Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Short screenplay writing advice
from BFI's screen online site offered
guidance through six questions
- Who is the
protagonist?
- The protagonist is the
central character that will
also be associated with
the heart and progression
of the narrative.
- The protagonist may
dominate the
narrative
- Example: 23 minute short:
Springing Lenin, directed by
Andrie Nekrasov, (1992)
- The protagonist may
not be the person
telling the story
- Example, 24 minute short:
Zinky Boys Go Underground,
written by Adsid Tantimedh
and directed by Paul Tickell
(1999)
- What is the style
of the film?
- When considering the
style of a film the tone is
also an important and
partnering aspect
- The tone of a
production will engage
with the emotions of
an audience
- Example short - The Curious, - Technical
elements of camera worked in a way to
highlight the powerlessness of the central
characters to evoke audience emotions
- Example short - Zinky Boys Go Underground, the natural
conveyed tone of the narrator allows the audience to
engage with the characters threatening and vicious world
- Zinky Boys Go
Underground (1999)
- The Curious
(1994)
- Springing
Lenin (1992)
- Deep Down
(2002)
- Tone of a production is captured in the
performance, direction and cinematography
- The style of a film will
provide a vitally visual
and coherent narrative
- What is the active
question, which is the
basis of the action in
film?
- The
Protagonist's
want, need or
desire
- An incident that will
form the basis of the
film's climax and or
its narrative action
- What is the audience
being asked to follow
or be interested in?
- Example short - The Curious
written by Robert Smith and
directed by Stephen Brown
(1994)
- The audience is enticed to
share the protagonist's
curiosity about the strange
young woman at the
window
- Example short - Deep
Down directed by Christin
Cockerton (2002)
- The audience is enticed
to share a woman's
obsession with her
mother's dress
- Who or what
opposes the
protagonist?
- The creation of
an antagonist or
an opposing
situation
- This is critical to develop an
engaging storyline
- From whose point of
view is the audience
being shown the story?
- Consideration of the
narration or the narrators is
vitally central to the short
format
- There is a need to
address the scale of
exposion
- The background
information
- Character
motivation
- Example Shorts -Springing Lenin and The
Curious both leave their audience to draw
on their own conclusions, as they are
completely left in an omnipotent
position.
- Example Short - Zinky Boys go
Underground is in fact
narrated by an observing
character and not the
protagonist
- What is it
about? Or, what
is the theme?
- The theme sometimes
cannot be instantly
recognisable , as it may be
underlying.
- An underlying theme will unite all the
characters and project a central
emotional core
- Finding the theme is critical to
expose a film's dramatic unity
that will effectively evoke an
audiences emotions