The Most Important pages in a script
Three main parts of a script/story (beginning, middle and
the end)
Blake Snyder Beat Sheet
The five elements you need IN THE FIRST 10 PAGES to hook the
reader?
-
Main characters
-
Location
-
Mood
-
Genre
-
Premise
First Problem (inciting incident)
Why is the middle thought of as the hardest part to write?
What are the two forces the main character will face on
his/her path to reach their goal (inner and outer obstacles)
Is it a good idea to only have one or two main characters in
a movie? Yes
What is the ticking clock?
What is a yellow ribbon ending? Perfect ending
Climax (peak or highest point in the script)
AV Script is for Crew
Foreshadowing
Story:
Act I - The Beginning
In Act I you begin with a main
character whose life is about to be turned upside down, and who’s going to be
pushed harder than ever before. Pushed so hard that his outlook on life will
change forever.
The Ten Most Important Pages of Your
Script
The first ten pages you write in
your script are without doubt the most important. You need to grab the reader
there and then or else they will put your script down and move onto the next
script in the pile.
Elements
of the First Ten Pages
In the first ten pages you will want
to setup the following:
The
Main Character
Exactly who is your main character?
What are his strengths? What are his weaknesses? Does he live a jet setting
lifestyle or does he life revolve around his desk job? Whatever sense of
normality your main character has is about to be torn apart.
Location
and Mood
Where does your character reside and
how are the conditions? Does he live on the peaceful beaches of Hawaii or the
cold, dingy streets of Philadelphia? Imagine if Rocky had been set in Hawaii,
the movie just wouldn’t have worked on the same level.
Genre
By the end of the first ten pages it
should be clear if your movie is an action flick, a romantic comedy, horror or
other.
The
Premise
The premise is the basic story. For
example you could describe Rocky as the ultimate underdog getting his one shot
at glory against the boxing world heavyweight champion.
After the first 10 pages there are
two more important plot points in Act I:
The
Inciting Incident
So far the first ten pages have told
the viewer of the main character’s life. Well now is the time his
world is going to be thrown into chaos. A major problem occurs which the main
character will have to resolve for their life to return back to normal. Your
main character should have the motivation and will to achieve this goal by
doing anything imaginable.
Plot Point I
Nearing
the end of Act I, around page 25, another huge event happens - Plot Point I.
Thus far the story has been driving along and now is the time a tyre blows and
sends the car careering off in another direction. The event will test your main
character and challenge them to answer “how far will you go to achieve your
goal?”
ACT II:
Act II is the longest act in the
script and you should make it seem as long as possible for your main character
yet as short as possible for the reader. Your main character will come face to
face with a whole variety of obstacles, the obstacles steadily growing bigger
and tougher. Every time he takes a step on the path to reach his goal some
force (inner or outer) will block his path, forcing the main character to think
quicker and grow stronger if he wants to succeed.
For this reason it is a good idea to
have only one or two main characters in a movie. Anymore and you risk having
characters become undeveloped and the audience not really caring about them
since they don’t appear to be in any big danger.
This act is all about conflict and
confrontation, nothing should come easy to your main character.
The Midpoint
Act II can be the hardest act to
write as a scriptwriter. When you begin a writing project you often have a
clear mental picture of the beginning and end of the script, but it’s how you
get there that proves difficult. Fortunately the midpoint of the script offers
a lifeline to the scriptwriter. Here we have another turning point, often the
introduction or death of a character which sharpens the focus of the main
character on achieving his goal.
In Rocky II Rocky has been looking
for a white collar job but has been unable to due to his lack of education.
Going against Adrian’s wishes Rocky accepts a challenge to a rematch from
Apollo Creed.
Plot Point II
Towards the end of Act II and the
beginning of Act III we come to a crisis point, Plot Point II. Right now the
main character in your script has had enough. They’re sick and tired of all the
obstacles being thrown in their way. Their world is a dark place with only a
small beam of light left. Plot Point II should:
1. Force the main character to take
action in attempt to solve the problem created by the inciting incident.
2. Make the character (and audience)
fully aware of the “ticking clock”. Time is running out for your main character
to finish the job.
3. Focus the main character on their
ultimate goal.
Think of Rocky II when Adrian
emerges from her coma to tell Rocky to win the fight. He re-focuses on his
training and becomes faster, tougher, and stronger.
ACT III
The clock has run out,
it’s now or never for your main character. By now your main character sees the
goal in front of them, but even closer to him are several more obstacles. These
will be the biggest obstacles of all but your main character has come too far
to turn around and head for home now.
Your character has to
want to achieve to achieve their goal so badly that nothing will stop them.
That does not mean to say that your story has to have a happy ending. Just a
glimmer of hope or a torch being passed is equally satisfying, especially if
you are expecting to write a sequel to this script.
Scriptwriting is all
about solving your characters’ problems and resolving their story. However
always be careful not to give your story the “yellow ribbon ending”. This is
where all the loose threads in the story are tied up neatly, so neatly the
ending seems false.
The Climax
The climax is the
biggest scene in the movie, the final battle between right and wrong, good and
evil. Your main character will save the day and resolve their problems in
dramatic fashion. You have to make sure that it’s the main character who saves
the day and not some Johnny Come Lately bailing him out, then your main
character has achieved nothing.
In Dodgeball the
Average Joes team beat the team from Globo-Gym only for White Goodman to reveal
that Peter La Fleur had already sold him the gym, so the victory was all for
nothing. La Fleur counters with the revelation that he placed all the money
White had given him and bet on Average Joes to win. This leaves Peter La Fleur
with another money to buy a controlling stake in Globo-Gym and take back
ownership of Average Joes gym.
I hope this section on
the three act structure of film scriptwriting has helped you greatly. Now go forth
and get writing!
