Marilyn Milgrom- The Script.

Why are some directors driven to write their own scripts?

The irritation and ambition to produce something that they had imagined they would create for a long time.

You shouldn’t make an intense character study if you are scared of what?

If you are scared of actors you should not make an intense character study.

What should you be careful of if you only have 5k to make your film?

You should be conscious of creating a short film which requires lots of action such as car crashes, special stunts and special effects which could increase the budget dramatically.

If a feature film might be described as a novella, how might a short be described?

A short film would be described as a haiku, a haiku can only identify and analysis one theme/issue within each film.

What are the length boundaries different film festivals stipulate in their shorts section?

Most festivals designate a 30 minute limit for short films but some advise a 20 minute limit and the majority of UK funding accommodates 10 minute projects.

If the function of your short is to make your audience laugh, how long should it be?

If your short film is going to be for comedy purposes than it should last 2-3 minutes maximum in length.

What are the three basic elements any kind of dramatic story requires?

A short dramatic storyline needs to include a world, a character and a problem.

Why can it be useful to set your film around a familiar event/ritual?

The events and worlds need to be easily recognisable to the audience so they can establish already familiar emotions. Using already experienced events can release familiar emotions for the audience surrounding that event, as the dramatic tension and story events unfold.

Why can a literal journey be a good setting for a short film?

Shorts usually focus on a single central key point within a characters life (Main Character) allowing for the character to be put on a metaphorical journey throughout the story. Using a familiar literal journey can help to parallelise the real world and the metaphorical film world.

What are the 5 most important questions to ask when you begin to develop your story?

1. Who is the main character?2. What is their problem?3. How will the audience recognise the problem?4. Are the stakes high enough?5. Am I telling the story from the best point of view?

One of three must drive your character through the story. What are they?

Either a want, a need or an obligation needs to be present within a short film, one of these will be the drive pushing the character forward.

What crucially must accompany this element?

Something needs to be in the way making it difficult for the character to pursue their want, need or obligation.

Why are a lot of short films about children and teenagers?

This is usually because of their age using younger children helps to show lack of experience of the adult world allowing for vulnerability to be an issue. Another reason would be the universally recognisable problems which are present along side children such as stranger danger.

What is one of the most important ways that you can demonstrate your skills as a film maker and not just as a storyteller?

The transformation of a characters inner problems becoming the main point of the film and making sure the audience and see what it is and how it happened.

What does ensuring that something is at stake in the story mean the audience can do?

What the character is at risk of losing if they do not succeed and solve their problem.

How can a different POV change a story?

Telling the story through a different point of view will change the perspective of the story and what happens. The story attaches to a character and what happens to them.

Why do many short film scripts fall down?

The story being told by the main character is different to what the writer is trying to say so the two stories are being told from different perspectives.

Why does an awareness of the meaning inherent in your story matter?

There is always some meaning within the story which the writer is trying to convey. Once a writer has a beginning and an end, they should be able to make important choices and decisions which will allow them to refine the story.

What is tone intimately connected to and what are the implications of this?

The genre and tone are intimately connected an implication to this could be that if the tone is not set correctly then it could convey a different message to what the writer had first planned.

How does tone emerge in a film?

Tone emerges from each narrative element e.g event, character and technical codes. The tone supports the meaning of the writers message so each element has to be working together to create an accurate understanding of the message being conveyed to the audience.

What is a common flaw of most short scripts submitted for funding?

Most scripts submitted for funding have not had enough development work done to them so they are not able to gain funding as the scripts would need further work to make them successful.

What is the ten point plan to test the spine of your story?

Being able to pitch the film in under a minute using ten criteria’s which are: 1. Title2. Genre/Tone3. Setting (Time and Place)4. Main character5. Want/Need/Obligation6. Opposition7. Catalyst for change8. Climax9. Resolution10. And how the audience thinks/feels about the theme.

What point does Marilyn Milgrom make about unity?

Every scene must reveal something that increases our understanding of the film e.g character and their problem.

How can we make sure that what happens in the end could not have happened earlier?Each and every scene must move the story forward showing the audience that what is happening is the only option.

What is the step outline and what does it ensure?

Using one of the following options in each scene:•A sentence that summarises what happens•What is revealed that is significant to the plot?•What is revealed that is significant to the audience’s understanding of the characters?• Is there an indication of a significant theme?

Every scene of significant action should deliver something on at least two out of three possible fronts. What are these fronts?

These fronts include plot, character and theme. These are the main elements to a film so two of these should be in an important scene of a short film.

What is signified by the “order” in which to tell the story?

What order the story is told in whether it be through flashbacks, in a continuous forward motion or backwards also whether it is told in a linear or non-linear way.

What do audiences instinctively know?

Audiences know instinctively whether what they are being presented with is dishonest.

As a writer what is the crucial thing you are looking to ensure?

Finding a way to tell the story which adds to its meaning and keeps the audiences attention on what is being shown to them.

How do we establish the world and the character?

With a small amount of dialogue and a lot of speed so the audience can establish an understanding of the character and world on their own without being forced into a certain opinion.

What advice is given for making the film cinematic once you have a good story?

• Establish the world and the character with a small amount of dialogue and a lot of speed.• Remember to use visuals and sound.• Establish a tone, keep it the same throughout.• Make the main character active: making choices and doing things that enable us to

understand them.• Show a change through action rather than dialogue.• Use cinematic devices to build tension and move the story forward.• Check that everything significant is made clear to the audience in the most visual way.

What final advice is given for ensuring that a short is more cinematic, less televisual in feel?The dialogue will make sure that there is a cinematic feel this is why the dialogue is advisably written last.

Who is the first audience of your film?

The reader of the script would be the first audience of the film.

How can you help the reader see the film you are intending and not get irritated?You could do this by following the screenwriting conventions, reading scripts and avoid writing technical directions.

Why is simple a useful descriptor for your short?

A small story told with cinematic elements that captures all the depth can make a big impression.

Name some of Daniel Mulloy’s shorts and the awards they have won?

•Antonio’s Breakfast (BAFTA Film Award) 2006•Baby (Bronze medal) 2011•Son (Golden Unicorn) 2008•Sister (BAFTA Cymrus Award) 2005•Dance Floor (BAFTA Cymrus Award) 2002

Compare/contrast Antonio’s Breakfast with Dad?

In Antonio’s Breakfast a young man looks after his invalid father; in Dad a middle-aged man does not have the strength to leave his elderly parents’ home.

Explain what Mulloy is “aware” of and has a “strong sense” of when developing his scripts.He is aware that he will have to finance his films with minimal funding. He has a strong sense of what needs to be communicated.

What does Neil Hunter suggest is the best way to tackle a short which covers a lot of ground?

The timescale has to part of the point and part of it’s style e.g making the timescale of the film the same as the real world time.

What idea did the short film The Sickie develop?

The character overhears the voiceover of the film he’s in.