21st May, 2007

“Scripting to Win”

byFemi Odugbemi

“Scripting to Win”

Creative Writing is power.You create your own world and

in that world

you are God.

Outline

! Introduction –

! Inspiration vs Application

! Masterkeys to Winning Scripts

! Genres

! DNA of Winning Scripts – “The 7 Steps”

! The Idea

! The Plot

! Motivation

! Characterization

! Dialogue

! Continuity

! Resolution

Inspiration vs Application

Writing is one of the arts, but it is also a craft …

! Inspiration is good, but not always reliable.

! Application is a more reliable tool

because it can lead to habit, and habit is what

keeps you writing… Application carries you

through the hard work of planning. It is what will

persuade you to get it right, do it properly, and lay a strong

foundation for your work.

Masterkeys to Winning Scripts

RESEARCH…is the most valuable

application tool for winning scripts. Research

tools are everywhere: Encyclopedias, the

Internet, TV, Movie, Radio, atlases, museums,

libraries and living experts.

! Always take the simplest and most direct form of

research – your own experience.

Masterkeys to Winning Scripts

CURIOSITY…is a vital tool for any

writer. Why? What if? Who

would? Use curiosity to spark

ideas and develop plots. Questions

and answers can come from your own

mind and imagination.

Masterkeys to Winning Scripts

Ideas are everywhere.

Some are brilliant, some are

good. Some are OK...

More than a few are very bad…

Masterkeys to Winning Scripts

Ideas also Breed.Each time you plot a story, you reject several

possibilities. If you decide to make your hero an

architect instead of a lawyer, you still have a

lawyer hero up your sleeve.

Every idea has a dozen shadows - the choices you

rejected at the time.

21st May, 2007

The DNA of

Scripting to WIN

Take 1

Learn proper script formatting.There are tons of software like Final Draft or

Scriptware that will give you the correct script

writing format. One of the biggest clues to a reader

that a script will be lousy is that it simply doesn’t adhere to

Proper formatting.

Take 2

Have something to say.Summarize the essence of your tale in a single

sentence, a premise that draws a parallel between

cause and effect. It helps to have a strong Point of

View. Make the premise specific and hang all the

action on it.

Take 3

Drama is conflict.

You need to have strong opposing

forces to maximize dramatic tension.

Take 4

Begin with a BANG!

…most of your audiences have short

attention span, you need to begin

with a strong dramatic opening.Suspense is everything…the plot

should unfold with a certain mystery

as the viewer is drawn deeper into

the story, eagerly awaiting the

outcome.

Take 5

Know your Characters.Plot flows from the characters not the other

way around. Dialogue should come from who your

people are. Read all your dialogue out loud. Make

sure that your characters speak the way people talk.

Take 6

Use the 3-Act structure.Most successful plots can be summarized:

Act 1 – Introduction/Establishment

Act 2 – Conflict

Act 3 – Resolution

An important development in the story should happen in the

plot every 10 pages. If the standard gauge is 1minute per

page

it means every ten minutes there is a twist to the story.

Take 7

Be VISUAL…

You can communicate mood and

texture best with pictures rather

than words. It is true what they say –

“a picture is worth a thousand words.”

Genres! Action Adventure

! Mystery

! Tragedy

! Romance

! Detective

! Historical Non-fiction

! Fantasy and Science fiction

Idea = Heart

! FOCUS on the IDEA.

The Heart of any story is its “Synopsis.”! Write it down in ONE simple paragraph describing

one central conflict or crisis.…in that central conflict lies the Heart of the plot.

! A plot is the story. The bare

bones of what happens. It is the

series of incidents and

situations that gives your idea its shape.

It is, above all, the answer to a very basic

question: HOW? The “Treatment” is

the plot…

The Plot

! CHARACTER-DRIVEN PLOTSThese plots are completely character driven. This means that

character dynamics rather than incidents drive the plot. Put two

opposing characters in place then stand back. What you get is

fireworks, and a character driven plot.

! SITUATION- DRIVEN PLOTSThese are plots when a combination of scenarios and situation

drive the plot of the story. Here the characters react to the

unfolding drama of their evolving context and either fight it or

change with it.

Types of Plot

Adds some depth to your story.

Subplots usually give the

emotional, social, or relationship

context. Also these new conflicts

can add flavor to an otherwise one-

dimensional story.

SUB-PLOTS

Motivation

! With the exception of the criminally insane, most people have

a ‘reason’ for their opinions, beliefs and behaviours.

! Perhaps their opinions are based on experience,

feelings, prejudice or cultural tradition, or childhood

associations.

!Motivation is the “Why” for

whatever is happening in the plot or in the behaviour or

speech of a character.

Motivation

! …one major flashpoint of winning scripts are

3-dimensional or rounded characters.

! A 3-dimensional character has a back-

story or a past. He or she is the product of family

and life experiences and choices.

! Which is why a character bible is always important

The CHARACTERS

! The characters of a story are just as important as

theme and plot. The audience need to understand

what's going on, and what might

happen later. They achieve this, in part, by

"reading" the characters.

! Just as in real life, we can tell a lot by "reading"

atmosphere and body language.

Point of View (POV)

The PROTAGONIST! Every storyteller must steer the experience of the story

from a “point-of-view.”

! Your protagonist is the main, viewpoint character of

your story. Protagonists vary, but genre specifics make

some more likely than others.

! HEROIC PROTAGONISTThe Protagonist is a larger than life character who rises above

great challenges, internally or externally to triumph. Usually it’s

a good against evil conflict and our hero lives by a moral code

common to the story’s audience.

! NON-HEROIC PROTAGONISTThe non-heroic protagonist can be anything from an

ordinary Joe to a victim or a very flawed personality or an anti-

hero. These warts-and-all characters are fascinating to create,

and they can seem very real. A non-Heroic protagonist will be a

character who makes wickedness seem charming or appealing,

or at least excusable.

!Types of Protagonists

Who’s Point of View (POV) is it??

The ANTAGONIST! The way you depict a villain depends on the genre and the villain's

part in the story. Some villains, usually known as "Antagonists",simply have goals that don't match the protagonist's.

! It is almost always better to try to show a villain or antagonist incontext. For example, a harsh parent might be motivated by thedesire to keep his child out of danger or trouble, while a harshteacher may fear for her job. Political antagonists obviously meanwell from their own perspective. And what about the "other woman"in a romance? She wants the hero just as the heroine does. Howdoes her desire differ from the heroine's?

The DIALOGUE

! DIALOGUE must REVEAL Information.Dialogue that reveals information appears in place of exposition. For example;here is the same information, presented first as narrative exposition, then asdialogue and finally as what is called inner dialogue.

! DIALOGUE IS A GOOD WAY OF REVEALINGCHARACTER.

Manner of delivery, word choice, sentence structure and length of sentence allhelp to illuminate character and background. Age and historical period can also bedisplayed in dialogue.

! DIFFERENTIATE VOICES…If you have several characters in your writing, you will need to consider giving

them different modes of speech. Each should speak in a distinctivevoice.Characters might speak with an accent, or betray their origin with a slightly

unusual word choice.

Resolution

! What elevates a script from commonplace to sublime is the ending.

! Audiences long for an ending that makes them squeal, “Wow, I

would have never guessed!” But with 20/20 hindsight,

the audience can clearly see the clues and the outcome makes

sense. In choosing an ending, you will again think about the mood

and genre of the plot.

! You might also consider your theme.

! A triumphant ending?

! A futile ending?

! An ironic ending?

! A peaceful ending?

Resolution

!Whatever you

decide, always end

it with a Twist!!!

Thank you