Now that we’ve reached the end of the semester I feel that I’ve gained valuable insight into the process of writing a screenplay. I was excited to take this class from the beginning of the semester. I love writing and I love film so it made sense that I would enjoy Picture This! However coming into the studio I was convinced that a screenplay  was a simple step by step guide for the actors, cinematographers and director to follow. I had not even considered that sound designers would also need to use a screenplay as a reference for their own roles.  I’ve since learned that it is so much more. If a screenplay’s intention is to become a film, then it makes sense that the screenplay must trigger audio and visual images within the readers mind.

The process of writing my final piece solidified this revelation. It was more challenging than I had expected, but it was and enjoyable and rewarding experience.  I found it hard to think of an idea that I could be passionate about and stick through to the end. However as I continued writing, I found myself trapped in the story and my ability to influence imagery within the reader’s mind. The practical writing exercises that we completed in class proved to be incredibly beneficial throughout the process. I  found myself going back to those techniques, and finding where, in my screenplay, they belonged. For example, to balance out the walls of dialogue that I felt impossible to avoid, I juxtaposed them with wordless scenes. One thing in particular that I tried to keep in mind was the idea of showing what my characters feeling without explicitly saying so. It was challenging to trust my writing, and the reader’s ability to interpret what I was attempting to convey. Throughout the editing process I considered what parts were unnecessary and removed them, and found other methods to convey a character’s personality or emotions. (see  below)

In this sequence, I attempted to keep the physical description to a minimum. Relying instead on the reader’s interpretation of a woman who enters someone’s house “as though she owns it.”

All in all the studio was very rewarding. It re-sparked my interest in creative writing, and helped me create a screenplay that I am very proud of (despite the many mistake I’m sure I’ve missed). It’s something I definitely hope to try out in the future.