Visual Mindscape: Fundamentalism in Screenwritng

As I mentioned in the last column, A Different Take on Screenplay Structure, the Three Act Structure has been pushed onto young writers when there are numerous other forms of storytelling available and worth consideration.

The reason for this is, in part, to offer purpose and validation to many of the script analysts and screenwriting gurus who teach or write about the screenwriting process. They are adamant that they have the answer to some ever-changing and mysterious marketing criteria that will lead to the sale of your screenplay.

They declare that there are rules that must be followed in the development of the story, characters, plotting, narrative, formatting, and whatever else they can wrap up in a bow.

It is analytical left-brain thinking attempting to understand, control, and negate the crucial role that novelty plays in the screenwriting process which is an intuitive right-brain craft.

If it weren't for the fact that it has skewed the creative thought of so many young writers as they attempt to follow all of the 'rules' I wouldn't be that concerned about it.

How many of you have been told in a screenwriting course or a book you have read any of the following;

Don’t Use Flashbacks

Don’t Use Camera Angles

Don’t Use Camera Directions

Don’t Use ‘We See’.

Don’t Use Transitions

The Antagonist must be introduced in the first act.

Keep the Narrative to a minimum (White on the Page)

Don’t Use Parentheticals

Establish Your Genre and Never Break from It

Don’t use Montages

Don’t use ellipsis (. . .)

Don’t Use Voice Over Narration

Don’t write a Character Description

Inciting Incident must appear before page 10

I have only one rule. The screenplay must be an enjoyable, fluid, easy read that excites the reader.

Okay, I am now officially over my two column rant and will return to the Visual Mindscape in my next column. I just wanted to make it clear about where I stand in terms of the screenwriting process.

4 Keys of Conflict

All screenwriters are aware that conflict is a vital component of films. Audiences thrive on it. So what exactly is a conflict?

Conflict is simply a diametrically opposed set of goals, attitudes, philosophies and actions between the main character and something else. The conflict forms the obstacles for the main character and allows the audience to emotionally travel with them.

The conflict must be directly opposed with the main characters goals. Head on. Not an inconvenience, a thorn in their side, a bugbear or a dislike. But a straight up collision of values.

Conflict is the key dramatic driver of all stories. It creates tension, excitement and vitality. In its rudimentary form, conflict arises when an obstacle impedes the protagonist from achieving their goal.

If a story doesn’t have conflict in its backbone, it is little more than a series of events.

The grandest conflict can be reduced to a battle between good and evil, the rational versus the irrational; warring in the human heart. Abraham Lincoln famously said : “The dark side sometimes overcomes the better angels of our nature.”

Great stories contain conflicts for the majority of characters, not just the main one. Tri-level conflict is categorized as internal, external and the over-arching story conflict which relates to theme. Typical conflict scenarios include:

MAN vs OTHERS (PHYSICAL) – The leading character struggles with his physical strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals.

MAN vs. CIRCUMSTANCES (CLASSICAL) – The leading character struggles against fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.

MAN vs. SOCIETY (SOCIAL) – The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or customs of other people.

MAN vs. HIMSELF (PSYCHOLOGICAL) –  The leading character struggles with himself/herself; with his/her own soul, conscience, ideology, morality, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations, choices, etc.