying to do so.
Writer’s block is best handled with a break

Always solve the problem in your story before you turn in.
Begin with this opener:

Jeremiah walks towards the closed door….
Whose story am I telling?

What is the next point of action?

What is the point of this story?

How can I engage the attention of the audience?
Stories work when:

-       it is credible

-       Readers can relate if they have had similar experiences

-       Readers are willing to suspend their disbelief to allow you to create artificial narrative events for their appreciation and enjoyment of your tall tale.