Week 8: Dialogue

Dialogue is not thinking to yourself. It is talking to someone.
Good Dialogue:
1. Sounds Real
2. It is Short (relatively)
Bad Dialogue:
1. Not concise (long-winded)
2. Too Real (boring)
3. Cheesy (“your eyes are as pretty as the stars)

ELEMENTS of Dialogues:

1. Dialogue REVEALS character: A character will talk about himself and other people will talk about him. “The real self comes out”.
Dialogue can show if the person is rude, a complainer, a lazy person.

2. Dialogue establishes relationships between characters (how comfortable one is with another- vulgarities; let loose in front of family- rude)

3. Once you have established your main character’s Point Of View, you can use dialogue with other characters to show that they have other attitudes, creating opposite/alternate POVs.
This helps to create and sustain the element of CONFLICT between characters.

4. Good dialogue will help contribute to the story’s narrative. Take OUT dialogue if it is not effective/ not contributing to anything.
Dialogue communicates faces and information to the audience.
-It conveys essential exposition.
-Characters will talk about what happened/ explaining to another character, establishing the storyline. (Don’t do it too often!)

5. Dialogue comments on the Action. (Don’t do it too often like in a football commentary)
Dialogue ties the script together.
-It is one of the devices that YOU as a writer can use to expand and enlarge your characters.
“If you can see it or hear it, don’t write it.”

6. Dialogue should be used SPARINGLY. If it is possible, use action.
-Never tell the audience what they can see for themselves! (Dialogue is no substitute for action)

7. Common Mistake:
Students sometimes never achieve a level of competence as they tend to reproduce conventional spoken language, long statements of “real talking”, and defend their decision by telling us that:
“it is how the character speaks”
Good dialogue is NOT somebody’s ability to write authentic speech as heard in real life. If that was all to it, you can just push a button on the recorder and go collect your Oscar.
Good dialogue is the illusion of reality.
-You’ve got to know how to edit what people say without losing any of the spirit.

8. Dialogue is affected by:
-Age (eg: speed of speech- how busy a person is)
-Gender (female talk more than males)
-Social status (how “proper”)
-Educational (how precise a person’s queen English is)
-Race (speed Malays, Indians, Chinese talk)
-Personality/ Upbringing/ Temperament/ Emotions at that time

9. Film Is A VISUAL MEDIUM- A screenplay is a story told in Pictures.

Exercise: Writing Dialogue
The scenario:
-A middle-aged man returns home from work.
-He had stopped for a few drinks with his friends and forgot to phone his wife to tell her that he’ll be late.
– The dinner is ruined.
The exercise:
-Write a short scene composed of dialogue between husband and wife.
Role-Play:
-2 students to play the role form their stories.

The real exercise (26 June deadline):
-Repeat “the experiment” but:
-Husband and Wife are your own parents.
-Get 2 people to read the dialogue.
-Record the reading (not too long)
-Post it to your blog (using YouTube/ garage band)
-Marks will be awarded based on execution (how much emotions put into it) and the script on the blog

Week 7.

CHARACTERS

Every story must have a character.
Can even be an animal, eg: finding Nemo, Because they have human characteristics.

Characterization: Defining the character
The character is the heart, the soul and the nervous system.
It is through you characters that the viewer experiences emotions.
Without a character, there is no action!
Without action, you have no conflict!
Without conflict, you have no story!

Developing Characters
Ask youself:
1. who is he?
2. What does he want?
3. What is his quest? What is his goal?
4. What drives him to the resolution of the story?

Establish your main character:
Characters should have a 3 dimensional Structure

a) Physiology (physical appearance)

-Sex
-Age (maturity, mindset, etc)
-Height, weight
-Color of hair, eyes, skin
-Posture
-Appearance (handsome/pretty)
-Defects, abnormalities, deformities, birth marks, diseases (affects behavior)
-Hereditary

b) Sociology (background of character-rich/poor)

– Class (lower, middle, upper)
-Occupation (type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitudes towards organization, suitability for work)
– Education ( amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes)
– Home Life (parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated/divorced, parents habits/neglect)

c) Psychology (what he thinks/believes in)

– Religion
– Race, nationality
– Place in community, leader among friends, clubs, sports
– Political affiliations
– Amusements (hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines he/ she reads)
– Sex life, moral standards
– Personal premise, ambition
– Frustration, chief disappointments
– Temperament (choleric, easy-going, pessimistic, optimistic)
– Attitudes towards life (resigned, militant, defeatist)
– Complexes (obsessions, superstitions, phobias)
– Personality (extrovert, introvert)
– Abilities (languages, talent)
– Qualities (imagination, judgement, taste, poise)
– I.Q/ E.Q
– Deep secret character does not want others to know

Separate the components of his life into 2 basic catagories

a) Interior
-the interior is a process that forms your character. When you start formulating your character from birth, you see your character build in body and form

-How old is he when the story begins?
-Where does he live?
-Does he have siblings?
-What kind of childhood did he have?
-What was his relationship to his parents?
-What kind of child was he?
-Is he married, singled, widowed, separated or divorced?

b) Exterior
– it is a process that reveals character.

-Who are they and what do they do?
-Are they sad or happy with his life?
– Do they wish their life was different?

Movie: Taxi
You must create your characters in a relationship to other people or things. All dramatic characters interact in 3 ways
1. They experience Conflict in achieving their dramatic need. (eg: Need money- rob bank rob a store rob a person)
2. They interact with other characters (either in an antagonistic, friendly, or indifferent way)
3. They interact with Themselves. (eg: He overcomes his fear of being caught by pulling of the robbery successfully)

How do you invent your characters?
Try turning them upside down
A monk is devoted to his religion- but is a football fanatic
A serial killer whose obsession is to kill other serial killers
A common street rat who loves to eat and cook only fine food

Review Exercise: True & False Stories

Purpose of the exercise:
A true story is not necessarily a good story.

Good stories have to be worked and reworked. Add a character/ change what he says/ add more actions

True-life stories do not offer neat and relevant endings.
Life is unpredictable- you cannot anticipate what will happen next!
Don’t be predictable
In a story, we can and must control the events so that it gives the appearance of being like life.

NEXT WEEK STORY QUIZ 1

Week 6 Notes.

Storytelling tool 2: Experience

A storyteller should be concerned with the potential of every experience. – means subsequent events which might happen. Experience sparks off change.

Everything about you- where you were born, what food you eat, the bump on your forehead- the experiences are unique and irreplaceable.

Many of your experiences are universal(everyone will know what it means) and translatable and can be used in any location.

Universal themes (friendship, love, family, death, betrayal, loneliness, hope, misunderstanding, humor, embarrassment) Use universal themes to create stories, so that people can connect.

Translating experiences/stories ( setting, characters, language, culture)- anything that is “known” in Singapore (no guns, no slumdog millionare slum settings)

Tip: If you don’t know what to do with a character, make him yourself for a while. ie: put yourself in his shoes. If someone you loved has been kidnapped/ murdered, how would you feel?? How would you deal with it??

Tip: Plunder your own personal background!
The things that happened to you as you grew up and the things that are currently happening to you mak terrific stories.

All people have fragments of stories.

These potential ideas prompt your desire to know more.

EG: You might not remember why you are scared of this teacher but you can make up the scary events to create this “teacher from hell”.

Respond emotionally and intellectually to what you heard.(imagine yourself in that situation).

Good stories are born in the heart, not from the head.

Remember the role of the audience.( imagine yourself as the audience. Do you connect with that? )

Storytelling tool 3: Memory

Your memory is a wonderful cabinet of past incidents which you have experienced OR been told.

While an experience is something that is true, a memory is something that can be manufactured. EG: can be true/false.

Tip: WRITE what you do not know because you will find some part of you that does know. Ask people about your past. There is always room for personal discovery!

How do we use memory to build creative content?

Exercise: True and False Stories

Week 5.

Screenings: Shawshank Redemption
Undergoes an inevitable change.

CHANGE is crucial.

Exercise: Letter to the Past

Week 4 Notes.

Review Exercise: People-Watch

–       Take 1 character from the person above you on the bloglist

–       Take 1 character from the person below you on bloglist

–       Write a story about how these two people interact

–       Don’t forget the most essential element of drama: CONFLICT!

ASSIGNMENTS:

–       Visual Trigger:

• Find an image and tell a story that comes to mind as you see it.
• Pictures should not be taken for this purpose – use only pictures you can find.

PRINCIPLES OF TRAGEDY

Incorporate principles of tragedy into your writing!

What is tragedy?

Tragedy doesn’t mean that something bad happens and the story ends.

It means something bad happens as a result of a flaw in your character, and you show how this tragic fall forces your character to learn something about herself or himself.

No reflections required

Week 3: Writing Difficulties

Do constraints help you to be a better writer?

Yes. you know your limitations and you know you’re main objective.

What constraints do professional writers face?
– time limitation(lack of time)
– deadlines
– ideas
– casting issues
– directors

Observation:
observe in a conscious way; observe with awareness.
Things to observe:
Body language,
Their speech patterns,
-fast,
-slow,
-mumble/slur, don’t articulate well.
-movements.
-gait(way you walk) swagger.
-gestures
-physical looks. Characteristics
-settings
adopt a keen eye.
Assertive Vs aggressive
Develop a natural sense of curiosity but not intrusive
An observed event when subject to simple questions can set up a sequence of possibilities that will develop into a story worth telling.

Awkward silence and comfortable silence.
Whom am I writing about?
Who is my character?
What is she or he like?
What does he/she do?
What happens to him or her in the story?
People rarely observe familiar people or things closely.
Mindless observation Vs True observation

Exercise: Awareness Level

-Observe in a conscious way

-Develop the ability to see and record people (their MOVEMENTS, their PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, the SETTING/ PLACES they’re in)

1. Walk into somewhere crowded enough (10 people) and watch people pass by.

2. Eventually, one will catch your attention

3.Write down as many details as possible through observation.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for a second character (different gender and different age and different settings).

5. Take a picture for extra marks

6. Transcribe all these details into the People- watch page that you will create on your blog.

Photo>>

Gender<

Setting<

What happened:

Week 2. Conflicts.

Conflict
Definition :
– opposition of persons or forces
– can results internally or externally
– it is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills that create the plot.

Types of conflict
– dramatic conflict is the protagonist’s struggle against something or someone eg; man vs man, man vs environment, man vs system, man against self
– variations of conflict can arise from gender, age, religion and culture

Causes and effects of conflict
– conflict arises when there is CHANGE
– changes may be major or minor
– while change is universal and common, it is not always accepted
– examples of changes : seasons, lives, relationships, feelings, bodies, locations, technologies
– conflict arises when people resist changes
– the intensity of conflict depends how people react to the change
– people must learn to cope with change If they want to survive
– the action in drama depends on conflict

Importance of Conflict
– plot cannot be constructed without conflict
– central feature of the screenplay
– as your characters attempt to reach their goals, they come into conflict with each other
– the end of the story nears when the protagonist and antagonist approach their goals and the conflict rises to generate maximum suspense and excitement

Writing for an Audience
– screen writer = storyteller
->the cinematic experience is not just made up of text on paper, but the audiences’ emotional reaction to that information
– writing a story should be People to People, not director to people, writer to people, or camera to people.

What is the writer’s purpose
– to connect the audiences :
– themselves
– their unique vision
– the material/issue
– the drama
– others
Audiences want to be transported by a screenplay

Where do you look for a story?
– within yourself. Eg; experiences, memories, emotions
– practice observing, ‘listening’ and reading body language of people
– figure how to connect your viewers to your story through emotions, characters, etc.

Assignments
5 stories of exactly 50 words each, posted to your blog.

The Call Home
Directed by : Han Yew Kwang
Released Singapore 2001

The Secret Heaven
Written and directed by : Sun Koh
Released Singapore 2002

Week 1. Notes

Openers!

Storytelling, how does it fit into FMS?

By learning the techniques of storytelling, it helps nurture your talent in creative imagination and to help you learn how to create and tell your own story.

Proper Writing Format

In your written assignments, you must use –

• present tense
• 3rd person
• a visual voice (descriptive writing that allows the reader to imagine the scenes)

The 3rd Person/Present Tense

A character is “narrating” the story as it is happening.

• Example: “Mark picks up the gun and holds it in his hand. It begins to tremble, as if alive.”

Many often use write in voice-over narrations in movies or shows, e.g “The Teletubbies, Shawshank Redemption, Pushing Daisies”

The 3rd Person/Present Tense is commonly used in 1) screenplays (story and film unfolds as person reads it, fostering a more urgent and immediate feel to the story), and 2) suspense and thriller genres.

Passive vs. Active Voice

Passive

• uses weak verbs
• tells what’s happening in the character’s head
• creates a distance between the reader from the story

Active

• Uses strong action verbs
• Shows the action
• Uses an immediate sentence structure
• Conveys the story in a lively manner

TIPS FOR WRITING

• Everyone has NO PROBLEMS coming up with a list of excuses for procrastination.
• The BIGGEST PROBLEM is GETTING STARTED.
• You can do whatever you like.
• Begin with a short description of your story.
• Getting started is the hardest. Once you begin, ideas will begin to trickle and eventually flow.
• When you have a writer’s block, take a break and inspiration then comes and continues until you derive solution.
• All writers sleep better when they solve the problem in their stories. Sleeping on the (writing) job is a no-no.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself, what you write at the beginning is seldom good, but eventually it will turn out well, and maybe even brilliant.

EXERCISE 1A. OPENERS

Begin with this opener: Leonard walks towards the box…

Ask yourself :

• Whose story am  I telling?
• What is the point of this story?
• How can I engage the attention of the audience? (E.g, cliffhangers)

Story Comments

• Its credibility
• Passages drawn from reality or experience
• Passages created artificially to keep the narrative flowing.

EXERCISE 1B: OPENERS

• Write 12 opening phrases in your blog under the opener’s page.
• Examples: “Sally keeps glancing at her watch”, “Joe opens the bottle and takes a whiff”, “May closes her eyes and jumps off”, James paces around the empty hallway.”, “Mel opens the envelope. Her hand shakes…”