An exploration into scriptwriting, starting with, what I believe to be, some of the fundamentals of of filmmaking and storytelling as a whole. This is all based on what I have learned on the filmmaking course at Leeds Arts University, through my own practical work, lectures and seminars.

1. Building a Story
& Character Development
Explored by Gabriel Kelly

2. Characters in Film
From watching some of the most
critically acclaimed films, it’s becomes
clear that strong, well researched
characters are at the centre of every one
and it’s seeing their inner and outer
conflicts act out that creates an
entertaining story.
In Citizen Kane, we get to see how Kane’s
morals morph, as he is exposed to
temptation, power and rivalry. However,
without Orson Welles’ detailed yet subtle
characterisation of Kane, I would lose
empathy for the protagonist and his
story.

3. Motivations & Conflicts
Motivations are what a
character wants (outer)
and why they want it
(inner). Conflicts are why
a character can’t do
something (outer) and
why they won’t do
something (inner).
A good example is the
character chief Brody
from Jaws.
outer
motivation:
to kill the shark
inner
motivation: to
keep the town
safe and
maintain his
reputation as
chief
outer conflict:
the shark,
finding the tiger
shark, the mayor
Inner conflict:
fear of water,
self confidence

4. Here’s the character
development sheet I
used for my short film
that I later scripted.
Finishing the sheet, I
had a good idea of a
story, the characters,
dynamics between
them and their
motivations.
Though I initially
formed the ideas for a
longer film, when
converting it for a
short, the characters all
remained largely the
same and so it was still
a big help.

5. “The life story of
each and every
character offers
encyclopedic
possibilities. The
mark of a master is
to select only a few
moments but give
us a lifetime.”
from
Story by
Robert McKee

7. A good method that I used to
break down the scriptwriting
process, is to fill out a beat-board.
This way I could note down a
possible setup and climax, which
will then helped with filling out the
middle.
It also allowed me to make sure
there was a constant changing in
story values.
This is the beat board I used for my first assessed script:

8. Story Values
These are the
factors and
themes within a
story event that
can be interpreted
as having
changed from a
negative to a
positive and vice
versa.
Examples Include:
Good – Bad, Happy – Sad,
Regretful – Glad, Fun –
Boring, Hating – Adoring,
Empathy – Apathy, Luck –
Misfortune, Ignorance –
Awareness etc...

9. Genre
In short, genre categorises
films, based on their story,
mise en scène and
characters.
It’s key to consider genre, in
order to understand how the
audience will interpret a film
based on conventions, created
throughout cinema history. This
way you are able to satisfy
expectations and play with
them, without frustrating
viewers.

10. In this first scene of my first draft, I attempted to
establish both Sidney, Ricky and their friendship
before fully introducing them into the film. With
feedback, I was made aware that, especially for
short films, the inciting incident should come
close to the beginning of the film, in order to
give the plot momentum and to make clear the
characters’ motivations. There were other ways
to weave in character development without
holding back the story.

11. This first page, of a later draft, jumps into the
action and raises the stakes a lot quicker and
more effectively when compared to my first.
This is partially because the story values more
clearly change from the beginning to the end
of the scene – from hope to hopelessness –
whereas previously there was no such change.
I also tried to include a more recognisable
sign of Sidney and Ricky’s friendship in the
form of Ricky’s support of Sid’s romantic
venture. Setting the scene prior to the rest of
the films, allowed me to give a sense of time
for the relationships whilst also giving context
to Sidney’s inner conflicts that would be
revealed later in the film. Something in a
characters past that haunts them is described
as a ‘ghost’ in scriptwriting terms, and using
this device can make a character more
sympathetic and give them a clear hurdle to
overcome. Instead of setting up a romantic
interest Sidney would try to get, I wanted to
set up a reason for his lack of confidence for
him to conquer.

12. Conclusion