lecture 10: keeping the audience in the story
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Lecture 10: Keeping the Audience in the Story. Professor Christopher Bradley. Psycho (1971) Screenplay by Joseph Stefano, based on the novel by Robert Bloch. Previous Lesson. Complications Complexity on Three Levels: Inner Conflict Personal Conflict Extra-Personal Conflict. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Lecture 10:Lecture 10:Keeping the Audience Keeping the Audience
in the Storyin the Story
Professor Christopher Bradley
Psycho (1971)
Screenplay by Joseph Stefano, based on the novel by Robert Bloch
Previous LessonPrevious Lesson
• Complications
– Complexity on Three Levels:
• Inner Conflict
• Personal Conflict
• Extra-Personal Conflict
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The Insider (1999)
Screenplay by Erik Roth & Michael Mann
Based on an Article by Marie Brenner
Previous Lesson (Continued)Previous Lesson (Continued)
• Reversals
– In Scenes
– In Sequences
– In Acts
• Assignments
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Fargo (1999)
Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
This LessonThis Lesson
• Maintaining Interest
– The “Center of Good”
– Curiosity and Concern
– Strategies
• Mystery
• Suspense
• Dramatic Irony
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Wait Until Dark (1976)
Screenplay by Robert Carrington and Jane Howard Carrington, based on
the play by Frederick Knott
This Lesson (Continued)This Lesson (Continued)• Storytelling Challenges
– Surprise
– Strict Rules for Using
Coincidence
– Comedic Design
– Point of View
– Avoiding Melodrama
– Logic Holes
• Assignments5
Wait Until Dark (1976)
Screenplay by Robert Carrington and Jane Howard Carrington, based on
the play by Frederick Knott
Maintaining InterestMaintaining Interest
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Central Station (1998)
Screenplay by Marcos Bernstein and Jaoa Emanuel Carneiro,
based on a story by Walter Salles
Lesson 10: Part I
The Center of GoodThe Center of Good
• The “Center of Good” is not necessarily a good person.
• This character can be deeply flawed, even criminal, but the audience must identify with him or her.
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Central Station (1998)
Screenplay by Marcos Bernstein
and Jaoa Emanuel Carneiro,
based on a story by Walter Salles
Curiosity and ConcernCuriosity and Concern
• Raising questions in the minds of your audience
• Give your audience characters to care about!
– Goals
– A Moral Center
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The Godfather (1972)
Screenplay by Mario Puzo
and Francis Ford Coppola
StrategiesStrategies
• Mystery
– The audience knows less than the characters
• Closed Mystery
• Open Mystery
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Donnie Darko (2001)
Screenplay by Richard Kelly
Strategies (2)Strategies (2)
• Suspense
– The audience and characters know the same information
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Rear Window (1954)
Screenplay by John Michael Hayes,
based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich
Strategies (3)Strategies (3)
• Dramatic Irony– The audience knows
more than the characters
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Fatal Attraction (1987)
Screenplay by James Dearden
Strategies (4)Strategies (4)• Pause the lecture now
and watch the clip from The Thing, keeping in mind McKee’s description of Suspense, where the audience and characters share the same information.
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The Thing (1982)
Screenplay by Bill Lancaster,
based on a story by John W. Campbell
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Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Screenplay by Anna Hamilton Phelan
Based on a story by
Anna Hamilton Phelan and Ted Murphy
Storytelling ChallengesStorytelling Challenges
Lesson 10: Part II
• Not what the audience expected to happen.– The Color Purple– Arthur
• Not how the audience expected it to happen.– The Graduate– What’s Up, Doc? 1414
The Color Purple (1985)
Screenplay by Menno Meyjes
Based on the novel by Alice Walker
SurpriseSurprise
• Cheap Surprise– Not integrated into
story– Detracts
• TRUE Surprise– Integrated– Deepens involvement
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The Shining (1980)
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Surprise (2)Surprise (2)
• Pause the lecture and watch the clip from the film Carrie. Keep in mind what constitutes true surprise and cheap surprise.
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Carrie (1980)
Screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Surprise (3)Surprise (3)
• Remember the principle of Aesthetic Emotion. Coincidence is real, but inherently meaningless. It can be given transformative meaning in narrative.
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Carrie (1976)
Screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen
Based on the novel by Stephen King
CoincidenceCoincidence
• Bring in coincidence early• No Deus ex Machina• One major coincidence per screenplay
(with some exceptions)
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What’s Up, Doc? (1972)
Screenplay by Lawrence D. Cohen
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Coincidence (Continued)Coincidence (Continued)
• The best comedies come, strangely, from anger.
• Comedy is mentally “slipping on a banana peel”.
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There’s Something About Mary (1998)
Screenplay by Ed Dector & John J. Strauss
and Peter Farrelly & Bobby Farrelly
Comedic DesignComedic Design
Point of ViewPoint of View
• Think of the story through the eyes of your protagonist.– A child protagonist will see the world differently
than a superhero protagonist.– Switching points of view can lead to
unintentional comedy. This is one of the problems with films such as Plan 9 From Outer Space and Mommie Dearest.
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AdaptationAdaptation
• Remember, screenwriting is its own art and craft. It’s narrative, but it’s different from playwriting, novel-writing, documentary or biography. What works in one will not likely work in a screenplay.
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Adaptation (2)Adaptation (2)• Novels are the champion of inner conflict.
In a screen adaptation, there must be a character with whom your protagonist externalizes that inner conflict.
• Theatre pieces are almost pure dialog. The omniscience of the camera means that most things don’t need to be said, they are seen. Film is visual.
• Biographies are real. Narrative takes the real and creates meaning with it.
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Adaptation (3)Adaptation (3)• To do an effective
adaptation, you need:– Research– To re-think the story
events to be visual and cinematic, rather than internal or language-based
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Wise Blood (1979)Screenplay by Benedict Fitzgerald & Michael Fitzgerald
Based on the novel by Flannery O’Connor
Avoiding MelodramaAvoiding Melodrama
• Make sure the actions of your characters are thoroughly, believably motivated. You want huge conflict, huge drama, but it must be about something. HIGH STAKES.
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Mommie Dearest (1975)Screenplay by Robert Getchel and Tracy Hotchner and Frank Perry and Frank Yablans
Based on the book by Christina Crawford
Logic HolesLogic Holes
• Forging Links• Moving Quickly• Admit the Illogic
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The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Screenplay by Noel Langley
and Florence Ryerson
and Edgar Allan Woolf
AssignmentsAssignments
26Lesson 10: Part III
The Shining (1980)
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson
Based on the novel by Stephen King
ReadingReading
• Read Chapter 6 in Story, “Problems and Solutions”.
• Do the Reading Review to be sure you’re clear on what you’ve read!
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E-Board PostE-Board Post• Post one example each of both Surprise
and Suspense in a film you know well.
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Your First 10 PagesYour First 10 Pages
• Remember! You should be working on this now!
End of Lecture 10End of Lecture 10
Next Lecture:
It’s What They Don’t Know!
True Lies (1994)
Screenplay by Claude Zidi and Simon Michael and Didier Kaminka
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