Formatting a screen play

1. Formatting a screen play

2. Acts • You have three acts: • Act 1 • Act 2 • Act 3 This attempts to pinpoint exact structure measurement in the story.

3. Plot Points • Used in this sort of structured theory – A plot point is a structural reference point that can take many forms. • Can be a character’s realization, decision, a twist or a turn in events or the climax.

4. Most Essential Points • The point that begins Act 2 • The point that begins Act. 3.

5. Structures within the ActsAct 1 • Opening Balance: The world is in balance. There is a certain equilibrium among the world and characters which must be disturbed. • Opening Event: A unique moment in the characters lives. It can be an unusual event, special occasion or crises.

6. Act 1 • The disturbance: “The inciting incident”. • This is a plot point that disrupts the balance and gets the action rolling. • Protagonist and antagonist are put into a situation rich with conflict. End of Act 1: Disturbance causes basic situation to deteriorate. This continues until the protagonist takes action and begins to act.

7. Act 1 • The MAJOR dramatic question – Disturbance causes the protagonist to ask a major question: “This is the hook,” that keeps people in the theater for hours to know the answer or outcome.

8. Length of Act 1 • It can last anywhere from no longer than the opening credits or long enough to have the audience empathize with the character. • Hollywood average – between 10 percent and 25 percent of the film.

9. Act 2 • Middle is made of roadblocks and to ensure that the protagonists course of action is not clearly sealed. • Always another conflict, crisis or obstacle that gets in the way of their goal.

10. Act 2: Rising Action • The world is unstable, governed by the rising action – which makes each conflict, crisis, obstacle and complication more powerful and more important. • The protagonist is on the course of most resistance. • Some moments of an opponents success are here but always leads to greater undoing. • Failure of the protagonist to reach his/her goal.

11. Act 2: The Dark moment • End of an Act when the hero totally falls and fails. • Quest collapses. • Protagonist’s flaws have tripped them up. • Goal is now unattainable.

12. Act 3: • Enlightenment: Occurs when protagonist understands how to defeat the antagonist. This can come in different forms. • 1. The protagonist can join forces with another. • 2. A revelation sheds a new light on a problem. • 3. Falling into an emotional abyss and seeing the error in his/her ways.

13. Character reaches enlightenment. • A good enlightenment must involve several elements: • 1. Must be something that the protagonist and the audience would not have understood before the enduring trials and failures. • 2. Enlightenment needs to be set up earlier in the screenplay.

14. Other elements of the screenplay. • Remember the elements of unity. • If a play does not have unity – then the playwright is depending on divine fatalism or what is known as: • “Deuxes Machina” which literally means God is from a machine.

15. Other elements of Act 3 • Climax: Once our protagonist reaches an understanding he is ready to defeat the antagonist. • After reaching enlightenment the outcome suddenly becomes clear to the protagonist and the audience. • But there is still enough doubt to maintain some suspense to keep you in your seat.

16. What next… • Now that the climax is out – you can’t linger around. • The end has to come to …, well, and end. You’ve got the audience already understanding what’s going on and understanding your main character. • But the ending must be somehow related to the beginning.

17. Act 3 • Catharsis: The process of releasing or purging the character’s repressed emotions and thereby bringing relief or understanding. • Restores the world back to balance and hinting what the future might bring.

18. Joseph Campbell and The Hero’s Journey. • Details how plot structure of most heroic quest and myth – no matter what country or what culture – are all virtually the same.

19. The Hero’s Journey: 12 Steps • 1. The ordinary World: A myth begins with the hero in his own element. • 2. Call to Action: A problem or challenge is presented that will unsettle the ordinary world of the protagonist. • 3. The Reluctant Hero: Hero balks at the edge of adventure. He faces his fears.

20. The Hero’s Journey: • 4. The Wise Old Man: Hero acquires a mentor who helps him make the right decisions. • 5. Into the Special World: Hero makes decision to undertake the adventure and leaves his own familiar world behind to enter a special world of problems and challenges.

21. The Hero’s Journey • 6. Test, allies and enemies: The hero confronts allies of his and opponents as well as his own weaknesses. He takes action while dealing with the consequences of his actions. • 7. The Inmost Cave: Hero enters place of great danger. World of the antagonist. • 8. The Supreme Ordeal: A dark moment occurs. Hero must face a crucial failure, defeat – which he will achieve the wisdom to succeed in the end.

22. The Hero’s Journey. • 9. Seizing the sword: The hero gains power. With his new knowledge or greater capability he can now defeat the enemy. • 10. The Road Back: The hero returns to the ordinary world. There are still dangers and problems as the antagonist or his allies pursue the hero.

23. The Hero’s Journey. • 11. Resurrection: The hero is spiritually or literally reborn and purified by his ordeal. • 12. Return with the Elixir: The hero returns to the ordinary world with the treasure that will heal his world and restore balance.

24. Examples of Hero’s Journey • Batman Returns • Star War’s Luke Skywalker. • The Hobbit • Lord of the Rings • Harry Potter • Also another common theme – most of these hero’s have been orphaned in some way or grew up raised by somebody else.

25. Length of a script • It varies and depends on what you are writing for. • Film about 90 minutes • TV about 21 minutes to 42 minutes (this accounts for commercials.) • Average: For every minute = one page of a script. Does not include title page.

26. Characters in your script • When creating a character they must be analyzed. • Their history • Motives • Ancestors/background. • The kind of dialogue they use.

27. Does your character work? • Put them in a hypothetical situation and ask yourself, based on everything you created for them – how they are likely to react.

28. Next Create a Plot Line. • You need to first create a conflict between the protagonist and some other force.

29. Create a climax • Point at which one of the forces of conflict wins over the other. • This is of course reached through a series of complications, actions taken by the protagonist.

30. Homework Due Tuesday: • Create a biography for a protagonist (main character) and an antagonist (their nemesis). For ideas on how to do it – check out the Sinbad treatment. (Due Tuesday) • Also Create a Treatment for a television episode. Watch an episode from a television show and create its treatment. Remember you are essentially breaking it down and summing up the episode and its characters. Follow the Sinbad Treatment. • Bring what you have to class on Tuesday.