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Screenplay march15 (3)
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- 2. Why screenplay? • Away to convey information to a lot of people • Visual – Visual learners
- 3. First - • Anidea. – Why is this idea well-suited to screen? – Budget? – Is it a fresh idea? – Has it been done before? – Can you make it unique? – Can you relinquish creative control?
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- 5. Pitching • Get youridea out there! • Networking – Parties – Friends of friends • Always have a pitch on hand for your idea.
- 6. Pitching • Refine your idea to one sentence. • What is the essence of the film? • The clearer you are, the better. • Verbal - short - 3 minutes maximum.
- 7. Pitching • What isthe title? – If need be, use a working title • What is the theme? – A broad sense of issues that are being discussed • What is the story? – Do people want to know the ending? Is it interesting? • What is unique? • Why you?
- 8. Pitching • What isthe catchiest thing about this project? • Genre • Where does the story come from? • Why? – Why now? – Why do you love it? – Why do you want to make it?
- 9. Elevator Pitch • Thinkof an elevator ride - you want to be able to pitch to somebody in the same time it would take to ride an elevator with them.
- 10. Next - thetreatment
- 11. Treatment • Telling thestory of your screenplay - take your script and write it like a short story • TWO PAGES OR LESS - brevity! • Write the treatment with action that advances your story
- 12. Treatment • Here isan example of a treatment
- 13. Treatment • Written insimple present tense • Each paragraph is a scene • No dialogue – If there is any dialogue, it should aid in conveying the tone • No camera directions • Capitalize the names of characters the first time they are introduced • Capitalize every sound • Indent (5 spaces) every new paragraph • Flush left
- 14. Beat Sheet • Abeat sheet is another way of laying your story out • Can be done or after the screenplay - often done after the first draft of the screenplay • It is composed of beats, which are the smallest unit of screen story-telling • A beat is a moment in which something happens – Could be action or something dramatic (an explosion, a fight, etc.) • Beats are represented by a bullet point or a number
- 15. Beat Sheet • Morethan one beat can happen in a single setting or scene • No required length - is as long as it needs to be • Written clearly and simply as possible
- 16. Finally - thescreenplay!
- 17. Screenplay • Here isan example of a screenplay.
- 18. Screenplay - basics •Scene - screenplay is made up of scenes. A scene is a unit of drama. • A scene helps achieve coherence. – Advance story/show conflict/develop character/create suspense, etc.
- 19. Screenplay - basics • Dramatic action is action in pursuit of a goal 1. The protagonist has an 2. Objective which is opposed by 3. The antagonist out of which arises 4. Dramatic conflict
- 20. The Screenplay • Themain thing you need - FORMAT – Screen is a genre where format holds a lot of importance • Programs for formatting: – Final Draft – Celtx (Free! But misbehaves) – Word (for the brave) • Remember - about 1 minute per page of screenplay.
- 21. Formatting - History •Screenplays were first typed on typewriters - hence the Courier font • This is how the timing standard was set • And this is why it is still the same format to this day - to keep the timing.
- 22. Screenplay • Now, ascreenplay written by Steven. For real! Kind of. • This will help answer formatting questions in a creative way.
- 23. The Screenplay • Screenplaysare a bit of an odd genre to write in • Very specific brand of writing – Sparse/brief • Watch out for risk of offending – Actors – Directors
- 24. “No-nos” • All rulescan be broken, but here are some loose ones to follow for screenwriting: – Don’t write in camera angles or directions – Don’t write in lighting cues – Don’t write in nuanced acting (specific facial expressions) – Be aware of budget – Be aware of special effects
- 25. “No-Nos.” • Voice-overs • Dream sequences • Montages • Flashbacks • Narration