The Importance of a Good Structure

Concept sentence, action-idea, premise, tagline... It sounds really easy – somebody wants something for a specific reason but it is impossible because of a specific obstacle. And that should be the core of the screenplay where all of the events and actions stem from. So basically 'nail down the premise and build your film from there'.

SIGH. More of then than once, I have heard the term 'development hell'. Getting caught in a limbo of honing this, changing that, amending this, correcting that. Bringing a secondary character forward as the protagonist, making the antagonist the protagonist, cutting characters and merging storylines. Cutting useless plot dimensions and focusing on the main storyline sounds simple but it is harder than it appears. The temptation to add complications and twists is a hard one to resist.

During the past few months, I have been focusing on nailing down the basics of the film. This has consisted of writing the premise, moving onto a 2-page outline and finally working out a 5-10 page treatment of the film. With each step I've taken, I have received valuable feedback that has been really, really useful. Workshopping with my fellow students has led me to notice a lot of inconsistencies and ways in which I should hone the focus of the story. For me personally, this has meant changing the themes of my piece and eliminating useless plot twists. It is safe to say that I have learned far more during the past two months than I did last year.

In terms of my film project, I feel like I am in a relatively good place. Next up, I need to do a bit of re-writing on that, take a few ganders at my secondary TV project and finish work on a small extracurricular project, which sees me write a five-minute radio monologue that will be broadcast on Resonance FM. It is a really exciting opportunity and collaborating with the sound arts students, who will be taking care of the practicalities of the sound world, has been really enlightening and refreshing. Stay tuned for updates on this one - my first real production credit! :-)

I also got promoted at work, which makes me a very happy bunny indeed. It is not a major change, but it is nice to feel appreciated. My employer has been really good to me in terms of allowing me to work four-days-a-week due to my studies and even giving me a promotion while on that limited schedule.

Also – in the beginning of February, I finally moved to a nicer home and so far, I'm loving it. After all, an aspiring writer not only needs to write a good structure for her feature films, but also needs to establish a 'good structure' for her life as well – a nice bed to sleep on, a quiet environment to write in and good transport links wherever her quill might take her.

Overall, I am really happy about everything right now – I wish that life could always be this rewarding, thrilling and exciting! :-)

Adaptation troubles

Term two of university is more than halfway through, and I find myself battling a huge writer's block. The short story I 've decided to use as the basis for my 30-minute adaptation, The Body-Snatcher, is the root of my problem.

When I first read the story, I was really excited by the concept of body-snatching and the general idea of doing morally questionable things to advance science. I also loved the way in which science and ghosts intersected, which corresponds to the idea I have of the Victorian society.

The difficulties I am experiencing mostly stem from structural issues. I have been attempting to establish a clear, cohesive, three-act story arc that would remain faithful to the characters, world and feel of the original short story. Easier said than done.

I find myself going around in circles, changing the main protagonist, story setting and order of events constantly. So far, my efforts haven't been very fruitful. The feedback I have received through my university workshops has not been too encouraging, and the depressing thing is - my fellow students have a point. The main protagonist does not have a clear want, the main active question is a bit vague, and the climax seems slightly irrelevant to the rest of the story. Phew.

I finally see some light at the end of the tunnel though. After swapping notes with a fellow student, I feel like I finally have a working outline. The bad thing is, I have spent almost two months trying to get the outline together, which leaves me with only one week to finish the script. 30 pages of script in one week - yikes. I doubt it will be of very good quality, but I must do the best I can..

Until further notice...