Screenplays: Crash Course Film Production with Lily Gladstone #1

Summary

Crash Course Film Production introduces viewers to the film industry with host Lily Gladstone. The series explores the collaborative process of movie-making, from pre-production to distribution. It covers screenplays as the blueprint of a film, detailing their structure with sluglines, action, and dialogue. The video also discusses the importance of protagonists, goals, and obstacles in storytelling, and introduces the 'Hero's Journey' and the 'Three Act Structure' as foundational elements for screenwriters.

Takeaways

• 🎬 A screenplay is the blueprint for a movie, guiding all the artists, craftspeople, and engineers involved in production.
• 📝 Screenplays are formatted with three basic elements: sluglines, action, and dialogue.
• 📍 Sluglines, written in all caps, indicate where and when a scene takes place, whether it's interior or exterior, and whether it's day or night.
• 💬 The action in a screenplay is written in the present tense and describes what the audience can see and hear, focusing on 'show, don’t tell.'
• 🎭 The dialogue represents the words spoken by the characters, and a standard feature-length screenplay is typically 90-120 pages long.
• 🔄 Movies usually revolve around a protagonist, a goal, and obstacles that create external and internal conflicts for the character.
• 🏆 The protagonist often undergoes personal growth or change as they pursue their goal, and this process can follow a structure like the Hero’s Journey.
• ⚔️ Conflict is essential for moving the story forward and can be external (physical obstacles) or internal (emotional struggles).
• 📚 The traditional Three Act Structure divides a story into a beginning (setup), middle (conflict), and end (resolution), where the protagonist faces their biggest challenges.
• 🎥 Not all screenplays follow the traditional structure; some indie and foreign films play with ambiguous endings, multiple protagonists, or nonlinear storytelling.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Crash Course Film Production?

Crash Course Film Production focuses on exploring film production, explaining how movies are made, and discussing the various roles and processes involved in creating a film.

What does Lily Gladstone mention as the starting point for making a film?

Lily Gladstone mentions that the screenplay is the starting point for making a film, acting as a blueprint for the entire production process.

What are the three basic elements of a screenplay?

The three basic elements of a screenplay are sluglines, action, and dialogue.

What information does a slugline convey and why is it important?

A slugline conveys information about the location and time of a scene, which is crucial for the crew to prepare for filming, including location scouting, set design, and lighting.

How does the format of action in a screenplay differ from that in a novel?

In a screenplay, action is written in present tense and is limited to what the audience can see and hear, whereas a novel can include descriptions of a character's thoughts and feelings.

What is the 'show, don't tell' rule in screenplay writing?

The 'show, don't tell' rule in screenplay writing means that the thoughts, feelings, and themes should be conveyed through actions that can be seen on screen rather than being described directly.

How is the length of a screenplay typically related to the length of the final film?

A feature-length screenplay is usually between 90 and 120 pages, with each page roughly equating to one minute of screen time in the final film.

What are the three main elements that movies tend to focus on in their storytelling?

Movies tend to focus on a protagonist, a goal or objective for the protagonist, and obstacles that stand in the way of achieving that goal.

What is the 'Hero's Journey' and how has it been used in film?

The 'Hero's Journey' is a template for character development identified by Joseph Campbell, outlining twelve steps a protagonist takes in a story. It was famously used by George Lucas in creating Luke Skywalker's journey in Star Wars.

What are the different types of conflict that can be present in a screenplay?

Screenplays can have external conflict, where the protagonist encounters physical obstacles, and internal conflict, which involves emotional or psychological obstacles.

What is the Three Act Structure and how does it apply to screenplays?

The Three Act Structure is a narrative framework that divides a story into a beginning (Act One), middle (Act Two), and end (Act Three), with specific types of events happening in each section.

How does the script describe the role of a screenplay in the larger film production process?

The script describes a screenplay as a blueprint that provides the foundation and clear, concise, visual language for all the work that follows in film production.