What is a Screenplay?

A screenplay (according to Syd Field) is...

What does that mean?

How is it different than other types of stories?

What do you think makes a screenplay ultimately successful or not?

What do you you think makes a short screenplay successful or not?

 How to Write a Screenplay: Act I
The jobs of Act I
There are four basic jobs of Act I:

● Win the audience in the “first 10 minutes”

● Tell the audience what the story is about
● Tell the audience who the story is about
● Tell the audience what the dramatic premise is
 How to Write a Screenplay: Act I
First Scene
It is really important to think closely about the first scene as it sets
up everything. Some things that are important to think about are…
● What is the title and how is it given?
● What is the first thing your audience will experience?
○ The opening image can be a visual metaphor
○ The opening can suggest a theme
○ The opening can establish the topic
● What is the character does when we first see him/her/them?
And what does it say about the character
 Each Additional Scene
After the first scene, some important things to think about each additional scene is...

● Each scene should reveal something.

● Each scene should have a beginning, middle, and end.
● It is generally a good idea to “enter each scene late and get out early.”
 How to Write a Screenplay: Act I
The Inciting Incident
The inciting incident is the event/moment that hooks the viewer and thrusts the
protagonist into the main action of the story. Generally good ones…

● Establish serious stakes. It has to be big enough to matter.

● Establish serious questions. “Audiences abhor vacuums...and want to see them
resolved.“
● Tend to throw off the audience. “Disorientation leads to suggestibility”
 The Heart and Soul and Nervous System
“Go d ra r et ar d u n r o s te yu c p a ” - Sy i d
Good characters are the engine that makes a movie go. But how do we create strong characters. According
to Syd Field, all characters need...

● A strong and defined dramatic need. This is also known as a want or desire.

● An Individual point of view. This means they have a defined belief system which they view the world
through.

● To personify an attitude. This means they have a manner that they act in and opinions they hold.

● To Go through serious changes. According to screen writer Andrew Stanton (more on him on
Wednesday), static stories die.

● To face conflict. Drama and conflict are synonymous, and, as Kurt Vonnegut says, you need to do awful
things to your character so we can see what he/she/they is made of.
 How to Reveal Your Character
There is almost never direct narration in films, so the character must be revealed
through…
● Actions
● Reactions
● Choices
● Costume
● Dialogue
● Details of his/her/their life (car, pictures, etc.)
 Character in Other Shorts
As we watch the shorts, look for what the actions, reactions, choices, costume, dialogue, and personal effects
say about the protagonist’s...

● Dramatic need (wants)

● Point of view (belief system)

● Attitude (opinions and manner)

● Changes

● Conflicts
How to Tell Your Story
As we watch the talk, please take notes on
important lessons on how to tell a story.