Archive for the ‘writing a film’ tag

5 Ways to Ensure Your Conflict Is Tracking

Conflict is an essential element of a successful screenplay. Conflict engages audiences and helps them relate to the story and empathize with the characters. To go along on the journey, viewers must clearly understand what the conflict is and why it exists. Good scripts set up the conflict early in the story, outline the cause and source of the conflict, and show the consequences of the conflict.

Your story’s conflict must develop and track. In other words, as the story unfolds the conflict should increase and escalate with direct consequences in a cause-and-effect manner.

Conflict “X” ==> causes problems and consequences ==> leading to a related, more serious conflict ==> and worse problems and consequences ==> which develops into another related even more difficult conflict ==> that results in increased problems and consequences. This cause-and-effect plotting of the conflict continues progressing, eventually culminating in the climax where the problems are extremely dire and the consequences are a matter of “life and death.”

If your conflict does not track then viewers have difficulty connecting with the story and caring about the characters. Here are five ways to ensure your story’s conflict is developing and tracking:

1. Present the conflict early in the story

2. Clearly define the cause and source of the conflict

3. Directly relate the conflict to the plot development

4. Intensify the conflict as the story progresses

5. Show the effect the conflict has on your characters

In the film Se7en, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker clearly defines, develops and tracks the conflict – each conflict leads to a greater problem with even more serious consequences for the characters. As the conflict progresses it effects the characters’ actions and decisions, ultimately transforming the two protagonists.

Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman), exhausted and disillusioned, is retiring in 7 days – his job is to train his replacement, Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) ==> they investigate the first murder ==> the two men have different investigation styles ==> the Police Captain splits the two detectives up and reassigns Mills to another murder ==> Somerset connects the first and second murders ==> the detectives realize it is the work of a serial killer ==> Somerset asks to be removed from the case entirely ==> Mills is put in charge of the serial killer case ==> Mill’s wife intervenes bringing the two men together ==> Somerset is back on the case ==> the relationship between Mills and Somerset grows and strengthens ==> the detectives find fingerprints at the second crime scene ==> this evidence leads them to a third murder ==> more evidence leads to the killer’s apartment ==> Mills is almost killed by the suspect ==> the detectives are unable to identify the killer ==> the killer commits additional murders ==> Somerset continues to share his personal views with Mills and presses upon him to change his life ==> Mills rejects Somerset’s views and resists his advice ==> Somerset’s retirement date arrives, he commits to stay on and help Mills until the case is solved ==> the killer surrenders ==> the killer reveals there are two additional victims who have not yet been found ==> the killer leads the detectives to the final crime scene ==> culminates in the story’s explosive climax.

SOMERSET
Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.” I agree with the second part.

6 Tips To Create A Key Relationship For Your Protagonist

Every protagonist needs a meaningful relationship the audience can relate to, one in which he affects another and is affected. Movie-goers live vicariously through the characters on screen – finding elements in the character’s life that resonate.

The hero’s pursuit of his goal must have an affect on another character, or it has no purpose and won’t affect the audience. Relationships add depth to the story, create stakes, conflict and consequences, and help us care about the hero. The power of a story is felt through the emotional reactions and connections of the characters.

Connections can take various forms:
- Ripley and Newt in Aliens
- Harry and Sally in When Harry Met Sally
- Ratzo Rizzo and Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy
- Andy and Red in The Shawshank Redemption
- Riggs and Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon

An essential element to keep the reader engaged and rooting for the characters is to demonstrate that the relationship is meaningful to the hero. To achieve this, the central conflict should affect the relationship. The obstacles the protagonist faces must challenge and test the relationship.

If you are struggling with creating and developing a key relationship for the main character, follow these steps:
1. Review your script and make a list of the characters your protagonist has contact with
2. Determine how much each character affects the plot
3. Determine what each character has to offer the protagonist that adds value to the story
4. Now select one character that has the possibility of creating the highest stakes through his/her connection with the protagonist.
5. Define the relationship between that character and the hero
6. Expand that character’s story, intertwining it with the main character’s, and ensure the conflict from the dramatic premise eventually tests or endangers the relationship.

YOUR TURN: Do you have suggestions for crafting the key relationship of a script?

12 Characteristics of Great Dialogue

William Goldman said, “Dialogue is among the least important part of a screenplay.”

Yep, he’s right. Character development and story structure are far more valuable elements of a script than dialogue. Film is visual. Of course, good dialogue is an essential element of a successful screenplay. But the best crafted and most witty dialogue won’t make a good film if the other components are missing. Great screenplays tell the story with as little dialogue as possible (unless you’re Quentin Tarantino), so each word of dialogue needs to be the best it can be.

Creating effective dialogue is challenging for many writers. But crafting good dialogue is a skill that can be mastered by anyone (it just takes some of us longer than others to get there.) The best way to learn is by analyzing good dialogue. View a few of your favorite well-written films, or better yet read the screenplays, and note what techniques the writers use to create compelling dialogue.

Here are 12 characteristics of great dialogue to get you started:

1. Fits the genre – thriller film dialogue is visceral and terse, dialogue in comedy scripts is witty and funny, and epic adventures contain language that is heroic and grand. “At my command, unleash hell” (Gladiator)

2. Fits the specific scene – for instance, if the scene is driven by conflict the dialogue presents opposing objectives.

3. Defines character – the way characters speak reveals their background, lifestyle, education, personality, values, and attitudes. Erin Brockovich: “They’re called boobs, Ed”

4. Reveals motivation – can provide a glimpse of why a character does what he does.

5. Demonstrates relationships – characters may speak differently to each character they come in contact with, revealing the relationship between the characters. A character may talk one way to his daughter, another way to his best buddy, and yet another way to his boss.

6. Foreshadows – hints at future events and reminds the reader what is at stake

7. Reflects emotions – showing how a character feels, rather than telling

8. Has emotional impact – evokes a response from the viewer, such as laughter, sadness, curiosity, tension, or anticipation.

9. Is active and serves a purpose – good scenes often involve one character trying to get something from another in an active and purposeful manner, for instance through seduction, force, confrontation, negotiation, coercion, warning, provocation, etc.

10. Sounds real – as if the characters were actually speaking (not to be confused with real life speech, which tends to be repetitive and contains unnecessary words)

11. Moves the action forward – besides serving a purpose for the character in the scene, good dialogue advances the overall plot of the story.

12. Is unpredictable – it’s interesting, witty, sharp and unexpected. Princess Leia: “I love you”, Han Solo: “I know.”

YOUR TURN: What other elements constitute great dialogue?