week 12

Storytelling Techniques Week 12

Interactive Location

What is a location?

–       A physical place

–       The place in your story where events occur and characters interact

–       Physical address

–       Worlds created by writers

–       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

Location: Jurassic Park is a zoo/amusement park located on an island off the coast of Central America

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

Scene 1: In the Bar

Location: In the Bar

Characters: Vito and Fanucci

Action: Vito is paying his debts to Fanucci but does not have enough money.

Week 9

REVIEW EXERCISE 3: DIALOGUE

>>> Purpose of the Exercise

–       we write best what we know we will.

DYNAMIC ACTION

<<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.

Scenario: Frank Jr. goes to the theme park, he enters the Fun House he enters the torture chamber of mirrors. Another person has just left the room, he watches him go, but he notices that his reflection is still in the mirrors.

Character: Frank Jr.

Action: eyes widen, breath shortens

<<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 picture for the audience

EXERCISE: translating emotional responses into action.

–       2 students are to act out their emotions set by simple narrative according to the following:

–       the couple has just met. This is their first evening spent together. He is very shy. She desires him.

–       The young man has decided to leave his girlfriend

–       Has another woman friend. She is also eating at the restaurant

–       She is pregnant. She can’t bring herself to tell him.

–

MOVIE: INJA

ASSIGNMENT

2^nd draft of story. Due 15 July 2009

Printed copy in class

Format: Courier 12, single-spacing.

Week 8| Storytelling Techniques

Dialogue Exercise:

ASSIGNMENTS DUE:

1.  Story assignment – 2 July

2.  Dialogue exercise – 26 June

3.  Complete all online exercises and notes by the 26^th of June 10 a.m. – 26 June

ELEMENTS OF DIALOGUE

• DIALOGUE REVEALS CHARACTER
  • A character will talk about himself, and other people will talk about him.

GOOD DIALOGUE	BAD DIALOGUE
Sounds realistic	Too real
Is short (relatively)	Long winded
	Cheesy

• DIALOGUE ESTABLISHES RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHRACTERS
  • Once you have established your main character’s POV you can use dialogue with other character’s to show that they have other attitudes, creating/alternative POVs.
  • 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 storyline

• 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 characters

“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 NO SUBSTITUE FOR ACTION >>

In Hollywood when they look at a page and it’s 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 them 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”

DIALOGUE IS AFFECTED BY

–   Age (e.g. speed of speech, how busy a person is)

–   Gender

–   Social status

–   Educational (qualification)

–   Race

• 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 go 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 SCREEMPLAY IS A STORY TOLD IN PICTURES!

EXERCISE WRITING DIALOGUE:

THE SCENARIO:

• A middle-aged man returns home from work.
• He had stopped for a few drinks with his friends and forgot to phone his wife to tell her he’ll be late.
• The dinner is ruined.

THE EXERCISE:

• Write a short scene composed of dialogue between husband and wife.

ROLE-PLAY:

• 2 students to play the roles from their stories

THE REAL EXERCISE:

• Repeat “THE EXPERIMENT” but:
• Husband and wife are YOUR own parents.
• Get two people to read the dialogue
• Record the reading
• Post it to your blog using Youtube, Multiply, etc.

Review of Exercise: True & False Stories

>>Purpose of the Exercise

–         A true story is not necessarily a good story.

 

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 hat it gives the appearance of being LIKE LIFE.

–         Every story starts with a character

–         The character is…

• The heart, the soul and the nervous system

 

–         It is through your characters that the viewers experience emotions.

–         WITHOUT A CHARACTER, THERE IS NO ACTION

–         WITHOUT ACTION, YOU HAVE NO CONFLICT

–         WITHOUT CONFLICT, YOU HAVE NO STORY

–         WITHOUT A STORY, YOU HAVE NO SCREENPLAY

DEVELOPING CHARACTERS

–         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 a 3 Dimensional Structure.

• Physiology (appearance)
• Sociology (background)
• Psychology (How he thinks)

 

a)     Physiology

–         Sex

–         Age

–         Height, Weight

–         Color of hair, eyes, skin

–         Posture

–         Appearance

–         Defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases

–         Heredity

b) Sociology

–         Class (lower, middle, upper)

–         Occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of with, attitude towards organization, suitability for work

–         Education: amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes

–         Home life: parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/ divorced, parents’ vices, neglect, character’s marital status

–         Religion

–         Race, Nationality

–         Place 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?

1. SEPARATE THE COMPONENTS OF HIS LIFE INTO 2 BASIC CATEGORIES:

a) INTERIOR

b) EXTERIOR

 

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 ild 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 to his parents?

–         What kind of child was he?

–         Is he married, single, widowed, separated or divorced?

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?

>> YOU MUST CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS IN RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PEOPLE OR THINGS

ALL DRAMATICE CHARACTERS INTERACT IN 3 WAYS:

1. They EXPERIENCE CONFLICT in achieving their dramatic need. [E.g. need money – Rob a bank, rob a store, rob a person?]
2. They INTERACT with other CHARCTERS. [Either in an antagonistic, friendly or indifferent way]
3. They INTERACT with THEMSELVES. [E.g. he overcame his fear of being caught by pulling off the robbery successfully]

 

–         how do you invent characters? Try turning them upside down.

 

A monk who is devoted to his religion… but is a football fanatic.

A serial killer… whose obsession is to kill other serial killers.

A common street rat… who loves to eat and cook only fine food.

 

NEXT WEEK

Storytelling techniques quiz #1

Review

FILMS

Taxi Driver

Week 6!

Storytelling Techniques week 6

 

Review Exercise: Letter to the Past

>> Purpose of the Exercise

–       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.

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 translatable and can be used in any location.

UNIVERSAL THEMES:

–       Friendship

–       Love

–       Family

–       Death

–       Betrayal

–       Loneliness

–       Hardship

–       Hope

TRANSLATABLE:

–       Setting

–       Characters

–       Language

–       Culture

TIP:

–       If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while.

–       See how he relates to the world he had been thrown into.

>>> 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.

–       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 the head.

–       Remember the role of an audience.

–       After all, you ARE the audience.

STORYTELLING TOOL 3:

–       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.

–       There is always room for personal discovery!

–       What is the difference between memory and experience?

–       How do we use memory to build creative content?

ASSIGNMENT 1:

Write two short stories

–       One is completely TRUE

–       One is completely FALSE

Only the author knows which is which!

–       Post these on your blogs under a page called True of False by Tuesday, 3 June, 10am.

ASSIGNMENT 2:

After posting your story, visit 3 classmates below you on the blog roll and vote for which story you think is true and which is false.

Letter to the Past

Assignments

–       Letter to the past:

–       Select a person that means something to you in your past, but whom you no longer speak to now.

–       Then write a letter which expresses all the things you wish could say to the person but can’t.

–       Communicate the memories of important moments you had together has made you a different person now than you were before.

–       Password protect your page!

Week 4| Review and Visual Trigger

Review Exercise: People-Watch

–       Take 1 character from the person above you on the bloglist

–       Take 1 character from the person below you on bloglist

–       Write a story about how these two people interact

–       Don’t forget the most essential element of drama: CONFLICT!

ASSIGNMENTS:

–       Visual Trigger:

• Find an image and tell a story that comes to mind as you see it.
• Pictures should not be taken for this purpose – use only pictures you can find.

PRINCIPLES OF TRAGEDY

Incorporate principles of tragedy into your writing!

What is tragedy?

Tragedy doesn’t 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 herself or himself.

 

Visual Trigger due: 20^th May in class

People Watch due: 13^th May 11:59 p.m.

Storytelling Tool 1: Observation

Review Exercise 2: 50 word stories

–       Difficulties – what were they?

–       Restraints – did they help?

Do constraints help you to be a better writer?

What constraints do professional writers face?

 

Professional writers face problems like:

–       Deadlines

–       Plagiarism

–       Casting Problems

–       Problems with directors

(more experienced wants to change everything)

 

Storytelling Tool 1: Observation

–       Observe in a conscious way

–       Dressing

–       Way they carry things

–       Their speech

–       Expressions

–       Gestures

 

Train yourself to see and record:

–       Movements

–       Physical characteristics

–       Settings

–       Watch what is not said. Not just what is said

Adopt a KEEN EYE

Develop a natural sense of curiosity

(Be curious but not intrusive)

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

For e.g. when you observe a couple having a2 meal yet totally not talking… what questions come to mind?

 

–       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?

 

PEOPLE WATCHING HOMEWORK

–       People rarely observe familiar people or things closely

–       Most people pass through the day with 20% – 30% awareness

 

MINDLESS OBSERVATION VS TRUE OBSERVATION

–       OBSERVE in a conscious way

–       DEVELOP the ability to SEE and RECORD people:

• Their MOVEMENTS
• Their PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• The SETTING/PLACES they’re in

1. Walk into the canteen/library, etc. and watch people pass by.
2. Eventually, one will catch your attention.
3. Write down as many details as possible through observation.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for a second character.
5. Transcribe all these details into the “PEOPLE-WATCH” page that you create on your blog.

Format:

Photo:

Gender:

Setting:

What happened?

 

Different:

–       Gender

–       Setting

–       Age

Week 2 – Conflict

Conflict

Definition

–       The opposition of persons or forces.

–       Can result internally or externally.

–       It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills that create the plot.

–       A serious/not-so-serious disagreement

–       Hostile encounter

–       Mental/ emotional/ physical struggle

 

Types of Conflict

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

–       Man vs. man

–       Man vs. environment

–       Man vs. system

 

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

 

Causes & Effects of Conflict

–       Conflict rises when there is CHANGE

–       Changers may be major or minor

–       While is it universal and common, it is not always accepted

–       Examples of changes:

o   Seasons

o   Lives

o   Realationships

o   Feelings

o   Bodies

o   Locations

o   Technologies

–       Conflict arises when people resist changes

–       The intensity or conflict depends how people react to 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 you characters attempt to reach their goals, the 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

 

The Call Home

Directed by:

Han Yew Kwang

 

Written by:

K.S.A Shah

Raj.A. Pillai

Subra V.S

Rachel B. Kaur

Han Yew Kwang

2001, Singapore, 31:00

 

The Secret Heaven

Written and Directed by:

Sun Koh

Singapore, 2002, 16:00

 

Writing for an Audience

–       Screenwriter = storyteller

o   The cinematic experience is not just made up of text on paper, but the audiences’ emotional reaction to that information.

–       Director to people✘

–       Writer to people✘

–       Camera to people✘

–       People to people!

To connect the audiences:

–       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 how to connect your viewers to your story through emotions, characters, etc

Assignment

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

–       (please do a word count before submission)

–       reflection if willing

 

 

Storytelling Techniques Week 1

Week 1 – Openers

 

Proper Writing Format

Written assignments must use:

–      
Present tense

 

–      
3^rd person         (voice over
narration)[V.O]

a character is “narrating” the story as it
is happening.

e.g. “Mark picks up the gun and holds it in
his hand. It begins to tremble, as if alive.”

 

–      
A visual voice (when a reader reads it, he can
picture it, imagine it, write what you can see)

These are commonly used in:

–      
screenplays

–      
the story/ film unfolds as we read it

–      
fosters a more urgent and immediate feel to the
story

–      
Thriller
& Suspense Genres

Why write this way? It’s more entertaining.

 

ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE VOICE

PASSIVE	ACTIVE
Uses weak verbs	Uses strong action verbs
Tells what’s happening in the character’s head	Shows the action
Creates a distance between the reader from the story	Uses an immediate sentence structure
	Conveys the story in a lively manner

 

Get your character to “Act out” his feeling.

 

TIPS FOR WRITING

–      
Everyone has no problems coming up with a list
of excuses for procrastination.

–      
The biggest problem is getting started.

–      
Getting started is the hardest, once begun…
ideas will begin 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. Sleeping on the (writing) job is a no-no.

–      
Don’t be too hard on yourself, what you write at
the beginning is seldom good but eventually…..

 

Whose story am I telling?

What is the point of this story?

How can I engage the attention of the audience?

 

Cliff hangers

 

Story comments

–      
It’s credibility

–      
Passages drawn from reality or experience

–      
Passages created artificially to keep narrative
flowing

 

EXERCISE 1B:

12 opening phrases in your blogs under the Openers page.

 

e.g.

–  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.

 

Also give a reflection of anything….