For the next 10 minutes, simply write. If you’re stuck for a start, use one of these:

•A car alarm pierces the silence. John wakes with a start….

•The crowd has been growing at a steady pace for a while. It’s the first time anything like this has ever happened…

•Icy rain and a sharp wind were making this difficult. Mo had only been working for a few minutes but…

• Narrative Structure• Freytag’s Pyramid• The Hero’s Journey

• The Message/Moral• Synopsis• The Step Outline• The Proposal• Character Briefs

Freytag’s Pyramid cont.

Act 1 – Introduction of the complicationAct 2 – Rising ActionAct 3 - ClimaxAct 4 – Falling ActionAct 5 – Denouement (resolution)

‘The Hero’s Journey’ (see. Christopher Vogler (and J.Campbell’s ‘Man With A Thousand Faces’))

1.THE ORDINARY WORLD (i.e. Normalcy)2.THE CALL TO ADVENTURE (i.e. Conflict)3.REFUSAL OF THE CALL 4.MEETING WITH THE MENTOR5.CROSSING THE THRESHOLD6.TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES 7.APPROACH 8.THE ORDEAL 9.THE REWARD 10.THE ROAD BACK 11.THE RESURRECTION (i.e. Resolution)12.RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR

The above is not a rule. They can be added, removed and altered although this order is the most logical and certainly a great starting point should your story

be relevant

• What is the theme?• What purpose does the story serve?

Example:Shrek – First impressions aren’t everything. There is something

wonderful about who we are and if we be ourselves people will come to love us for our individual strengths.

Theme is about writing from the heart. How do you see the world and

what would you like your audience to think about?

The synopsis is your story

•One page•Present tense•Prose (i.e. like a story)•Twists, turns, climax•Significant characters and their interactions•An indication of the style of your script

• The jigsaw pieces of your script

• Index Cards (Celtx has a good function for these)if you can’t fit the scene onto a card, your scene is too big/long

• Each card is a scene

• Sluglines for each card (i.e. ‘EXT. Ice-cream Parlour – Day’)

• Briefly describe the action and content

• Include snippets of key dialogue if necessary

• Experiment with the order

Start with: (Title) is a (genre) in the style of (Movie X) and (Movie Y).

•Logline

•Synopsis

•Step Outline

•USP (what makes it special/different)

•The message

•Character Briefs

• Gender/ Age/ Nationality/ Sexuality• Appearance/ Mannerisms/ Habits• Attitudes/ beliefs• What do they sound like/ do they have any sayings• What family/social relationships do they have• Where do they live/ are they tidy, organised etc.• Are they successful/ what job do they have• What is their education/ childhood upbringing etc.• What are their hobbies/ how do they spend their time• What are their interests/ favourites/ dislikes• Starsign/ are they emotional• Do people like them/ are they popular/ what do they think of

themselves• Are they strong-willed/ obedient etc.• What are their goals (long term, short term etc.)• What is their dramatic goal (i.e. in your story, what do they want)• What is their strengths/ weaknesses/ phobias• The backstory – what happened to them before we join them in the

story?

This is a biography – the more thorough you are, the more you will understand your character and actually, by the time you get it all down you will be surprised that you know your character as well as you actually do.

Election Night (Dutch) – European Short FilmsMy Favourite Things - http://vimeo.com/5177243Post-It Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsKghhQ41FMHow They Get There - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3DyxhoJR0Mr Morgan’s Date With Destiny - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFOIdhaJLo8

1. RESEARCH! (primary/secondary) – collate, evaluate and store1. Existing scripts, layout, style etc.2. Locations3. History4. Character5. Story & Genre conventions/ scriptwriting techniques

(Christopher Vogler/Syd Field etc.)2. Put together your proposal

1. Title2. Genre3. Suggested target audience4. Logline5. Synopsis6. Step outline7. Character briefs

1. What is your story (1-2-1’s)2. Continue researching and building the proposal