The art of screenwriting.

The art of Screenwriting 

In order to understand what makes good screenwriting, we must first understand the essentials within 'screenwriting', that of which being a script! but what is a script? and what is needed in order for a script to be a script?

"Story is key to screenwriting, and the industry agrees that the story is everything. However, getting the industry to agree on exactly what is a good story is a different matter."- Freddie Gaffney, On Screenwriting, 2008)

After reading 'On Screenwriting' by Freddie Gaffney, I gained greater knowledge into the depths of screenwriting and story writing. He made a point that sometimes it isn't the script that is a problem, its the timing and what you choose to show at that time can hinder how far your script is accepted. For example, a script about the truth of war and killing would probably not get that far with a Republican who would want to show war in good light. I honestly found his statements on this rather eye opening because it almost reassures that there are many other factors to consider and it may not just be your "skill" that hinders a script being accepted.

That being said, its important to understand the different elements needed to make a story. But what is a story? Gaffney claims it is important to differentiate a Story and a Plot. A story being "the unpicking of an event or series of events to identify the most significant elements" and a plot being " the ordering or positioning of the elements, the mixing up to create dynamic tension". I often found it difficult to separate the two when writing my screenplay. It is so easy to end up doing both at the same time but that may not always be the best way. My class mates and I were told to do the story first and then the plot after but I often found myself intertwining between both. 

Gaffney also states that there are 7 different types of story; (sometimes more and sometimes less but these are the basics)

Achilles - Superhuman characters who are almost invincible but their singular flaw is their downfall.
Cinderella -Typically forms from fairy tales "where dreams do come true". the format is usually recognisable with many goals and stepping stones for the characters to go through
Circe -originated from Greek legends, the chase that ends with restoration and regeneration is usually the format for this type of story.
Faust- Formed from ancient tales but took a modern approach during the Renaissance period. This is usually has connotations of person doing whatever they can to reach a certain goal, gaining knowlege but also being consumed by it. However, they usually end up repaying a debt that you may owe, be that as a physical thing or emotional. 
Orpheus - Inspired by another Greek mythology, the central core of this type of story usually includes the death or loss of a loved one and the way the loss is dealt with.
Romeo and Juliet - usually about central human emotion, deep desires. Love is usually pitched against violence and hatred. 
Tristan - formed from a Celtic tale, this type of story usually consists of falling in love with someone who is already in love. This type of story became really popular during the medieval times. 

I found this really interesting because coming to think of it, when you look at the  different story types, I can instantly think of various films and books that carry similar bases as the categories mentioned above.It goes to show that nothing is really original and all ideas originate from somewhere. 

Claudia Hunter Johnson goes into depth on stories in her book 'Crafting Short Screenplays that Connect'. She said some eye opening things; "A story is a pattern of human change". Although this may sound simple, this definition really doesn't beat around the bush, it gets straight to the point and I also agree with it. When you come to think of it, that is really what a story is. However, creating a story itself isn't so easy because how do you know what "human change" could make a good story? Well, according to Johnson it should be a "small subltle shift, that tiny of the screw in a character's inner and outer life, preferably both". It is clear to me that you must make the change credible and compelling in order for it to work and you shouldn't try to cram in as much dramatic events when doing a screenplay. Johnson calls this the "narrative cram".

Reading this made me want to go over my script and fine tune it even more, it made me think about how credible my idea was. I must admit, I'm finding the original idea less and less credible. But I think this is good for me, I want my script to be the best it can be for when I hand it in. 

Screenwriting really is an art form.But it's not just about the content, its about the presentation of the script itself. According to Johnson, the format of a screenplay is split into 5 easy pieces;

1. Scene heading or slug line
2. The action description
3. The name of the character speaking
4. The parenthetical directions and dialogue
5. Transitions

This is the format we have written our scripts in too. It is clear that this is the real basis of a script. It is important to note that the Final draft programme is known to be industry standard as it supports the industry accepted format. That being the well renowned courier, size 12 font which is set as the default. It lays out the script in the exact same order as mentioned above with the click of the shortcut buttons provided. It is an amazing programme because it is so simple to use. It even leaves a one inch margin in order for the script to be properly binded and fastened. Therefore recognising the industry required necessities, and providing that platform for screen writers. Some companies will not even accept a script if it doesn't look like a script so its important that these formats are correctly followed.

A title page is just as important as it needs to have the production title, who it's written by and the date all centered. And in the bottom left corner, your contact details and address. Final draft provides a template for this so you don't even need to worry about spacing and getting everything centered because it does it for you. I am very grateful to be introduced to this programme as it made my screenplay run very smoothly.