THE SCREENPLAY CONCEPTS

NORLELA ISMAIL
FSC411 - WRITING THEORY & PRACTICE
 SCREENPLAY CONCEPTS

• Story Concept
• Story premise
• Logline
• Genre (Main genre /sub genre) – horror, action, fantasy, adventure, romance,
thriller
• Target Audience
• Universal Appeal
• Issues
• Theme (central idea /controlling idea)
• Dramatic Structure (Plot /Subplot /POV etc)
PLOTTING
What is a PLOT?
• Narrative.
• Is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea.
• Is the sequence of events in a story.
• It is planned, logical series of events consisting the three-act-structure.
• For short film, usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting.
 Plot = the Thing that Moves Your Story

1. Hook the viewers

2. Mystery element
3. Engaging

• It is the ‘engine’ that drives the story.

• It is the most important part of a screenplay.
• While Syd Field in 1979, a screenwriter from United States, redefined the
plot as the three-act-structure, for a film analysis.

Act I
Act II
Act III
HOW IT WORKS?

Plot is a chain system.

Example:
A–B–C–D

A – D = a plot
DIFFERENT DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

• Freytag’s structure:
•
• Syd Field’s structure:
•
5 ESSENTIAL PARTS OF PLOT

1. Introduction / Exposition
– The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.

2. Rising Action
– Where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is
revealed.
3. Climax
– Is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story.

4. Falling Action
– The events and complications begin to resolve themselves.

5. Denouement / Catastrophe
– Is the final outcome/untangling of events in the story.
SUBPLOT

• The subplot is like the plot, but not as important.

• It helps to develop the main plot.
• A secondary strand
THE CLIMAX

• The highest point of drama in your structure.

– Or known as the ending of your story.
• After the climax, your story should be finished.
– Do not further the story.
– If not, it’ll be anticlimax.
• In summary, climax must consist the three turning point in a story:
1. The main character receives new information.
2. Accepts this information
3. Acts on this information
CONFLICT

• Conflict is essential to the plot.

• Without conflict, there is no plot.
• It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the
plot move.
• Within a short story, there may be only one central conflict.
IN CLASS DISCUSSION

• Based on a case study (film) please discuss these concepts with examples :
• Story concept & Story premise
• Character /characterization (sikap & sifat) – backstory, motivation, character’s goal
• Plotting (narrative structure)