BLOG QUESTION ADV: WRITING A SCENE

What should you be thinking about when writing a scene for the first time? What does this video have to say about this? What should you be thinking about when rewriting a scene? What does this video have to say about that?

In the first draft, when writing a scene, you should keep the scene simple. You should ask yourself these two main questions: What do the characters want, and what happens in the scene to move the story forward? In a scene, characters should learn something, or the world should change. All scenes should change the trajectory of the story in some way and push it forward. These changes can be huge or minor, but they should all drive the story forward. When you start rewriting a scene, this is where you can add all the details. Ask yourself, what do the characters want? What is the specific problem in the scene? What creates the scene conflict? How do the characters try to get what they want? How does the scene change the overall story? Now that you have all these questions, you can use them as prompts and answer them through the scene.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: SETUPS AND PAYOFFS

What are set-ups and pay-offs? Why are they so important in the screenplay you are writing?

Set-ups and pay-offs create a sense of logic in a story by making the resolution justified. It makes the stakes feel real and makes the audience feel invested. A successful set-up creates a sense of coherence and builds suspense, and a successful pay-off satisfies the viewers' desires and leaves an emotional impact on them. There are multiple ways to create a set-up and pay-off, but a common way to do it is by introducing something that seems unrelated to the main story and tying it in at the end. It's important to not overdo those kinds of set-ups, as it might be too obvious or it might turn out a bit corny.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: DAN HARMON'S STORY CIRCLE

How is Dan Harmon's Story Circle similar to "The Hero's Journey" monomyth cycle you've learned about? How is it different? Which system do you prefer? Why?

Most movies can be broken down into 3 acts. That's act 1, which is about 25%, act 2, which is 50%, and act 3, which is about 80-100% of your story. However, most stories are more than just 3 acts, and in between each act lies a more complicated structure. There are 8 points in a Harmon story circle: 1. comfort zone, 2. need or desire, 3. unfamiliar situation, 4. adaptation to that situation, 5. get what they wanted, 6. but pay the price, 7. return to comfort, and 8. having changed. When broken down, it can be put into this phrase: "You need to go search, find, take, return, change.". Films can have multiple story circles within them, and you can even use a circle to create a single scene. The circle helps prevent writer's block as it tells you what events need to happen in a scene. I think I prefer the hero's journey when trying to think of a story overall, but the Harmon story circle is a good tool to use when you need to get into the details of specific events. Some similarities that this circle has with a hero's journey include the beginning, where a character is part of an ordinary world they're used to, they leave for somewhere unfamiliar, go through obstacles, and then return to their regular world as a new person.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: PATTERNS IN STORYTELLING

What storytelling patterns does this video discuss, and what significance do they hold when you are writing a short film?

Some storytelling patterns the video discusses are the different variations of the hero's journey. There are different tropes that you should know how to use when writing within a genre, since genres mainly rely on these to get the audience engaged with something they're familiar with. Using the patterns in the hero journey will keep your audience on your side. Most movies that you watch follow the hero's journey structure, and anything that deviates from that might be off-putting to watch as an audience member. Following the hero's journey helps your script stay organized and understandable for the audience.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: HOW SAMURAI FILMS INFLUENCED THE CREATION OF STAR WARS

How did Kurosawa influence George Lucas? What parts of the samurai film did Lucas incorporate into Star Wars? What is the most interesting thing that you learned in this video?

 George Lucas was heavily influenced by Kurosawa's samurai films. George Lucas was heavily inspired by the film "Seven Samurai". He based character titles such as "Jedi" on Japanese terms like "jigeki.". Character design for the Empire is modeled after samurai armor. Mentors such as Yoda are modeled after characters from Seven Samurai, and so are the main characters, such as Luke. The fight scenes also mirror classic samurai fights, but instead of a katana, they used light sabers. The most interesting thing that I learned in this video was that America had forced Japan into censorship, which prevented them from making Samurai films until after the end of World War 2. As America fell out of its golden age in cinema, Japan was finally able to enter its own, now that the censorship was gone.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HERO'S JOURNEY IN EXAMPLES

What do you notice when watching this video example of the hero's journey in these films? How is it represented in each film?

 The video explains how movies use old myths and existing stories to make the formula of a hero's journey. In each film, it mainly follows these key steps: The hero is living in an ordinary world, they receive a call to adventure, they get some mentorship, they face a road of trials, they come out of them transformed and face some sort of rebirth, and then they return to their regular world with new experience and wisdom/knowledge.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: WHAT IS THE HERO'S JOURNEY?

What is the hero's journey? What parts of the structure stand out and seem the most important to you?

The hero's journey is a kind of archetype where a character goes through some form of adventure, encounters obstacles, learns a lesson, wins a victory, and leaves as a new person. The three main stages of a hero journey include the departure (hero leaves familiar world), the initiation (hero navigates new world), and the return (hero returns to original world). One part of the structure that stands out and seems the most important to me is the initiation part. During that stage, the new world has to be fully established, and the hero has to go through new obstacles until they reach the main obstacle or enemy. They also have to use everything new they've learned during this stage to defeat the obstacle. This part seems important because you have to tie in everything that your character has gone through to make a satisfying climax in the story, and you also have to reward the hero and viewers at the end.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: CHARACTER ARCHETYPES

Which archetype seems easiest to write? Which do you think seems the most difficult? Why? What archetype do you understand the least? Why? What kind of heroes do you like telling stories about?

I would say that the Herald is the easiest archetype to write, because it doesn't necessarily have to be a physical human being, and they are usually only involved in the beginning of a story to set the hero on a journey. The article says that it can come in the forms of many things, a phone call, letter, accident, or character. Whatever it is, they just have to provoke a call to action for the protagonist. I would say that the shadow is the most difficult because similar to a hero, you have to establish their own motivations, backstory, and character traits. You have to give them reasonable motivations and goals, and usually, it's better to give them qualities that make them relatable to the audience. It can be tricky finding a good balance between evil and reason. I think I understand the shape-shifter the least, only because the description is kind of confusing.  I like stories about heroes who come from an average/normal world, and are thrust upon a fantasy land or something completely out of their comfort zone.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: GENRE

What did you learn about genre and film from this video? Why is it important to a film?

Genre comes from French, and it means "kind/type", it was also used to describe types of books, but it became vital in differentiating types of films. It influences the production, distribution, and consumption of a film. Genres help determine the type of products that will be needed to fit the genre, the actors who can portray the characters, and the writers who can effectively follow character stereotypes within that genre. The distributors use genres to determine whether or not a film will do well at the box office, based on how previous films did within that genre. Most people have a preferred genre, which makes it easier for studios to gauge which films will do well. Overall, genres can help studios save time and money, it can help distributors choose marketable films for an audience, and for the audience, it helps them make decisions on what film to watch/

BLOG QUESTION ADV: LAWS OF GREAT STORYTELLING

Summarize two of the most interesting laws in this article. How do they help create engaging visual stories?

The first most interesting law in this article is #2: Spend most of your time on the first ten pages of your script. The first ten pages must reel in your audience and leave them wanting to know more about your story. It's good to have a captivating introduction to keep them interested, and by doing so, you can also pair it with interesting visuals that complement it. The second most interesting law in this article is write economically. Most people when they begin writing a script, want descriptive screen direction in order to "help" the actors and audience understand the feelings of a character, but it's good to keep it clean and concise. It's important to remember that your script is supposed to entertain the audience as well as inform them on what the character is supposed to act like. You also don't want your dialogue to be "On the Nose" which means you don't want it to explain the story/plot too much, but more so imply information in order to keep your audience involved in the story. These laws help engage the audience as it leaves them seeking more information about your story, and it captivates them.

BLOG QUESTION ADV: 7 BASIC PLOTS

Pick two of these plot types that most interest you and write about them. Why does each of these plot types of interest you? What makes them seem more interesting than the other ones? Which two of the plot lines out of the seven would you like to use for a future video project? Why?

Two plot types that interest me the most are rebirth and tragedy. Rebirth interests me because I think its fascinating to see characters go through a life-changing event that changes their perspective of the world around them, causing them to change their morals/beliefs. I am interested in the tragedy plot because I think it leaves a lasting effect on the audience. One example that comes to mind is Dead Poets Society, which happens to be my favorite movie ever. I think stories of tragedy and death are so shocking, which is why it leaves a memorable imprint on its audience. For a furture project, I would probably use comedy or voyage and return since they seem achievable with the resources and actors we have.