• Revision and Rewriting

-Rewriting us not just rewriting 

-It’s rethinking, re-conceptualizing and approaching new things

Rethinking

1. Perspective
2. Structure (sequence of things)
3. obstacles
4. character’s behaviour, actions, speech
5. character’s goal

• Everyone should at least try and rewrite their stories 5 times(don’t over rewrite to keep originality of the story)
• You will never find out what is really in you until you write and rewrite
• doesn’t mean just polishing phrases

Tip:

• Study your story, see it with a new vision and changed values
• Write it a fresh
• Then maybe scrap it, start all over again-don’t be afraid to do this!
• After this, then you can begin “polishing”
• Finding expressions with character, dialogue that has rhythm
• It takes 2 or more versions to bring out the full color of the characters or yourself.

REFLECT

The inclination of the egoist is to get as much as he can, but at the same time not to change.

The Final DRAFT

1) Read with a fixed eye

-re-read through your story carefuly

-focus on a particular aspect each time ,ie,character, location, action, etc.

Ask Yourself”

• Is the protagonist ALWAYS the focus of the story?
• Is he/she doing anything or is everyone else always doing stuff around him/her?
• Is he/she even there?

2)The chainsaw is your friend

-Now is the time to look at script economy

-Why have your reader dying to finish after 4 pages when they could be craving for more after 2?

Ask yourself

• where do my scenes begin? where do they end?
• can six lines be said in three?
• can i trim the fat? can i cut the exposition? can i tell it visually instead?

3) Crank it up!

-The stakes are high-can they be higher?

-More to lose= More dramatic tension

Ask yourself:

• Does everything matter enough? can everything matter more? (does the situation matter enough to the character? if it matters more to the characters, the characters will matter more to the audience.)
• Am i giving my characters hell? is it fun to see them squirm and satisfying enough when they get out of it?

What is a location?(must allow for events to take place)

• A physical place (created or real)
• The place in your story where events occur and characters interact

Location

• May also represent the ‘villain’ in the story
• What elements make the location interesting? E.g geographical position, climate, rules (spoken & unspoken)

Interactive Location

• A setting and surrounding that interacts with the characters of the film by adding importance to their actions
• An environment which impacts the action and heightens the stakes
• Threat of being in the location
• Impact of a newly introduced character/element
• E.g Norma Rae

Location: Jurassic Park is a Zoo/amusement park located on an island off the cast of central america.

Interactive Location: The island is completely isolated, and anyone on it will be trapped until assistance from the mainland arrives.

<<Story is Action>>

• Action encompasses any kind of movement, activity and interaction between the characters and also between the characters and their surroundings.
• Talking about how one feels is not as powerful as illustrating why one feels the way they do through action.

<<Film is Behaviour>>

• Action is the manifestation of behaviour.
• The complexity of the human psyche and interaction is better understood when it is possible to watch the actions, nuances and reactions of the characters.

<<Dynamic Action>>

• Has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the skates and increasing the tension.

Moving Pictures

The power of any story lies in the narrator’s ability to project a mental pictures for the audience.

Pabrik Dodol – old vs new. the old times were not so bad and were fun too. Modern machines reduce interaction between workers compared to the old time methods.

How to convey visually any sense of inner conflict of emotion.

Inja: recall and explain some actions/behaviour that was a result of emotions the character felt.

bag scene- The man felt insulted that the dog ignored him,the master of the land, but obeyed the boy who worked for the man. This made him jealous and envious of the boy, which resulted in fear that the dog would grow up to be more loyal to the boy than himself. He, thus ordered the boy to put the dog in the bag to be kicked and later open the bag to make the dog believe that the boy kicked it. 

Affection towards the dog led him to take the high risk of cutting rope to make the collar for the dog. The boy was forced to obey the man as the man was the boss of the land. He was driven by fear of what the boss might do to him if he did not obey. Heavy regret can be seen in the boy as he had lost his beloved companion. After that incident he did not seem to put much effort into working the land as the boss had to keep showing him how to do certain things such as hammering the wood into the ground. 

ASSIGNMENT

-write in 3rd person

-make sure its written visually (translate to actions)

-student number on first page

1st draft of story due wed 6 jan 2010

printed copy in class, soft copy on safe assign

format: courier 12, single spacing

no less than 2 pages no more than three pages

- Observe in a conscious way—> observe minute details (their behaviour, attire, speech, stance/gait, posture, mannerism/gestures, physical looks/attributes)

- Train yourself to see and record: — movements, physical characteristics, settings

- Adopt a KEEN EYE

- Develop a natural sense of curiosity ( the way u phrase and ask questions is very important.)

*An observed event, when subject to simple questions, can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.*

Some Questions.

- who am i writing about?

- who is my character?

-what is he/she /it likes?

-what does he/she/it/do?

-what happens to him /her/it in the story?

Mindless Observation vs True Observation

-true observation is when u ask qns regarding ur observations. make u think about what u see.

Exercise

-Develop the ability to see and RECORD people

–their movements

–their physical characteristics

–the setting / places they’re in

1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Thought
4. Diction
5. Melody
6. Spectacle

According to Aristotle, Tragedy. . .

• Creates a cause- and – effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen
• Arouses not only pity but also fear, because members of the audience can imagine themselves within the cause – and – effect chain.
• Plot is the most important Feature of TRAGEDY

What is Plot?

• Plot is the arrangement of incidents
• It is not the story itself, but the way the incidents are presented to the audience
• The structure of the play

Beginning

• The incitive moment
• It must start the cause and effect chain.

Middle

• Climax
• It must be caused by earlier incidents and itself causes the incidents that follow it.

End

• Resolution
• Must be caused by the preceding events but not lead to other incidents
• The end should resolve the problem created during the incident

Episodic plots

• According to Aristotle, the worst kinds of plots
• The acts (Episodes) succeed one another without probability or necessity
• The only thing tying together the events in such a plot is the fact that they happen to the same person

Simple Vs Complex plots

Simple has only a change of fortune

complex has a reversal of intention “Peripeteia” and recognition Anagnorisis connected with a catastrophe

Character

• In the ideal tragedy, the protagonist will mistakenly bring about his own downfall
• not because he is sinful or weak — but because he does not know enough
• This lack of self knowledge is called “Hamartia”

Elements of dialogue

• dialogue reveals character

-a character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him.

• Dialogue establishes relationships between characters

-once you have established your main character’s POV. You can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternative POV’s.

-This helps to create and sustain the element of conflict between characters.

• Good effective dialogue will move the story forward
• Dialogue communicates faces and information to the audience

-It conveys essential exposition.

-Characters will talk about what happened, establishing the story-line.

• Dialogue comments on the action
• Dialogue ties the script together

-It is one of the devices that you as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your character.

“if you can see it or hear it, don’t write it” – Neville Smith

• Dialogue should be used sparingly
• Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves

*Dialogue is not a substitute for action*

In hollywood when they look at a page and its got too much black, too much ink on the paper, they say

“shit! It’s freeze the camera time”

*common mistake

-students sometimes never achieve a level of competence as they tend to reproduce conventional spoken language, long statements of “REAL TALKING”, and defend their decision by telling us that:  

“it’s how the character speaks”

• Good dialogue is not somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life.

-If that was all there is to it, you can just push a button on the tape recorder and then collect your oscar.

• Good dialogue is the illusion of reality

-You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.

• Common Mistake

-students tend to create radio shows with images.

>Film is a visual medium<

A screenplay is a story told in pictures.

Good stories have to be worked and re-worked.

• True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
• Life is unpredictable
• In a story, we can and must control the events and sequences so that it gives the appearance of being like life.
• Every story starts with a character(has a character)- the character is the heart,the soul and the nervous system of your story
• It is through your characters that the viewers experience emotions

-Without a character, there is no action.

-without action, you have no conflict.

-when developing a character, ask yourself:

• who is your character?
• what does he want?
• what is his quest?
• what drives him to the resolution of the story?

1. Establish your main character.

-character should have 3-dimensional structure

a) Physiology

-sex

-age

-height and weight

-color of hair, eyes, skin

-posture

-appearance

-defects, abnormalities, deformities, birthmarks, diseases

-heredity 

b) Sociology

-class (lower, middle, upper)

-occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude towards organization, stability for work

-education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite 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 

-Places in the community; leader among friends, clubs, sports

-political affiliations

-amusements: hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/she reads

c) Psychology 

-sex life, moral standards

-personal premise, ambition

-frustration, chief disappointments 

-temperament: choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic

-attitude towards life: resigned, militant, defeatist

-complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, phobias

-personality: extrovert, introvert

-abilities: language, talents

-qualities: imagination, judgment, taste, poise

-I.Q./ E.Q.

-what is the deep and personal secret this character has which he is desperate to protect/ hide

Developing Characters

1. Separate the components of his life into 2 basic categories:

a)interior

-the interior life takes place from birth until the moment your story begins

-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 with his parents
• what kind of child was he
• is he married single, widowed, separated or divorced

b)exterior 

-the exterior life takes place the moment your story begins to it’s conclusion.

-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?

2. You must create your characters in relationship to other people or things.

all dramatic characters interact in 3 ways:

1. they experience conflict in achieving their dramatic need.

[eg need money- rob bank,store, person]

2. they interact with other characters

[either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferently way]

3. they interact with themselves

[eg. he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully]

How Do You Invent Characters?

• try turning them upside down

next week quiz

-3 story telling tools

-memory

-observation

-experience

-aristotle’s storytelling techniques

-developing 3 dimensional characters

-writing for an audience

-the letter is a practical, personal example of how a character-you-undergo an inevitable process of change.

-this process of change is an essential ingredient of any effective story.

-in dramatic writing, the very essence is character change.

Storytelling tool 2:

Experience

-a storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience.

-everything about you-where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead- your experiences are unique and irreplaceable.

-many of your experiences are universal and can be used in any location.

*fear of doctor so when got injury i keep quiet until it got infected.

Tip

-if you dont know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while.

-see how he relates to the world he has been thrown into.

-plunder your own background.

-the things that happen to you as you grow up and the things that are currently happening to you make terrific story sources.

-all people have fragments of stories

-these potential ideas prompt your desire to know more.

-respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard.

-good stories are born in the heart, not in the head (development)

-remember the role of the audience.

-after all, you are the audience.

* take them on a ride of discovery

*feed new info

Storytelling tool 3:

Memory

-your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced or been told.

-these memories are points of reference to your own past existence.

Tip

-write what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know.

*imagination

*research

*interviews

-There is always room for personal discovery.

What is the difference between memory and experience? 

-experience is really what you go through

-memory is what you remember. It is what we manufacture in our mind.

How do we use memory to build creative content?

What is Tragedy

Tragedy doesnt mean that something bad happens and the story ends.

It means something bad happens as a result of a flaw in your character, and you show how this tragic fall forces your character to learn something about him or herself.

E.g of Character flaws:

-jealousy

-rage

-impulsiveness 

-too kind

review of shawshank redemption

*why would we classify Andy as a tragic hero?

too impulsive, jealous,led to determination to do what he did

*what was his flaw and how did it cause his fall from grace?

*what lessons did he learn from his mistakes?

cannot trust people easily,

How did he change and how did he change others?

initially very quiet,should change his attitude, great impact on fellow inmates

Definition

• serious disagreement
• hostile encounter
• struggle (mental, emotional,physical)

-Opposition of persons or forces.

-Can result internally or externally.

-It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills that creates the plot.

Types of conflict

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

-man vs man 

-man vs environment

-man vs system

-man vs self 

• variations of conflict can arise from gender, age, religion and culture

Cause and effects of Conflict

• Conflict arises when there is change.
• Changes may be major or minor.
• While change is universal and common, it is not always accepted.

Examples of changes: seasons, lives, relationships, feelings, bodies, locations, technologies…

• conflict arises when people resist changes
• the intensity of conflict depends how people react to the change
• people must learn to cope with change if they want to survive
• the action in drama depends on conflict

Importance of Conflict

• Plot cannot be constructed without conflict
• 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

Writing for an Audience

• the cinematic experience is not just 

To connect the audience

• themselves
• their unique vision
• the material/issue
• the drama
• others

audiences want to be transported by a screenplay.

Where do you look for a story

-Within yourself eg experiences, memories, emotions

-Practice observing,’listening’ and reading body language of people

-Figure hot to connect your viewers to your story through emotions, characters, etc

assignment

5 stories of exactly 50 words each, posted to your blog.