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This is a presentation I give to people who are curious about becoming screenwriters or filmmakers. It talks about the power of storytelling to change history, then about basic cinematic story structure, then about the difference between screenwriting and other kinds of writing, then a bit about how the whole filmmaking process works. Feel free to modify as you'd like.
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WRITING MOVIES
STEVE BARR
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCESHARE
STORIES LET US
EXPERIENCELEARN FROM THE
STORIES LET US
OF OTHERS
EXPERIENCEADD TO THE
STORIES LET US
OF HUMANITY
Fiction can be true.
AND NON-FICTION CAN BE FALSE.
Fiction can be true.
What’s your story?
PWNED
DOES YOUR STORY PASS THE 3 FILTER TEST ?
• IS IT TRUE?
• IS IT GOOD?
• IS IT USEFUL?
TRUE and USEFUL
but not GOOD
TRUE and GOOD
but not USEFUL
GOOD and USEFUL
but not TRUE
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting]
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting] must [do something difficult]
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting] must [do something difficult] to [achieve something worthwhile].
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting] must [do something difficult] to [achieve something worthwhile].
• Character, plot, stakes.
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting] must [do something difficult] to [achieve something worthwhile].
• Character, plot, stakes.
• Stories are about change.
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting] must [do something difficult] to [achieve something worthwhile].
• Character, plot, stakes.
• Stories are about change.
• Drama is conflict. Somebody wants something, but something else gets in his way.
THE STORY OF (ALMOST)EVERY STORY EVER
[Someone interesting] must [do something difficult] to [achieve something worthwhile].
• Character, plot, stakes.
• Stories are about change.
• Drama is conflict. Somebody wants something, but something else gets in his way.
• Stories are about emotion.
STORY STRUCTURE
STORY STRUCTURE
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts • Beginning (about 25%)
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts • Beginning (about 25%)• Middle (about 50%)
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts • Beginning (about 25%)• Middle (about 50%)• End (about 25%)
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts • Beginning (about 25%)• Middle (about 50%)• End (about 25%)
• Introduce a character, put him up a tree
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts • Beginning (about 25%)• Middle (about 50%)• End (about 25%)
• Introduce a character, put him up a tree• Throw rocks at him
STORY STRUCTURE
• Aristotle’s Poetics
• 3 Acts • Beginning (about 25%)• Middle (about 50%)• End (about 25%)
• Introduce a character, put him up a tree• Throw rocks at him• Get him out of the tree
ACT 1 – THE SETUP
ACT 1 – THE SETUP
• An overprotective father clownfish loses his son to poachers and must track him down.
ACT 1 – THE SETUP
• An overprotective father clownfish loses his son to poachers and must track him down.
• A Kansas farm girl is taken by a tornado to a strange land and told to defeat a wicked witch.
ACT 1 – THE SETUP
• An overprotective father clownfish loses his son to poachers and must track him down.
• A Kansas farm girl is taken by a tornado to a strange land and told to defeat a wicked witch.
• A young orphan discovers he’s a wizard when he is invited to go to Wizard School.
ACT 2 – TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
ACT 2 – TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
• The Fellowship battle through many dangers on their way
toward Mordor.
ACT 2 – TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
• The Fellowship battle through many dangers on their way
toward Mordor.
• The vigilante fights the criminals, terrifying them with his
strange bat-like costume.
ACT 2 – TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
• The Fellowship battle through many dangers on their way
toward Mordor.
• The vigilante fights the criminals, terrifying them with his
strange bat-like costume.
• The girl works hard to be accepted by her grandfather, but
he won’t let her do “boy” things.
ACT 3 – THE PAYOFF
ACT 3 – THE PAYOFF
• The farm boy accepts the power of the Force and blows up the Death Star.
ACT 3 – THE PAYOFF
• The farm boy accepts the power of the Force and blows up the Death Star.
• The young chef and the rat become partners in their own French restaurant.
ACT 3 – THE PAYOFF
• The farm boy accepts the power of the Force and blows up the Death Star.
• The young chef and the rat become partners in their own French restaurant.
• The ship sinks; the young man dies while saving the young woman.
ACT 3 – THE PAYOFF
• The farm boy accepts the power of the Force and blows up the Death Star.
• The young chef and the rat become partners in their own French restaurant.
• The ship sinks; the young man dies while saving the young woman.
• The good guys win.
ACT 3 – THE PAYOFF
• The farm boy accepts the power of the Force and blows up the Death Star.
• The young chef and the rat become partners in their own French restaurant.
• The ship sinks; the young man dies while saving the young woman.
• The good guys win.
• The good guys lose, but the audience learns a lesson.
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
• If a story is about what the story is about, you’re in trouble.
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
• If a story is about what the story is about, you’re in trouble.
• Theme / message / moral – the hidden meaning
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
• If a story is about what the story is about, you’re in trouble.
• Theme / message / moral – the hidden meaning
• Text
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
• If a story is about what the story is about, you’re in trouble.
• Theme / message / moral – the hidden meaning
• Text / Subtext
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
• If a story is about what the story is about, you’re in trouble.
• Theme / message / moral – the hidden meaning
• Text / Subtext / Context
“BUT WHAT IS THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?”
• If a story is about what the story is about, you’re in trouble.
• Theme / message / moral – the hidden meaning
• Text / Subtext / Context
• The theme is usually directly connected to the main character’s lesson. What do they need to learn to succeed?
THE SCREENPLAY
HOW IS SCREENWRITING DIFFERENT FROM OTHER WRITING?
• Making movies is a collaborative art form
• The screenplay is the start of the process, not the end
• Adaptation
• Think in pictures
• Movies move
HOW IS A SCREENPLAY DIFFERENT FROM A BOOK?
• 500,000 words for a novel, only 20,000 words for a screenplay
• Only write what the audience can SEE and HEAR
• Everything in present tense
• Formatting rules are strict
• Grammar rules are relaxed
…AND THEN WHAT?
Director
Producer
Writer
…AND THEN WHAT?
Creative Business Movie
Q & A
