Chapter 1: "What Is It?"
Synder starts off with one of the biggest things pounded into our heads during this class: HAVE A GOOD PITCH/LOGLINE! Blake outlines the 4 elements of a good logline: Irony, A Compelling Mental Picture, Audience & Cost, and . . . A "Killer" Title.
Chapter 2: "Give Me The Same Thing...Only Different!"
This chapter is all about genres. Blake categorizes them in a rather original "Blake Snyder-ish" way, which is both cool and kind of annoying cuz he seems do damn smug about it all. He also delights in pigeon-holing movies into these categories (many of them do fit, but I'm starting to get the impression that he just really loves categorizing things cuz that's what he does for much of this book).
Chapter 3: "It's About a Guy Who..."
Finding the hero of your story is almost as important to Blake Snyder as coming up with a winning concept (and by winning he means one that will "sell"...cuz Blake Synder seems predominately in it for the money here). He stresses that every hero and protagonist must have an adjective attached to them in the logline. The best heroes have the most conflict in the situation that makes up your story.
Chapter 4: "Let's Beat It Out!"
Ah, the Blake Synder beat sheet. Very helpful actually, if somewhat restrictive when he gets as specific as "BY THIS PAGE YOU MUST DO THIS!" This chapter is pretty self-explanatory. We've done the beat sheet in class, and it is very nice to have a map of your story like that before diving into it full-force.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
"Screenplay" by Syd Field
Hi Brant and Ben,
If you haven't noticed already, most of the posts on this blog so far have been me freaking out about my senior thesis project, which I JUST turned in. So that's finally done with and I can think about something else for a second.
Now...I suppose I should use this blog in some way that relates to the class. Here it goes...
READING SUMMARY #1:
"Screenplay" by Syd Field
Chapter 1: "What is a Screenplay?"
Field's "Screenplay" is really all about structure, so it's only fitting that he starts us off in the first chapter with a breakdown of the three-act structure. Put simply: Act 1 is the set-up, Act 2 is the confrontation, Act 3 is the resolution.
Chapter 2: "The Subject"
Field breaks down the SUBJECT of a screenplay into "action" and "character." For a film's protagonist, the screenwriter must define a NEED (and thus create conflict). The character is then revealed by his/her ACTIONS throughout the story ("character through action" as Syd says). He also goes down to break down "action" into "physical" and "emotional." Depending on what kind of movie you're making (Romantic comedy vs. action-adventure), the action in the film will be more of one than the other.
Chapter 3: "The Creation of Character"
Syd Breaks down characters into their INTERIOR and EXTERIOR. Their interior, emotional life, from birth till present, is what forms a character. Their exterior, physical life, what we during the film, reveals the character.
Chapter 4: "Building a Character"
Once you've created a character, you then have to fill them up with details--details about their past, their work, their hobbies, their culture. These details require work and research and preparation and thinking time, but the end result will be characters who are authentic and believable, which it what it's all about.
Chapter 5: "Story and Character"
Syd explains there are two ways to approach writing your screenplay. One way is to create an idea, then create characters and insert them into the action. The second way is to create a character and then let the story, emerge out of character.
If you haven't noticed already, most of the posts on this blog so far have been me freaking out about my senior thesis project, which I JUST turned in. So that's finally done with and I can think about something else for a second.
Now...I suppose I should use this blog in some way that relates to the class. Here it goes...
READING SUMMARY #1:
"Screenplay" by Syd Field
Chapter 1: "What is a Screenplay?"
Field's "Screenplay" is really all about structure, so it's only fitting that he starts us off in the first chapter with a breakdown of the three-act structure. Put simply: Act 1 is the set-up, Act 2 is the confrontation, Act 3 is the resolution.
Chapter 2: "The Subject"
Field breaks down the SUBJECT of a screenplay into "action" and "character." For a film's protagonist, the screenwriter must define a NEED (and thus create conflict). The character is then revealed by his/her ACTIONS throughout the story ("character through action" as Syd says). He also goes down to break down "action" into "physical" and "emotional." Depending on what kind of movie you're making (Romantic comedy vs. action-adventure), the action in the film will be more of one than the other.
Chapter 3: "The Creation of Character"
Syd Breaks down characters into their INTERIOR and EXTERIOR. Their interior, emotional life, from birth till present, is what forms a character. Their exterior, physical life, what we during the film, reveals the character.
Chapter 4: "Building a Character"
Once you've created a character, you then have to fill them up with details--details about their past, their work, their hobbies, their culture. These details require work and research and preparation and thinking time, but the end result will be characters who are authentic and believable, which it what it's all about.
Chapter 5: "Story and Character"
Syd explains there are two ways to approach writing your screenplay. One way is to create an idea, then create characters and insert them into the action. The second way is to create a character and then let the story, emerge out of character.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)