Beat sheet:

Beat sheet Sarah:Lydia

Reflection:

The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet was a very specific structure layout that I do not resonate with very much. I find that if I were to follow this structure I would lose my creativity and end up writing a story with very little imagination as I would be too focused on  getting the structure right. I find the structure to be too controlling with ‘bad guys close in’ assuming that every good script has an antagonistic character. Some of the most interesting films do not, such as Frances Ha or The Worst Person in the World (hehe ironic). For my script I have decided to use Aranson’s 9 point plan to beat out my story, however there are some parts that I know I can rearrange that might make it an improved beat sheet, which I will explain now. I have written out my set up as Sarah’s normality and the trigger of her grandmother telling her to live her life as she did many years ago, which causes Sarah to book a ticket to Positano. The surprise it that Sarah’s plane doesn’t make it and she ends up in Greenland which is the opposite kind of place she wanted to end up. Her obstacle is now that she is stuck here and her adventure has failed so she wants to go home. Beat 7 (complications/substories) is when she meets Elio who tells her she should go back with him to his small town as it is more beautiful and less touristy… he also likes her and wants to spend time with her. This beat is also when she realises the truth about her grandmother. Looking back at my beat sheet, I’m wondering if it would be a better idea to move back the steps in my beat. By doing this, I would put the events of Sarah arriving in Greenland and meeting Elio in the ‘Plan’ beat, and then the ‘Surprise’ which turns into the ‘Obstacle’ would be Sarah finding out from Elio’s family that her grandmother is not actually her grandmother and that she stole her mother from her actual grandmother. By moving back these steps I think I would be able to put a lot more detail and focus into this plot which is the main plot.

Snyder, Blake. (2005). Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, Michael Wiese Productions.

Aronson, Linda. (2010). The 21st Century Screenplay: a comprehensive guide to writing tomorrow’s films. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin  

Unfortunately I was not in class when students attached Gulino’s 8 sequence model to a film in groups as I was working on a short film set. I was send a group from class’s drawings and to my delight they had chosen Back to the Future so even though the drawings are confusing and don’t make a lot of sense, I can see what the group meant.

Their first image has Marty, a highschool boy with a girlfriend. They have also added Doc Brown with the delorean. They have set up the who by introducing the protagonist and his fam/friends. There has also been a curiosity/raised questions in introducing Doc as a scientist who is working on a Time Machine! The point of attack is the Libyans on the page as they trigger Marty’s next move.

Sequence 2 shows Marty driving away from the Libyans but is taken back in time to 1955. Marty’s response to this problem has caused an even bigger problem, we have now set up the main tension & the dramatic question of ‘How will Marty get back to 1985?’

Sequence 3 they have drawn Marty driving the car now back in 1955. I would have probably put him stranded in the desert at sequence 3 if I had done this assignment because Marty has expectations that his problem will be solved quickly if he gets the car started again however he does not as it is out of power.

Sequence 4 they had what I would put for sequence 3… Marty at the car realising it has no plutonium. For this part I probably would have put the ‘midpoint culmination’ of finding 1955 Doc and getting his help.

Sequence 5 my group split the page in half, with one side showing Marty and Doc planning, and the other showing the subplot of Marty’s parents not meeting, and Biff trying to win over Lorraine.

Sequence 6 they drew Doc and Marty working towards a solution of the main tension as they plan to utilise the lightning bolt that strikes the clock tower to send Marty back.

Sequence 7 is the finale or the actual solution in action of utilising the electric bolt. It also contained other complications that were dangling causes such as if Marty didn’t succeed, he would be erased from existence which we see almost happen at the school dance.

The final sequence is the resolution of the film, Marty is successfully sent back home, and his parents in 1955 end up falling in love, which saves Marty.

Overall, I am happy with this order, although it feels very subjective as in there is no incorrect way of ordering the events.

Back to the Future. (1985). Bob Gale (wr.), Robert Zemeckis (dir.), USA: Ambling Entertainment, Universal Pictures

After this week’s reading, I felt that Paul Gulino’s ‘Big Four’ basic tools was slightly challenging for me to understand in terms of linking it to films I could think of in the moment. Recently I watched The Worst Person in the World (TWPITW) which does not exactly follow a typical film narrative that is simple to put into structures. However, I do think this film has a ‘dramatic tension’ and includes all 3 components of it; the dramatic question, the deliberation, and the answer. From the beginning it is clear that Julie craves excitement in her life and becomes bored and distressed if she does not feel productive or like her life is slowing down. Julie’s dramatic question throughout the film is ‘Will Julie finally find her passion and feel like she is in the right place in her life?’ Frank Daniel described ‘dramatic tension’ as “Somebody wants something badly and is having difficulty getting it.”, so Julie’s deliberation is her struggle to find a passion, and her struggle to be happy with her life, hence her need for change all the time in order to feel satisfied… however this is not helping her question of being happily settled down. The answer is the ending when Julie learns to appreciate her life after losing a friend. She finally understands the value of enjoying life and stops wanting something more. Gulino says the ‘dramatic tension’  is the ‘main tension’ as opposed to these ‘smaller tensions’, which I am also familiar with recognising as B-plots and relationship lines.

As mentioned, I watched TWPITW recently which is a film that comes so close to real life, and didn’t need crazy editing, cgi, or unrealistic story turns to remain an entertaining and highly enjoyable watch. When I think plot twists, I think of The Sixth Sense, Parasite, or Shutter Island… which are all amazing films that I love, however I’ve learnt through watching different movies that a plot twist does not have to be as crazy as these. In real life, we have plot twists all the time, such as being injured, quitting a job unexpectedly or being fired, making a new friend in an unlikely place. These are real life plot twists that aren’t as depicted in films as much as the dramatised one are. In TWPITW, Julie finds out her ex has cancer and not long to live, this serves as a twist in her own life, as it allows her to realise the limited time we have and that she needs to change her mindset to appreciate it. I think a good plot twist is not how extravagant the change is, but is how it impacts the protagonist, or how it serves to develop their story.

Gulino, Paul. (2014 [2004]). Screenwriting: the sequence approach. New York: Bloomsbury

Week 1 blog post:

https://www.mediafactory.org.au/lily-mao/2024/03/16/the-plot-thickens-week-1-blog/ ‎

Week 2 blog post:

https://www.mediafactory.org.au/lily-mao/2024/03/18/the-plot-thickens-week-2-blog/ ‎

Week 3 beat sheet draft:

https://www.mediafactory.org.au/lily-mao/2024/03/21/the-plot-thickens-week-3-blog-post/ ‎

Rom/com

Protagonist: Louis who gets into the car with old lady.

Normality: Louis is a smart, but unemployed man who robs regularly with his friend/partner, Lily.  He does this as a full-time gig while lying to his normal, well-mannered, and wealthy family that he has an office job for a big company.

Disturbance: Louis and Lily get stuck at the boom gates behind a clueless, old woman who is slow and does not know how to leave the car park. As the police approach them and no hope of escaping with his car and Lily, Louis asks to drive the car of the old woman, leaving Lily behind to be arrested for the crime while he escapes.

Plan: Louis introduces himself to the old lady who tells him her name is Andi and tells her that he will help her with whatever she needs. He plans to be on her good side for as long as possible if she does not turn him in/report him. She agrees to if he becomes her carer/friend who she will pay to run errands.

Surprise… which turns into the obstacle: Louis drives Andi home, a small, cute cottage with a beautiful garden, lovely interior, and she has 2 beautiful cats. Louis is walking around the house looking at her old furniture and photographs. He stops dead in his tracks when his eyes find a photograph of Andi AND Lily (his burglar partner who he just abandoned) next to each other in a recent photo. Although to Louis’s surprise, Lily is not in her usual attire or state. She has girly makeup, and is in a pretty yellow sundress, smiling brightly. Louis asks Andi who this girl is, and she responds that she is her granddaughter.

Obstacle: Louis realises that he will be tending to the grandmother of the girl who has just been put into prison. But when she is bailed out due to her wealthy parents… he must avoid and eventually face Lily who is determined to expose him… but fights with herself as she does not want to disappoint her loved grandmother… as well as both Louis and Lily slowly growing feelings for each other further along.

Reflection:  This activity was highly enjoyable, and I feel that I was able to put the 3 weeks of learning and experience into proper action for the first time. Aronson emphasised the importance of differentiating the action line from the relationship line as the “plot must deal with a developing relationship”. I kept this in mind which led me to the conclusion of having a romance between Lily and Louis be the stem for the character arc and development. I strongly feel that the practice over the weeks has made me understand a lot more about storytelling and generating not only that, but characters and their ability to change through cause and effect.

Reference:

Aronson, Linda. (2010). The 21st Century Screenplay: a comprehensive guide to writing tomorrow’s films. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin

Apologies it is long I tried to cut it down!!

Week 2 has got me thinking about the action and relationship lines within a film, specifically the idea that the relationship line is always a result of the action line, or in other words the action line allows the relationship line to occur. Aronson said “this plot must deal with a developing relationship (not, for example, just redundant, eternal bickering).” and my mind immediately  jumped to Priscilla which has a very strong relationship line. Priscilla moves in with Elvis early in the film as they have fallen in love and he has promised to take care of her. The action, which may appear as the main plot when Priscilla moves in with Elvis as his fame grows rapidly, is the impact or trigger for the relationship line between him and Priscilla. The film contains a conflict-ridden relationship, and Priscilla, the protagonist who is undergoing internal change due to her changing relationship with Elvis. The development of the relationship line becomes the main plot of this film as we see Priscilla’s personal growth and strength develop by the end of the film.

Snyder’s Beat Sheet template is a layout of a film that I am not very familiar with, but it interests me due to its specificity in terms of what has to happen in a film.  I have mapped out Barbie which follows a simple story structure so I found that it fit well. However, I don’t think this structure would work for every movie. Barbie follows a formulaic structure of a protagonist’s journey whereas many others do not and would struggle to fit into this mold.

Opening image – Post Space Odyssey reference, multiple Barbies including our Protagonist ‘Barbie’ with all sorts of careers showing little girls they can be anything.

Theme stated – “Thanks to Barbie, all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved… at least that’s what the Barbie’s think.”

Set up – We see the Barbies’ and Kens’ perfect, happy lives in musical form. We get to know Ken (Gosling) and his behaviours that will be addressed later on such as his longing to be appreciated by Barbie… his defeated masculinity… Barbie is happy and normal to begin but we slowly see her change as imperfect things happen in the second musical number such as burnt toast, thoughts of death, cold shower, and flat feet!!!!!

Catalyst – Barbie goes to see Weird Barbie who tells her she must go to the real world to fix her problems or she risks getting cellulite!!!!!

Debate – Barbie does not want to go but finally willingly agrees to go.

Break into 2 – Barbie sets off (with Ken) to the real world.

B-story – Barbie’s owners are a mum and daughter who we are introduced to in this Act as they are the crucial relationship line between Barbie and the real world. Barbie has visions of the mum and daughter who appear to be unhappy, prompting her to find them more. Another B story may be Ken going off to discover the real world is opposite to Barbie land. He finds a world where men are superior which he wants to replicate in Barbie land.

Fun/games – Barbie and Ken steal clothes and go to prison, Barbie punches a man… goes to prison… Barbie is captured by Mattel and about to be put in a box but she escapes and is chased. She is saved by the daughter and mother and there is a big car chase from Mattel. They escape and go to Barbie land.

Midpoint – They arrive at Barbie land to find Ken has turned her dream house  into a Mojo Dojo Casa House. The Kens have taken over.

Bad guys close in – The Mattel team of men are making their own way to Barbie land. Kens have brainwashed the barbies to be tradwife barbies.

All is Lost – Barbie gives up, falls to the ground dramatically, wishes to be left alone to wallow in self pity.

Dark Night of the Soul – The human mother and daughter come back to help Barbie, they find her at Weird Barbie’s house. Barbie is defeated still, America Ferrera’s character gives a monologue of the struggles of being a woman in this society.

Break into Three – The Barbie’s hatch a plan to trick all the Ken’s and as a result turn them all against each other, breaking down their strength in numbers.

Finale – The Ken’s fight each other and the Barbie’s claim back Barbie land!! Barbie and Ken talk and agree that they are their own individual people and don’t need the other one to have an identity. Barbie decides she wants to be human and live in human world.

Final image – Opposite to our opening, Barbie is living in the real world, wearing Birkenstocks.

Snyder, Blake. (2005). Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, Michael Wiese Productions. Accessed 19 March 2024.

Week 1 of the Plot Thickens has turned my critical thinking on movies upside down already. The structure of film is already more noticeable as this has been the focus of the class, with a recent film I have watched called Poor Things being a stand out. With reference to the quote, “the longer the audience sits, the harder the screenwriter has to work to keep it’s attention, which means the cleverer/more moving/more unexpected the rising plot needs to be”, Poor Things utilises it’s characters and their actions to form a highly unique plot which is displayed in a narrative that consistently keeps the audience hooked. The rising plot in the film is the audience following our protagonist as she gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about herself. While there is no singular villain throughout the film, it’s clear early that the villain is Bella’s yearn for freedom, knowledge, and truth. There forms a developed emotional attachment between the audience and the protagonist through her comedy, cleverness, kindness, and blunt reaction to the world, all of which give her a charm, creating a warm sense which is where the audience’s attention and want to watch the film comes from.

The Smiley/Thompson 9-point story structure seems to me like a strong way of starting a script as it ensures that the protagonist’s actions are meaningful and encourage the flow of the story, rather than having the protagonist do things around other events of the story.

By putting Poor Things in this structure, I found that it got more complicated and more difficult the more I went on. There are many aspects of the film that are not conventional for this structure and a lot of rearranging is possible. Just because it does not work perfectly with the structure does not make it a less interesting film. I would say it makes it an even more intriguing film.

Normality: Bella Baxter is doing toddler like activities under the watch of the scientist ‘God’. She is learning to speak and do new things at a fast rate.

Disturbance: Bella’s brain is developing quickly and because of this she begins to question the outside world that is forbidden to her. She is unhappy staying at home all the time as she wants to see the world and learn.

Protagonist: Bella Baxter

Plan: Bella plans to leave home and discover things about the world and about herself with a man who says will take her to many different countries.

Surprise: Bella successfully leaves home however is confronted with the not so perfect world she expected.

Obstacle: Bella tries to make sense of this new world and wants to find a purpose for herself.

Complications/substories: Bella discovers sex for money and subtly learns that prostitution is for male enjoyment only, not her own. She is exposed to the cruelty of class division when she sees the dying babies from her cruise. God is also dying which is the cue for Bella abandoning her adventure and going home.

Climax: After being kidnapped by her “husband”, Bella realises that her “mother” tried to kill herself due to the terrible life she had. The husband tries to kill her so she fights and shoots him in the foot.

Resolution: Bella turns her ex-husband into a goat and lives peacefully with her friends and family. She continually grows and expands her brilliant mind to help the world become a better place.

Resources:

Aronson, Linda. (2010). The 21st Century Screenplay: a comprehensive guide to writing tomorrow’s films. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin

Studio Reflections

Prompt 1:

From Phantom Cinema, a project that really stood out to me was ‘Cut into the Capitol’ which utilised the Capitol theatre to present scenes from films, demonstrating how the Capitol theatre holds so much film history. By using iconic film scenes in the project, the creator has shown to his audience the significance of the Capitol’s rich history in film. I thought it was very clever how the creator used different aspects and areas of the Capitol that worked well alongside the scenes he used from the films selected. It created a very real effect to the combination of animation to footage of the Capitol theatre. For example, the lighting of the Capitol, specifically the spotlight was used to match up with a scene from Whiplash, making the whole final piece very attractive to the eye and flowed nicely, it almost fit together like a puzzle piece. I thought that this project responded very well to the prompt as it gave the Capitol a lively feel to it. It made the Capitol feel like its own being that is still alive and maybe has been forgotten but can be remembered through the films that have visited the Capitol over the years. The other project that I was really interested in was the video presented in the Capitol called What Remain: Unmade Films. This video essay highlighted the significance of films throughout history that were filmed but never released. The purpose of the video essay is to emphasise the significant impact that these unfinished films have on filmmaking today. These pieces should be preserved and kept safe where people can view them and be inspired by them in their own filmmaking. They have also provided examples of times when film makers have used historical, unmade/unfinished found footage to inspire their own work. When studying Phantom Cinema, this idea of “unmade films” acting as the phantom like being that has been forgotten and become almost ghost like is very intriguing. They emphasise not only the historical but the cultural importance of incorporating these films into modern day research and media as we as creators can be inspired and educated on the lives of people from around the world and in different times and places throughout history.

Prompt 2:

The studio that I have selected to reflect on is Uncomfortable Filmmaking, something that is interesting to me because I am already quite uncomfortable making films, so I wanted to explore what kind of uncomfortable filmmaking this studio would include. What I encountered when researching this studio were many films that in some way or another evoked a feeling of eeriness and uneasiness in me. They were films that did not follow the traditional formula of a standard, mainstream film, but instead used obscure techniques and ways of filming, acting, editing to make the film ‘uncomfortable’ for the audience. I think the studio focused on a mix of creating content that will make the audience uncomfortable, as well as putting the students making the films out of their comfort zone by creating these not so mainstream films. One film emphasised this which was called Do Geese See God. In this short film I felt very uncomfortable watching it as it was filmed with reverse techniques but not how normally done. Instead, it is the actor doing the reverse movements, which is then reversed to look “normal” but of course looks far from normal. I thought this was very clever as it showed the technical skills as well as thought that went in to making this work. The actors and creators of the work also wrote in their reflections how this was challenging and uncomfortable for them. The slowness of the film, along with colour also added a good uneasiness to the work. The other one I found myself immersed in was called Daydream. This one had a similar edge to it with the eerie silence and music combination, with the video following a singular character who appears to go through the process of a positive mindset to a negative state of mind. The visual effects do a great job of creating the desired mood of the film, with the start being light, airy, and quite aesthetic and pretty to the viewers, but as the film goes on, we see subtle changes with early on showing quick flashes of an evil like red shadow. The acting also made me feel very uncomfortable as it shifts between an innocent like nature and behaviour to a creepy, distorted acting. Overall, these films successfully responded to the studio, creating a visually uncomfortable setting, mood, and emotions through a variety of film techniques.

We all arrived at The Capitol a couple hours before the exhibition started so that we would be able to set up our posters and set, while also doing a couple run throughs to make sure we were all set! We all felt very confident, although there was a bit of last minute discussion about timing of a few things including the sound effects and lighting. During the real performance, we did have a little bit of confusion or struggle with the timing of the music sound effects, but it was minor and was almost unnoticeable

During the preparation for the exhibition I would say the most important part of keeping the flow of our process is our communication and listening to everybody’s ideas. We have all contributed to both the performance and the making of the videos whether it is the inclusion of props, how to layout the performance, what might make something easier or more interesting, etc. We all did so well in ensuring that everybody’s ideas were listened to and incorporated in some way to the project. We all did our part in the pre production and preparation which benefitted how our project turned out immensely. After seeing how our work finally turned out in the exhibition and how the audience reacted to it, I am very proud of how our group came together with all our ideas and managed to create something that we are all proud of. It is a very rewarding feeling when you know you have worked collaboratively over weeks to finally end up with the ideal outcome. I think we all did really well in listening to everybody’s ideas and visions which made working together very easy as nobody was excluded or dismissed as a group member. Next time when working on a group project with a large number of members as we did, I think we could try to organise meetings where we collaborate ideas together outside of class. We managed it very well so this was not needed and my group only had 1 online group call, however this is something that I may need to do more of in the future if I have less time and class time is not used as efficiently as we used it this semester. Overall, I am very proud of all of us this semester for the work we put in and the teamwork that I was apart of with everybody. Our attitude and commitment made it a very enjoyable experience and I would love to work with these people again!!

This week we were focusing on the live performance part of our project, ensuring that every aspect of what we have worked on is and will come together for the final product. On Friday we made our way to The Capitol as a final run through and plan out of how the performance will play out on the date of the performance. We played around with lights and music, and assigned all of us our roles that we will have during the performance. Myself and Sofia will be handing out the pamphlets as we walk down the aisles to the attendees. We originally had the idea that we would also be handing out the roses to the audience but with more consideration and thought, we decided it would work better if we kept hold of the roses in our bouquets and then when we get on stage we hand one out to each of us ‘actors’ on stage. Lu and Sebastian are the coffin carriers on and off the stage during the dramatic scenes, Tom is our light and music controller, Addison is our priest, and Mia and Alyssa are mourners as well as our stage set organisers. All of us have put in a lot of effort to make this project happen, we have communicated well which is makes me know that this project is going to turn out really well. We brought some of the props to The Capitol as well on Friday as a sort of dress rehearsal, so that we could envision it as accurately to the day as possible. These included the easel which we will place our large printed portrait of film, we also brought along the flower props and all the printed pamphlets and posters. Mia and Lu went around the university, sticking up a lot of our posters to try to get the word out and gather a larger audience. By the end of the Friday lesson I think we were all feeling very confident with what we needed to do as last minute touches with some advice and pointers from Adrian about the presentation of our videos. Adrian suggested that we edit with the sound of our videos, and try to even out the sound so that there is not such a dramatic change in the volume when it goes from complete silence to a very loud sound. We all feel confident with how we are going and we have all put in a lot of effort to make this work as well as it has. We have agreed to all wear full black on the day to be in character for the performance and we have decided to get to The Capitol at 11:30am on Wednesday so that we have time before the exhibition to set up what we need to, and practice any last minute things, making sure it runs smoothly and goes how we want it to.