Writing
A Great Script Fast In A Nutshell
Online
Workbook: Part 1 .
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the "Writing A Great Script Fast In A Nutshell" Workbook
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DOC to answer the questions in this free online screenwriting
class.
Just
watch the movies and answer the questions at each step to end up
with a great story idea fast! Go to Step
1.
Questions
To Answer:
Step
1: Story Goal Questions To Consider
1) Do you want to write a script, make a film and/or write a novel
using this step-by-step story engine process?
2)
If you want to write a script or make a film do you want to do a
short, feature or series?
3) What is you goal in finishing this story project? To get a job,
to win an award, to make money or raise awareness about an issue?
4)
If you are planning on making the film yourself which digital filmmaking
tools are you planning to use DV, 2D, 3D or combinations?
Step
2: Basic Three Act Story Structure Sentence
1) Do you want to write a script, make a film and/or write a novel
using this step-by-step story engine process?
2)
If you want to write a script or make a film do you want to do a
short, feature or series?
3) What is you goal in finishing this story project? To get a job,
to win an award, to make money or raise awareness about an issue?
4)
If you are planning on making the film yourself which digital filmmaking
tools are you planning to use DV, 2D, 3D or combinations?
Step
2.2: Basic Three Act Story Structure Sentence
It is a story about a protagonist
(lead character) who
wants something
(plot goal) that forces him/her to take action. He/she meets
with an escalating array of conflicts
(obstacles) leading to a climax
and resolution.
Protagonist: Lead
character and focus of the plot. Usually the first character you
see. Viewer teddy bear - get your audience attached to this character
and worried about their well being.
Antagonist: Character
or thing standing in the way of the protagonist accomplishing his
or her goals. Make the audience very afraid of this thing or character.
Any quick ideas for a great lead protagonist or antagonist placed
into the above story sentence? Fill in the sentence blanks with
a story you make up off the top of your head to practice three act
structure ideas.
Step
3: Brainstorming For Characters:
List 5 possible main characters for a film you would love to see
in a story. Attach an age, sex, location, occupation, visual style
and dreamcast with a favorite actor. Make sure these are characters
you would love to see in a film. Use the brainstorming lists below
to get more ideas to fill into this example chart:
Body
Type |
Age |
Sex |
Occupation |
Location |
Visual
Style |
Dreamcast |
Dog
head detective |
32 |
M |
detective |
Prague |
Goth |
Nicolas
Cage |
Bigfoot |
16 |
F |
shaman |
Mt
Shasta |
New
Age |
Angelina
Jolie |
Tall
blond athletic |
28 |
M |
archeologist |
Peru |
High
tech explorer |
Peter
Weller |
Skinny
NYC Party Girl |
26 |
F |
shock
performance artist |
NYC |
Hip
NYC artist |
Naomi
Watts |
Polar
bear |
9 |
M |
survivor |
Alaska |
Intuit
Indian |
Owen
Wilson |
Occupational
Ideas:
Pick ones that seem fun visually or match characters you might want
to develop. Feel free to combine occupations such as a Circus Clown
Professional Surfer, Matchmaker Wizard or a Tour Guide Astronaut.
Astronaut |
Musician |
Professional
soccer player |
Talk-show
host |
Dictator
|
Hunter |
Housewife
|
Fashion
designer |
Cowboy
|
Professional
Surfer |
Bum
|
Student |
Circus
clown |
Cook |
Matchmaker
|
Wizard
|
Researcher |
Tour
guide |
Shaman |
Slave
|
Belly
dancer |
Sheriff
|
Spaceship
commander |
Teacher |
Reporter |
Soldier |
Psychiatrist |
Gangster |
Guru
|
Hairdresser |
Poet
|
Witchdoctor
|
Magician
|
Construction
worker |
Burglar |
Stockbroker |
Government
employee |
Investment
banker |
Novelist |
Pirate |
Policeman |
Lifeguard
|
Hands-on
healer |
Computer
programmer |
Game
designer |
Butler |
Astrologer |
Advertising
executive |
Astronomer |
Accountant |
Car
thief |
Knight |
King/Queen |
Clerk
|
Mailman |
Fireman |
Hit
man |
Retired
Archeologist |
Chemist |
Congressman
|
Cartoonist
|
Model |
Clown |
Comedian |
Wrestler |
Veterinarian |
Priest |
Detective |
Dentist |
Doctor |
Witch |
Lawyer |
Artist |
Plumber |
DJ/VJ |
Student |
Mortician |
Vagabond
|
Warrior |
Editor |
Explorer |
Fisherman |
Fortune
teller |
Politician |
Engineer |
Landscaper
|
Actor |
Racecar
driver |
Painter |
President |
Visual
Styles/Attitudes:
What
one or two words would best describe the appearance of your character
style wise?
French
Chic |
Hippie |
Student |
Punk |
Biker |
Trucker |
Goth
|
1950's
Cocktail Hour |
Techno |
Yuppie |
Small
Town |
Native
Indian |
Country |
Beachy |
Four
Seasons |
New
Age |
Nerd
|
Hot |
Nervous |
Servant |
Dad
|
Old
Money |
Bookish |
Dirty |
Dreamcasting:
Attach
a famous actor to dreamcast your main character idea. Feel free
to change their real ages or even use dead ones to describe their
essence. If you are thinking about an animated character dreamcast
for the voice actor.
Female
Actors:
Angelina
Jolie |
Drew
Barrymoore |
Meryl
Streep |
Marilyn
Monroe |
Lucille
Ball |
Angela
Lansbury |
Elizabeth
Taylor |
Dolly
Parton |
Nicole
Kidman |
Kathy
Bates |
Cameron
Diaz |
Sissy
Spacek |
Halle
Berry |
Diane
Lane |
Reese
Witherspoon |
Shirley
MacLaine |
Angelica
Huston |
Jodie
Foster |
Kate
Winslet |
Julia
Roberts |
Jennifer
Lopez |
Parker
Posey |
Catherine
Zeta Jones |
Kate
Hudson |
Gwyneth
Paltrow |
Whoopie
Goldberg |
Sandra
Bullock |
Uma
Thurman |
Claire
Danes |
Goldie
Hawn |
Naomi
Watts |
Sigourney
Weaver |
Oprah
Winfrey |
Kristen
Dunst |
Male
Actors:
Jack
Nicholson |
Samuel
L. Jackson |
Anthony
Hopkins |
Harrison
Ford |
Jeff
Goldblum |
Christopher
Walken |
Ben
Affleck |
Val
Kilmer |
Bruce
Lee |
Sean
Penn |
Billy
Bob Thornton |
Nicholas
Cage |
Richard
Gere |
Clint
Eastwood |
Ed
Harris |
Kevin
Costner |
Jackie
Chan |
Tom
Cruise |
Robin
Williams |
Billy
Crystal |
Keanu
Reeves |
Arnold
Schwarzenegger |
Bruce
Willis |
Michael
Douglas |
Leonardo
DeCaprio |
Matthew
McConaughey |
Tom
Hanks |
Denzel
Washington |
James
Woods |
Edward
Norto |
Brad
Pitt |
Owen
Wilson |
John
Travolta |
Ryan
Gosling |
Make
sure your Top 5 Possible Leading Character Ideas are ones you would
love to see in a story!
Step
4: Film World Settings
What film worlds or settings have you always wanted to see in a
film or story? List your Top 5 Favorite Film World Settings with
dates, visual styles and a few adjectives to really SEE these locations.
Think of places you have always wanted to see in a film. These sets
do not have to relate to the characters you just did but may be
places some of them would live. If you are making the film yourself
think also of local settings you could shoot or animate.
Favorite
Film World Setting Examples:
1) NYC 3012 as a green gold beehive hippie Utopian city
2) Surface of Mars during an expedition
3) Ancient Egypt at it’s height
4)
Lost underground city under Mt St. Helena
5)
Prague 1992
Step
5: Favorite Subjects
What are your top 5 Favorite Subjects or areas
of interest? Make sure these are subjects you would love to see
in a film.
Hobbies
Subjects you like to study or research
Mystical creatures
Favorite subjects in books, movies, comic books
Favorite myths or cultures
Things you like to do for fun
Places or historical events
Urban Legends
Step
6: Story Flavors & Genres
List
your Top 5 Favorite Story Flavors using the list below to help you
come up with ideas. Think also of combining Story Flavors such as
an animated supernatural comedy or a romantic crime thriller.
1)
Action/adventure: Big
adventures, hero survival, daring stunts, and action sequences.
2) Animation:
Far-out or surreal visual elements with objects that can turn into
other things. These stories usually show us something real actors
or sets cannot do as easily, such as talking animals or living toys.
3) Ensemble:Stories
about groups of characters unified by same theme.
4) Experimental:
Avant-garde rule breakers. Creating films that audiences may not
even understand.
5) Biography:
Find meaning of the person's life (theme), and make the person the
hero (or anti-hero) in his or her own tale.
6) Buddy:
Friendship or nonromantic close relationships developed over a series
of events.
7) City symphony:
Films about a single location with different perspectives, characters,
events, and time frames.
8) Comedy:
Show how characters in the best situations still manage to mess
up or create fish out of water tales. These stories are often used
to showcase the brutality of social life.
9) Crime:
Murder mystery, detectives solving cases, reporters investigating
crimes, prison stories, heists, spy stories, criminals/victims getting
revenge, courtroom dramas, organized crime.
10) Disillusionment:
Protagonist's view of life changes from positive to negative.
11) Documentary:
True story about event, people, process, subject or place.
12) Drama:
Passion, madness, dreams of human heart.
13) Education:
Protagonist changes worldview from negative to positive by
learning something new.
14) Fantasy:
New-world rules playing with time, space, and laws of nature.
15) Historical:
Stories from the past often work great to show us some themes
of our present situations at a comfortable distance.
16) Horror:
Bad, evil, scary, creepy things.
17) Journey:
Trip, road trip, or travel tale.
18) Love story:
What gets in the way of romantic love?
19) Maturation:
Coming-of-age story.
20) Mockumentary:
Fiction that looks like a real documentary.
21) Music video:
Short film for a song and hopefully some story, theme, or
context.
22) Musical:
Songs used to tell stories from any genre. What are the new digitally
enhanced musicals going to look like?
23) Myth:
Hero journeys, ancestral memories, prehistory, moral conduct, or
urban legends.
24) Obsession/addiction/temptation:
Willpower versus obsessions/addictions/temptations.
25) Personal anthology:
Video diaries, personal events.
26) Postmodern:
No single lead protagonist with distortion of time and space.
27) Punishment:
Good protagonist turns bad and is >punished.
28) Psychodrama:
Madmen, serial killers, crazy people, nuthouses.
29) Reality shows:
Real-life, voyeuristic-style stories. TV shows such as The Osbournes
or Survivor.
30) Redemption:
Protagonist goes from morally bad to good.
31) Science fiction:
Possible future, unknown past.
32) Societal problems:
Political, racial, medical, educational, business, environmental,
family.
33) Sports:
Big character change in relationship to sporting event.
34) Supernatural:
Spiritual or freaky occurrence in unseen realms.
35) Tragedy:
Cautionary tales, somber themes, catastrophic characters.
36) War:
Combat, prowar/antiwar.
37) Western:
Wild West. Good versus evil. Gun fights, cowboys, bank
robberies, cattle drives, Indians, ranches, horses and saloons.
What
new Favorite Story Flavor Combinations can you create that you would
just love to see in a film?
Step
7: Digital Filmmaking Techniques
If
you are planning on making the film, what Top 5 Digital Filmmaking
Techniques do you think you may want to use? If you are really good
at 3D animation, or taking a 3D class, you would concentrate on
that style. If you draw and want to try doing simple 2D animations
in After Effects or Flash you would list those ideas.
Even
if you are just writing a story or script and do not plan on making
the film, try picking what production style would best match the
story. If you are doing a 2D or 3D animated story you want to make
sure and include events and characters that take advantage of all
the wild things animation can show.
DV
(Digital Video) |
2D
Animation |
3D
Animation |
DV
actors on real sets |
hand
drawn characters |
3D
characters - anything goes! |
bluescreen
actors |
hand
drawn sets |
3D
Settings - anything goes! |
DV
backgrounds |
pan
and scan photos |
3D
make up |
bluescreen
body parts |
animated
cut up photos |
3D
tidal waves |
bluescreen
pet heads |
photo
collage backgrounds |
Maya
3D hair |
DV
with paint FX |
hand
made or string puppets |
particle
FX |
DV
with 2D animated filter look |
old
toys moved with hands |
inside
a 3D cat's brain |
Look
at ways to combine favorite digital filmmaking visual styles, such
as a 3D character on DV sets, or a 2D hand drawn character on 3D
sets.
Step
8: Story Concept Brainstorming Sentences
Fill in the following chart with the Top 5 Favorite Lists you just
created:
Characters |
Settings |
Subjects |
Genres |
Software |
Bigfoot
teenage girl, new age shaman, 16 Angelina Jolie |
lost
underground ancient city |
Bigfoots |
Comedy |
3D
bigfoots |
Tall
blond Nordic archeologist 32, explorer, Peter Weller |
Prague
1992 |
Lost
cities |
Animated
supernatural comedy |
2D
photo collage sets |
NYC
party girl 28 hip techno, shock artist, Naomi Watts |
Tunnel
crypts under Paris 2007 |
shamans |
Romantic
myth thriller |
2D
lightening bolt FX |
Polar
bear boy 9, fat orphan, Owen Wilson |
Inside
a cat's brain |
Native
Americans |
Buddy
spiritual adventure |
bluescreen
actors |
Dog
headed Gothic detective, 32, Nicolas Cage |
Lightening
bolt storm |
crop
circles |
Mockumentary
horror |
hand
drawn 2D characters |
Create
3 Story Concept Sentences using the above chart to fill in these
spaces:
It is a story about a Top
5 Character who lives in a
Top 5 Film World/Setting.
This story explores the subject of Top
5 Subject in a Top
5 Story Flavor using Top
5 Software.
Be
flexible with how you phrase the sentence to make it sound best.
Feel free to add things not on the lists if you come up with better
ideas. Your goal is to end up with at least one Favorite Story Sentence
you would love to see as a film. Here are some more examples:
It
is a story about a
3D teenage bigfoot girl who
lives in a lost underground city.
This story explores the subject of shamanism
in a supernatural
animated comedy using 3D
bigfoots on 3D sets.
It
is a story about a
dog headed gothic detective
living in Prague investigating
a series of bigfoot sightings
in an animated
crime thriller comedy using
bluescreen actors, 2D photo collage sets and
3D bigfoots.
It
is a story about a
fat polar bear orphan boy living
in Alaska
trying to survive global
warming in an animated comedy
using 3D creatures,
3D sets and some DV sets.
Pick your favorite Story Sentence to develop
for the rest of this Writing A Great Script Fast Nutshell Sample
Workshop. Make sure it is a story idea you would stand in line in
the rain on a dark cold night to see!
Coming
up next we will be adding plot goals and an antagonist to this one
favorite story sentence idea..
Step
9: Pick A Plot Goal
Choose 1-2 main plot goals for your
Final Story Idea Sentence:
Plot
Goal #1:
Plot Goal #2 (optional):
Make sure the goals sound fun visually and see how you can use favorite
subjects or goals. Be specific about the goal such as what type
of race they want to win.
To
slay monster |
To
win the race |
To
rule the world |
To
stop a bomb |
To
defeat an enemy |
To
win political office |
To
become king/queen |
To
get revenge |
To
save the world |
To
cure disease |
To
stop natural disaster |
To
fall in love |
To
get the girl/guy |
To
solve a crime |
To solve a mystery |
To
steal something |
To
win war |
To stop war |
To
get rich |
To
advance spiritually |
To
become famous |
To
become successful |
To
blackmail someone |
To
get someone to do something |
To
get someone to do something |
To
find meaning in life |
To
solve murder |
To
catch a killer |
To
solve/fix a problem |
To
understand something |
To
learn a new skill |
To
become a top warrior |
To
become a leader |
To
fight for a just cause |
To
do what is right |
To
help people |
To
find treasure |
To
get around the system |
To
stop a bad thing from happening |
To
become a better person |
To
evolve to a higher state of being |
To
survive a dangerous vision quest |
To
travel to distant lands |
To
prove a theory |
To
get a promotion |
To
get a date |
To
explore new territory |
To
fix broken transportation |
To
invent a new device |
To
make something new |
To
have a successful art show/event |
To
save a current relationship |
To
defeat evil |
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Step
10: Pick An Antagonist
Who
or what is standing in the way of you character accomplishing the
plot goal you just chose?
This
antagonist could be a madman, boss, family member, teacher, enemy,
competitor or organization. You want to create a great original
antagonist - think back to the antagonists in your favorite films
or stories to get ideas. Many stories have more than one single
antagonist, and may have a series of encounters or groups, trying
to stop your protagonist from acheiving their plot goals.
Competitor |
Madman |
Pirate
|
Outlaw |
Monster |
Natural
disaster |
Family
member |
Authority
figure |
Boss |
Commander |
Lawyer
|
Evil
person |
Protagonist
himself/herself |
Bad
alien |
Corporation or head of corporation |
Someone
blackmailing someone |
Robot |
Cursed
object |
Social
pressure |
Criminal |
Spirit |
Leader
|
The
system |
The
police |
Enemy |
The
government |
Local
bully |
A
teacher or mentor |
Organization
or head of organization |
Dangerous
animal |
Thug
or gang |
Characters
with different viewpoints |
Character
seeking revenge |
Disease
|
Antagonist Idea For Your Story:
How is the plot goal for this antagonist in
opposition with the protagonist’s plot goal?
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