Wk 1: Openers
Introduction
How does storytelling fit into FMS’S big picture
1] Begin with an idea
Written assignments:
- Present tense – Being acted out, so not past tense
- 3rd person POV – no “I”, character’s name should be present
- A visual voice – Have to be detailed like: Stomping or screaming instead of writing she feels angry (writing visually)
- Narrator in a story – Voice over narration (V.O). Don’t see the person but will hear the person’s voice
- Imagine the person’s feel before writing
3rd person/present tense
- commonly use in screenplay – film unfolds as we read n fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the story
- Thriller & suspense Genre
PASSIVE vs ACTIVE
Passive
- Use weak verbs
- tells what’s happening in the character’s head
- creates a distance between the reader from the story
Active
- uses strong verbs
- shows the action
- uses an immediate sentence structure
- conveys the story in a lively manner
Active Voice example
Fluffy white clouds drift like cotton in the blue sky
Mark storms 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
To throw the bottle at the feet is to show that he is giving a warning. Hence, it is more powerful!
Passive voice example
The sky was blue with a lot of fluffy white clouds
Writing tips:
- Getting started is the hardest. Once begun… ideas wil beginn to trickle and eventually flow
- Begin with a short description of your story
- When you have a writer’s block, take a break, find inspiration then continue until you derive solution
- All writers sleep better when they solve the problem in their stories. Seeping on the (writing) job is a no-no
- Don’t be too hard on yourself, what you write at the beginning ia seldom good but eventually…..
Ask yourself:
- Whose story am i telling?
- What is the point of this story?
- How can I engage the attention of the audience?
Story comments
- It’s credibility
- Passages drawn from reality or experience
- Passages created artificially to keep the narrative flowing
HWK:
Write 12 opening phrases in yout blogs under the openers page
Examples:
- Sally keeps glancing at her watch…………
- Joe opens the bottle and takes a whiff………
- May closes her eyes and jumps off……
- James paces around the empty hallway……
- Mel opens the envelope. Her hand shakes……
Notes: wk 3
Dialogue reveals character
• A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him
Dialogue establishes relationships between characters
• Established character’s POV
• Use dialogue with other characters to show they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternative POVs
• This helps to create and sustain the element of conflict between character
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 storyline
• E.g. The murder will say what he is going to do to the victim n how they can stop him!
Dialogue comments on the action
• Like audience saying “oh…omg! The car blew up!”
• Saying what just happened to remind the audience what happened
Dialogue ties the script together
• One of the device we can use as a writer can use to expand and enlarge the characters
Common Mistakes
• Students tend to create radio shows with images – Lots of dialogue
A screenplay is a story told in pictures!
We write best what we know!
- Adopt a keen eye
- Develop a natural sense of curiosity
- An observed event sub to simple qn
- set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling!
- Whom am I writing about?
- Who is my character?
- What is he/she/ it like?
- What does he/ she/it do?
- What happens to him/ her/it in the story?
Awareness level of people: 20%-30%
Openers – the following story
Fog rolls on the road. He gasped as he heard footsteps getting louder and louder with every step that he takes. Roy stops and so did the sound of the footsteps.
Roy slowly took another step forward and so did the sound of footsteps, that roy thought to be his stalker. Fanatic, Roy shouts, “Who’s there?”
Nothing but silence. Why was there somebody following him? Is he that popular? He didn’t think that anybody was that desperate to stalk him.
“I know that I’m cute but you can just tell me that and not stalk me!”
Suddenly, a figure appears. “Dude, who were you talking to?”
Embarrassed, Roy just mummured, “Nobody, just myself.”
Script writing
Husband: hey wifey…..
Wife:……..
Husband: What? The silent treatment?
W: Your home early!
H: Oh……. That’sssssss rrrrriiiiggggggghttttttttttt! Haahaaaaaa!
W: R u drunk?
H: MMMMMMMaaaaaaayyyyyyybeeeeeeeeeeee
W: You were suppose to be home the past few hours! Do you know how long I had to prepare for this dinner……. It was going to be our night. What with the kids gone and all…..
H: Ok, ooookkkkkkk! I’m rrrrrrreeeeeeeawwwwlly reeeeeeawwwwwlly sorr.. ohhh..BLECH!
THE REAL EXPERIMENT
W: Wow! You so late come home arh.
H: Mm
W: You go out with who ar?
H: Ah boon
W: Your godfather? Ah yo girl ah, your father always go out with his godfather leh! Got girl outside anot?
H: haha….
ME: Oh hor…..Da got girl outside…..
W: Got fried rice. Later you go and eat finish hor
H: orh.
Notes: wk 4
Characters are the heart, soul and nervous system of the story!
Viewers experience the story/emotion through the characters!
No character = no conflict
No action = No conflict
No conflict = No story
No story = No screenplay
Ask yourself!
1. Who is the character?
2. What does he want?
3. What is his quest?
4. What drives him to the resolution of the story?
Characters should have 3 Dimensional Structure
• Physiology
• Sociology
• Psychology
People watch characters
Chang Dek ling (little boy)
Blk 701 yishan ave 5 #12-298
Majid b Dawood (man)
Blk 113 Bedok north st 2 #05-268
Looking at the weird dark man with his eyes closed and his head bobbing to the music in his black ipod, Dek Ling wondered what the grown up was doing.
Feeling the presence of another person staring at him, Majid slowly opened his eyes. Right in front of him stood a little boy with black hair and pale skin. The little boy was mouthing something that Majid could not hear, so he plucked out one of his earphones and said, “What do you want?”
“Hey! What are you doing? What are you listening? What is that…”, the list of question was endless and it irritated Majid so much.
“Shhh….”, Majid put his finger on his lips. Dek Ling followed Majid’s action with big eyes.
Suddenly, Dek Ling shouted, ”Ah gonggg…..I need to shh shh!”
The little boy rushed off and Majid went back to his drumming with a smile on his face.
Notes: wk 5
• Breaks down the myth of handling only 1 idea at a time
Sub plot – like when the main character has a story and the other character has a story at the same time.
• Encourages precise and concise writing
• Teaches basic script editing skills, to focus and reveal the essential elements.
Dynamic action
<<Story is action>>
1. Action encompasses any kind of movement, activity and interaction between and characters and also between the characters and their surroundings.
2. Talking about how one feels is not as powerful as illustrating why one feels the way they do through action.
<<Film is Behaviour>>
1. Action is the manifestation of behaviour.
=> Action is behaviour
2. 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.
⇨ look on his face show how the person is feeling!
<<Dynamic action>>
Has the potential to enrich the experience of the audience by heightening the stakes and increasing the tension.
Moving Pictures
The power of any story lies in the narrator’s ability to project a mental picture for the audience.
=>Audience should know what you are seeing!
How to convey visually any sense of inner conflict of emotion.
Location is:
• A physical location
• A place which events occur and characters interact
Interactive Location is:
• A physical setting and surrounding that INTERACTS with the characters of the film by positive heightening their action.
• It can enhance the impact of the action and heighten stakes.
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.
Notes: wk 6
Writing a letter will make us realize the change we have been through.
Change is an essential part of getting an effective story
In dramatic writing, the very essence is character change.
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 our experiences are universal and translatable and can be use in any location.
Tips:Plunder 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.
True story is not necessarily a good story
Good have to be worked and reworked.
True life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings
Classwork
Story 1 – true
There was once when I went out with my mother till late at night, like reaching home at about 1am. When we were walking up to the 24hr supermarket, a guy who was wearing a pair of sunglasses suddenly put out his hands at us. He started walking like a possessed man. We were so scared that we held each other’s hands even tighter and made a dash for the supermarket. I didn’t look back as I was too scared to do so. When we were done with the shopping, the man was gone.
Story 2 – false
During the midnight of the night, my annoying little sister came to use the bathroom that we shared. When she was getting out of bed, her bed creaked rather loudly and I felt very annoyed, as I am a very light sleeper. I can always hear the littlest of noise like the sound of footsteps. Even when she was walking, I could hear her and it was even worse when she flushed the toilet.
