tutorials4c

course C [ ] ‘Scriptwriting 1: Mechanics’
the clockwork of forming then tuning a professional script—
step by step instructions

1. What Does A Script Do?

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show not tell

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the suspension of disbelief: virtual realities and why people buy tickets

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engagement and identification - who said these were passive mediums?

2. Theme

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is it a message is it an intent, and how does it glue the whole thing together?

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commercial considerations - why there are trends and why they should be for accounted for

3. Characterisation

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real people don't just talk about it: how to show character through action

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the character who learns versus the character who's static: what do audiences expect of these personals and why?

4. Subtext

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in "show" mode you can stack up any motives: entertainment through the planned leading of audiences expectations

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why life rarely seems messy on the screen

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in any dynamic scene, what creates interpersonal tension?

5. Mis-En-Scene/Action-Reaction

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why should characters move through their world, what does it reveal about them, how does this create structure and why does this increase our level of engagement?

6. Act Structure

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moving a story line to define plot points

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balance and weighting of movement and character: how to determine it there is a need to shift focus

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sequencing and their styles; exposition, interaction and ambience

7. The Scripting Process

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the single line grab/a complete 1 page synopsis/plot point scene by scene/act structure. Why bother to go through all this and why does it protect the writer from grief.

8. The Dialogue Draft

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interaction, subtext, inference: why do characters open their mouths in the first place.

9. Editing

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cutting for pace, cutting for suspense, cutting for groove - the ins and outs of the ins and outs of any scene.

write mechanix tutorials
course outline copyright david young 2000 and before
Phone 02 6254 2917

no words can ever be written unless they’re meant...