Mr.Syd Field talking...- BDM 204 screenwriting

We saw a tutorial video on effective screenwriting. A well known American screenwriting guru called Syd Field sharing his ideology, experiences and basic techniques of professional screenwriting.

The video was really useful. I found few things that everybody can apply while writing a screenplay.

• Screenplay is a process. It keeps changing. Never be attached to the initial ideas.
• Find the best time of the day to write the screenplay. Research about yourself. Find out at what time your creativity is liberated the most and work at that time.
• Always keep a pocket notepad with you.
• Screenplay is a step by step and day by day process. Be patient.
• Work most of the time on the basic idea, action, character and the structure.
• It's not a novel.
• Screenplay can be described as the story told in pictures, with dialogues and description.
• Structure of the screenplay must serve to build a relationship between different parts of it.
• ACT 1  -  Beginning (30 pages)
• ACT 2  -  Middle (60 pages)
• ACT 3  -  End (30 pages)
• CONTEXT NEVER CHANGES, ONLY THE CONTENTS CHANGES.
• Never forget to describe and explain the setup. Middle or after middle part of the screenplay must contain confrontation. The end should be clear and it should inject a sense of resolution.
• Description & Creation of the protagonist should be finished by ACT 1.
• Interior scenes/shots are referred as INT. Exterior scenes/shots are referred as EXT.
• Dialogues should be in the center of the page.
• The narration of the opening scene should be dramatic, in order to grab attention.
• Action of ACT 1 should be summarized.
• The obstacles should be summarized.

A little about characters.

• Add attitudes.
• Show attitude through dialogues.
• Change. Character(protagonist) should change at some point of time.
• Biography of the character should be written. (5-7 pages)
• Try writing in 1st person. Example: My name is...

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I felt that my fellow classmates were already aware of most of the things said in the video.

There were many funny moments that day in class along with studying. Kim said that she got measles after watching the video. Hehehehe.

Lol ... :D

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There was one more important thing that I took a note from the video and I wanted it to be my closing statement of this post.

"Never show, until its ready"