Film & Screenwriting #3

This week within our Monday scriptwriting seminar, we delved into further depth of our script concepts. I finalised the idea of my script being an entire 20 minute piece, rather than two 10 minute pieces or a running series of four 5 minute smaller scripts. I believe this to be because my concept is too large and ambitious content wise to dim it down to 10 or 5 minute pieces which lead onto each other. I have figured that the narrative flows in and out of character dialogue and action sequences, meaning that it would work well as an entire 20 minute script. 

Below I have scanned in images of my 20 stage outline. This outline goes into depth regarding missing areas of the plot which could be damaging to the plot. The 10 step outline lacked any detail or explanation for example how the character acquires fake identification. In my 20 step outline I was able to cement the plot-holes. Because my script in entirety will be 20 minutes, each step outline represents a minute. This is not enough in my eyes. The content per minute within my script will amount significantly, as I will be showing as much as I can within that time. To help this I will extend my 20 step outline to a 30 step outline. This will enable me to go into immense detail, on how characters act within dialogue and other important subtleties. 

We were taught during the session that as writers we must always have something in the works. Whether that simply be notes, a synopsis, treatment or script, working as a writer acts as a cycle. When one script goes into production or is done with, another one replaces it. Behind that lies a number of ideas ready to be narrowed down to one, and it is important that the cycle of writing is an ongoing creative process that constantly engages with the brain. 

Paradigmatic structure 

We looked at the paradigmatic structure and applied it to an existing film we are familiar with, but also our own script. The paradigmatic structure identifies the stages within a film and the chronological timing that a narrative follows. The first act is that which identifies the hook. A film and script must have a hook which grabs the attention of the audience, and defines the tone and theme of the film. The first stage has a catalyst which drives the narrative forward, which breaks down that boundary and allows the film to enter act 2. The mid point is situated within act 2, and acts as a halfway point within the narrative. Act 2, like the hook and act 1 must also have a catalyst or dramatic circumstance which catapult the events into act 3, the final stage of a script. This stage is often where loose ends are tied up, or the audience are placed amidst a series of revelations and showdowns to end the narrative. 

Below are some notes made on a paradigmatic structure diagram, where I have applied my own script which has a completed treatment and script in process. Because I have a clear idea of the narrative in simple terms, I am able to apply timing to the stages. As my script in its entirety is 20 minutes, the timings are 4 minutes for act 1, 12 minutes for act 2 and 4 minutes for act 3. The hook of the film and catalyst of the opening act lead nicely into act 2 where the tension is created. The suspense of act 2 then pushes through to act 3 where all of the drama takes place. The paradigmatic structure exercise was extremely effective in giving myself an idea of timing. Prior to this I was confused as to how my narrative would play out within a 20 minute period.

Below is another image of a paradigmatic structure template I filled in, but this time looking and identifying the acts in an existing film. A useful exercise the entire class engaged in was we identified act 1, 2 and 3 of a film we were familiar with. We then shared that with the rest of the class only sharing the basic plot lines to see if the others could guess the film. I myself picked Into the Wild, as one of my favourite films and one I am very familiar with. I was able to identify the hook and the end of act 1, the mid point and transition from act 2 to act 3. It is important to be able to identify paradigmatic structures in existing films aswell as applying them to ones own. This way you are supplying yourself with not only in-depth knowledge and understanding, but also inspiration. 

Our task for next week is to go into depth on our characters within the script. We will be filling out a template designed to add detail to each character within our script. I will be working on this task over the following week, and I look forward to seeing how my characters develop.