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Notes from Anjum Rajabalis Screenwriting Workshop

Part I

Posted: April 29, 2016 by moifightclubin cinema, Screenwriting, Workshop

Tags: Anjum Rajabali, Screenwriting, Workshop2

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When it comes to screenwriting, Anjum Rajabali is probably the best teacher/mentor in B-towHe organises a screenwriting workshop almost every year. We had posted about this workshop oour blog. (https://moifightclub.com/2016/03/08/5-day-screenwriting-workshop-by-anjumrajabali-all-the-details/) Our friend Dipti Kharude (https://twitter.com/kuhukuro) attended thworkshop this year. Heres her extensive notes from the workshop.

Do read and thank her for putting it all together.
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In the early 2000s, I had a juvenile blog. I remember blogging about how, if there were onextravagant thing Id want in my own house; it had to be a space for screening films. Anothestray line from that same blog comes to mind. It was more like an affirmation Wish I could maka film that would be an expression of the explosion in my heart. The bang I was referring to wasvisceral reaction to incandescent instants on the silver screen. Filmmaking seemed nothing sho

of wizardry.

Movie clubs were magical places then. They made the idea of cinema palpable and moimportantly accessible. The most spellbinding moments on screen could be traced back to a weof words on paper the script or the screenplay that sacrosanct document where imaginatioflourished.

Once I began adulting, this curiosity got sidetracked and the searing zeal waned into a tepfascination. It was only after rupturing the shackles of a job that I submitted myself to the lure cinema again. This time though, I decided to approach it scientifically and registered for the 5-da

Screenwriting Workshop by Anjum Rajabali.

Despite the academic approach, it upheld the movie mojo. When you dont miss your phone forstraight days, in a world where you are willingly tethered to your devices, you know thworkshop instructor has done a stellar job.

In the interactive master classes, Jaideep Sahni, Sriram Raghavan, Juhi Chaturvedi, HimanshSharma, Shridhar Raghavan, Varun Grover, Neeraj Ghaywan, Sudip Sharma, Navdeep SingSaiwyn Quadros, Sanyuktha Chawla-Shaikh, shared their creative and professional struggleexplained their style and approach to writing, and offered a wealth of tips for new writers.

Though not without its faults, the workshop was enlightening and enthusing. Replete wiAnjums personal stories of failure, it encouraged participants to write. Till the age of 34, I didnknow the meaning of screenplay. I had only written articles. It is possible to reinvent yourself. Gthe junk out of the way, which is usually the first draft. Write what you enjoy seeing on screen anno joy equals to that of writing FADE OUT.

Without further ado, heres a rundown of what happened at the workshop. It is a gist at best.

Day 1


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Session 1: The Importance of Stories and Storytelling

After a quick introduction, we were handed writing pads with Stanley Kubricks quote If it cae written or thought, it can be filmed. Anjum delved into how stories help us make sense of th

chaos of life. We are constantly battling the senselessness of life and stories help us find meaningThey unravel the complexity of lived reality.

When it comes to story ideas, we were told that, just the way you dont marry the first person yo

date, you dont commit to the first idea that comes to mind. Spend time in building a trove anthe one that stays is worth looking into, the prerequisite being that it should move you profoundin a sad or joyous way. Once that idea is discerned, live, breathe and fornicate with it.

Meaningful stories are the ones that address human condition. They offer a lifelike experience anmake viewers suspend their judgments. Reality takes a backseat. Lions may not speak in real li

ut Lion King makes the viewer suspend this disbelief.

After a bout of anecdotes, the interactive session snowballed into a volley of irrelevant questionthat lasted much beyond the time allocated for the same. Future participants should be caref

about asking pertinent questions to avoid this debacle. While a participant pointed out that Sholadidnt take into account the greys of characters and how she had a problem that Gabbar Singwas depicted as pure evil, Anjum quipped, You cant screw up a film like Sholay with greynesIt is not about understanding evil. It is about destroying it, as opposed to Satya. This exchangturned into a debate about whether the workshop would be democratic. Though it was a delighto see Anjum field questions with his special brand of humour and irreverence, he was forced tdownsize some other germane discussions.

Session 2 Premise : The Dramatic Centre/ Expansion into Plot

If you cant say it in one sentence, you dont know what its about.

This one kickstarted the workshop in the real sense of the word. Premise is the interplay betweethe protagonist and the central situation (conflict). The energy of the story comes from these onor two sentences that form the premise. Everything else is a sub-plot.

We deciphered the premises of different films. Most of the participants were surprised whethey discovered that though Dil Chahta Hais theme is friendship, the premise is about AamKhans failure to understand adult love.

Anjum went on to explain how the specificity of the premise is directly proportional to theffectiveness of the screenplay. In case of the film Neerja, participants deduced It is the story an airhostess grappling with a plane hijack and responding with courage. Anjum explained hoNeerja is the story of an ordinary girl finding extraordinary courage. The particularity of thordinariness of the character is of significance. If the airhostess were a woman trained in martiarts, the story wouldnt have worked.

The plot is the dramatic progression of the character and the central situation. The premisgenerally kicks in during ACT II. While setting up the story in Act I, the character should reveacharacteristics or peculiarities that lead to the premise. In Sholay, though Thakur has lost both h


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hands, the emotion the story evokes is only anger and not sympathy since the premise involvrevenge. There is not a single scene in the film where Thakur is shown in a pitiful state.

We watched the short film, Le Poulet, inferred its premise, discussed the purpose of every scenand analysed the point where the premise was activated. Anjum helped us examine the way which the protagonists struggle is visually depicted (your film should cover action, not activityThere was also a discussion on how twists work in films. A good twist is the one that surpriseyou but in retrospect its inevitable.

Takeaway: Once an idea arrives, you need to hit upon it with a premise. The premise is lika lighthouse. If youre ever stuck while writing a scene, look to the logline and it will push you the right direction.

Stories fraught with failure were more revealing. Anjum candidly gave references of his own filmPukar and Arakshan and how they moved away from the premise and suffered. Pukar was to belove story based on Samson and Delilah but the love story turned into a sub-plot when thscreenplay advanced and Arakshan dealt with reservation in the first half and the second ha

ecame about commercialization of education.

Constant references to films like Sholay, Deewar and the likes were definitely helpful to those whhave grown up on that fare but to a large extent the grammar of films has changed. If there wemore references to contemporary films, the juxtaposition would have been more pertinent.

Session 3 Character, Characterisation, Character Arc, Transformation.

Discovering the Characters personality, qualities relevant to your plot.

The protagonist is defined by her/his struggle and her/his steadfast commitment.

When it comes to characterisation, imagine the vulnerabilities and unmet desires of the characteBeing vulnerable is a sign of being alive. Explore the physiology (paunch, looks, etc.), sociolog(caste,class,neighbourhood) and psychology of the main characters (fears, vices, early memorietc.)

Place the character in multiple what if situations and reflect on her/his reactions. Anjum warneus about digressing and crafting character sketches that run into pages with immaterial detailike the brand of toothpaste the character uses. (Precisely Bhaad mein gayi uski chaddi/ Bhaamein gayi uski toothpaste).The premise serves as a beacon at this stage too. The characteristics

the protagonist should propel the premise.

At the heart of any good story is character evolution. A character arc is the transformation oinner journey of a character over the course of a story.

Ask two questions of your character with regard to the character arc:

What does s/he want?

What does s/he really want?


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In case of Airlift, Ranjit Katiyal initially wants to ensure the safety of his family and then includehis employees in its ambit.

The most interesting stories are the ones where the characters have lost the battle but won the wa

Film Screening: Little Miss Sunshine

Takeaway:A character sketch is not a biography. Brevity is your best friend.

Despite Anjum repeating countless times about questioning the main characters in relation tthe premise, a participant was hell-bent on deconstructing the character of Samba in Sholay.

Day 2

Session 4 Script Analysis of Little Miss Sunshine (with emphasis on characters and their arcs)

After diving into the vulnerabilities of each character and discussing how each character waintroduced on screen, we dissected the 14-minute dinner scene which exhausts all the possibilitie

of dissonance.

Dissonance lends the plot the essential dramatic vigour.

For a rewarding character arc, put your characters in the worst situations and dire places. Lthem dig deep and find their way out.

We traced the journey of all the characters how each of them started and how their arcs blendewith the resolution of the film.

In Little Miss Sunshine, Richard tells his daughter, If you win, we will go. In the climax we sehim joining her with jubilation as she loses. This flip makes for a good character arc.

While there have been films with a few exceptions, your scripts should have at least one majocharacter who goes through a change in his belief or behavior.

Takeaway:Ironies and paradoxes make for good stories.

Session 5 Structuring the Screenplay

A screening of the short film, The Lunch Date, shined a light on how prejudice operate

through generalization. It is dissolved by treating the person as an individual. Hence a personexperience can help one overcome prejudice. This led to the premise of a rich lady encounteringpoor, black, homeless man.

Anjum explained how it is important to exploit every single frame in a short film. The film julike Hitchcocks Psycho sways your perspective. Irrespective of rationality or morality, viewefeel sympathy towards characters that are vulnerable and struggling.


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Before plunging headlong into the three act structure, a disclaimer is in order. This populastructure is not a formula or a model to follow consciously. It is meant to be imbibed anforgotten.

Act I Setup Introduce characters. Establish their situations. Begin your sub-plots.

Act II Confrontation The plot goes into second gear and the premise blooms here.

Act III Resolution

Takeaway: Treat the knowledge of the 3 act structure as scaffolding. Knowledge transforms wisdom when it becomes second nature. Thought can be the enemy of creativity. Too mucthinking leads to contrivances in the plot. Write and when you find yourself faltering, evaluayour screenplay with the help of the 3 act structure.

Session 6 Scene Design

The structural unity of the parts is such that, if any one of them is displaced or removed, th

whole will be disjointed and disturbed. For a thing whose presence or absence makes no visibdifference is not an organic part of the whole. Aristotle

The questions to explore before writing a scene:

What is the purpose of the scene? Is the scene related to the rest of the story? How does it advanthe story? Does it reveal something important about the character? Are you introducing character? Does the dialogue reflect character? Do your characters have something to do anactivity?

We scrutinized a scene from the film, Amadeus against the parameters mentioned above.

Screening of Incendies

Day 3

Session 6: Scene Design Continued

We studied the opening scene of The Godfather where the aim was to introduce the Godfathand his system. Anjum explained how the scene exploits the discord created by an emotionreaction. A monologue at the start of the film is generally considered as suicide but this onweaves in intrigue since it is structured like a story. This scene is a master class on how an organquality of the character lends a dramatic touch. This drama is a rich device to bring to the fore, thhidden.

Takeaway: This was the most gratifying session since we analysed every frame of the scene antracked its progression. While Anjum deconstructed the scene, it dawned upon me that this is thpart I like most about the whole process of screenwriting crafting the nuances of a scene. It alselevated my capacity to savour aspects of films that I had earlier mindlessly consumed.


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Thanks to questions that only served to stoke the pseudo intelligence of some participants, thsession on analysis of the film Incendies had to be deferred. Another purpose of questioninseemed to be name-dropping.

Dipti Kharude (https://twitter.com/kuhukuro)

Master class with Sudip Sharma and Navdeep Singh To be continued.

CommentsRishabh Sriwastavasays:April 30, 2016 at 18:24

The first scene of Omkara was equally beautiful. It establishes the mood of the movie.However in Bollywood, in most movies, first few minutes are leisurely wasted.

Reply

(@Tanweeer) says:May 2, 2016 at 17:07

Thanks for sharing this. Very helpful.

Reply

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