Writing a Screenplay

A very very brief introduction

The Plan

• Vocab

• What is a movie narrative?

• The basic movie narrative structure

• Writing a scene

- examples and how-to

Terms• Screenwriter

– Writes screenplay from an original idea or

adapts from a book, etc.

• Screenplay

– the written form of a movie (includes some

info on acting/ placement/filming (vs script)

Movie Narratives

• Nearly all movies have a narrative (at least those that make $)

– the narrative = the story and the plot

– stories may be common but plots change

Story Plot

Grimm’s Cinderella Pretty Women

Shakespeare’s Hamlet The Lion King

Austen’s Emma Clueless

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Apocalypse Now

The Hero’s Journey… Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter,

Robocop, Wizard of Oz, Kill Bill…

The Narrator

• In a movie, the camera is the

primary narrator

– & editing makes movies different:

can make viewer choose what

and how to see/understand the story

• Some movies have actual narrators

– first-person narrator (voice-over (ex) and direct-

address narration (ex))

– third-person narrator (omniscient (ex) and

restricted)

Characters• All film narratives depend on two essential elements:

– (Obviously →) Need characters… and as important:

– The character needs to have a goal

• The narrative cannot exist if the character does not have a goal

– gives character something to do

– gives audience a chance to get involved/care about the story

• Protagonist – the primary character who pursues the goal

– usually referred to as a hero (sometimesan anti-hero)

– narratives like imperfect characters = imperfections provide obstacles (aka: character flaws)

• Name movie you are familiar with.

The basic narrative structure:

→ motivated protagonist

→ pursues a goal

→ encounters obstacles

→ resolution

Organizing the Story

• For a 2 hour film:

• Most narratives can be broken into three basic parts: first act sets up the story, second (longest) act develops the story, and third act resolves it

First Act

• Tells what kind of story it is by establishing a

“normal world”

– lays out rules of the world we are about to experience

– characters established, something about protagonist’s

situation

• Inciting Incident – something will occur to change

the normal world and set protagonist on pursuit/

mission/ quest…

– presents the character with the goal to drive the

narrative

– most are easy to spot (w/in first 10-15 min) (ex)

Second Act

• Second act is the story/the pursuit of

the goal (ie: Will Dorothy get back to Kansas?)

– the want to learn what/how keeps the

viewer engaged

– we want the answer to be yes (Dorothy

does get back to Kansas)

• but ironically, if goal was quick/easily

attained, the story is over: needs conflict

– the story depends on obstacles

• an antagonist

• not always a villain, sometimes not human

(127 Hours, Jaws, Jurassic World)

– stakes need to rise

• The deeper we get in the story, the greater the

risk to the protagonist

• building toward a peak/turning point

• at peak, the goal is in its greatest jeopardy

Third Act

• Climax and solution, loose ends tied

– the climax comes when the protagonist is

at the greatest risk (the most impressive event

in movie)

– best stories have an unexpected solution

– resolution/dénouement

Structure Analysis

• The King's Speech

• The Matrix

• E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

The Screenwriter• The screenwriter builds the narrative structure,

creates every character, all the action, every line of dialogue, and creates the setting

– with the fewest lines possible• each page of script represents ~one minute of

screen time

• Screenwriting is unique, you don’t have the luxury of:– giving background

– giving explanations

– … you cannot write in a script what the audience can't see or hear• you can't write: "He thinks about his girlfriend..." in an

ACTION line or "(thinking of wife)" in a PARENTHETICAL because we can't see or hear that

Writing a Scene…

• Example: Scream Psycho

• Homework: Sign-up for a Celtx account (a screenwriting

program)

– directions here

Surprise v. Suspense

– surprise: being taken unawares, can

be shocking and emotional response

will be generally short-lived• there are no repeat surprises; can be surprised

the same way only once

– suspense: a more drawn-out

experience, involves the audience

– Hitchcock