The document discusses key elements of writing a storyline, focusing on character motivations, conflicts, and the overall narrative structure. It outlines different storytelling frameworks like three-act structure, flat structure, and episodic approach, while emphasizing the importance of scenes in storytelling. Additionally, it provides guidelines on crafting effective scenes, including their emotional content, objectives, and logical flow.

1. Writing

2. Writing the Storyline
Who’s story is it? What’s the
problem? What does she want to
do? Is she aware of what she
wants? What will she do? How
does she react to problems?
What’s really her problem? What
are the changes? What’s the
story really about?

3. The Sentence Outline
- The sentence outline is a
numbered list of scenes in a
story.
- Where narrative threads are
found and realized.

4. The Writing Structure
Meaning greatly relies on
structure.

5. Sequence Treatment
Sequence treatment is the
detailed summary of the events
that happen in every scene.

6. Three-act and Alternative
structure
Three-act structure
- The film is divided into 3 acts; each act has an
element that needs to be present and problems
should be resolved at the end of the film.
Flat structure
- similar to real life; there are no acts; events
can come at random
Episodic
- character driven rather than plot; the story is
held together by a place or an event
Plot points
- the use of units instead of acts; each plot
point indicates a problem that’s being faced or
that will have to be faced by the main character.

7. The Scene
Scenes not Shots
- Scene is for the writer; shot is
for the director
A scene has emotional content and
point; it contains the characters
and characterization, action and
activity, goal and conflict,
milieu, genre, approach to
reality, dialogue, sound,
lighting, and etc.

8. Basic content of a scene:
• Physical event
• Point
3 Classes of a Scene based on its
function:
• Establishing scene – introduces a
character or establishes the
story
• Anticipation scene – happens in
order to wait for the next scene
• Confrontation scene – the scene
where the opposing forces meet

9. How scenes should be:
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Scenes exist for the next scenes
Should have a forward movement
Should not be fixed on what’s present
Should have a point
Characters in a scene should always have
an objective or need
Should have a dominating emotional
content
The sequence should have a logical,
dramatic, emotional or visual flow
Should have connection or disconnection
Should give hints or information; or
should hide hints or information
(revelation and recognition)

10. How to structure a scene
• Make use of story units and emotional
units or dramatic beats.
• Make use of buttons
Conventional directions of a scene:
• Polarity – the situation may be made
into 2 scenes; the effectiveness of
contrasting situations
• Revelation – information unfolds as the
story runs
• Process – shows how characters learn or
become what they are
• Chase – shows the goal of the character
and how she opts to get it and if she’s
able to achieve it