Beginning Feature Film Writing

Raffaele DiBacco

Whether you are a writer looking to understand the fundamentals of writing

for film or a television writer looking to expand your skillset, Beginning Feature Film
Writing has invaluable information to offer you. With new and more intense test and
assignments, this workshop has everything you need to succeed as a feature film
writer. Using detailed analyses of successful scripts, you will discover how film
writers maximize the impact of your work using compelling characters and scenes.

This 12-week workshop guides students through the process of building a

feature film script, starting with an outline and continuing through all the acts of your
screenplay. The writing critiques in this workshop are tailored to develop specific
skills needed to succeed as a feature film writer. You will get expert guidance on your
writing along the way, and helpful self-tests allow you to reinforce your mastery of
the lecture content.

What You'll Learn:

How to introduce and develop your protagonist and antagonist

How to plan a story using an outline and notecards
How to write memorable characters and surprising stories
How to choose the proper setting for your script
How to recognize and avoid weak and clich plots
How a protagonist is driven by both external and internal motivations
Techniques on how to keep audiences engaged through the longer Act Two
How to use misdirection to add conflict for your protagonist
How to engage genre conventions in order to create a satisfying Act Three
How to write unexpected and fulfilling endings

Who Should Take This Course:

Writers who wan to understand the functions of each act in a feature film
Writers wanting to develop writing skills using targeted creative assignments
Writers looking to solidify structure in their screenplays
Writers stuck in the second act.
Writers seeking a satisfying ending to their screenplays.

This workshop is a combination of Beginning Feature Film Writing: Outline

and Act I and Beginning Feature Film Writing: Acts II and III for students who want a
more intensive course that provides a complete understanding of feature film writing
all at once.

Outline

Session One: Why You Really Need an Outline and Why Act 1 Is the Most
Important Act
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What the function of an outline is

How an outline makes writing easier and better
What elements should be in an outline
The Surprise Factor
Why Act 1 is the most important act

Session Two: The Full Monty: The 3-Act Outline

The detailed elements of the 3-Act Outline
Using notecards to enhance the outline
Introducing the protagonist and presenting the plot

Session Three: The Usual Suspects: Introducing Character in Act 1

Understanding major, minor, and peripheral characters
Introducing character in active scenes
Making memorable characters
Character conflicts

Session Four: And Then What Happened: Introducing Conflict in Act 1

Matching plot conflicts with character conflicts
How plot conflict dictates other plot elements
Creating stakes and suspense
Using misdirection to heighten impact

Session Five: Location, Location, Location: Using Setting to Heighten Act 1

How changing setting changes tone, pace, and suspense
How to choose more interesting and appropriate settings
How to use setting as a misdirection in information-loaded scenes

Session Six: Plotpourri: You Have a Lot More Plot Choices than You Think
Identifying weak plot choices
Understanding genre templates
How to finesse standard plot conflicts into more original conflicts

Session Seven: Throwing Stones: An Overview of What Act 2 Must Do

Increase stakes.
Decrease protagonists ability to accomplish goal.
Complicate theme.

Session Eight: When the Plot Hits the Fan: Complicating the Core Plot Conflict
The Ticking Bomb.
Misdirection Conflicts.
Core Conflicts.
Act Two cliffhangers.

Session Nine: Crying on the Inside: Complicating Character Conflicts

The differences between internal and external conflicts.
Making the conflicts more personal to increase stakes.
Exploiting character flaws to increase suspense.
Conflict leads to choice that reveals character.
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The leap of faith moment.

Session Ten: The Final Payoff: An Overview of What Act 3 Must Do

Thematic resolution.
Plot resolution.
Final plot twists.
Genre conventions.
Climactic payoff scene.

Session Eleven: Confronting Demons: The Core Plot Payoff

Selecting the appropriate setting for the climax.
Making the climax inevitable yet unpredictable.
Avoiding ending clichs.

Session Twelve: What Do You Think Youre Doing: The Character Payoff

Completing the character arc.

Understanding character motivation. Good death, bad death.
What the last scene should do.

Raffaele DiBacco was a published poet and short story writer before shifting
his focus to the entertainment industry. In 1994, he received certification from Dov S-
S Simens Hollywood Film Institute, joining such alumni as Queen Latifah, Will
Smith, and Quentin Tarantino. That same year, Raffaele enrolled in the Hollywood
Scriptwriting Institute, where he spent the next two years honing his craft under noted
screenwriter Earl Blakesley, Jr., whose screen credits included the popular television
shows China Beach and Tour of Duty.
Raffaele completed creative writing training through the Christian Writers
Guild in 1995, the same year that he penned the Mars Hill anthology. Raffaele sold
his first feature film, Willows Way, to York Entertainment International in 2007, and
his second feature film, Back to the Beyond, to Maxim Media International in 2011.
Raffaele consulted on the psychological thriller Dark Minds, which was sold
to R-Squared Films (2014 release), and is currently producing an original screenplay
entitled One, which focuses on the last remaining human being following the
disappearance of the Earths inhabitants.