The Script - Revision

8/11/2019 The Script - Revision

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THE SCR

REVISBY


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QUESTIONS ON WHY AM I MAKING THIS

FILM?

Some directors are driven to write their own scripts due to the feeling

frustration and desire they feel when they want to get on and make

something.

You shouldn't make an intense character study if you are afraid of acto

If you are making a short film for a low budget, such as 5000, then yo

should be wary of developing an action packed narrative that would in

stunts and special effects, as these would not be possible.


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QUESTIONS ON WHAT IS SHORT FILM?

If a feature film is described as a novella, then a short film can be desc

a haiku. They are two different forms and a story for a novella should n

told as a haiku.

Film festivals will normally accept films under 30 mins for their short fi

section. Many programmers and curators say that it is difficult to place

over 20 mins. But the majority of funding is aimed at films that are abomins in length.

If the function of your short film is to make your audience laugh, then

length should only be about 2-3 mins.


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QUESTIONS ON FINDING THE STORY

Any kind of dramatic story will require three key, basic elements: a wo

character and a problem.


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QUESTIONS ON THE WORLD

It can be useful to set your film around a familiar event/ritual, such as

wedding/birthday, so you can take advantage of the audiences familiar

the situation. The audience familiarity means less time is spent introdu

the audience to the setting/event. It also means that you have immedi

placed your characters into a story world full of barely suppressed emo

which is always useful for generating dramatic tension and story event

A literal journey can also be a good setting for a short film as it allows t

audience to be part of a significant moment in the characters life while

are undergoing this metaphorical, emotional journey.


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QUESTIONS ON THE CHARACTER AND

PROBLEM

The five most important questions to ask when developing the story is:

Who is the main character?

What is their problem?

How will the audience recognise the problem?

Are the stakes high enough?

Am I telling the story from the best point of view?

One of three things must be present in order to drive the main character through the story: a want,a desire.

What must accompany this element is something that is making them hard to purse their want/neeThis turns it into a problem and without no problem, there is no story.

A lot of short films are of children/teens. This is because of their age and lack of experience of the rprovide a rich source of universally recognisable problems.


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QUESTIONS ON MAKING PROBLEMS

MANIFEST TO THE AUDIENCE

Being able to turn a characters inner problem into the heart of a film a

make sure that the audience can see it, is one of the most important sk

demonstrating your skill as a filmmaker and not just a story-teller.


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QUESTIONS ON ARE THE STAKES HIGH

ENOUGH?

By ensuring that something is at stake in the story means the audience

understand what the character stands to lose if their problem is not re


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QUESTIONS ON AM I TELLING THE STOR

FROM THE BEST POINT OF VIEW

By changing the POV of the story we are changing the meaning of the s

This is because the meaning is attached to the character through the st

being told by.

The reason many short film scripts fall down is because they have chosmain character whose journey does not fit well with what the writer is

to portray.


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QUESTIONS ON WHAT DOES MY STORY

MEAN

An awareness of the meaning of your story will help you to make impo

decisions as you start to refine and develop your script in relation to th

of the film.


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QUESTIONS ON THE TONE OF THE FILM

Tone is intimately connected to genre and even though genre is not as

important in short film as it is in feature films it is still important when

considering what kind of film you are writing.

Tone emerges in a film by the way each element supports the underlyimeaning of the story. Hence the reason one event may mean comedi

audience in a comedy but be very serious and saddening in a drama.


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QUESTIONS ON DEVELOPING YOUR STO

A common flaw about most short film scripts is that many of them have had far too littledevelopment done on them when they are submitted to funding bodies.

The ten point plan when testing a story is to try a pitch it in under a minute answering thepoints:

Title

Genre/Tone

Setting (Time & Place)

Main Character Want/Need/Obligation

Opposition

Catalyst for change

Climax

Resolution

What the audience feels (Theme)


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QUESTIONS ON CAUSALITY

We can make sure that the story is moving on by making sure that wha

happens at the end couldnt of happened without anything that happe

earlier in the film.


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QUESTIONS ON THE STEP OUTLINE (1)

The step outline ensures that there is no slack in our film and that we are not wasting any tim

irrelevant scenes. We do this by using a card per scene and writing down:

One sentence that summarizes what happens

What is revealed that is significant to the plot?

What is revealed that is significant to the audiences understanding of the characters?

Is there an indication of significant theme?

Every significant action should ideally be working to deliver two of these three possible things

character or theme.

Once you have a solid story then you can start to play around with the order that you can tell

example, forwards, backwards, with flashbacks etc. At the start of your career you have the op

to experiment in different orders.


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QUESTIONS ON THE STEP OUTLINE (2)

Audiences instinctively know when something is pretentious or dishon

As a writer the crucial thing that you are trying to do is to tell a story th

to its meaning and keeps the audience engaged, not one that will confthem.


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QUESTIONS ON REMEMBER ITS A FILM

We establish the world and character with maximum speed and minimum di

Some advice given to make a film cinematic once youve got a good story is:

Remember to use visuals and sound

Establish a tone and keep it consistent

Make sure you main character is active such as making decisions or doing thingsmakes us understand more about them

It is better to show a change in a character (such as props, relationships to otherthen using dialogue

Use cinematic devices to help build tension and move the story on with maximueconomy.

Go back to your step outline and check that everything that is significant is madmanifest your audience in the most visual way possible


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QUESTIONS ON THE FINAL WORDS

Some final advice that is given to ensure that your short is more cinem

and less televisual in feel is to write the dialogue last and keep as smal

possible, as the less of it the more cinematic and the less television yo

feel.


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QUESTIONS ON THE AUDIENCE FOR THE

SCRIPT

The first audience of your film is a reader of the script and one of them may ability to help fund your film.

We can help the reader SEE the film you are intending and not get irritated b

Follow the screenwriting conventions

Read scripts to help familiarise yourself with ways of conveying action and tone

page Avoid writing camera directions and stuff that is going on inside the characters h

the audience cant see

Dont make the mistake thinking SIMPLE means superficial or facile. A small shave a large impression if told with cinematic flair that captures all of its deptthematic resonance of the idea.


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DANIEL MULLOY

Daniel Mulloy is a British filmmaker known for his short films. He has w

and directed Dance Floor, Sister andAntonios Breakfastall of which ha

BAFTAs. He also won a BIFA (British Independent Film Award) for Baby

also received a EFA nomination (European Film Awards) for his short tit

Dad.

What Mulloy is aware of and has a strong sense of when developing

is what needs to be communicated. He then works with the actors unt

make the performance theirs and feels natural to them.

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The Script - Revision