English Composition Week 4. Creative Writing: Screenplays What is a screenplay? A screen play is: A story written as a script Written for the television.

English CompositionWeek 4

English CompositionWeek 4

Creative Writing: ScreenplaysWhat is a screenplay?A screen play is:• A story written as a script• Written for the television or cinema screen

English CompositionWeek 4

What are the main parts of a screen play?

• Action• Scene setting• Dialogue• Direction

English CompositionWeek 4

The action tells the director and actors what is happening in a movie.

English CompositionWeek 4

Action includes:• What the scene looks like• What the characters look like• What the characters are doing• And what is happening in the background

English CompositionWeek 4

Action that sets a scene begins with the words ‘We see…’It can be very descriptive and Imaginative.It should not do the job of the Director.

English CompositionWeek 4

Action that sets a scene begins with the words ‘We see…’It can be very descriptive and Imaginative.It should not do the job of the Director.

English CompositionWeek 4

If a scene is set in a park thenThe action might read like this:

We see a child’s playing park filled with smiling children, the sound of squeaking can be heard as they rock back and fourth on a swing set. The sun beams down bright and the surrounding grass looks healthy and luscious.

English CompositionWeek 4

Practice writing action that describes these scenes:An abandoned theatreA busy supermarketHanshin universityHongdaeThe beach in summerA hospitalA police station

English CompositionWeek 4

Action should describe a character if it is the first time they have appeared on screen.

English CompositionWeek 4

Action that describes an old woman might look like this:

A woman, Sarah, walks into the room. She is old and frail and her clothes are tattered and discolored. It is clear that she is poor and walks as if she hasn’t been well in some time.

English CompositionWeek 4

Practice writing action that describes these characters:A superheroA witchA motherA monsterA vampireA soldierA Detective

English CompositionWeek 4

Action should only describe briefly what is happening if you can’t show it in the dialogue.It is the job of choreographers to plan movements that aren’t integral to the story.

English CompositionWeek 4

Action that describes movement might look like this:

Paul stops as he hears the key drop. He falls to his knees and searches for it desperately.

English CompositionWeek 4

Practice writing action that describes these actions:A fightA car crashA stormA fireSomeone falling overA child cryingA man escaping prison.

English CompositionWeek 4

Action can also contain indirect speech.

English CompositionWeek 4

A scene is a series of events that occur in the same time and place.• If the places changes

then we start a new scene

• If the time changes then we start a new scene.

English CompositionWeek 4

A scene is a series of events that occur in the same time and place.• If the places changes

then we start a new scene

• If the time changes then we start a new scene.

English CompositionWeek 4

To show where and when the scene occurs, we use a scene heading:

English CompositionWeek 4

There are 3 parts to a scene heading.1. Inside or outside.2. Location.3. Time of day.

English CompositionWeek 4

This is written as one line.

Example:INT. KITCHEN – DAY TIME

English CompositionWeek 4

The final and most important part if the script is dialogue.

English CompositionWeek 4

Dialogue is the words used to tell the story.

We write it like this:JOHN

Hi Paul, how are you?

English CompositionWeek 4

Directions tell actor how to act a line. It is written like this:

LIAM(Angrily)

I can’t believe you ate all the pizza!

INT. RESTAURANT– EVENING

We see two teams playing baseball as fans scream and shout, a man sells hotdogs and popcorn and the umpire shouts strike. Simon 32, a tall handsome man is talking to Lisa 22 an annoying woman.

SIMONDid you eat all of the chicken?!

LISA(RUDELY)

Yes I did, you’re getting too fat anyway.

Simon gets up and walks off annoyed.