Screenwriting
Paper format |
Number of pages |
Number of slides |
Academic level |
Type of work |
Type of paper |
Sources needed |
Sources |
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MLA |
18
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0 | Undergraduate | Writing from scratch | Creative writing | Not needed | 0 |
Paper details
Subject:
creative writing.
Topic:
Screenwriting
For this assignment: This assignment involves writing a screenplay of a short film and develop that to script stage. For assessment you will need to provide the following pieces of written work. SHORT FILM (15 mins length) 1) A short pitch (150 words), brief character bios of main characters (150 words per character, no more than 3-4 characters since it’s a short film) plus a treatment of the complete story (1 page). And in this order. So firstly the pitch is written, then the character bios, then the treatment, then the complete screenplay= 15 pages correctly formatted. It should contain three acts. Act 1 the beginning, Act 2 the middle and Act 3 the ending. Needs to be in the font ‘Times New Roman’ with the font size of 12. Needs to be written using this screenwriting software, https://www.celtx.com/index.html Include in pitch 150 words Title Genre and if necessary sub-genre The form- in this case short film Characters- use their names to make it more real. And add their central role in the story. Problem/dilemma to be solved Main forces of antagonism Time and location An active question which arises from the narrative The pitch should be written as attractively as possible, it is to sell your idea and tonally should reflect the genre of your idea. Include in Bio- 150 words per character Who are these people? What do they want? What do they need? Why do they exist in this story? What is their main function? Empathy- what makes a character likable and interesting Attitudes Characters past and how it influences the present Do not write bio in bullet points. Write in prose. Treatment- 1 page Difference between an outline and a treatment. An outline describes the story you want to tell. A treatment shows HOW you’re going to tell it, beat by beat. Written in present tense No dialogue or reported action Only set the scene briefly Concentrate on the actions, reactions and how this reveals the inner journeys of the character. No need to mention casting, costume, music or weather unless it’s vital to the story. Don’t give away a twist. Leave that until it appears in the story. Don’t give exposition for the reader which an audience member will not see. Written in order that story unfolds in the film Style of film reflects in treatment Start first paragraph with time and place Every time you introduce a new character write their name in CAPS followed by their age in brackets e.g. Ashley (24) Don’t need much character description, only the dominant impression they make Don’t add in camera shot details- no camera references. Instead of saying ‘cut’ say ‘Sometime earlier’ or ‘a few weeks earlier’. Script- 15 pages Act 1 needs to have a revelation Act 2 needs a climax Act 3 needs to have a resolution Don’t describe location- write short adjectives like ‘broken shed’ Only write what audience will see, don’t write any internal thoughts Every time you change location, add INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR and then say the location. Form of character’s development needs to be shown in dialogue In short films, there are no extras in terms of characters. Each character has a distinctive function.