Screenwriting
- michalawoodruff
- Apr 1, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: May 3, 2024
OPEN ON: ICE.
We’re underwater looking up at it. A saw cuts through, heading right for us.
EXT. SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAINS — DUSK
ICE HARVESTERS, dressed in traditional Sami clothing, score a frozen lake. They SING.
”The Frozen Heart (Ice Worker’s Song)”
ICE HARVESTERS
BORN OF COLD AND WINTER AIR
AND MOUNTAIN RAIN COMBINING,
THIS ICY FORCE BOTH FOUL AND FAIR
HAS A FROZEN HEART WORTH MINING.
The men drag giant ice blocks through channels of water.
This is an excerpt from the animated movie Frozen (2013) screen-written by Jennifer Lee (https://noamkroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/frozen-screenplay.pdf). Just like Frozen catches its audience with a unique culture and how I used that to get you interested in what I am about to say, every good story has an attention-grabber. It brings its audience in, keeps the audience glued, and then gives them something by the end of the story. How? Is this easy for movies? Where does it all begin?
Consider 5 important things about screenwriting.
Characters.
1) The characters. A good story is not about events that characters are around. This formation would lack depth. Instead, a good story is about a character with events revolving around him or her, forcing the character to act and learn something.
For example, Anna in Frozen is the protagonist. At first, she is desperate to find true love because she is afraid of being locked up in the castle again. Alone. For a very long time. However, over a course of events, Anna learns how powerful love is.
Characters’ backgrounds should always match up with who they are today. Their background is what can give the audience sympathy and help them invest in the characters. Their background is also something the audience likes to figure out. Background dumps are rarely a good option. Instead, try little hints to their background.
Characters need to always have a goal. There is an overarching goal throughout the plot, but also a goal in every scene. Here are some fill-out charts and questions that can help you brainstorm!
The Plot.
2) The plot. The three-act structure is a climax to the end. Everything that happens occurs because of the goal the character has. Explore this chart from https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=archplot+structure and http://ingridsundberg.com/2013/06/05/what-is-arch-plot-and-classic-design/:
Sticking with Frozen, the movie starts by showing normal life and Anna and Elsa’s past.
Inciting incident: Anna goes to her sister Elsa to ask for a marriage blessing with Prince Hans. In the tense atmosphere, Elsa’s secret ice power is revealed, and she runs to the mountains. Anna’s overarching goal: find Elsa and fix Summer and have things like they used to be when they were little.
Plot point 1: Anna gets an ice harvester to help her.
Midpoint: When Anna finds Elsa, Elsa by accident freezes Anna’s heart.
Plot point 2: Anna finds out only love can melt her heart.
Climax: Her friends rush Anna to Prince Hans but he turns on her, showing his true anagonist colors. Since Anna is freezing, all Hans must do is kill Elsa before he becomes the hero and king of the land. Anna sacrifices herself for Elsa. (I will leave this broad so I do not give any spoilers).
Resolution: Summer is back. Elsa rules. The gates are open. Everyone is happy.
I know I put this in a short way, but I want you to be able to see the arch. The story is spilt into notable sections, but it flows really well. Naming parts of a plot the next time you watch a movie might help you get the knack.
Why?
3) Why? This might be the most important question. “Why?” explains our motives, our purpose, and keeps us going. “Why?” is vital to ask our characters, when writing their words and actions and expressions. “Why?” is also important to ask ourselves. What is the purpose of writing this production?
Screenwriting is maybe even more important than the acting itself. If the plot lacks, it does not matter how good the effects are. If the words slack, it makes it harder for the actors and actresses to be natural or know what is wanted from them. I only say this to explain how important the screenwriting step is. Without a script, where would the production be?
So, know the purpose of your story and continually ask “Why?” to your characters.
Format.
4) Format. Most movies and performances are usually around 120 minutes (2 hours). On paper, this looks like 90-115 pages, according to Ken Miyamoto in his article “How to Format a Script” (para. 31) (https://screencraft.org/blog/how-to-format-a-script/).
Standard movie scripts are in Courier font.
Scene headings, character names, and things you want attention brought to needs to be capitalized.
Miyamoto provides a chart for the master scene format margins (para. 22):
Element | Left Margin | Right Margin | Width |
Action | 1.5 | 1 | 6 |
Dialogue | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
Character | 4.2 | 1 | 3.3 |
Parenthetical | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2 |
Transition | 6 | 1 | 1.5 |
The Title page is simple. It is the first page with the title of the production in the center underlined. About two spaces down is “Written by” and a space down in the author’s name.
A screenwriting tool could be a valuable help. Here are some suggestions:
Contests & Festivals.
5) Contests and festivals. The world stresses that success relies on connections with people in a concept. While success is something we want to aim for, success relies on several things—circumstances, timing, purpose, God, and so on. All this to say, though connections help push people to success, letting connections be a goal is not the best way.
Instead, know your “why” and what you have. Use that to connect with others in your area.
A way to connect with people in your orb is through contests and festivals—a way to present what you have motivated by your “why”. Contests and festivals are important because they get your stuff out here. Just remember to keep the right focus.
Here are some screenwriting and movie-making contests:
Here are some movie festivals:
Here are some conferences and schools for making movies and performing in the theatre:
In conclusion, contests and festivals, format, the "Why?", plots, and characters are vital to screenwriting. Enjoy exploring all the extra information and happy screenwriting!
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