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What is Fiction?

Francois Farrugia — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:19:57 +0200

What is Fiction?

Even if your film is based on real events, you will still use your imagination to write your account of the events.

What is a story? What is a good story? Some bad stories do exist, but of course everyone wants the good ones.

No one wants to tell a dull story. Just look around: only unusual and extraordinary events catch our attention. We want to be surprised, amazed and intrigued by stories. They must be interesting! Your screenplay must be riveting.

It is important to make a clear distinction between a story and an account of a story.

A story is formed by the set of actions your hero embarks upon to fulfill his/her aim.

An account of a story is formed by the series of moments in the film - the scenes - that give a particular version of the story. Various accounts can be given of the same story.

A writer’s task is to imagine, choose and carefully organize the moments that best tell a story.

Exercise 1

What do you enjoy in a story?

Try to answer the following questions: What is a good story? What should it contain? What is a bad story?

Help

Note what makes you enjoy other people’s stories. Think about films you have seen. Write down and remember what made you enjoy certain stories more than others.

Be logical! If your screenplay has nothing in common with your favorite films, there’s not much chance anyone will enjoy it, starting by you!

Be honest! A film is a story you share with people. Don’t ever forget it! Never forget your audience. Your pleasure is for the audience to be captivated by what they see. You don’t make a film just for yourself.

Keep Moving

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:15:32 +0200

Keep Moving

If you remember just one rule, make it this: Keep the story moving. Fundamentally, by nature and definition, films are movement. Moving pictures, movements in pictures, movement of the story unfolding and of passing time. Time never stops in films, even when everything seems (but only seems) to have ground to a halt. Films are different from photography. Time is never suspended. We are constantly watching the forward flow of time and movement.

A film is like a river. The water flows constantly and must never freeze or dry up. The account never stops or goes back. It must always move forward.

Giving Life

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:15:23 +0200

Giving Life

Whatever happens, whatever the story and whatever rules you decide to use to tell this story, above all make the story alive. Breathe life into your characters and the situations they experience.

What Happens If

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:15:14 +0200

What Happens If

“What happens if…?” is a wonderful way to explore a story’s possibilities. Regularly ask yourself this question to explore the different paths your story could follow. This will stimulate your creativity.

Voice Off

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:15:00 +0200

Voice Off

Voice off allows you to rapidly give a lot of information thanks to a narrator who can also be the hero. Voice off is very useful to make us share you hero’s thoughts, but it also gives the account a particular style. You must use voice off for a reason, not just as an easy solution.

Voice off allows the narrator (who can be the hero) to give clues and information that move the story along.

It is also a way of sharing emotions and feelings that pictures alone couldn’t convey. But be careful not to use it just as an easy solution! The use of voice off must be justified.

Take Notes

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:14:53 +0200

Take Notes

Take notes. Always make sure you have a notepad with you to write down ideas and thoughts about the world and conversations or expressions that strike you.

At any moment, you may come across a place, object, situation, person or expression that will one day come in useful. Write it all down, without stopping to wonder why. In doing so, you will create a “library” of ideas, and develop your sense of observation. This will serve when you want to imagine original, colorful characters with their own distinctive way of speaking.

Having People Read your Screenplay

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:14:45 +0200

Having People Read your Screenplay

Don’t ask too many people to read your screenplay. Not because you’re afraid they will steal your ideas, but because it will be difficult to give you an opinion. Reading a screenplay is quite different to reading a novel.

Instead choose two people who will really read the screenplay carefully. Once they have read it, write down their comments.

Question your readers point by point to check they have understood your film properly. Ask them questions that correspond to the elements of your story. Who is the hero, what is the hero’s aim and motivation…? And see how your readers answer. Is that really the story you wanted to tell?

Then, return to your screenplay and make the necessary changes to improve your account of the story.

Why Write a Film

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:14:33 +0200

Why Write a Film

Why aren’t you writing a novel or a play? What is the difference? Why do you want to tell this story and not another one? Is it for a personal reason? For money, or for fame? What is at stake for you?

Write a note of intention for yourself. Don’t limit yourself. Write as many pages as you want. You will be surprised by what you may say.

And this will probably provide you with some essential ideas for your film.

Writers Block

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:14:10 +0200

Writers Block

Nobody is able to just sit down in front of a blank page and write a good story.

You must prepare before starting to write, define the elements of your story and the structure of the account. This preparation is essential and without it you won’t get anywhere, or at least not far.

Writer’s block doesn’t affect writers who have laid solid foundations for their story.

Know your personal motivation:

Why do you want to write?
What makes you want to write fiction?
What drives you to tell a story?

Work Schedule

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:13:05 +0200

Work Schedule

Once your screenplay is finished, it may become a film. The work schedule is a document that specifies how shooting will take place.

The film won’t be shot in the chronological order of your screenplay. Scenes will be grouped together according to the set, period (Day or Night) and special effects. This makes the actors’ work yet more difficult, since they will have to skip from one emotion to another and sometimes have to play the closing scene during the first days of shooting!

A work schedule includes the day-by-day shooting schedule, as well as all details related to the people, technical and artistic elements that must be brought together for the director to shoot the film.

The assistant director will draw up a work schedule with the production director, who is in charge of the budget. Software used by most ADs: Movie Magic scheduling

Storyboard

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:57 +0200

Storyboard

The storyboard is a presentation of direction suggestions based on the finished screenplay.

The storyboard is a series of sketches of shots, representing the frame.

It is a visual presentation of the film you want to make, with drawings. The characters’ movements in the frame are indicated with arrows, as well as the camera movements that will shift the frame.

The storyboard is made by an illustrator specialized in films, a “storyboarder”, who works in close collaboration with the film director.

You can also software such Storyboard Quick 6 or Frameforge Previs Studio

Complete Screenplay

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:50 +0200

Complete Screenplay

Once you are satisfied with your step outline, it is time to add dialog. Your screenplay is complete once it contains the series of scenes, the characters’ actions and dialog. When you have completed this, you have finished your screenplay.

Step Outline

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:45 +0200

Step Outline

Once your story is sufficiently developed, first as a synopsis, then as a treatment, you must break it down into scenes. Each scene is a filming unit.

Your account will then be presented as a succession of scenes. This is the step outline.

Ellipse

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:37 +0200

Ellipse

Ellipse allows you to jump forward in time as you pass from one scene to the next.

In a screenplay for instance, at the beginning of a scene an author can write “Ellipse: 1 year later”. The director will decide how to translate this into pictures: either by having the indications appear onscreen over the pictures or by using other special effects…

A Sequence

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:29 +0200

A Sequence

A sequence is a series of scenes that form a coherent greater unit, generally related to an action or location.

What is a Scene

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:20 +0200

What is a Scene

A scene is a unit in your screenplay. It corresponds to a specific action in a specific place.

Treatment

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:09 +0200

Treatment

A treatment is a detailed version of the synopsis (30 pages). It is a long scene-by-scene summary in which you describe every event included in your account of the story. It gives a clear idea of your account. The treatment contains no dialog, only dialog intentions (unless certain specific sentences are useful for comprehension). Don’t include dialog here, simply explain what your characters will talk about.

Synopsis

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:12:00 +0200

Synopsis

The synopsis is a one- to three-page summary of your film.

The people who read your synopsis must understand what your story is about (beginning, middle and end) and rapidly understand how the story is told.

Writing a good synopsis can take a lot of time because you need to be both clear and precise, while making the reader want to see the film.

When you begin your project, write a first synopsis. This will HELP you see your story clearly and what type of account you will give of the story.

Later on, once your screenplay is finished, write a new synopsis that takes into account the changes that will have occurred as you wrote the script.

Dialog

Francois Farrugia — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:10:57 +0200

Dialog

Surprising as this may seem, dialog comes last in the writing process. For one good reason: a funny comment or smart line can hide a bad scene.

Therefore, as you construct your story, don’t hesitate to use dialog intentions: “he explains why he has to go with her…” or “she told him she was going out that evening…” Once your story is well constructed you will be free to develop each scene and add more life with dialog.

This doesn’t mean you can’t write any dialog at all until the story is totally structured. The aim is to find a balance and above all to not let yourself be trapped by lines you’d hate to give up and that force you to unwittingly keep bad scenes.

When you start writing dialog, don’t forget it must move action forward and characterize the person saying the lines. Make sure you carefully choose the way each character speaks. Write short dialog; don’t make your characters recite long monologues. No useless chatting, no thesis or message; your characters aren’t encyclopedias or press articles; they are just getting on with their lives. Make sure each line is clear and comprehensible.