The Script Writing Process

 

First Draft

The first day I began scriptwriting was certainly interesting. Not knowing each specific word I was going to put in or how I would get to my end goal verbally or via actions. I usually like to outline my story with imagery and storyboards, but I have to work with an in-head situation and it makes it worse because I don't have any real sense of direction. 

The script is looking nice after the first day though. Having used Celtx before, I felt instantly ready to begin script writing, however, I have learned some new skills that could only amplify the way in which my stories were told. For example:

I have learned the ways in which I should write a location header when it comes to the scripts. Firstly the INT. basically establishes whether or not the location is indoors or outdoors. For something like an appointment room this may seem fairly blatant, however, there may be something like a basketball court that would work both inside and out. Following is the appointment room, this is the name of the location that fits that scene the best, and whilst in certain scenarios, this can be interchangeable for similar setups, some scenes like this one is not touchable. Lastly the when of the script. I decided to set it in the near future, 2028 and 2029, and then gave everything a time so that we knew when each thing was happening and why it was happening. This gave the script authenticity so that it is clear the appointment is mid-afternoon for example, or later with the bridge it's in the evening so that the golden hour could be integrated and make for a more beautiful shot, that's how I see things at least.

The quick ability to jump back to prior scenes is also extremely handy! 

Mike was right when he said most of your time writing is looking out the window, this was not just from one day by the way, this is total amount of time spent for the whole script and then some (the timers glitched out and reset somewhere around page 3). Even at that point though the thinking time was a lot more, as that's when I was trying to come up with a strong opening hook. Speaking of...

I am extremely proud of my opening lines for this product. It really brings out what I believe is my greatest strength in creative writing, being how can I hook a reader into the world. How can I evoke emotion into the audience whilst leaving the audience with questions that they will want to answer, that's where I feel I shine.

This is my inciting incident, following up from the opening, we really kick off the story when Paul begins to speak to Rami at his appointment, the transition from opening to story to incident is quick, but subtle and I feel blends well with the rapid nature that the story later leads to, but also it's a personal stylistic choice on my part, snappy stories rather than a long period of time.

One of my favourite moments from the script is the lead-up to the date, where we see the formal conversation turn to friendly banter. It's an interesting dynamic that not only shows a friendship forming between characters, but can connect the audience to the warmth of another. Personally, it's a relatable moment between the two to real life with my family, where one person will ask a question and then the response is almost the same question, yet the subject is shifted.

What I implemented here is a "plot device". This serves as a way to explain the reason why nobody else is aware of what is going on with Paul beside Rami. It keeps the story secluded, building up this near-future world and giving it a modern-day crisis. It's my personal outlook on the world making its way into my writing.

There is no better way to show the passage of time than with a montage. This was inspired by the tragic opening to Pixar animation Up, and the film is actually referenced in one of the montage scenes. I quite like this scene, we see what date it is through the calendar, and we watch as time ticks closer and closer to Paul's death, whilst Rami's guilt continues to build.

I originally was going to have Rami straight-up tell Paul the truth, but I thought it would have been predictable. Instead, I decided upon introducing Paul's mum into the mix, creating a mother character and her giving his son the information in a more destructive way that will detriment Rami more.

Because this is set in the near future, I thought it would be more tragic if the cure for cancer was found not long after his death. This shows how precious time is after lifetimes of cancer, six extra weeks of life could save it. It's something I toyed around with by setting this story in the modern day, however, it just made more sense a couple more years down the line.

Lastly, a final twist shows the villainy of Rami. He spent all that time with Paul cheating on his wife and away from his young daughter. This lack of honesty in his character is great I feel. It contradicts Paul's genuinely lovely nature with the fake side of Rami, creating extra distaste in the audience for this character.

Once I had finished this it was all about submission to the group. Originally it was well received by the group, however as time went on, it was decided the complexities of internal locations were just too much to handle, especially for such a small project which is meant to be used as almost practice, so we went with Maisie's script. This greatly disappointed me as I was immensely proud of my script, and I knew mine had the most time put into it, and what I believe to be the most well-constructed story. But "project flower" is what we are working on.

I had the meeting with Jane a few days later as well, which went excellently. Below are the notes I had made, my scruffy handwriting, but that it was a productive 15-minute conversation. 

2nd Draft

From this, I added some of the elements Jane wanted me to add. I considered compromising everything that I had written thus far, however that would it Jane's script and not mine anymore, so I kept some. For example, the addition of Paul adds more to Rami's life, there is simply not enough space for that in this script in my eyes to where something like that is really worth it. But I implemented almost everything else whilst keeping the script my own, such as completely removing the communication calamity, it just added too much realness and exposition to a world where it didn't really require it.

The inner struggle was an element that I tried to incorporate more and hopefully, that came across well within the script, the struggle is stronger. The oath has also been mentioned to where it now comes across as more in character for a world that is in turmoil. It gives Rami's actions some additional weight, which can be felt in the heart of a viewer. I decided to completely scrap the segment about cancer getting cured as well, it felt like it was adding too much to the ending, prolonging it, and making the shock of the wife reveal a lot larger as well.

Scripts have been something I have worked on for over two years at this point, from my first script to where I am now, the evolution with the help of talented industry professionals has been monumental. I also had some idea of the layouts in the past due to a history of acting as well, which were also very long and very well professionally written too. 

One of my earliest scripts

This has all ended me up in a place where I am not a newbie to all of this anymore, I am ready to fly with the progress I have made. However, it has not influenced me in terms of my career aspirations. I find in that regard it is still in my blood of working within a studio on a gallery job, that's where I want to be. I have also been told I write with elegance and with honesty, which I feel I am now becoming bold enough to implement into my scripts. Beforehand, I felt as though the linguistic side of me repelled this to make way for more naturalistic writing overall. But then I began researching some writers which inspire me greatly, with my biggest influence being Steven Moffat. He is very much a writer who can create a world that is believable and grounded with the words of a fairytale poem. That is how I approached writing my short film script, which is something I want to continue moving forward in future scripts.