Lecture 10: How Do I Fade Out?

Lecture 10:How Do I Fade Out? Professor Christopher Bradley Sunset Boulevard (1950) Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder & D.M. Marshman Jr.

Previous Lesson Writing the Middle Suspense Surprise and Reversals Writing Exercise #8 The Crying Game (1992) Written by Neil Jordan

This Lesson Writing the End Revelation Climax and Resolution Writing Exercise # 9 Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Written by Adolph Green and Betty Comden

Writing the End Lesson 10: Part I Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Written by David Newman & Robert Benton

The End • Resist the temptation to rush at the end! Keep the tension high! Make ‘em suffer! • The climax is traditionally when the hero vanquishes the villain with a “mighty blow.” You don’t need orange fireballs, but this needs to be the most forceful and consequential moment of a screenplay– make sure it is!

The Climax • Short films are different. By nature, short films have more limited budgets and shorter running times, and this often requires a more subtle resolution than feature-length films. • For example, a feature might need need a triumph on the battlefield or a complete character change. In a short, a final twist, irony or character revelation might be ideal.

Purpose of the Ending • The ending is why we come to the film in the first place. • In the ending, the writer reveals what the experience has been all about. • The ending gives the audience more than entertainment satisfaction. It gives them something to reflect on.

The Key to the Ending Remember as you write to always have an idea of what you want your film to be about in terms of theme (though it may change, to your surprise). What idea or insight do you want your audience to think about and come away with? Also, have a basic idea of what you want to have happen to your main character, so that the end is tied to the beginning and doesn’t seem arbitrary, implausible or tacked-on. 8

Some Great Endings The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Written by Stephen King (story) and Frank Darabont (screenplay) • George Lucas in Love • Gridlocked • Casablanca • Pulp Fiction • Back to the Future • Say Anything • Citizen Kane • Chinatown • The Shawshank Redemption

Elements of the End The same elements found in the last act of a feature are also found in a short film: revelation, climax and resolution. However, while climax and resolution are definite terms, connected specifically to the outcome of the conflict and ending of the story, revelation is not as concrete. Though all great films and fiction employ story revelation, the level of importance and the degree of insight can vary dramatically. 10

Revelation Lesson 10: Part II The Seventh Seal (1957) Written by Ingmar Bergman (play and screenplay)

Story Revelation • Revelation means something revealed or exposed - especially a striking disclosure. • In great films and fiction, there is a moment when important information to understanding the story can’t be concealed or withheld from the characters and the audience anymore. • Remember, this information comes as a shock, but it makes sense.

Story Revelation (Continued) Often the revelation sheds light on one of the main characters and explains what’s going on in the story, relating to motivations and/or backstory. Sometimes it’s a sudden realization the protagonist has about his or her life as a result of the events experienced in the film. Sometimes it’s a realization or insight that the audience has about the protagonist of which he or she might remain ignorant. 13

The Revelatory Scene • The revelatory scene is a scene or group of scenes in which the truth of the story finally comes or is forced out into the open, and the characters, especially the protagonist, must cope with it. • At this point, the audience understands why actions were taken despite the risks, and realizes what the film is really about.

Character Revelation • In film, fiction and theater, story revelation is most often character revelation. It almost always takes place in the second half, near or at the climax. • Wherever the revelation comes, it tends to act as a catalyst and propels the plot into the next portion of the film.

Revelation and Consequences • The revelation almost always has consequences. Sometimes the startling, new information causes the protagonist to doubt himself, before he finds the strength to recommit to the goal.

Revelation and Consequences (Continued) Or the recognition of an overpowering truth confirms the struggle and sends her and the film hurtling toward the conclusion. It is important to dramatize these moments because it allows the audience to glimpse the protagonist's true character. 17

Revelation in a Short Film • In a short film, revelation can occur almost anywhere in the second half, and is more powerful when linked with another element such as a reversal, crisis, climax or resolution. • Often the revelation is saved for the last possible moment of a short film and is used to drive home the story’s point.

Revelation and Exposition • To be truly effective, the revelation must have a direct relationship to the main exposition of the film. • The problem set up at the beginning must be connected to whatever is revealed that leads to the protagonist’s success or failure. • In a sense, the revelation can be the reason why the protagonist encounters the difficulties he does trying to reach his goal.

Example Back to the Future (1985) Written by Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis

Revelation of Character Revelation of character can occur in a variety of ways. Information, when revealed, can illuminate the character for better or worse. Behavior is an effective way to illuminate who a character really is, revealing their true character where it had previously been hidden. Pause the lecture now and watch the scene from Black Gulch. 21

Revelation through Conflict New information can also be revealed in action and through conflict. It’s best when actions dramatize it or conflict forces it out in the open – not when it is conveyed in expository speeches or flashbacks. 22

Flashbacks Flashbacks can be used as a way to show something from a character's past, but a flashback must be essential to the whole structure and not just a means of exposition. The story should be in a new place after the flashback. 23

Expository Speech Alien (1979) Written by Dan O’Bannon Based on a story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett The same is true of expository speech. If the protagonist has changed or realized something important, the change must be dramatic, and conveyed through conflict. 24

Expository Speech If the revelation is truly a revelation for the character there will be emotion around it. Discover the emotion to shape the scene. Like real people, your characters usually don’t say what they’re thinking, especially when it’s painful. Use conflict to force the matter out into the open. Pause the lecture now and watch the scene from Alien. 25

Revelation of Character (Continued) A protagonist’s self-revelation is a powerful moment of the film. Here the protagonist experiences an epiphany about himself or herself, especially in relationship to conflict. The realization makes the message of the film clear to the audience. Pause the lecture and watch the clip from Gone with the Wind. 26

Questions about the Revelation What is the story really about? What interested you in the story when you began writing it? What is really motivating the protagonist? What is the protagonist afraid of? Why? Is one of the main characters hiding something? 27

Climax and Resolution Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) Written by Woody Allen Lesson 9: Part III

The Climax • The moment in a film, play or work of fiction with the greatest intensity, where the conflict is finally resolved, is the climax. • It is the decisive point in the plot and the most meaningful in relationship to the conflict and theme. Here not only should the problem be solved, but the premise or theme should be clarified. • It determines the worth and meaning of everything that has preceded it.

Writing the Climax • The climax should have power and a sense of inevitability, the theme or premise dictates the progression of the conflict toward it. • In the climax, who succeeds and why determines the ultimate meaning.

Placing the Climax • The climax is the scene where the conflict reaches its final stage. A resolution usually follows, but not always. • In short films, falling action after the final resolution may detract from the character twist or sense of irony. • The climax need not be limited to a single scene. Depending on the story, it may play out over several scenes. 31

Make the Climax Felt • In a film, the climax must be visual and visceral, not internal. • Though it doesn’t have to end in screams, shoot-outs or car chases, emotional violence, as we’ve said, can be more searing. But an ending that incorporates strong actions will be more powerful and memorable than one that is restricted or confined. • The protagonist’s emotional response should be included in the climax. 32

The Resolution • The events that follow the climax are a film’s resolution. • Whatever remains unresolved at the climax, and may pose questions for the audience, should be explained here. • The resolution solidifies the circumstances of the film’s world as a result of the climax, fixing the fates of the main characters. 33

Assignments Gridlock (2001) Written by Johan Verschueren Lesson 10: Part IV

E-Board Post #1 Watch the short film from the lesson, Gridlock, and analyze the film’s end. What happens at the climax and how do the scenes build up to it? Is there a resolution to the film? 35

E-Board Post #2 Choose any feature film you have seen and briefly analyze a major revelation. Where does the revelation fall in the story and how does affect the outcome of the film? 36

Writing Exercise #9 In preparation for writing your film’s end, write a page of prose in which you answer the following questions: 1. What is your story really about? 2. What interested you in this story when you began writing? 3. What is really motivating the protagonist? 4. What is the protagonist afraid of? 5. Is one of the main characters hiding something? 37

End of Lecture 10 Next Lecture: What Are the Parts That Make Up the Whole? Frankenstein (1989) Written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort Based on the novel by Mary Shelley, a play by Peggy Webling and an adaptation by John L. Balderston

Lecture 10: How Do I Fade Out?