Creating a film script
Lesson number one: creativity does not depend on equipment.
Creativity is very much more about talent and having an idea or two! Then
the equipment can do wonders to put those ideas into practice more
efficiently or speedily.
IDEAS
Think of your daily and not
out-of-the-ordinary experiences:
Something that you find annoying.
Something that pleases you
A comical or silly experience.
An
eccentric character that you had the misfortune or fortune to meet.
A visit to an interesting place or some beautiful scenery.
Or even a
short story you read which would make the basis for a good movie!
Anyway, the list is endless!
So what do you do with all this information and experience?
Amateur movies must all say something, whether good, bad or just vague. Even
winners can be vague and you may or may not understand the meaning,
especially if the technical side is not up to an adequate standard.
A
good idea, well put over but technically lacking, is of more use than a
technically perfect production based on a meaningless, script.
So of
the first importance is a good script. Although technique is second, the
production must still be of a standard sufficient to ensure that the
audience can concentrate on the story and not be distracted by technical
failings.
THE STORY
1. Make the point clear
(at all stages including the start, the middle and the end).
2. Interesting shots. NOT ALL FROM THE
SAME DISTANCE, OR FROM THE SAME HEIGHT.
3. All films need a beginning,
middle and end
[ESTABLISHING] [STORY] [CLIMAX]
or
The Subject Cause Dealt with
[RESULT] [STORY] [ENDING]
for example
[ESTABLISHINGJ
Man up a ladder breaking into a house
[STORY]
Neighbour spots him and calls the police.
Police come, he
explains he has just moved in and lost his key.
[CLIMAX or ENDING]
His wife arrives with the key and confirms it is their house.
Is this the end? Not necessarily! There are many ramifications of this
basic outline from which other ideas can grow. It can become a robbery with
a twist, a ghost story, a comedy
The building blocks of a simple
theme are there for you to use and rearrange at will. All stories, big or
small, are bound to have these three main components, though not necessarily
in the same order Fictional ideas may also be biographical.
The key is observation!
Ideas for a script - consequences
No matter how much movie or video equipment we have amassed, updating
and perfecting our ability to shoot, edit, thinking of a title etc. The nub of
film making remains
“THE IDEA,” “THE SCRIPT,” - “THE INTERPRETATION.”
Recently I saw a German film (Professional), which followed the basic idea of
turning points in our lives which ultimately lead to a consequence of
importance. That theme I can remember being used in other films over the years,
but in this instance the film maker followed through with the thought , “WHAT
IF?”
The plot showed the interventions of other characters (“both major
and minor”) throughout the story, until the end. There followed two re runs of
the story where happenings, either dramatic or comic were changed, that in turn
altered the outcome of the film. The end result in the first two stories was
disastrous, but the last story had a happy ending. I thought long and hard about
this theme which has affected all our lives in some way. I think most of us have
altered someone’s life just by chance. But the film was about a sequence of
events, with just a slight difference in time, or decision, leading to the right
or wrong result. I think we all say sometimes, “If only!”
If it’s a drama
you want to shoot as your next epic, it could be a good starting point. How
often do we view a film which strikes a chord in us?, causes discussions,
thoughts and ideas to flow. Once the script takes shape and you work out your
interpretation in filmic terms, you are almost there!
That is, there
remain only a few things to sort out:- Actors, crew, locations, props,
equipment, lighting, sound, etc. etc.
There you are! It’s easy!
Jon Woolmer
01 February 2012 To comment on this website email: