Journal 9/16/13
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Transcript of Journal 9/16/13
Are there choices, risks, or roads
you sometimes wish you had taken? If your life were a movie, what would your parallel self be doing at this moment and would that path ever intersect with your current reality?
Journal 9/16/13
Storytelling
The most common method of storytelling. Linear time is just like real life in that
characters start at Point A and move sequentially toward Point B.
Examples:
Linear Storytelling
Where we initially meet characters after the
main event has already occurred; the event itself is told in flashback, followed by a return to the same time period as was shown at the film’s start.
Examples:
Nonlinear: Bookend
A character’s momentum suddenly splits into
two simultaneous journeys which may or may not arrive at the same destination.
Examples:
Nonlinear: Parallel Universe
A device that uses multiple flashbacks and
points of view which all revolve – like a maypole – around a common event or theme.
Examples:
Nonlinear: Maypole
The layers of plot and character are revealed
in backwards, repetitive, or serpentine fashion.
Examples:
Nonlinear: Reverse Engineering
In music, a “beat” is a rhythmic accent that
defines the tempo of the piece being played. “Beat” is also a word used in screenplay structure and refers to accented scenes that move the story from start to finish. A clothesline is perfect for understanding the placement of beats
Story Beats
Story Beats
1. The set-up that introduces the main character2. The catalyst/inciting incident that will impact the
hero’s status quo3. The first major problem/complication4. The point of no return – the hero must see his/her
objective through5. The second major problem/complication6. A complication that threatens to cost the hero
everything7. The resolution of the conflict
Story Beats – The Wizard of Oz
Reverse engineer a timeline that starts with
your character taking a final exam and ends with what he or she was doing 24 hours previous. Note: With each incremental step backwards, your character has knowledge or insights gained from events the audience has not “linearly” witnessed.
Journal 9/17/13
Just as a catchy tune can be played in a
variety of different tempos with different instruments, a story could be written in many different ways based on each writer’s opinions and personal frame of reference.
The message that a writer wants to get across with his or her audience is the “theme” of the story. The theme is supported throughout the script by characters, dialogue, and events.
Theme
In each of the following films, identify the
underlying theme.
Shrek Twilight Titanic Jurassic Park
Journal 9/18/13
Hooks – at the beginning of the story – leaves
the audience asking “what happens next?!” Foreshadowing – hints and ideas that are
introduced early (and subtly) to tease our curiosity.
Uh-oh’s – just when the finish line looms in sight, there’s suddenly one final obstacle. The uh-oh circles back to a film’s initial hooks and foreshadowing.
Hooks, Foreshadowing, and Uh-Oh’s
Read an Aesop’s fable – what is the theme?
What are some other films or books with the same theme or message?
Homework
Identify three films you have seen which had
powerful hooks. What were they and why did they immediately grab your attention? What type of hook do you plan to use in your own film to immediately grab the audience’s attention.
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Identify three films or TV programs which
contained foreshadowing. Did the information imparted seem like a clue at the time or was its placement not made clear to you until later on in the story? Do you plan to use foreshadowing in your own story? Explain how.
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Identify three films in which something
unexpected happened just before the end (e.g., a character you thought was dead turned out not to be). Does your own script contain an uh-oh? Is this uh-oh plausible based on the sequence of events that led up to its occurrence?
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