Sample Movie Treatment

Agenda:

Go to http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/sample-movie-treatment-example-story-synopsis-for-a-film-script.html


Read the "movie treatment" for the film.  Write your own movie treatment from beginning to end.  You will be putting one of the scenes from your film into proper formatting.

Master Class/Writers and Books/ If all of Rochester Reads

Master Class with Sonja Livingston:

https://wab.org/rochester-reads-2016-queen-of-the-fall-by-sonja-livingston/

Writing for Film and TV/ For Colored Girls....

AGENDA:



Format:

http://scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html

Screenplay Format:  Format a Screenplay

How to Format a Screenplay                                              By Elaine Radford You've plotted your story, developed your characters, and written a scene-by-scene outline of your story. Now you're ready to write it in professional screenplay format. Keep in mind that a screenplay is visual and your characters' actions move the story forward from scene to scene. Actions show the audience what it needs to know. Your characters' dialogue supports the actions. Seeing a character do something is far more powerful than having him or her talk about it. Think of a scene as a unit of action. In each scene, define who (character or characters), what (situation), when (time of day), where (place of action), and why(purpose of the action). Scene Headings: Each time your characters move to a different setting, a new scene heading is required. Scene headings are typed on one line with some words abbreviated and all words capitalized. Authors Hillis R. Cole, Jr. and Judith H. Haag say in their book, "The Complete Guide To Standard Script Formats," that "the various elements of a scene heading must be arranged in a specific order." Specifically, the location of a scene is listed before the time of day when the scene takes place. Example: A scene set inside a hospital emergency room at night would have the following heading: INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT Interior is always abbreviated INT. and exterior is abbreviated EXT. A small dash (hyphen on your keyboard) separates the location of the scene from the time of day.  Leave a two-line space following the scene heading before writing your scene description. Scene descriptions are typed across the page from left margin to right margin. Names of characters are displayed in all capital letters the first time they are used in a description, and these names always use all capital letters in a dialogue heading. Example: CATHY sits at the end of the first row of plastic chairs. Her head is bent over, and she stares intently at the floor. The names of characters who have no dialogue are not capitalized when mentioned in scene descriptions. Example: A man moans softly as he presses a bloody gauze pad against his forehead. A woman cradles a listless infant in her arms. Sounds the audience will hear are capitalized (eg, ROAR or WHISTLE). In "The Complete Guide To Standard Script Formats," authors Cole and Haag state: "Sounds made by characters are not considered sound cues and do not require capitalization." Dialogue is centered on the page under the character's name, which is always in all capital letters when used as a dialogue heading. Example:                                                                  DOCTOR                                             I'm sorry… If you describe the way a character looks or speaks before the dialogue begins or as it begins, this is typed below the character's name in parentheses. Example:                                                                  DOCTOR                                                         (apologetically)                                             We did everything possible. Here is an example of a complete scene in the screenplay format: INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT A crowded hospital emergency waiting room. Clean but cheerless.  Sick and injured people sit in plastic chairs lined up in rows. A TV    mounted near the ceiling BLARES a sitcom. No one is watching. A man moans softly as he presses a bloody gauze pad against his   forehead. A woman cradles a listless infant in her arms. CATHY sits at the end of the first row of plastic chairs. Her head is bent over, and she stares intently at the floor. She raises her head slowly, brushes her long, silky hair away from her face. We see fear in her eyes as they focus on a clock that hangs above the front desk. She twists a tissue between her fingers and is unaware that bits of it are falling on the floor. The door to the emergency treatment room opens, and a middle-aged    DOCTOR dressed in hospital green walks through the door toward Cathy, who bolts out of the chair and hurries toward him.                                                                    DOCTOR                                                         (apologetically)                                             We did everything possible.                                                                    CATHY                                                          (gasps)                                             What are you saying?                                                                    DOCTOR                                             I'm sorry…                                                                    CATHY                                                          (screaming)                                             No! All eyes in the waiting room are riveted on Cathy and the Doctor.Cathy lunges at the Doctor, beating her fists against his chest.                                                                    CATHY  (CONT'D)                                                          (shouting)                                             You killed him! Our scene ends here with Cathy's last words, but it could continue with more dialogue and action. Note that (CONT'D), the abbreviation for continued, is added in parentheses next to Cathy's name above. CONT'D is added here because Cathy has just spoken and is continuing to speak. Her dialogue was interrupted by a description of other actions, not by another character's dialogue. To make sure you use the correct tab settings, it's advisable to use one of the excellent screenplay formatting programs available for your home PC. Such programs include Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 and Final Draft, both of which make the job of formatting your screenplay much easier. Even if you use screenwriting software, it's important to have a working knowledge of screenplay formatting so that your presentation copy looks thoroughly professional. We recommend that you read professional screenplays and familiarize yourself with formatting. However, many published screenplays are shooting scripts and contain camera directions. As a screenwriter, you are not required to indicate camera shots. In fact, it's not advisable to do this because it's the job of the film director, not the screenwriter. Formatting Exercise: Format the situation described below into a screenplay scene. Use correct scene heading, action descriptions, dialogue, and parenthetical descriptions for characters' dialogue. Situation: Bob and Marianne walk into a dark movie theater. The movie has already started, and nearly every seat is occupied. Bob, a tall, stocky young man, carries a super-sized box of popcorn and a super-sized drink. Marianne, dressed in a revealing tight sweater and jeans, carries a bag of potato chips and a large drink. She moves down the aisle quickly, scouting for seats while Bob struggles to see her in the dark. He stumbles over his own big sneakers, and popcorn spills from the container onto several patrons seated near the aisle. Bob apologizes, and other patrons tell him to "shut up." Marianne waves to Bob from the front of the theater. She's found two seats up front. She calls out to Bob and waves frantically. A variety of comments are heard from other patrons.  Bob catches up to Marianne, and they move across the row to their seats. Bob steps on a woman's toes, and she shrieks. He apologizes. Bob and Marianne finally settle into their seats. He munches his popcorn happily and slurps his big drink. A woman seated behind Marianne squirms to see the screen above Marianne's big hair. Marianne turns toward Bob and kisses him noisily on his cheek. He smiles and squeezes her thigh. A man seated behind Bob says something unkind. Bob turns around, smiles, and tells the man he must be jealous. It's quiet for a few moments. Marianne begins opening her bag of potato chips. A man seated in front of her turns around and looks at her viciously. Marianne offers him a chip, but he declines.  Marianne munches contentedly on her chips and sips from her big drink as she watches the screen. The audience is no longer watching the screen.  Their angry eyes have settled on Bob and Marianne.

More about one-act plays

What is a One-Act Play?

A one-act play, as the name suggests, is a play that takes place, from begining to end, in a single act.

An "act" is a unit of time within a drama during which a portion of the story unfolds. The length of time for an act ranges from 30 to 60 minutes - although they can be shorter or longer.

Full length plays are usually between 2 to 5 acts in length. The number of acts used depends on how the writer has structured his or her play.

Before the 18th century, plays were often written in 5 acts. Since then, it has been common to find dramas, films and operas following a classic 3-act structure.

In the classic 3-act structure, each act reveals a portion of the story. Act 1 is introductory - introducing characters, location, and the setting the scene for the story. Act 2 reveals the conflict or obstacle that the main character/s faces. Act 3 involves the climax of the story and its resolution.

What makes good one-act plays deceptively tricky to write is that all this "stuff" (introduction, obstacle, resolution) is achieved within a very short time frame, and must be handled in a believable way.

While one-act plays have only one act, they can contain more than one scene.

A scene is like a division of an act, in which a certain portion of the play unfolds. Scenes are usually separated by location (in the bedroom, at the dinner table), or time (e.g. in the morning, then the following evening).

How many scenes there are, again, depends on how the writer has structured the play.

One-act plays can range from one minute to one hour long.

With the rise in popularity of writing competitions, 10 minute one-act plays have become very popular of late (also known as "Flash Drama") in which the writer is given a limited time period in which to write a 10 minute play, incorporating specified elements, such as 2-3 characters, a certain prop, a line of dialogue, or some form of set.

George C. Wolfe, The Colored Museum/ Ntozake Shange, For Colored Girls

AGENDA:

Read plays aloud by these authors.

Work on one act plays.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRTuslMz2Rw

How to write a One-Act Plays?

Full-length plays having a three-act format last for over two hours. By contrast, one-act plays are essentially short plays having a complete story. They are enacted against the backdrop of a single scene and may last for about thirty to sixty minutes. A budding playwright can get acquainted with the basics of play writing by learning to write a one-act play. The format and content of the play is largely determined by audience. So it helps to know the target audience in advance. A writer can keep some essential guidelines in mind to help him in creating appropriate format and content for a one-act play.

What are the essential features of a One-Act play?

According to Aristotle dramas should have a unity of time, location and action. In conformity with these rules, most traditional plays have a central plot, the action of which unfolds in a single location having duration of less than a day. These unities of drama can be used effectively in writing one-act plays which are generally short and have no place for subplots or changes in scenes. The setting of a one-act play is usually restricted to a single scene. So care should be taken to generate the setting in such a way that the story line is made clear to the audience. One of the important elements in creating the setting is the use of lighting. Detailed notes should be included o the use of lighting to create the required setting. Ideally the setting should engage the five senses to increase the appeal to the audience. .

What can be the subject of One-Act Plays?

The subject of a one-act play should be such that it can be dealt with effectively in a short duration. A short story would work well combined with effective characterization and action. It would be good idea to research and read other one-act plays so that the new playwright has some solid examples to emulate. Plays differ in form and content and one can learn the different forms of construction, the type of setting used the number of characters, the time frame of the plot and so on.

How to develop the characters in One-Act plays?

One-act plays have lesser number of characters acting against a simple setting. In most cases the focus will be on the main character and his goals. Almost every scene of the play will feature the main character and his dilemmas. The best way to develop the characters is to outline a character sketch and then fill in the details. The characters should be life-like having a basic purpose in life. The problems and situation that they face in fulfilling their motives help in further shaping their character.

How to test One-Act Plays?

After the main task of writing a one-act play, it is time for testing it out. The best way would be to enact the play. Useful feedback can be taken from those connected with the various stages of the play. Additionally expert advice can be sought in the production of the play. Apart from a number of practice sessions, a dress rehearsal should be ideally done in the final practice before the real show. This would be a good opportunity to do away with any inanities found in the plot.