University of Gondar Department of Film and Television

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Chapter Two

Understanding screen writing

Chapter objectives

The objectives of this chapter is:

 To introduce students the fundamentals of writing for the screen writing

 Give students a deep site about screen writing.

 To help students to explore the possibilities of storytelling,

 Giving the student both the narrative craft and visual techniques necessary to

bring a story to life on the screen,

 Giving general introduction of film in relation to screenwriting

 Clarify characteristics and elements of screenwriting

 To let students experience writing screen plays/films of different genres.

 To made students a better script writer.

2.1 Screen writing

“My task is… to make you hear, to make you feel….and above all to make you see. That
is all, and this is everything.” (Syd field, lecturer and author)

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or
making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read
your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well,
and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Writing is magic, as much the water of life
as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”(Stephen king)

Dear students screen writing means writing for the screen or camera. We think you all

are familiar about the concept ofwriting in general. For example you may have an
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experience of writing love letters for your girlfriend or mostly before the coming of

technology we Ethiopians share information’s via Posta or any letter with your comrades

or far families. You may also write application letter for your Kebelle or Wereda. Writing

is that much near task for our daily routine life. Writing have different color when you

came to the works of art. For example It may have sophisticated conventions, it should

have some sort of beauty, it should be intensified, it also should be selective and extra

stuffs. Here we talk about understanding writing for art as a common sense. Screen

medium by nature is both literary and visual medium. As obvious when you see the

movie there is storytelling, that is the literary part of the film. An also there is actions

you can see, and this should also first written by the writer. This written material which is

supposed to be filmed is known as film script and the process of writing a film script is

called writing for screen. To conclude screen writing is writing a script to be captured by

the camera and seen by the screen. Now let’s see what screen play is?

2.1.1 What is a screen play?

From the previous chapter you are supposed to know screen medium. So here in this

chapter we will uncover the deep thoughts of screen play.

What is a screen play is a very tough question that everyone could rise when he think

about film. Syd field on his book ‘screen play’ he asks the following.

What is screen play? A guide, an outline for a movie? A blueprint, or a diagram? Aseries

of images, scenesthat are strung together with dialogue and description? The landscape

of a dream?A collection of ideas? What is a screen play?

Dear Students, before you read the next passage please try to write something what you

bear in your mind for the above questions?

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Well, we believe you for one thing that you didn’t think neither novel nor poem as a

screen play. And stage play is definitely not a screen play. So what is screen play? If you

look at novel and its essential nature, you can see the dramatic action, the story line, the

characterization (like his thoughts, feelings, dreams, hopes, ambitions etc.), and the

imagination generally everything embedded to be read and sometimes to be narrated.

In a stage play, the action or the story line, the characters occurs onstage, under the

proscenium arch, and the audience becomes a live viewer in the fourth wall. The

characters talk their hopes and dreams, past and future plans, discuss their fears and

conflicts. In this cause the action of the play occurs within the language of dramatic

action, it is spoken in words.

Movies are different. Film is a visual medium that dramatizes a basic story line, it deals in

pictures, images, bits and pieces of film: a clock ticking, a window opening, someone

watching, two people crying, phone ringing. A screen play is a story told with pictures, in

dialogue and description. Generally A screen play is a story told with pictures.We can

also define screen play as a document that outlines every aural, visual, behavioral, and

lingual element required to tell a story.

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Then, it’s better to recall your attention to the above quotation ( Syd field andStephen

king). In short they interpret the screen writing as a way of narrating a story in a picture

and as a source of happiness and pleasure respectively.

2.1.2 Writing for the Screen

Since the medium is a visual medium the earliest advice to screenwriters to write visually

may very well have come from Aristotle in the Poetics. The Ancient Greek philosopher

compelled creators of drama determine the developing narrative by visualizing the

action as if the writer were actually present as it unfolded.In The Poetics, his great

manual on how to write a play, the philosopher Aristotle said, “Objects which in

themselves we view with pain, we delight to contemplate when reproduced with minute

fidelity.... The cause of this again is that to learn gives the liveliest pleasure, not only to

philosophers but to men in general.Abiologist as well as a philosopher, and a close

observer of human behavior on stage and off, Aristotle was interested not only in the

Greek tragedies themselves but in the reactions of their audiences. (Wiki 2010 E.C).

Therefore, by visualizing the action as the screenplay is being written, the filmmaker can

make measured decisions about what is appropriate for the story and rout out the

inconsistencies and distractions that threaten the narrative.

In a screenplay, the prose in between dialogue describes what will be shown on the

screen. Here, the writer determines the setting—where the scene will take place, the

time, and the geographical location. The screenwriter invents the action using a

sensibility that screenwriter and educator Stephen Geller calls the “dream-screen.” Write

what you see. Write for the frame. Create for the way in which the camera composes, for

space, shape and form, texture and light. The training of a screenwriter goes beyond

story and character. Visual storytellers write with an understanding of how lenses, shot

size, and camera movement impact on a narrative. They create visual symbols and
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metaphors that are part of the cinematic language. Visual images associate and

correlate ideas, concepts, and meaning to the story. The writer creates the plan for what

is known as mise-en-scène, which includes the environment of a scene, the décor—the

production design.

Writers deal with human reactions to ever-changing circumstances and environment.

Changes in the environment instigate change in the characters. The characters are the

sum total of their physical being and the influence their environment has on them. Once

the screenwriter has imagined the environment, it is created and realized by the

production designer and the art department.

Writing the Screenplay should be inconsideration of the many things. A script is a

blueprint for a film photographed during the production process and structured during

the post-production process. A screenplay is a story written to be /VISUALIZATION OF

A SCREENPLAY / told through the cinematic tools of cinematography, editing, sound,

and production design.

The idea for your film should have the potential for cinematic storytelling, while your

approach can be a traditional, nontraditional, or experimental narrative. The prime

concerns of the filmmaker are the presentation of the story and characters in visual and

aural terms. A well-crafted screenplay should be revised through many drafts before it is

ready to be interpreted cinematically. Don’t proceed until you get the script right. If the

story is insignificant, unimaginative, incoherent, or poorly constructed, the production

design can do little more than decorate, rather than visually interpret the narrative to

make a significant contribution to the cinematic storytelling.

The design process actually begins before a single word is put on paper. All films start

with an idea, a concept, and a story. The sole purpose of the screenplay is as a text, a

blueprint to be used to make a film. You must write visually so the camera and the

design can interpret the script. To find out how past screenwriters have created their
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mise-en-scènes, read the screenplays of films you are familiar with and have a passion

for. Study how the filmmaker visually presents the story. The world around the

characters is as important as the story itself. Characters and narrative need an armature

to give the story veracity, a sense of time and place, an atmosphere, and psychological

insight.

Activity
1. Define screen writing.
2. What is the difference between screen and stage plays?
3. What are the listed things you shall consider before writing a script? Write your
answers bellow.
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Storytelling in General
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What is story telling seems a very simple thought for those who didn’t understand the

etymological sources of art. According to many scholars story telling have served as a

means of inspiration for every arts. Anyone who has ever been confronted by a small

child’s searching gaze or seen an infant gulp down its surroundings with its eyes (Where

am I? Who are you? What’s going on here?) Will recognize that from early in their lives,

human beings have an intense need to understand the world around them, to make

sense of things. Inventing and embellishing stories are ways to satisfy that need; the first

stories human beings told themselves and one another were about how everything in

the world came into being, how things came to be the way they are.(Aristotle the

poetics). They claimed that human beings by nature have an eager to tell a story. Even In

the most early phases of survival (age of hunting and gathering) the hunters tell the

situations they faced when they return to their home. The adulthoods or the fathers tell

the story of animals or other tells to their children’s. You can demonstrate many

examples for the above notion. What we want to tell you is telling a story is the mother

of art. Nowadays there are different means’ to tell stories. Some prefer narrating a story

in stage (which is theatre), some prefer narrating a story in audial means (which is radio)

and some may prefer narrating a story in camera and this is film. So our beloved

students for now you are studding about how to narrate a story in camera or screen.

Keep studding.

Write What You Want to See on the Screen

What’s hot, what’s not, and what’s in your heart? Can you get a degree in

demographics? You canstudy cycles and sunspots, or read psychology. All these things

might help indetermining what the public will respond to in ascreenplay. The best

answer to that question,though, is always this: a great story. That will depend on how

well you learn the craft of screenwriting, to supplement any natural writing talent that
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you may have. In determining what to write, you’re best off simply writing something

that you would really like to see on the screen. If you want producers, directors, and

stars to commit life years to something you’ve written, you need to be very passionate

about it. When beginner writers ask seniors about what they should write next, they

always advise them to complete that thing they would write if they had only six months

to live and wanted to leave as their legacy. They usually have only one of those. If you’re

lacking in a plot or simply can’t decide on the right one, no matter what you do, you

might follow the examples from the much honored Ethiopian movies.

As soon as you make a script deal, you’ll probably hear the term “development hell.” The

person controlling your script has to “get it in shape” to attract the financing to get the

film made.

2.1.3 Who is a screenwriter?

A screen writer is a person who is responsible for writing a film script. Unlike a novel, a

screenplay is not a finished work of literature, but the blue-print onto which other

creative people can graft their creativity. The screenwriter has one of the most creative

jobs in the whole process of filmmaking – though they do not decide the final look of

the movie.Just as a good architectural blueprint (or drawing) contains the information a

builderneeds to build a house; the screenplay must contain the information that

theProducer, director, actors, production manager, director of photography,

productionDesigner, sound recordist, costume designer, make-up person and the team
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oftypically 40+ people will need to organize a production and shoot even a low-budget

feature film or TV programme.

2.2Elements of screen writing

Brain storming. Students what do mean by element? What should be the

founding element of a script? And reason out why and

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Now let’s discuss the elements of script. The followings are the elements of script. Many

people may think that the elements of film and script are similar, but for real they are

not. By elements of film we mean the internal and external aspects of film. This is too

much. Here in this title we willuncoverthe elements of the literary script only, the soul

and pillar of the script.

2.2.1 Setting
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Fig. 2.1 wiki 2010 E.C

The directdictionary meaning for setting is

the position, direction, or way in which something, such as an automatic control, is set,

orthe context and environment in which a situation is set; the background or

the time, place, and circumstances in which a narrative, drama, or film takes place.Settin

g have also a meaning

whichis compositionwritten or arranged to fit a text, such as a poetical work.We can also

briefly describe setting as follows. Setting is:

 the surroundings in which something is set; scene

 (Film) the scenery, properties, or background, used to create the location f

or a stage play, film, etc

 (Music, other) music a composition consisting of a certain text and music 

provided or arranged for it

How to Describe the Setting in a Story

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Setting is one of the three main parts of a story, along with characters and plot. Setting

is the location and time of your story. The setting enhances and supports your plot and

characters, helping to reveal and further important points and themes.

Dear students, here are the 6 ‘W’ questions you need to ask yourself before starting to

write your setting of your film. On a sheet of paper, jot down the answer to each of

these questions to help develop a convincing and effective setting.

Where did the story take place?

When did the story happen?

What's the weather or climate like?

What are the social or community conditions?

What is the landscape like?

What special details make it clear to understand?

 Students did you write the answers for the above questions? Good job. Now let’s

begin the discussion.

Decide on a broad or narrow description. 

How do you describe your setting? Do you use a wide angle camera lens or do you

zoom in? Decide what your story needs. Do you need to describe the entire town? Or do

you just need to describe the house? Determine which description gives your story the

life it needs.

 Try to describe the character in a wider setting and gradually narrow to a specific

location. Go from a description of the country/state/region, then move to the town, then

neighborhood of the town.

 You may also want to go from physical setting to the population by describing the type

of people who live in the town. This is a common way to transition from inanimate

objects to living beings that think, feel, and care. This starts to give the story meaning.
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Use the five senses. 

Use the five senses: touch, sight, smell, sound, and taste. Many writers only use sight,

but this is a mistake because it makes the writing two-dimensional. Of course you have

to describe the way something looks, but you also need to include descriptions from the

other senses as well.

Think about what the room smells like. What does the sand feel like under the

characters feet? Is the edge of mountain cutting into the character's hands? Describe the

way the character's favorite meal tastes.

Don't let the setting description get in the way of the story. 

The setting should enhance the story, not block it. This can happen if you stop in the

middle of the scene to provide a lengthy description of the world around the characters.

Instead of providing separate setting description in the middle of a scene, describe the

setting through the characters' actions. The setting should be integrated along with

what the characters are doing. For example, if the character is running from a vampire in

the woods, don't stop and describe how scary the woods are. Have the character notice

how dark it is and the lack of sound. Have the character trip over an exposed root and

get a cut on her cheek from a branch. Focus on how the character can't see anything,

but can hear the footsteps behind her. This incorporates the setting with the action so it

doesn't block the story.

Show, don't tell. 

Show the setting instead of telling. Don't say, "The desert was hot." Instead, show that

the desert was hot by describing the sun burning the character's skin, the heat rising

from the sand in waves, and the thick air that is hard to breathe. To do this, use vivid

language. Choose nouns and descriptive adjectives to describe the setting. Use concrete
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action verbs. E.g. telling: The girls were excited. Showing: Giggles and screams filled the

arena. The soft curls were now damp with perspiration and the anticipation of the event.

They held tight to each other in a mock effort to contain themselves. Arms flailed

upward, and voices echoed in varying tones. The moment was here.

Focus only on the important setting details. 

There is such a thing as too much setting description. Refrain from describing things

that have no importance to the story and its themes. Instead, make a conscious choice

about everything you describe. Each setting description should have a reason for being

in the story.

GenerallySetting includes many things, but the most important to start with is the

location. You have to choose somewhere the story happens. The choice of location is

extremely important. It sets the mood and comes with connections and stereotypes you

can use to support your story, or that you can have your characters fight against. Start

by choosing a country, state, region, city, or town. You can be more specific, such as

describing a neighborhood or a street. Decide if your location is an urban city, a farm,

islands, or mountains. Give the physical details of the house, yard, or room. Use these

physical details to describe the character(s). You can also use the physical details to

further theme, values, and attitudes.

 When you do this, setting helps give meaning to your story.

 For example: The walls were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches. Empty benches

rose on either side of him, but ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy

figures. They had been talking in low voices, but as the heavy door swung closed behind

Harry an ominous silence fell.

Time setting is an important part of your story. This can influence your plot and the

behavior of your characters. The following are important time settings to consider:
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 Time of day. Does your story happen in the morning, the middle of the day, or at night?

Each time of day has a specific association with it. Also keep in mind the different ways

that characters may act at various times in the day.

 Time of year. Is your story set in the summer, the winter, or the spring? Is it centered on

a holiday, like Christmas or Timiket? Time of year can also include the anniversary of a

significant historical or personal event.

 Elapsed time. Think about the transition of time in your story. This includes hours and

even months. You have to describe the passing of time through the setting. This can be

time progressing as the story unfolds, or situating the reader within a flashback.

You shall also describe the weather.Weather can help set the mood for your characters.

It can also influence the plot. Describe the temperature, whether it's raining or windy,

and even the brightness of the sun. If your story is set in a harsh climate, you need to

describe this for your reader. Describe the difficulties of living in the desert or arctic

temperatures. Or explain the ease with which someone lives in their beach house.

You need to also explore the geography. The geography of a story is important. If there

are certain trees, flowers, in the market place (like Merkato) or food that grow in the

area, describe them. Think about why it's important to the character and plot to live in

this geography. Think about geographical formations, like mountains, rivers, lakes, or

forests. The character should interact with these things and they should be important to

the story. Otherwise, ask yourself why you are setting the story there in the first place.

You may include historical, social, and cultural settings. If you are writing a historical

story, you must describe the setting within the paradigm of the historical era. This

includes the way the world looked at that moment, but also the way technology was

and the way people acted. Think about social and political settings. This is important for

a modern or historical story. These things influence the values and actions of the

characters. Cultural settings can include religion, traditions, and community interaction.
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Population of your location can play into this. Is the place densely populated, or is it

remote?

Using Character to Describe Setting

Describe setting through action. Use your character to describe the setting. As the

character moves through a scene, have her notice the setting around her. What does

she immediately notice? What does she notice later? Have your character physically

interact with the environment instead of just stating something is in the room. Have the

character react to the setting. This can provide important character and plot

development.

Use the character's experience to describe setting. Different people will see things

differently. Decide how your particular character will describe something. This influences

the way you describe the setting.

A native Gonderian (gonderie) would describe the castle of Fassiledes very differently

than someone from Adiss Ababa. Decide whose point of view you want to describe the

scene from and why it's important to get that character's perspective.

Build the setting through a character's mood. The mood and personality of your

character affects the way you describe the scene. Think about how the character would

view the setting and how they would feel about it. Think about how a university

freshman and senior would view a school cafe. The freshman might be excited because

it's her first café din, while a senior may groan and complain about being there. Plot

events can also affect the mood of the character. A forest stroll in the afternoon may be

a relaxing event for one character, while another character may be lost in the woods and

be scared.
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Setting in a broad concept = why you need to care about it?

Dear students, from the above discussion you are supposed to have much

understanding on the general concept ofsetting. Here under this sub title we will have

another journey to the root concepts of setting. Bon journey.

Choosing your settings is just as important as choosing your characters. In fact,

settings are characters. What can a setting contribute to the narrative? Well, pretty much

everything that a character can, including conveying a tone, emotion, or idea.

As an independent filmmakers, we may not have the money or clout needed to gain

access to many locations in which we wish to set our films. Dressing a set can get pretty

spendy, as well. As a result, our decision-making process defaults to choosing

whatever's available to us rather than what would serve our story better. 

But as the video demonstrates, so much potential exists in a location or the way a set is

dressed. Settings can act as an extension of your character, helping to communicate

their emotional state or inner thoughts. Or it could even be a character all on its own,

setting a tone and atmosphere for the entire film, like Pride Rock in The Lion King, or the

snow-laden terrain in Fargo.

Settings, like everything else that shows up on screen, can communicate to your

audience. Make sure that you don't let its storytelling potential go to waste. That is why

we say again setting is like another character. So try to make it as three-dimensional and

interesting as all your other characters. Where the hell are we? It sounds like an easy
question, but sometimes it’s really not.

A sense of place is one of the most important things a screenplay can possess. Scripts

that have it feel real and grounded – every scene forms itself complete in the reader’s
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mind. On the other hand, scripts that don’t have it feel like nothing more than talking

heads and words on a page. Like talent, you knows it when you sees it.

So how do you create a sense of place? By globing down enormous chunks of

descriptive text all over your lovely screenplay. By describing the protagonist’s face,

eyes, clothes, shoes, hat, cat, bedroom, workplace, wallpaper, make of computer, make

of phone, make of car, makeup, the lighting in the room, the wind blowing in the trees,

the wind tousling the protagonist’s hair, the color and cut of said hair, etc., etc., ad

nauseam.

If you find yourself writing like this, put the paper and go write a boring short story.

Then start writing like a screenwriter: with the bare minimum of descriptive prose. (Dear

students you have ten minutes to do this exercise)

You see, descriptive prose is incredibly hard to write interestingly – just ask any

struggling novelist. (Remember the tale: “Never open a book with weather, because

nobody buys a book to read about the freaking weather.” So it is hard for you because

you’re stuck with the firmly ingrained “rules” of screenplay style: third-person active

voice, minimal adjectives, don’t describe anything we can’t see on the screen, and so on.

(Even they are a very essential points of script writing)

So you need to create a sense of place, but straight-up descriptive prose sucks and is

boring. That means your job is to do the impossible: evoke place without actually

describing the place. Sounds like some kind like you don’t heard before.

Here’s how you do it (hint: it’s also the solution to nearly every other screenwriting

problem) – use character. Write your characters so that they feel like residents of a

place, not actors who wandered onto a set. Have them using, moving, interacting, and

reacting within the space of your setting. You know how talking heads are boring? The

solution is to have one, two, or all of the characters in a scene doing something

else while the scene takes place.

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Try to imagine famous Ethiopian movies in mind and write your favorite location from

that movie. Imagine yourself as an author of that film and write that setting. You may

get that from the talks and the incidental dialog of the main characters, you got the

sense that there were other people, other lives, happening in that world – all because

the writer knew his setting inside-out and was able to evoke a sense of place.

So how do you get to know your setting like that? There’s many different ways if you

think critically. For example the best thing is what you do above; and that’s to sit down

and do the hard work of really, truly thinking it through. If you’re working on your first

or second screenplay, and if you’ve taken this advice, you’ll have picked an idea with a

fairly simple, contemporary setting. But just because it’s set on present-day planet Earth

or our country Ethiopia, doesn’t mean you can slack off in your setting-evoking duties.

In fact, the smaller your setting is, the more detailed and evocative you have to be. If

most of your film takes place in one room (e.g. in the salon), you better damn well know

what objects are in that salon and where they are in relation to each other. Whether it’s

a kitchen or a bedroom or on the historical places (like Lalibela or Aksum), you need to

know everything there is to know about that space.

This rule scales up. Take the typical small-town horror movie setting. It’s likely that most

of the action is going to take place in this one small location. So what do you

actually know about this town? What’s the population? Do they have anemergency

department? A fire department? Do children go to school right here, or two towns over?

What’s the primary industry of this town? Why do people live here and not somewhere

else? So your first two acts will be hugely affected by your choice of finale: yet another

reason to know how it’s going to end before you begin writing.

But let’s say you didn’t pick a relatively normal, contemporary setting. Let’s say you’ve

chosen to set your script inside the digital brain of a rogue artificial intelligence, or
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10,000 years ago on the lost place from Antarctica or the warmest place of Ethiopia, Afar

region Dallol. Congratulations students. But we have good and bad news.

Here’s the bad news: you’ve just alienated a large portion of script readers, agents,

managers, and execs. Not everybody likes “genre” – that is, weird and wacky – settings.

It’s nothing personal, it’s just that self-contained thrillers and low-budget comedies are

a lot more enticing because … well, because they’re low-budget. In the current

economic climate, Ethiopian cinematic experiences is not big on risk. And then there’s

the sad fact that many film makers are just turned off by spears of lacking money.

But here’s the good news: you’ve got originality on your side, and everybody is drawn to

original ideas like teenage girls are drawn to moody, nonthreatening vampires. A

brilliantly original setting will get you noticed. It could sell for a bundle and make your

reputation around the town and the country. Even if it gets made or not it could make

your reputation as a writer of big worlds and big ideas

It stands to reason that in order to play in a big, brilliant setting like that, you need to

understand that setting. But that doesn’t necessarily mean wasting months of your life

on useless world-building, like the famous Ethiopian tale, person that was forced to pull

a stone by God to the pick of the hall, and he did it knowing it will fall dawn again. All

you really need to know are the parts of the world that your characters will come into

contact with. That’s it.

Very quickly, the script shades in the background of this new world so that we get a

sense of where we are, what the people are like, the local customs, and so on, and we

go from there. The script gets on about its business and the crazy background setting

stays in, well, the background.

Or think about Avatar – we don’t see Earth, or space stations, or other colonies, or even

parts of the planet Pandora outside of the Na’vi’s jungle home. And we don’t need to.

Many other things in the script – from incidental dialog to backstory to the technology
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used by the characters – indicates that those other elements of the setting exist. They’re

just not pertinent to the story being told. So the story feels huge and detailed without

losing its focus and going off on an unnecessary tangent.

Here’s another tip for creating good “genre” settings: don’t play double jeopardy. What

does that mean? It means your setting is allowed to have one huge difference from our

reality and audiences will accept it.

See how you reflexively rolled your eyes at the last one? That’s because it’s an example

of double jeopardy – two outlandish setting elements combined. For whatever reason,

it’s easier for audiences to accept ghosts or telepathy than to embrace the idea of a

world in which the protagonist always knows what Princess Di’s ghost is thinking.

 Film language: Mise-en-scene

Beloved students Mise-en-scene is another notion that you need to discuss under
the setting. So be careful and don’t confused.

What words do you think of when you see these settings? If you were a setting, what

would you be? Students this seems funny questions? Aren’t they?

Mise-en-scène: Mise-en-scène is a French term meaning ‘put in the scene’ and is

concerned with all aspects in front of the camera, including: Setting, décor and props,

Costume (including hair and make-up), staging (including movement & performance

and space), lighting and colour Information regarding genre, character, mood, time,

atmosphere and narrative point can all be relayed through elements of mise-en-scene. It

also mean that the ability to analyze setting and explain its effect or to be able to

evaluate setting and justify its effect. mise-en-scene in another way is to be able to

understand how setting and décor is used to reinforce character and theme and be able

to identify setting and describe its effect. Proficient understanding of the way that mise-
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en-scène is used to construct representation. And an excellent understanding of the way

that mise-en-scène is used to construct representation.

2.2.2 What is good and bad description of setting on Screen writing?

So from the above discussion we have seen about the multi-dimensional faces of setting

and how to write a good setting. Therefore good setting should be

 very clear and descriptive,

 precise and beautiful,

 not vague,

 Narrative and didn’t oppose the main story,

 Significant or purposeful,

 Beautiful and selective,

 Imaginative and to the point

 Focused on every details of the area

 Should contain all the necessary social situation time and area of the intended.

 Dramatic (intensified, reexamined…)

 Should be very plausible.

 Etc

Furthermore we will discuss setting in best examples in chapter three. But before that

we want you to write the bad description of setting. What are the bad description of

setting on screen writing? And explain

why?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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(Hint; See the good description of setting on screen writing.)

Activity

1. List and discuss the basic characteristics of good and bad setting?

2. Forward your idea about the merits of setting?

3. What is Mise in scene and how it differs from setting?

4. Discuss the deep insights of setting for the script?

 2.2.2 Plot

Students
Under the following title we will discuss up on Avery essential part of a film script.

According to many successful script writers and scholars plot (story) is the most

precious part of a script. So take passionate look and discuss with your intimate friends

to develop your understanding. But before the discussion we want you to write your

previous understanding about plot.

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Aristotle argues that, among the six formative elements, the plot is the most important

element. He writes in The Poetics. The plot is the underlying principle of tragedy’. By

plot Aristotle means the arrangement of incidents. Incidents mean action, and tragedy is

an imitation of actions, both internal and external. That is to say that it also imitates the

mental processes of the dramatic personae. Though his overstatement on plot, he

accepts that without action there cannot be a tragedy. The plot contains a beginning, a

middle and an end, where the beginning is what is “not posterior to another thing,”

while the middle needs to have something happened before, and something to happen

after it, but after the end “there is nothing else.”

The characters serve to advance the action of the story, not vice versa. The ends we

pursue in life, our happiness and our misery, all take the form of action. Tragedy is

written not merely to imitate man but to imitate man in action. That is, according to

Aristotle, happiness consists in a certain kind of activity rather than in a certain quality of

character. As David Daiches says: ‘the way in which the action works itself out, the whole

casual chain which leads to the final outcome.’ Diction and Thought are also less

significant than plot: a series of well-written speeches has nothing like the force of a

well-structured tragedy. Dear readers we clearly knows that the theory of Aristotle (the

poetics) is certainly relay on theatre not cinema. But we want to bear you that it have a

great impact in cinema too.

Aristotle proposes to discuss poetry, which he defines as a means of mimesis, or

imitation, by means of language, rhythm, and harmony. As creatures who thrive on

imitation, we are naturally drawn to poetry.

In particular, Aristotle focuses his discussion on tragedy, which uses dramatic, rather

than narrative, form, and deals with agents who are better than us ourselves. Tragedy

serves to arouse the emotions of pity and fear and to effect a catharsis (catharsis) of

these emotions.
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The first essential to creating a good tragedy is that it should maintain unity of plot. This

means that the plot must move from beginning to end according to a tightly organized

sequence of necessary or probable events. Generally when you think about film plot

there is one big term you shan’t miss. And this essential term is three act structures.
Plot Construction

2.2.2.1 The Three Act Structure

Three act structure is a famous writing technique in screen writing. The 3-act

structure is a principle widely adhered to storytelling today. It can be found in plays,

poetry, novels, comic books, short stories, video games, and the movies. Hollywood and

Broadway use it well. Though quite simple, the 3-act structure has proven to be a

valuable weapon in the arsenal of any screenwriter. Yes, there are alternatives to telling

a story. But the 3-act structure is a highly accepted and greatly successful method.

In a simple way, the 3 acts are labeled as:

Act I: Setup (inciting incident, 1st turning point)

Act II: Confrontation (2nd turning point, mid-point, 3rd turning point, 4th turning point)

Act III: Resolution (climax, resolution)

This principle can also be liabled as beginning, middle, and end. The point of the acts is

to make sure that the story evolves and the stakes get higher. Three act structure can be

drawn as follows.
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Fig 2.2 plot description (Wikipedia 2010 E.C)

Or as follows.

Fig 2.3 plot description (Wikipedia 2010 E.C)

This diagram shows how the plot of a mystery novel can be laid out in three acts.

• Across horizontal axis are the pages of the novel, separated into acts.
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• The vertical axis is rising stakes, and with them, tension.

• The little arrows represent scenes strung together (of course there are more of them in

an actual novel) and grouped into three acts.

• The dashed line is the journey of the main character.

• The curly arrows are major plot twists, surprises that change the direction of the story

and reversals that leave the sleuth's investigation back to square one.

• The plot is framed by a dramatic opening at the start and resolution at the end.

An opening that hooks

There is no one-size fits-all way to decide the best way to open a mystery novel. It might

open with a dramatization of the crime that starts the story rolling. Or maybe a scene

from the past that sets a context. Or maybe it's a scene that introduces an intriguing

main character and establishes some of the elements needed for the mystery to unfold.

Whatever it is, the essential role of the opening scene is to get the reader interested

enough to keep reading. The opening scene sets up the mystery, and often poses an

unanswered question that got answered by the novel's' end.

For example, here are brief descriptions of a few dramatic openings and the questions

they

Posed, a baby is found abandoned on the steps of a church. Unanswered question: Who

left the baby on the church steps, and what happened to the baby’s mother? ( In the

Bleak Midwinter, Julia Spencer-Fleming)

Giving your protagonist a hard time
What unifies a mystery novel is that dashed line in the diagram: the protagonists’ quest.

Drama works in direct proportion to how miserable you make your protagonist.

Here are some ways to plague your protagonist:

• Discomfort
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The hungrier, thirstier, colder (or hotter), achier, and generally more pissed off he

becomes, the more heroic the quest. Give him a scraped knee, sprained ankle,

dislocated finger, bloody nose, broken arm, or gunshot wound, and show how he

pushes past pain and disability in order to continue his pursuit. Make sure the reader

knows he feels the pain, but be careful about letting him bitch and moan too much

about it—no one likes a whiny hero.

2.2.2.2 Plot STRUCTURE

The 5 Key Turning Points of All Successful Screenplays (pieces of three act
structure)
By your way why you made writing complex?
Under this title we are going to interpret the internal parts of three act structure.

Though writing a successful movie is certainly not easy, the stories for mainstream films

are all built on only three basic components: character, desire and conflict.

Film stories portray heroes who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles as they pursue

compelling objectives. If the protagonist or a character trying to gain admission to an

art school, all tings shall overwhelming conflict in their pursuit this visible goal. Plot

structure simply determines the sequence of events that lead the hero toward this

objective. And here’s the good news: whether you’re writing romantic comedies,

suspense thrillers, historical dramas or big budget science fiction, all successful

Hollywood movies follow the same basic structure.

Even if you are a novelist, speaker, marketer or attorney, understanding these turning

points, and incorporating them into your stories, will strengthen your ability to enthrall

your reader or audience.

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In a properly structured movie, the story consists of six basic stages, which are defined

by five key turning points in the plot. Not only are these turning points always the same;

they always occupy the same positions in the story. So in a feature film (up to 120

minute) what happens at the 25% point of a 120-minute film will not be identical to

what happens at the same percentage of a three-hour epic. (Even these percentages

apply both to the running time of the film and the pages of your screenplay.)

STAGE I: The Setup : The opening 10% of your screenplay must draw the reader, and

the audience, into the initial setting of the story, must reveal the everyday life your hero

has been living, and must establish identification with your hero by making her

sympathetic, threatened, likable, funny and/or powerful. These setups pull us out of our

own existence and into the captivating world the screenwriter has created. This

captivating movement is called Hook.

TURNING POINT #1: The Opportunity (10%)

Ten percent of the way into your screenplay, your hero must be presented with an

opportunity, which will create a new, visible desire, and will start the character on her

journey. Notice that the desire created by the opportunity is not the specific goal that

defines your story concept, but rather a desire to move into…

STAGE 2: The New Situation

For the next 15% of the story, your hero will react to the new situation that resulted

from the opportunity. He gets acclimated to the new surroundings, tries to figure out

what’s going on, or formulates a specific plan for accomplishing his overall goal: Very

often story structure follows geography, as the opportunity takes your hero to a new

location: like boarding the cruise ships in Titanic. In most movies, the hero enters this

new situation willingly, often with a feeling of excitement and anticipation, or at least
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believing that the new problem he faces can be easily solved. But as the conflict starts to

build, he begins to realize he’s up against far greater obstacles than he realized, until

finally he comes to…

TURNING POINT #2: The Change of Plans (25%)
Something must happen to your hero one-fourth of the way through your screenplay

that will transform the original desire into a specific, visible goal with a clearly defined

end point. This is the scene where your story concept is defined, and your hero’s outer

motivation is revealed. Outer motivation is the term for the visible finish line the

audience is rooting for your hero to achieve by the end of the film.

Please don’t confuse outer motivation with the inner journey your hero takes. Because

much of what we respond to emotionally grows out of the hero’s longings, wounds,

fears, courage and growth, we often focus on these elements as we develop our stories.

But these invisible character components can emerge effectively only if they grow out of

a simple, visible desire.

STAGE III: Progress

For the next 25% of your story, your hero’s plan seems to be working as he takes action

to achieve his goal:

This is not to say that this stage is without conflict. But whatever obstacles your hero

faces, he is able to avoid or overcome them as he approaches…

TURNING POINT #3: The Point of No Return (50%)

At the exact midpoint of your screenplay, your hero must fully commit to her goal. Up to

this point, she had the option of turning back, giving up on her plan, and returning to
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the life she was living at the beginning of the film. But now your hero must burn her

bridges behind her and put both feet in. (And never let it be said that I can’t work two

hackneyed metaphors into the same sentence). It is at precisely this moment that Rose

makes love with Jack in Titanic. They are taking a much bigger risk than at any previous

time in these films. And as a result of passing this point of no return, they must now

face…

STAGE IV: Complications and Higher Stakes

For the next 25% of your story, achieving the visible goal becomes far more difficult, and

your hero has much more to lose if he fails. This conflict continues to build until, just as

it seems that success is within your hero’s grasp, he suffers…

TURNING POINT #4: The Major Setback (75%)

Around page 90 of your screenplay, something must happen to your hero that makes it

seem to the audience that all is lost, this is the point where your hero’s deception is

revealed and the lovers break up.

These disastrous events leave your hero with only one option: he must make one, last,

all-or-nothing, do-or-die effort as he enters…

STAGE V: The Final Push

Beaten and battered, your hero must now risk everything s/he has, and give every ounce

of strength and courage s/he possesses, to achieve her/ his ultimate goal. During this
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stage of your script, the conflict is overwhelming, the pace has accelerated, and

everything works against your hero, until she reaches…

The Climax (90-99%)

Several things must occur at the climax of the film: the hero must face the biggest

obstacle of the entire story; she must determine her own fate; and the outer motivation

must be resolved once and for all. This is the big moment where our heroes go into

the Twister and the Jewish factory workers make their escape in Schindler’s List. Notice

that the climax can occur anywhere from the 90% point to the last couple minutes of the

movie. The exact placement will be determined by the amount of time you need for… 

STAGE VI: The Aftermath

No movie ends precisely with the resolution of the hero’s objective. You have to reveal

the new life your hero is living now that he’s completed his journey. There is little to

show or explain, and the writer’s goal is to leave the audience stunned or elated. So the

climax occurs near the very end of the film. But in most romantic comedies, mysteries

and dramas, the aftermath will include the final five or ten pages of the script.

Understanding these stages and turning points provides you with a powerful tool for

developing and writing your screenplay. Is your story concept defined at the one-

quarter mark? Is your hero’s goal truly visible, with a clearly implied outcome and not

just an inner desire for success, acceptance or self-worth? Have you fully introduced

your hero before presenting her with an opportunity around page 10? Does she suffer a

major setback 75% of the way into your script?

But a word of caution: don’t let all these percentages block your creativity. Structure is

an effective template for rewriting and strengthening the emotional impact of your
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story. But you don’t want to be imprisoned by it. Come up with characters you love and

a story that ignites your passion. Then apply these structural principles, to ensure that

your screenplay will powerfully touch the widest possible audience. Now let’s have a

look in example.

Witness film written by William Kelley

Witness is a 1985 American crime thriller film directed by Peter Weir and starring

Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. The screenplay by William Kelley, Pamela Wallace, and

Earl W. Wallace focuses on a detective protecting a young Amish boy who becomes a

target after he witnesses a murder in Philadelphia. The film was nominated for eight

Academy Awards and won two, for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. It was

also nominated for seven BAFTA Awards, winning one for Maurice Jarre's score, and was

also nominated for six Golden Globe Awards. William Kelley and Earl W. Wallace won

the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay and the 1986 Edgar

Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay presented by the Mystery Writers of America.

Witness – the breakdown of Screenplay structure

Here we directly analyze how this award winning film had constructed.

Witness is one of those movies that gets referenced all the time in screenwriting books
because it’s structured exactly like a textbook film.

Setup: Amish people are nice. Look at them in their hats and grasses. They call the rest

of the world “the English”. A pretty Amish widow (Kelly McGill’s) and her little boy

embark on a journey.
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Inciting incident: Danny Glover, in a fit of pique, stabs a Sean Penn lookalike in a men’s’

room. Tiny Lukas Haas looks on with ginormous Amish eyes. He is a witness, you see.

This is how the writers got the idea of naming the film.

Act One Turning Point: Harrison Ford, assigned to the case, gets a nasty shock when

Little Amish Samuel IDs the killer: turns out Danny Glover is a fellow cop. Harrison

sequesters mom & son with his sister, Broadway Grande dame Patti “Don’t Cry for Me

Argentina” LuPone, seen here with a super-special haircut.

Act One Decision: Uh oh, turns out Harrison’s cop mentor is in on the deal too.

Harrison gets shot and flees with the Hot Amish Mom and the little boy. His injury is

severe enough that he has to hide among the Amish till things calm down.

Act Two: Harrison sweats out his gunshot wound (uuuh, okay?) and learns about the

Amish. He makes wood toys, learns to milk a cow, and gets a tour of the farm and corn

silo. Through it all, he casts longing glances at the Hot Amish Mom (HAM), which raises

Amish eyebrows all over the village. Grandpa Beard and little Lukaas Haas have a nice

expository little talk about why the Amish hate “guns of the hand”. Then Han Solo helps

raise a barn in a pointless but fascinating scene. Oh, and looking closely at the other

Amish men in the scene, I noticed one who looked a little Elfish for the Amish.

Crisis: Harrison phones home only to discover that the bad cops killed his best friend.

Crap. He leaves the phone booth to discover some Pennsylvania townies being rude to

the gentle pacifist Amish, who are known for never fighting back. Not this Amish.

Overalls-clad Harrison steps in and kicks serious butt, downtown-style. When the cops

arrive, Harry’s cover is blown.

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Revelation: Harrison goes back to the farm and smooches the heck out of the Hot

Amish Mom. Finally. He loves him some HAM, apparently.

Climax: The bad cops come to town. Harrison dumps all the corn from the corn silo

to suffocorn one, then ambushes & shoots Danny Glover. Glover’s long legs, splayed

akimbo in the foreground of a wide-angle-lens upshot, make him look like a giant

spider squashed into graphic red schmear on the whitewashed barn wall. It’s probably

the best shot in the film. Then back to Harrison, who confronts his old’ mentor and,

disarmingly, disarms him.

Comedownor resolution: Harrison has to leave the Amish and go back to the city. The

little boy says a simple “Goodbye John Book”. The Hot Amish Mom defies convention,

eyes a-flashing’, and embraces the English right there in the field. Even Old Boardie

offers an ironic “You be careful out there with all the English” as Indy Jones drives away.

It really is textbook- the only real deviation is the barn-raising, which is clearly just

included because it’s so cool. And it is, it’s totally worth it to establish place, although it

doesn’t much advance plot. Anyway, textbook works. It’s a solid movie, and even though

I knew the plot before seeing it, it still held my interest. It was a pretty big deal in 1985,

too- nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, & Best Harrison Ford, and winning for

Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. (www.google.com)

So, that is why we chose this movie. Dear students watch the movie and give your

comments.

Exercise. Chose two of your favorite feature Hollywood and Ethiopian movies and
find and discuss the turning points based on the above examples.

Plot structure (narrating) as a fashion.

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Storytelling is a pervasive phenomenon. It seems that no culture or society is without its

myths, folktales, and sacred legends. As we repeatedly said our beloved country Ethiopia

is fortunately full of such things. Narrative saturates everyday life too. Our conversations,

our work, and our pastimes are steeped in stories. Go to the teacher and try to tell your

fear of exams without reciting a little tale about how they emerged. The same thing

happens when you go to court or write something in Facebook. Perhaps storytelling is

part of human maturation, since it emerges quite early in human development. Children

only two years old can grasp certain features of narrative, and there’s evidence from

“crib monologues” that the narrative ordering process is emerging even earlier. We

share stories with each other, assuring others that we have experiences congruent with

theirs. Sometimes we tell a joke, we play riddles to create a bond—though after some

experience,

Narrative appears to be a contingent universal of human experience. It cuts across

distinctions of art and science, fiction and nonfiction, literature and the other arts. So it’s

not surprising that studying narratives brings together students of not only literary

studies, drama, and film, but also anthropology, psychology, even law and sociology and

political science. Narratology is a paradigm case of interdisciplinary inquiry.

Plot as action design, plot as a fashion. Perhaps we can find more local principles

guiding other sorts of plot structure. As a first approximation, let’s distinguish between

internal and external conceptions.

Internal models treat the plot pattern of actions according to some macrostructural

principle of design. A rising pattern of action can be visualized as a curve or vector.

Gustav Freytag’s “dramatic pyramid” (dear students try to remember dramatic technique

course) conceives the plot action as leading to a central climax or principal turning

point, the apex of a triangle, followed by a decrease in tension (the anticlimax). When we

speak of frame stories and inset stories, we’re evoking brackets or bookends. Similarly,
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when we encounter stories embedded in stories that nest inside still other stories, it’s

hard to avoid thinking of rectangles enclosing other rectangles.

External structures—principles for segmenting the plot by some metric not derived from

the action patterns—have a bit more historical solidity because they’re acknowledged

by filmmakers fairly explicitly.

Plot structure as act structure Internal and external criteria blend in one of the

paramount conceptions of structure at work in mass-market cinema today—the notion

that a film narrative divides into distinct acts. Across the history of drama, act structure is

a vexed question. Some people think that Aristotle’s beginning-middle-end dictum

corresponds to a three-act layout, but that’s false. Aristotle nowhere refers to acts, for

the good reason that ancient Greek dramas didn’t them. Roman drama did, but the critic

Horace proposed that the best number was not three but five. This precept guided

playwrights and publishers for centuries in England, France, and Germany. Spanish

dramatists of the 16th and 17th centuries promoted a three-act structure, which Hegel

praised as the most theoretically correct design. But the five-act conception persisted

through the 19th century, encouraged by Gustav Freytag’s influential argument that plot

structure pivoted around a climax coming midway through the play. By the early 20 th

century, most operas and plays seem to have favored three acts. What of cinema?

There’s no doubt that the analogy between dramatic acts and film is fairly forced,

especially after screenings no longer included breaks between reels. Perhaps

screenwriters adopted the three-act model simply because it was the norm in theatre.

Although there’s some evidence that the three-act structure held sway during the classic

studio years, it was widely disseminated in screenwriting manuals after the 1970s, chiefly

thanks to Syd Field’s influential book Screenplay. (Syd Field is a university lecture and his

book is influential around the world. Please students ask your teachers to lend you his
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book. It is available). But don’t forget that there are certain groups that are out of such

conventions. The said three act structure is an old fashion.

Actions and agents. One tendency mainly called action-centered. According to this way

of thinking about the matter, a narrative consists of certain elements arranged in time.

The elements are events and states of affairs. My bar joke gives the state of affairs at the

start—two men in a bar—and the events consist of what they say and do. Those

elements, arranged in time, constitute the narrative presented in the joke.

We have also a so called three dimension. Let’s have a look. One dimension involves

what I’ll call the story world: its agents, circumstances, and surroundings. In my opening

joke, that world consists of a bar (and all of the presumed furnishings of a bar). A

second dimension is that of plot structure, the arrangement of the parts of the narrative

as we have it. Your joke is structured as a series of actions and reactions, statements and

replies. It has a neat symmetry (two lines from each of the two participants).

I propose is that of narration, the moment-by-moment flow of information about the

story world. The narration of the joke is laconic, never describing the bar or the men or

even how they’re arrayed in the bar (except that one is apparently on a stool). All three

dimensions contribute to the point of the joke.

Protagonists and their problems. Before we consider each dimension separately, let’s

provide an example of how making these distinctions can help us with problems in

cinematic poetics. We commonly believe that a narrative film is likely to have a

protagonist. But how do we determine who or what a protagonist is? I suggest that

several dimensions of judgment are involved, most ingredient to all narratives in any

medium but one specific to cinema.

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In the story world that the narrative presents, the protagonist is the agent whom the

story is about. The protagonist may be the character with the greatest power, the

protagonist may also be the character with whom we tend to sympathize most keenly,

as in the biblical story of Daniel. The protagonist may be the character with whose value

system we are assumed to agree. Or the protagonist may be the one who is most

affected or changed by events. Cinema, like theater and dance, has one other means of

reinforcing our inferences.

The role of emotion. By focusing on comprehension as an inferential elaboration, we

might seem to be ignoring the role of emotions in responding to narrative. Isn’t this a

cold, cold theory? But this objection would misunderstand how inquiry works. Consider

an analogy. People are often emotional when they speak, but it’s legitimate and useful

to have a theory of language that focuses on how language is structured for

understanding, regardless of what emotions are summoned up by certain sentences.

If you’re interested in how people respond emotionally to narratives, an account of

comprehension would presumably contribute a lot to your inquiry. Indeed, this is just

what’s happening.

If the narration is like our trip through a building, the plot structure is like the building

as we might reconstruct it in a blueprint—an abstract, quasi-geometrical layout of parts

according to principles of size, proportion, and contiguity.

Usually, there is some sort of change, and often some conflict, within the story world,

and the plot structures it according to widely understood principles. As usually stated,

though, ideas of rising action, climax, and denouement are not quite vague.

Historical poetics, however, can usefully trace how particular traditions have built up

fairly broad principles of plot structure. Again, Aristotle leaves us some pointers. He

evidently thinks that a tragic plot can be described in a hierarchical fashion, with each

level identifying different organizational strategies. In its widest compass, the plot has a
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beginning, a middle, and an end, according to what triggers and concludes the chain of

actions. More specifically, that chain would also consist of a complication and a

denouement. More specifically still, tragic action consists of episodes leading from

pathos to reversal to recognition. Even if this layered conception of structure would not

apply to comedy and epic, Aristotle’s distinctions are valuable tools for revealing

principles of construction in tragedy. That is why we talk a lot here in this module.

2.2.3 Character

Brain storming, we are certain that you have heard the term character.
The question is what do you think about it?

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The simple way to define character is it is a people of the imagination. They are the

persons (like abebe, kebede, alimaz), things (like stone, puppets) intangible matters

(goodness, evil) saints or devils etc. Generally characters are peoples of the fiction

created by the author in which they can act like real peoples (they can: dance breath,

cry, grin, eat, die etc.) but in paper alone. Characters are the owners of the story that

inspire, suspense, angered, sympathized, or irritated the audience’s.

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The key to all good stories is to populate them with fascinating and engaging

characters. But how do you decide what makes a fascinating and engaging character? As

we’ve said almost all popular stories are based around a lead character who at the start

of the story thinks that s/he wants or needs one thing, but by the end of the story

discovers that something else is more important to them, or that they must change their

attitude in order to succeed. But it’s clear that characters do not operate alone –

otherwise it wouldn’t be a drama. You therefore need to think not only about who your

lead character is (and why they are the perfect character to be in your story), but also

the other characters. To help you think about your cast of characters try grouping them

in the following way.

 LEAD CHARACTER – the person your story is about and who changes the most

during the story.

 OPPONENT OR ENEMY – this is the person or force of nature (in a disaster movie)

who will provide the main opposition to your lead character. In love stories the

main opponent is always the lover (though there may be a secondary opponent).

 FRIEND(S) – the lead character will often have one or two key friends in a movie

but s/he will come into conflict with them too, just like in real life, e.g. In Lord of

the Rings: The Return of the King Frodo comes into conflict with Sam over the
Ring.

 ADVISOR OR MENTOR – Movies often feature an advisor who is a special friend

who helps the lead character change, or become all they can be, e.g. Dr. Tesfaye

to Aniberbir from Teza Amharic movie, billy’s dance teacher in Billy Elliot or

Morpheus in The Matrix.

 SECONDARY OPPONENTS – the opponent too has helpers but you should always

be clear who the main opponent is and make sure the final conflict is between

the main opponent and the lead character, e.g. In Jaws the main opponent is a
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shark, but the shark is helped by the greedy Mayor who refuses to close the

beaches.

 TRAITOR – often the lead character has a friend who betrays them at a crucial

point in the story, e.g. Robert the Bruce betrays William Wallace in Braveheart.

 UNEXPECTED ALLY – sometimes the lead character finds an unexpected ally, e.g.

again in Braveheart, Robert the Bruce is shamed by William Wallace’s martyrdom

and avenges his death at Bannockburn.

Activity
1. Select two feature films( one Ethiopian and one Hollywood) and find and discuss the
a. The lead character
b. The main opponent
c. Friend(s),
d. Traitor
Answer the question on the space provided.
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c. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Alright now let’s see each necessary types of characters specifically.

2.2.3.1 Building the character (characterization)

Levels of characterization

Most scholars argue there are many ways of characterization. Among them the most

conventional way is characterization in four ways or levels. These are physical

characterization, social characterization, physiological characterization and moral

characterization. Physical characterization merely relay on the physical looking of the

character. It answers how is your character looking? For example if you ask your
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intimate friend about another classmate 9third person) he first and fore most may replay

you the color of his face, about his dressing, hair style, his eye, etc.

The social characterization is another way of building a character that encompasses the

social reality of the character. Since human beings are social animals nobody can escape

from communal life (other things remain constant). Therefore, here you shall build your

characters socially. It includes the Edir, marriage, Ekub, mahiber, senbetie participation

of the character.

Physiological characterization as the term refers relay on the inner feelings of the

character. For example the love, hate, angered about, fears, of the character is

considered as Physiological characterization.

Moral characterization is the feeling of the character on the acceptance or non-

acceptance or the shame of his personality.

Describing characters
Some screenwriting books provide long lists of suggestions of the things to think about

when describing your characters. These cover everything from:

 What they look like: their age, sex, appearance, mannerisms, dress sense, etc.

 What they are really like: their IQ, whether they are sociable, what they like and

dislike, how they see themselves, how others see them, their beliefs and points

of view etc.

 What their social situation is: what their family is like, who they hang out with,

what time and place they are living in, what has happened to them so far in life.

Clearly, being able to describe your characters in detail is vital at a later stage in the

Screen writing process; however, in the beginning, the most important thing to

determine is whether your characters are right for your story.

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As a screenwriter you are a bit like a fickle god who first creates characters they like only

then to devise the most difficult tests for them to make them change and grow. If you

start with a perfect character, there is nowhere for you to go, so a screenwriter must

always ask:

1 Who is my lead character?

2 What do they want? What do they need to learn about the world or themselves?

3 What is the worst possible thing that can happen to this particular character and how

will this adversity make them change? Or, if it is a tragedy, realize too late what they

should have done to change.

Dear readers, most screen writers forget that from a dramatic point of view a character’s

weaknesses are as important as his or her strengths in defining who they are, how the

conflict will unfold and how they will change. If you are describing a character, the

audience will assume some of their qualities but not others.

EXERCISE: Check carefully to ensure that your lead character is the person most
challenged by the task you set them. Put another way, check that the task you set the
character will test them to the limit. Think about what your character wants and what
s/he needs, and think of a task or predicament that will drive a wedge between these
two things.

Well, now let’s have a bright look in furthertype’s character.

Your lead character

One of the main reasons some movies succeed both artistically and commercially is

because they have compelling characters who have to carry out difficult or – even better

– nearly impossible tasks. Likewise, one of the most common reasons why movies fail to
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satisfy audiences is that the screenwriter is not clear who the lead character is. The

reason audiences need to know who the lead character is because when we watch a

movie, we enter the story world through a specific character’s eyes. We gain pleasure

from getting to know our lead character and what problems they face. We feel sorry for

them when they get into trouble and we become keenly interested in working out how

they can escape their predicament. The greater the danger is to them, be it physical or

mental, the more fearful we become on their behalf, and the more we hope for a

satisfying end to their troubles. If we do not know who the lead character is, we do not

know who we are supposed to invest with our sympathy and our compassion, so we do

not engage properly with the action on screen. The story is constructed around what the

lead character does and what their story means. As soon as you show other characters,

you make the audience want to understand more about who they are and what they are

doing. This is all very well if they are as interesting as the lead character, or they are

cooking up some plot to defeat the lead character, but if they are less interesting than

the lead character the audience doesn’t understand why they are being taken away from

the story they were enjoying most.

Even in ensemble movies (e.g. Love Actually) that have lots of characters, the

screenwriter still gives the highest priority (and the most screen time) to the most

interesting character, the second priority to the second most interesting character, and

so on. When you are dreaming up your story you therefore need to work out who your

lead character is and how much you are going to follow their story and who else you are

going to show and why. So why is it difficult to work out who your lead character is?

Sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you know exactly who the story is about and then you

have to simply work out what actions will test those most. But often stories are not

based on a specific character, or you come up with the idea and concept for a movie
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before you think up all the characters. In these situations you have to work out who is

ideally suited to tell the story.

So how do you work out who your lead character is?
Here are a few rules of thumb:

 The lead character usually has a clear idea of what they want and little

idea of what they really need, e.g. love, money etc.

 The lead character has a clear opponent who opposes their wishes and

tries to stop them getting what they want.

 The lead character is the one with the most difficult task, e.g. The Lord of
the Rings where a tiny little hobbit is given the task of destroying an evil
so great that it even has Gandalf trembling down to his boots.

 The lead character in a movie is usually the person who changes the most

from the start to the finish – e.g. Big Fish, in the beginning the son cannot

stand his dying father telling stories, but when he investigates his father’s

‘lies’ he gains unexpected insights into the meaning of life.

 Lead characters are usually the most likeable characters, but if they are

not likeable the screenwriter must take time to show why they act like

they do, e.g. Intolerable Cruelty where Miles Massey is too proud to lose.

 Something bad often happens to the lead character in the first 20 pages

that causes them to suffer more than they deserved.

 The lead character often goes on a journey or quest to another world. E.g.

the Matrix, where Neo must travel to a new world to fulfil his destiny.
Protagonist character:

From the above discussion we assume you have a great concept about character. And

now let’s entertain other concepts. Here are another classification of character according
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to their behavior. The central character, or the one whose name comes to

mind when you ask the question, "Whose story is this?" A story ought to have just one

protagonist but a novel can have several, as in Love onto Grave (Fikir eske mekabr)

Bezabih and Seblewengel are protagonists.

Antagonist character: These may also be highly unforgettable but it could be by his

negative works. The better way to express this is the opponent of the protagonist or

central character. The action of a story arises from conflict between the antagonist and

protagonist, Cardboard character: A stereotype, mannequin, and drone or otherwise

uninteresting simulacrum passing for a real character. Cardboard is what you use when

— for whatever reason — you fail to put yourself into your characters. It is the only

pejorative I've included in this list.

Confidante: someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing her

personality. Once again, that someone need not be a person.

Developing character: a character who changes over the course of the story. The

central character is often but not always a developing character. However, it's crucial

that the action of the story causes some character to change.

Flat character: Someone who is characterized by one or two traits.

Foil: someone whose character contrasts to that of the protagonist, thus throwing it into

sharp relief.

Narrator: the fictional storyteller. When the narrator is involved in the action of the

story s/he is called a first person narrator. The sentence "I watched the monkeys eat my

tomato," is narrated in first person. When the narrator stands outside the story, she is

usually taken to be the implied author. "Yalemwork watched as the monkeys ate her
University of Gondar Department of Film and Television
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tomato," is narrated in third person, presumably by the writer. Narrators can either be

reliable or unreliable.

Round character: one who is complex and perhaps even contradictory? E. M. Forster

(see Flat Characters) put it succinctly, "The test of a round character is whether it is

capable of surprising in a convincing way." If a flat character can be summed up in a

sentence or two, a round character would probably take an essay.

Spear-carriers: minor characters who provide verisimilitude. They must necessarily be

flat since they are rarely named or described in any detail. They tend to run in crowds; in

movies these are the folks who made up the "cast of thousands."

Static character: a character who does not develop. Most characters in a story should

be static, so as not to distract from the significant changes you will be depicting in the

central character. Static, however, most certainly does not mean boring.

Stock character: stereotype, but actually a special kind of flat character who is instantly

recognizable to most readers. In the hands of a clumsy writer, the stock character never

rises above the cardboard stereotype, which is unfortunate. Even as clichés encapsulate

a kernel of truth, so do stock characters reflect aspects of real people.

Sympathetic character: One whose motivations readers can understand and whose

feelings they can comfortably share. This is the kind of character of whom naive readers

will say "I could identify with her." The protagonist is often, but not always, sympathetic.

Note that a sympathetic character need not be a good person. In George Orwell's 1984,

despite the fact that he betrays Julia and his own values by embracing Big Brother,

Winston Smith remains a sympathetic character.

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Unsympathetic character: One whose motivations are suspect and whose feelings

make us uncomfortable. The boundary between sympathetic and unsympathetic

characterization is necessarily ill-defined. However once he brings destruction down on

himself, we feel sorry for him. The central irony of this story is that the punishment

Prince receives is to become a sympathetic character.

Viewpoint character: the focus of narration, the person or persons through whom we

experience the story. One kind of viewpoint character is the first person narrator. When

author herself acts as narrator, she usually chooses to tell the story in the third person,

limiting herself to the perspective of one character. While s/he is in his point of view,

s/he has access to his thoughts and memories but not to those of any one else, as in

“Teza” by proff Haile Gerima, aniberbir narrates his story.

Secondary characters and Subplots

A common weakness in new screenwriters' work is to try to solve plot problems (the

“What happens next?” issues) by introducing new characters, rather than finding ways to

make the core cast of characters drive the story forward. When this is pointed out by a

producer or a script editor, it’s a big temptation for the screenwriter to defend the work

and say, it’s okay it’s an ensemble piece. Unfortunately it rarely is a true ensemble piece

and more often than not it is an unfocused screenplay with too many characters and

sub plots (this problem is very familiar in many Ethiopian movies).

A feature length screenplay usually has between five and seven core characters who

interact with each other – and no more. There may be a few secondary characters, but

they should only be given the minimum number of lines. In a few cases like The Lord of

the Rings there are more than seven lead characters, but here they are grouped
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together to support a lead character in each group. The lead character’s (or group’s)

interactions with the main opponent (or opposing force) is called the Main Plot, while

the lead character’s interactions with other characters are called Subplots (e.g. the

romantic subplot typical of most blockbusters). In some genres, like romantic comedies

or adventure movies, the secondary characters may also have secondary subplots with

each other.

There are seldom secondary subplots in thrillers, where the screenwriters need to focus

as much attention as possible on the lead character to create the necessary mystery,

tension and suspense. So be careful how many characters you create, because each new

character means a new subplot. To determine the nature and purpose of each subplot

ask yourself the following questions about each interaction:

 What type of subplot is it (e.g. romantic, comedy, and thriller)?

 Who is the lead character in the subplot? NB. Often this will be the lead character

from the main plot but not always.

 What problems does s/he already face in his or her life?

 What does s/he want?

 What will s/he be forced to do to get what s/he wants?

 What is their moral weakness or character flaw?

 What does s/he fear most?

 Who is the opponent or opposing force in this subplot?

 How does the opponent or opposing force attack his or her weakness?

 How does the lead character confront his or her greatest fear?

 What will s/he learn during the story?

 How does what s/he learns resolve the conflict between what s/he wants,

 Whatshe/he needs to learn and what s/he has had to do to get it?

 How does the subplot end?

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You must then order your main plot, sub-plots and secondary plots in order of

importance to make sure you don’t give them an inappropriate weight in the final

screenplay.

If you get the weighting wrong between the main plot and the subplots – or even

confuse which is the main plot and which is the subplot – you may diffuse your

narrative’s emotional power and this can make the screenplay less satisfying to read.

 TIP: When you are writing a screenplay always consider what you will allow the

audience to see and from whose perspective. When the camera flits around

showing scenes with lots of secondary characters (with no lead character

present), the focus of the narrative quickly becomes confused and the audience

becomes emotionally detached from the movie. This detachment may be

intentional, in order to give the audience an omniscient and ironic distance to

their characters, you need to be more conscious. So make sure you know who

you are pointing your imaginary camera at and why! The decisions you make

here in creating a POV (point of view) system will have an enormous influence on

the look of a finished film. As a rule of thumb, the more your restrict yourself to

showing scenes with your lead character, the more sympathy you create for your

lead character and the more mystery and dramatic tension you can build around

their predicament. When you decide to show a scene with an opponent plotting

against the lead character, or a helper finding out some crucial information, you

create suspense or comic anticipation for the lead character (as long as the

audience already knows who this is).

EXERCISE: Map out all the subplots in your movie idea as described above and

place them in order of importance. Having this to hand will help you

enormously as you start to plot your story outline and try to work out what
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needs to happen within each scene and sequence. Also work out which

characters and subplots you will actively follow through the narrative (your POV

system) and which will be dealt at the same time as the main plot?

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2.2.4 Dialogue

Dialogue is one of the essential film element. It is an instrument that helps you to

narrate your story. The word choices made by the author and the enunciation of the

actors of the language. The dialogue delivered by the characters moves the plot and

action along, provides exposition, and defines the distinct characters.  Each author can

create their own specific style in relationship to language choices they use in

establishing character and dialogue.  Generally dialogue refers to the words written by

the scriptwriter and spoken by the characters in the play. This essential element of film

shall have at least the following characteristics.

 Should not be in verse (other things remain constant)

 Should not be vague or ambiguous

 Should be very short and precise

 Should be to the point.

 Should have aesthetic beauty

 Should be aptful or appropriate to the characters

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 Should have some sort of elongated elevation

2.2.4.1 Show, don't tell from dialogue to film principle

“I am experimenting upon an instrument which does for the eye what the
phonograph does for the ear, which is the recording and reproduction of things in
motion…”

Thomas A. Edison, 1888

Brain storming. Dear readers, now we think you are familiar with the film medium

which is a medium of sight or picture medium. What do you mean by picture medium?

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To be honest, we the producers of this module have a great debate on the

appropriateness of the above title. At the end we agreed to let the readers a little

information about why you gave this title. Here it is. In the cinematic world show don’t

tell is a very familiar term. It gets this much enormous acceptance because of the nature

of the medium. If you can even figure it out within yourself you can found yourself

looking movies which may have a foreign language you even didn’t think of. But you

can understand the movie without the assistance of translators so as because the

medium uses sight not auditory system. This show, don’t tell have such root network

with the industry. And latter it becomes the principle of cinema. This principle have a

great link with dialogue. Therefore, we think the title expresses this relationship and

neighborhood. Don’t you think so?

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Show, don't tell is a technique often employed in various kinds of texts to enable the

reader to experience the story through action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings

rather than through the author's exposition, summarization, and description. The goal is

not to drown the reader in heavy-handed adjectives, but rather to allow readers to

interpret significant details in the text. The technique applies equally to nonfiction and

all forms of fiction, literature especially cinema and poetry in particular, speech, and

playwriting.

The concept is often attributed to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, reputed to have

said "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. For

instance, you’ll have a moonlit night if you write that on the mill dam a piece of glass

from a broken bottle glittered like a bright little star, and that the black shadow of a dog

or a wolf rolled past like a ball.

The distinction between telling and showing was popularized in Percy Lubbock's

book The Craft of Fiction (1921), and has been an important element in Anglo-

Saxon narratological theory ever since.

There’s a number of times that we referred to the phrase “show don’t tell” here on Film

Scriptwriting. You’ve probably heard it before too. It sounds simple on paper but it can

difficult for a beginner scriptwriter to master. However once you know the basics and

give it some practice it soon becomes natural. Your writing will improve immensely just

by getting to grips with the “show don’t tell” principle.

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Let’s cover the difference between telling and showing. Telling is using base description

such as “Abebe walks into the room. He is a fat man.” Showingis using suggestive

description which allows the reader of your screenplay to form their own mental image.

For example: “Abebe walks into the office. His belly jiggles with every strained step.”

Both examples get the fact across the Abebe is a fat man, but the showing example

gives the character a lot more flavor. It allows the reader to come up with a much more

vivid picture of the character and how he moves. This makes the screenplay interact for

the reader, getting them to use their imagination. This is a form of hypnotic writing.

Dialogue plays an important part in the “show don’t tell” principle. Rather than write an

introductory piece for a character you can illustrate a lot of that information in the way

they talk. There are of course exceptions to this rule. Sometimes telling is better than

showing. If there’s a fact that’s trivial to your story then it’s perfectly acceptable to tell it

without dwelling. If the scene is set outside and you feel it will heighten the mood to

have it be raining then that’s something you should tell. If you try to show everything

your script will look “padded” with unnecessary description.

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It is also easier just to tell in the first draft of your script. This allows you to get the story

down, without constantly having to stop and think how to show a fact. You should aim

just to let your first draft flow as much as possible. You can go always back and re-write

your first draft to add the description need to make it show rather than tell.

Telling is also the best way to go when you write the outline or synopsis of your story.

Since these are meant to be brief guides to your screenplay they don’t require a lot of

description, just the bare bones version of events.

As you master this principle you’ll notice that showing uses a lot more words than

telling. If you write a first draft that’s 120 pages then you can add anywhere between 5

and 20 pages in the re-write. This is good because it forces you to cut the fat from

scenes and get rid of any dialogue or even full scenes you now deem unnecessary to

telling the story. The pace of your screenplay with often greatly improve as a result of

this. Don’t tell me you’re a scriptwriter, show me.

Screenwriters hear worried about this film principle so frequently, from every possible

source, that its importance can eventually be dulled. It becomes ubiquitous to the point

of no longer carrying any impact when you hear it. So let’s take a moment to reflect on

this advice, and what it really means. First and foremost, it’s a reminder that, even

though you’re writing your story out, film is a visual medium. Use that to your

advantage, and make your scenes as visual as possible. Think about what would be

interesting to you as a member of an audience – here’s a quick example. Would you

rather watch a character walk into a room and proclaim “Man, do I have a headache”, or

have that same character walk into a room, wince as the door closes a little too loudly,

and grab the bridge of their nose between thumb and forefinger, massaging it gently

with their eyes closed. It’s that simple.

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Do’s and Don’ts in writing dialogue

 Don’ use jargon words

 Think what will happen if you didn’t include that specific dialogue

 Think if there is another word which can replaced the overused word

 Don’t use many riddles, mystery words etc.

 Don’t use long monologues, long soliloquies

 N.B. The do’s are the opposite of the don’ts.

Activities

1. Write a five page script without or with few dialogue.

After writing it try to check how much perfectly narrate your story as you wish.
Discuss with your friends about it.

2. Write a five page script which is full of dialogue. Try to compare and contrast it
with the script you write for question number
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2.2.5 Theme (subject matter)

Theme is what the play means as opposed to what happens (the plot).  Sometimes the

theme is clearly stated in the title.  It may be stated through dialogue by a character

acting as the playwright’s voice. Or it may be the theme is less obvious and emerges
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only after some study or thought. The abstract issues and feelings that grow out of the

dramatic action.

How to Write High Concept Movie.

High Concept is a term that's been confused, misunderstood and misused by writers for

decades. The common belief is that it's any movie that can be pitched in one sentence.

A man who battles his wife for custody of their children is one sentence, but it’s a million

miles from being High Concept. 

Story ideas, treatments and screenplays can all have High Concept premises. But only

High Concept projects can be sold from a pitch because they are pitch driven. Non-High

Concept projects can't be sold from a pitch because they are execution driven. They

have to be read to be appreciated and their appeal isn't obvious by merely running a

logline past someone.

In defining High Concept, we talk about the premise of your story, not what happens in

Acts 1, 2 and 3. The premise or logline is the core of High Concept. My comprehensive

definition of High Concept is comprised of five requirements, each of which is

mandatory. The five requirements are in descending order of importance. Therefore,

numbers one and two are the most important as well as the most difficult to attain. But

meeting only several of the requirements is not enough.

YOUR STORY HAS TO HAVE MASS AUDIENCE APPEAL

That means it's possible to meet Requirement #1 by creating an original story that's

never been done before. But that story may be so odd or strange that the appeal exists

only in the mind of the writer who created it. No one else.

YOUR PITCH HAS TO BE STORY SPECIFIC

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That means that within your pitch, you have to have specific details which make your

story different and adds color and depth. Let's take the bank robbing plot. If you came

up with a story about three people who want to rob a bank by digging a tunnel

underneath it, the response would be, "So what?" A twist on that genre is the

movie going in Style. It's about three robbers who attempt to rob a bank. The wheelman

has had his license revoked, the lookout is visually impaired, and the brains of the

operation is 75-year-old Alemu terefe. Those specific details enhance the story and keep

it from being stale and generic.

THE POTENTIAL IS OBVIOUS

If you're pitching a comedy, then the potential for humor should be obvious within your

pitch. People should smile or laugh when you tell it. If you're pitching an action movie,

the listener should be able to imagine the action scenes in his head as your pitching.

YOUR PITCH SHOULD BE ONE TO THREE SENTENCES LONG

Most pitches should be this length although some set-ups may be more, but you

shouldn't go over five to six sentences. You are not telling what happens in Acts 1, 2 and

3 unless you're asked to do so later. You're giving the premise of your story. I've spent

days shaping my loglines to include as much information in as few words as possible.

2.2.5.2 Where do you get your script idea?

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Where do you get a script idea is a headache for both senior and fresh screenwriters.

Great ideas and how to sell them, writing forms and other oddities are all explained here

as you learn that unique language of cinema that screenwriters must master to succeed.

In a few short chapters, you’ll get an education that some writers take a Decade to

figure out (the ones that don’t give up, that is). The shortcuts and the detours are

mapped out here in full.

So readers you are highly requested to read the following paragraph’s attentively.

Before the point we the producers of this module have something to say:

As obviously known, no one in the world can’t tell you what to write instead how to

write. Art in general may have rules but not laws. In a much repeated investigation

scholars may recommend you the best and profitable way to be an artist. But they told

you from their research of the past. Today is today. Now is another time. Investigating

the previous will enable you to be a better performer. Since this is the way of knowledge

and wisdom, behaviorally it historical in nature. The past teach you and the journey of

time will make you a past too. Their knowledge will made you and you will made the

future. That is it. Therefore even you used the previous experiences that doesn’t mean

that it will be the same to the contemporary. So the producers of this module have such

consistently consistent belief.

Here are the most sources of script writing.

2.2.5.3 Sources for Movie Ideas.

➤Influences of the Great writers: Get an inspiration

➤The newspaper as story source

➤scripting true stories: From huge life experiences

➤Qualifying original ideas

➤TV shows as movie inspiration

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➤ from holly books (Bible or Quran) stories.

➤Legend and tradition as story source

➤Old movies make new movies

➤Real history as a story source

➤Etc.

1. Influences of the Great writers: Get an inspiration

There are many influential artists around the world. These peoples or successful

individuals got such glory by their works. Since influence is the son of wonder to be

influenced means to be someone you love. And that wonder may be subjective per

individuals. That makes this issue a little bit complex. The big reason for this is my

wonder artist may not be yours and yours may not be mine too. But there are many

worldwide famous individuals in different profession. Among them the following are the

nearest to our profession. Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Longinus, Saint Augustine, William

Wordsworth, Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, Dostoevsky, William Shekisphere etc. can be

mentioned. (These are listed for their contribution in defining and exercising the whole

art).

The big deal is not mentioning those hero’s. Rather what we want to focus is when you

read the works of such individuals you are benefitted at least by two things. First you get

delight by reading such art work, and second you may be inspired for another work. This

inspiration enables you to think new subject matters, which in fact can be an asset for

your new art work. Here are the manifestos.

During the Renaissance and into the nineteenth century, writers rarely specialized.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was an eighteenth-century German dramatist, novelist,

poet, and scientist whose work may have been more influential on early German film

than any other. His great dramatic poem Faust is about a German doctor who sold his
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soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge, youth, and magic powers. Faust continues

to fascinate audiences and has been filmed several times, the latest on Swedish TV in

1996. As serious dramatists go, however, Norwegian Henrik Ibsen was likely the most

influential playwright of his time. One drama researcher claimed that all modern drama

owed homage to Ibsen. Perhaps Ibsen’s work has had lasting influence because he

wrote often about characters who feel that they are missing out on life to such a degree

that they feel they are in a living death.

Many influential playwrights were also novelists. Victor Hugo, recognized as the most

important French Romantic writer of the nineteenth century, gave us The Hunchbackof

Notre Dame and Les Miserables, but how many people can name one of his plays? The
reverse is true for Scottish playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie. Certainly you’ve seen a

movie of his play Peter Pan, about the boy who refuses to grow up.

2. Reading the Newspaper Like a Screenwriter

There are many newspapers that told tragic and comic stories. Newspapers also narrate

the socio political and economic behaviors of a certain society. When we read them we

may get criminal stories, love stories, divorce stories, anniversary celebrations, daily

news etc. This will enable you to create new or adapt that written story. There are many

movies that came out in this route. This happens because a smart writer/producer saw

an interesting story in a newspaper and followed up. Read your local newspaper. Is

something unusual happening? Can you get the film rights? Dig up famous local stories.

If they were covered in the newspaper, look them up in old editions at your library or at

the paper itself. A story doesn’t have to be in Adiss zemen or Herard to make it a great

movie. Remember, there are few newspapers around you. Even if you get no

newspapers, try to read the reports of your kebelle or wereda.

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Nowadays acknowledgment lends to the technology Facebook, twitter, google+, email

and other applications have also flow a plenty of stories. Try to figure it out.

When a production company thinks that your property would make a good movie, they

make an option deal.

Get a good story and script it well; if your screenplay is good, its time will come.

3. Qualifying original ideas

If you have the financial means, or if you’re simply a good salesperson, you might be

able to secure the rights of a hot true story even when many other people want it. When

you contact a producer about a story, you might be asked to come in and pitch, as in

“sales pitch.” You meet with the producer or the producer’s development person and tell

the story.

How do you know if your movie idea is truly original? You don’t. You simply have to do

the best research you can. Unfortunately we Ethiopians have no legal system to check

this. But foreigners’ have the Internet Movie Database at www.imdb.com. You can search

by keywords there; it’s a fairly complete database, but it’s not perfect. There are also

many books covering every movie ever made. If you really want to be a successful

screenwriter, you need to watch a lot of movies. They know the medium. No matter how

much research you do or how many movies you watch, you can’t be sure that your idea

is truly original. World civilizations have been keeping records for at least 10,000 years.

Who knows how many stories there have been? You simply have to exercise what

attorneys call “due diligence.” That is, put forth the effort that an average, sincere,

energetic person would exhibit. We can guarantee you this: If you come up with a well-

written script with a truly original story in a recognized movie genre, you might be

surprised how well you’ll do with it. Nobody’s ever done a movie about [insert idea
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here].” If you’re musing over possible screenplay ideas, it might help to use, “Nobody’s

ever done a movie about …” as a starting point. So just forget the back ground and try

to look at your inner soul, your imagination. You have a country full of stories. If you

imagine well you can create new horizons. Try it, you are miracle, you have many thing

to tell. For sure you know something that the whole world didn’t. Therefore, explore it.

4. TV shows as movie inspiration

Filmmakers often do remakes of things that made a strong impression on them in their

youth. For young males in Ethiopia, next to social media’s perhaps nothing makes a

stronger impression than comic books or comic and seductive films (just a personal

hypothesis from the module makers). And many peoples also enjoy TV shows and TV

dramas. Through many movies and several TV series in Ethiopia, including the popular

TV channel series in nowadays are in danger of financial crisis, (Zemen drama on Ebs can

be best example), they can be an inspiration for you.

5. Scripting true stories: from your huge life experiences.

While all good writing is the product of rewriting, using personal experience cannot be

avoided, so some of the work of the revision is to create a balance between the

“imaginary” and the “real”.

It is impossible not to write from personal experience, because that is all we have to go

on.  When students are told to “write what they know,” we privately giggle because what

else do they have to work with? 

Even if you are writing about something about which you have no personal experience,

and do research on a topic such as crime or history, the interpretation of the data will

have to filter through your own perceptions, which are shaped by your current
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experience of life.  The concept of objectivity also makes me smile, because it is so…

subjective!

Acceptance that objectivity and imagination are both shaped by personal experience is

a key to writing better, faster because if you are willing to embrace rather than avoid,

the moment by moment details of your life. The resulting awareness can fuel the actual

project you are working on.

The events of daily life, whether real or imaginary are often similar, although we will

admit that our fictional characters go to the bathroom far less than we real characters

do. The point is that by observing the rhythms of our own lives we can be better able to

create screenplays and books that feel “real” to our audiences.

For example, if we mentally review the weeding sequence in the film, Mensut (Amharic

movie: መንሱት), it follows the events of a real wedding: the preparation, the arrival of the

guests, eating, dancing, and the giving of gifts, etc. Knowing this “real life” sequence

helps us organize the fictional one.  So next time you are struggling with a scene, stop

and imagine the events preceding and following such a scene if it were happening in

“real life.” 

Imagining or remembering what usually happens in such situations will spark your

creativity to meet the demand that something unusual and dramatic can happen.  By

knowing what usually happens gives us a frame of reference that allows us to create

other possibilities.

Activity
Step 1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

Step 2. Select a key sequence in your current script.

Step 3. Make a list of what would happen in “real life.” Using the wedding idea, an

example would be: select the date, find a place, make a guest list, ordering the food and

so on. 
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Step 4. Make a second list of the wildest things that could happen, for example, the

bride leaves the groom on a bomb is hidden in the wedding cake.

Step 5. Re-read your sequence while asking yourself if you can improve it by making it

closer to what would “really” happen – or if it is boring because it is too close, whether

you need to add some drama?

Step 6. Repeat as
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6. From holly books (Bible or Quran) stories: From book adaptation.

Another frequent question asked is:  “What advice would you give to a screenwriter who

wants to adapt a book? If you are considering adapting a book, article or short story

into a screenplay, first ask yourself these questions:

1.Does this book bring an audience with it?

2. Does it have a “brand”?

3. Is it a “one-off” or a series?

4. Do you have the legal right to adapt the work and that your agreement gives you a

realistic time frame to complete and sell the project? A lawyer is an essential part of any

adaptation process unless it’s your own work, and even then you may need help.

5. If you are trying to adapt a true story that’s not in book form, it can get tricky and you
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will need to explore acquiring the ”Life Rights.” Make sure you use an entertainment

lawyer, not a generalist – this is a very specialized skill (even we have that much

experience).

6.  Does the book have the “Right Stuff?” The basic story elements of a book suitable for

an adaptation include: 

A.    an unusual setting, historical event, or period in history.

B.     Memorable characters with unusual problems.

C.    A surprising story with a twist at the end.

7. Does it have the right structure? Fitting a book into a film structure is like taking a

35mm photo of a beautiful view – you only capture part of it.  The camera can only take

a portion of the whole scene, and it is this limitation paradoxically that turns the actual

view into something artistic.

8. Does this story lend itself to becoming a film? This doesn’t mean that the book must

be chronologically organized, but rather that there is a clear story being told.

9. Is the book the right size? Keep in mind that a big stumbling block in adapting a book

into a film is that there is not necessarily a natural fit although a story seems to be

conducive.  Books tell bigger stories and can be organized in many different ways,

whereas a film must fit into a specific linear structure and tell the whole story in a

specific amount of real time.  Figuring out what elements stay and what must go is a

major part of adapting something to film.

10. Does the story have a good “frame”?  A frame is a storytelling device such as the

opening of the film, where we see the very end of the story before flashing back to the

beginning. Finding the right “frame” to put around the “picture” of the story can make

an adaptation stronger.

Generally, we have many different books that can change into screen. And we

experience also different adaptable films. Like love unto grave (Fiker eske Mekabir),
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beyond the rainbow (ke admass bashagere), ete emite lomi shita, etc. can be mentioned.

Hollywood also made bombastic films from adaptation like lord of the rings, game of

thrones, Romeo and Juliet etc.

There are many famous films which have biblical or Quran stories. Honestly speaking

many story of saints, legends, etc. have adventurous story. The story of mosses (musie,

Christian), the story of prophet Muhammed (Islam) etc. can be filmed. God did not died

can be best example.

7. Legend and tradition as story source

Legend and tradition can be a source of film. But before we went directly to the

discussion we want to focus on certain terms and definitions. What is tradition? And

what is culture? Is still a vague question. And since this is not the concern of the module

we want to let you argue over it. The conventional understanding of culture and

tradition is enough for this discussion. Therefore instead of dealing on such vague

debate we wish to share you further concepts that is essential for you.

What is Folklore?

The term folklore is generally used to refer to the traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and

practices of a people which have been disseminated in an informal manner -- usually via

word of mouth, although in modern times the Internet has become a pivotal source for

folklore. 

What is a folktale? (Folk tale)

A folktale is a story or legend forming part of an oral tradition. Folktales possess many

or all of the characteristics listed below.

 Are generally part of the oral tradition of a group?

 Are more frequently told than read

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 Are passed down from one generation to another

 Take on the characteristics of the time and place in which they are told

 Sometimes take on the personality of the storyteller

 Speak to universal and timeless themes.

 Try to make sense of our existence, help humans cope with the world in which

they live, or explain the origin of something.

 Are often about the common person

 May contain supernatural elements

 Function to validate certain aspects of culture

What is a Tall Tale? A tale is an extravagant, fanciful or greatly exaggerated story.

Usually focuses on the achievements of the ultimate hero.

What is a Myth? Myths are traditional, typically ancient stories dealing with

supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the

worldview of a people. The purpose of myths is to account for the origins of something,

explain aspects of the natural world or delineate the psychology, customs, or ideals of

society. In many myths, the main characters are gods or demi-gods and the story may

have some religious meaning or background.

What is a Legend?  A legend is a traditional tale handed down from earlier times and

believed to have an historical basis.

What is a Fable? A fable is a short narrative making a moral point. Often employs

animals with human characteristics (powers of speech, etc.) as the main characters of the

story. 

What is a Fairy Tale?  A fairy tale is a fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures,

usually intended for children. 

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All the above listed things can be an asset for your film.

8. Recycling Old Movies

Even though, we Ethiopians have a very weak and not much movie experiences, we can

recycle the old movies so as to get new.

When a production company wants to make a movie, it acquires a property and puts it

indevelopment. That means that the company will hire the original writer(s) to rewrite

it, or hire another writer or writers to further develop the project to make it the best

script possible. When that process is taking seemingly forever, it’s called “development

hell.”

9. Real history as a story source

Precisely speaking history is the acts, adventures, way of life styles etc. of the past. There

are many adventures in history. The adventure of Emperor Tewedrose and Emperor

Menilik can be best movie stories. The adventure of our grandfathers in Adwa is waiting

for you to be told. So without explanation we want you to remember there are golden

movies in the world that have historical value. Troy, Sudan, Titanic can be best examples.

10.Etc.

This title is necessarily included in this module because many fresh screen writers think

that there are only certain sources of ideas for their movie. But they are totally wrong.

Human beings are very mysterious creatures. Our universe have many covered beauties.

Therefore we can get an idea for your film from somewhere or somewhat, that from

extra world, nobody can be sure from where you get. That is why we want you to bear
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etc. as somewhere unknown, mysterious way, may even from God or from Satan. Or

from your fantasy, dream, game or from your inner sprit as a miracle. You the creator

may not even know from where you get that idea. Only God knows by his omnisent

nature.

Exercise.

1. Mention the nine sources of film ideas and demonstrate how it

can be?

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Writing tips

“Photography is truth. Cinema is truth 24 times per second.” (Jean-Luc Godard)

(Writer/Director)
“I believe you need to write a million words of crap before you get it right.” (Simon
Moore) (Screenwriter)
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” (Richard Bach) (Writer)
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. Dumbo got airborne with the
help of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb or one of those
nasty adverbs for the same reason. Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t
need the feather; the magic was in him.” (Nuff)
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 “You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do
so. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to
write.”(Wikipedia)