Session 5: Character and story

In this session we were introduced to writing and the writing process by Zosia Wand. We did a number of activities which helped us to understand the methods of creating believable characters with depth. these activities varied from reading short statements and attempting to relate to how a person would have felt whilst writing them, to sharing a piece of paper and adding a trait each until a full character and back story was created. Story wise we were told to take inspiration from anywhere. Both feelings and places can be expanded upon until an entire story is created. We ended the session discussing our film and we created a list of components we may all wish to see in the script. When I got home, I decided to take these new skills and develop a short script of my own using the list we had created. I really thought that what I had learnt about character development helped me to create something I was quite proud of.

The story of a film is split into 6 stages.
The first stage is the setup. this is around the first 10% of the film and is used to establish a setting and main characters. At the end we should also get a feel for what the main plot of the film will be.
The second stage is the new situation. this is 15% of the film and is the point at which the main character must react to the new situation they have been put in.
The third stage is the progress. for the next 25% the main character is shown working towards their primary goal that has been brought on by the previous stage.
The forth stage is complication. this is also 25% and raises a problem for the character to overcome and/or makes the end goal more important.
The fifth stage is the final push is 15% of the film. It involves the run up and completion of the end goal of the film.
The sixth stage is the aftermath. This is the final 10% of the film and shows what happens after the final push and what has happened to the main characters.

Further information:
 http://www.storymastery.com/story/screenplay-structure-five-key-turning-points-successful-scripts/