UPCOMING
PROJECTS &
DEADLINES
VIDEO PRODUCTION:
NARRATIVE
NEXT
PROJECT
• Goals:
– Writing realistic dialogue based on familiar story
– Continue work in key areas: recording audio,
pacing, blocking, shot variety, emotion, editing,
directing, acting
– Group work: get used to working together outside
of school, coordination, organizing, planning
– Group determination for final project (want me to
pick?)
CALLING ALL
WRITERS
• Raise yo handz
• Prepare treatments (simple synopsis) by
March 18th and email
• We’ll vote on best ideas & you’ll have time to
write during editing of next project in class
• ROUGH FINAL PROJECT SCRIPTS due
APRIL 6th
PLEASE!!!!!
• BE ORIGINAL
• MAKE SOMETHING YOU’LL BE
PROUD OF
• WORK HARD
• WORK TOGETHER
•COMMUNICATE
MY FEARS
• Group
dynamics
• Drama
• Dictatorships
• Hurt feelings
• Hurt egos
• Slackers &
• Procrastination
• Apathy /
senioritis / “too
cool”
• “I like making
movies, but not
when it’s like a
grade, man”
IDEAS?
• What makes a
good story /
movie?
– Memorable
characters
– Originality
– interesting visuals
(not just explosions)
– interesting dialogue
– Interesting audio
– Relatable story
– Good pacing
– Good writing
– Protag / antag
– Interesting conflict
– Makes you think /
blows mind
IDEAS?
• What makes a good story / movie?
?
STORY?
SOMETHING!
WANT(S)
•Driver’s license
•Prom date
•Pirate treasure
•Respect
•Love
•A family
•Revenge
•Redemption
IDEAS…
• How do you come up with ideas?
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
What have you noticed?
Autobiographical distortion
What theories do you have?
What ideas are worth exploring?
Where do you want to set a movie?
What types of characters interest you?
What scenery period do you want to explore?
– THEN WHAT? WRITE, WRITE, WRITE,
WRITE…
HOW TO START
Ask questions
What do I / we know a lot about?
What things do I / we like?
What is interesting?
What looks good?
What do I have access to?
What makes me / us different?
What are my / our strengths?
What do I think about life?
What have I always wanted to express?
What unique ideas / philosophies do I / we have?
HOW TO START
• WITH CHARACTERS
– Runaway high school student nearing
graduation
– Little girl with horrible temper
– Perpetually nervous businessman
– Dentist with early on-set Alzheimer's
– High school athlete involved in gang
– Farmer who breeds electric eels
– Army veteran with ability to see future
HOW TO START
• WITH LOCATIONS
– Mom’s office
– Warehouse
– Pizza shop where I work
– Creek under the new bridge
– Abandoned house with broken windows
– Waterfall near grandma’s house
– Outside of museum
– Greenhouse
HOW TO START
• WITH SCENES / SITUATIONS
– An explosion in a TV studio / everyone goes
deaf
– Playing chess on the roof
– Shoveling mulch in front of a building
– being pinned against the wall by a car
– fly-fishing in a creek
HOW TO START
• WITH DIALOGUE
– “Can you imagine being alive and not knowing
it?”
– “I like you… not so much as a person, but as an
a-hole.”
– “What’s your clearance, Clarence?”
– “What’s your vector, Victor?”
– “I wonder if we could ever have been brothers…
in real life.”
OTHER
STRATEGIES
• Write long,
detailed histories & biographies of
•
•
•
•
•
•
characters
Go for a walk
Go somewhere with people / do something
different
Listen to music, close your eyes, write the first
things that come to mind
Think of stereotypes / clichés and write
something that is the exact opposite
Make scene cards (purpose, characters,
locations, etc.) & organize / swap
JUST WRITE!