Romantic Screenplays 101 (17 page)

Finally, Act III’s Climax provides the greatest tension of the entire story. The reader / audience has to be trapped in concern for the outcome of the clash. The writer then has to reduce the tension with the satisfying Commitment scene that hints of the protagonist’s future. Here is the insinuation that life will go on into the “After-Story.”

The paradigm form considers the use of Lajos Egri’s lessons about “Image Repeats.” These are the visuals that deliver a repeated subliminal message the audience mentally weaves into the context of the story. In WITNESS there is the serenity of the wheat field, the pastoral peace of the rural vs. the harried threat of the mechanized modern world, the birdhouse that sat beside the lane into the farm that John Book’s car knocked down to become his first carpentry project then the repaired symbol of his leaving. In THE CUTTING EDGE, the blades on the rink’s ice and spotlights on the competitive figure skaters required no explanations because the audience remembered their significance to the characters.

Study repeat images in every movie you watch. They are there to subtly guide your experience, to create visual aura without explanation. They are logical to the setting and unobtrusive point-makers that add credibility without deliberate exposition or explanation.

Syd Field and this unique form have provided a comparison-contrast for information and explanations in other screenwriting books by other industry-wise folks. Most preach the same signposts but change their identifying names. It is all a matter of semantics. You need to understand that the naming of the parts is not as important as the fundamental concepts which remain the same. The UCLA Film Department staunchly reinforces Aristotle’s 3-Act story structure throughout their undergraduate and graduate programs. Script Consultant Michael Hauge explains four acts and long-time writing instructor John Truby preaches seven points underlying the 22 Steps of screenplay analysis and construction. The list goes on, each screenplay expert interpreting Beginning-Middle-Ending. If these screenwriting views were over-laid on the form you find here, you would see the fundamental concepts shine through. Ultimately, they are all 3-Acts with signposts events that carry the linear story forward.

Utilize whatever works for you! The form here has been used in the planning and writing of a multitude of short stories, novels and screenplays. It has also evolved with a few more signposts. One glaring fact remains constant. Screenplays have a time-page constraint with events happening at progressive intervals to keep the story moving and tension building. Does the story event have to fall exactly on the suggested page-count? Certainly not, but the event needs to be close to it to provide the story progression and prevent digression or wandering into subplot side stories. We are not talking predictability here, but focus on moving the story forward.

THE MYTHIC STORY CONSTRUCT

So we all have the same frame of reference, let’s briefly outline in words what Joseph Campbell (and Chris Vogler’s
The Writer’s Journey
) called the “Hero’s Journey” of discovery and conquest, a reliably consistent model for planning any story that mirrors the essential event outline of any screenplay (and any novel):

Beginning’s Act I / Set-up, ¼ of the entire story

- Intro the Hero’s Ordinary World (out of Backstory)

- Inciting Incident, Herald’s “Call to Adventure” / change

- Hero’s Refusal of the Call (because known world safer)

- Meeting the Mentor (who convinces Hero)

- Plot Point I, Cross the Threshold, event where life changes 180 degrees

Middle’s Act II / Confrontation, ½ of entire story

- First half Reactions to Tests, Allies, Enemies / Learning

- Pinch I, Approach Inmost Cave (Worst Fear glimpsed)

- Mid-Point’s Supreme Ordeal / Epiphany Experience & Hero taking action

- Pinch II, Reward for Seizing Sword, Acknowledge / Savor Accomplishment

- Plot Point II, Road Block / Black Moment, superior Antagonist defeats Hero

Ending’s Act III / Resolution, ¼ of story

- Resurrection when “Mouse Roars”, preparation for battle

- Climax, Battle where one side triumphs

- Return with Elixir, Triumphant & Committed into After-story

If you find this repetitious of what was just explained, it is meant to be! You must learn to think in this structure in the planning stage to execute it in the writing stage and eventually analyze your script in revision.

* * *

TEN-STEP PARADIGM PROCESS

1. Complete the Log Line and Statement of Purpose

2. Consider target length of the project (to project length of Begin-Middle-End)

3. Complete Character Profiles on Main Characters (Chapter 3)

4. Consider Main Plot vs. contributing Subplots

a. Where does the story begin?

b. When does the story end?

c. Where do I want each subplot to begin & end?

5. Identify potential signposts to be written to

6. Consider how the signposts reflect Log Line and Statement of Purpose

7. Begin sketching / storyboarding Main Plot of Begin-Middle-End

8. Word-sketch / storyboard agendas of subplots

9. Identify events of subplots pertinent to / impacting Main Plot

10. Begin actual writing (understanding pacing & discoveries may change the paradigm)

APPENDIX C

I am
not
standing in judgment of how strong or weak any of these are, just saying they have a relationship story that evolves into a romance with the couple as a committed unit by the end.

PRIMARY ROMANCE FILMS

27 Dresses

Accidental Tourist

Alex & Emma

An Affair to Remember

Angel Eyes

Australia

AVATAR

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Charade

Chasing Liberty

Claudine

Down with Love

Ever After

Far & Away

For Love of Ivy

French Kiss

Garden State

Ghost and Mrs. Muir (if commitment after death counts)

Giant

Gilda

Hitch

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Il Postino

I.Q.

Jane Eyre (Joan Fontaine/Orson Welles)

Jerry Maguire

Jewel of the Nile

Jezebel

Juno

Kate & Leopold

Kingdom of Heaven

Ladyhawke

Lethal Weapon IV

Letters to Juliet

Life as We Know It

Love Actually

Love in the Afternoon

Maid in Manhattan

Maurice

Meet Joe Black

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Never Been Kissed

Ninotchka

North by Northwest

Notorious

Now Voyager

Original Sin

Possession

Pride and Prejudice (Laurence Olivier/Greer Garson)

Pretty Woman

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Return to Me

Riders of the Purple Sage (starring Ed Harris for Turner)

Romancing the Stone

(A) Room with a View

Sabrina (Humphrey Bogart/Audrey Hepburn)

Shakespeare in Love

Sideways

Six Days, Seven Nights

Sense and Sensibility

Sleepless in Seattle

Some Like It Hot

Some One Like You

Something’s Gotta Give

Somewhere in Time

Splash

Stargate

Star Wars II, III, V, VI

Story of Three Loves (Equilibrium)

Sweet Home Alabama

The Adjustment Bureau

The African Queen

The American President

The Best Years of Our Lives

The Big Easy

The Devil Wears Prada

The Family Stone

The Fifth Element

The Holiday

The Lady Eve

The Lake House

The Last of the Mohicans

The Man from Snowy River

The Notebook

The Proposal

The Quiet Man

The Wedding Date

The Wedding Planner

The Young Victoria

Top Gun

Two Weeks Notice

Valentine’s Day

(A) Walk in the Clouds

When Harry Met Sally

While You Were Sleeping

Working Girl

Wrangler

You’ve Got Mail (The Shop Around the Corner)

LOVE STORIES

(that did NOT end up with a commitment into the future at the end)

A Stranger Among Us

Braveheart

Bridges of Madison County

Brokeback Mountain

Casablanca

City of Angels

Duel in the Sun

Gone with the Wind

Legends of the Fall

Mr. Jones

Out of Africa

Portrait of Jenny

Roman Holiday

Somersby

Story of Three Loves (The Jealous Lover, Mademoiselle)

Sunset Boulevard

The Heiress

The Horsewhisperer

The Wings of the Dove

Titanic

Witness

APPENDIX D

AVATAR

By
James Cameron

2009, Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver

Length:
155 Minutes (Theatrical release)

Log Line:
A paraplegic marine inhabits an alien body on an exotic planet and becomes torn between the alien culture and its destructive exploitation by his fellow humans.

Statement of Purpose:
To prove a man of conscience and integrity can bond with and defend a race with laudable values.

Intro Image:
Aerial flight over lush trees.

First 13 minutes

Who:

Jake Sully, wheelchair-bound former Recon Marine willing to take risks for a warrior’s life

Grace, biology/sociology expert who loves an alien race enough to fight for them

Col. Quaritch, hard-core Marine commander on alien Pandora willing to violently exterminate the natives

Parker, narrow-mined corporate head of Pandora’s mining colony focused on corporate profits

When:
Future (2154 per dates on Jake’s recordings)

Where:
Earth to Space to Pandora’s mining colony

What:
Handicapped vet given chance for new life

Why:
Unable to afford quality life on earth, he takes advantage of having identical g-nome of dead twin brother and volunteers for duty on exotic Pandora to help humans communicate with indigenous people.

Four related subplots:

Mining colony goals

Grace’s science

Na’vi politics & culture

Jake regains manhood as Na’vi

Time Line:
Main story on Pandora is 4 months

Image repeats:

Eyes

Trees & Home Tree

Floating “Seeds” (Pure spirits from Tree of Souls)

Arrows

Helo Gunships

Manned robotic soldiers

“I see you”

“Re-breather” masks

Links (mechanical, nervous system, Na’vi fibers with creatures, ground, trees)

Act I
= Set-up of Ordinary World: Jake’s intro to Pandora, mining politics & his avatar

13 min Intro:
Jake takes assignment to Pandora in his twin’s place to use his marine skills

18 min Inciting Incident: Jake emotionally bonds with his healthy & whole avatar .

30 min PP I: Jake’s avatar is forced to escape into the jungle of Pandora

Act II = Life 180 degrees: Jake learns the Na’vi way of life and falls in love

46 min
Pinch I:
As Moat judges,
Jake fears rejection by the Na’vi (thus would be a failure)

81 min Mid-Point: Jake passes his test and accepted into the Na’vi clan then mates with Neytiri

97 min Pinch II: Jake desperately proclaims his love for Neytiri and the clan

104 min PPII: Colonel’s forces destroy Home Tree, then he “pulls the plug” on the avatars

Act III
= Resolution: Jake leading the Na’vi in battle with humans and winning

135 min Climax:
Jake as the Toruk-Macto leads all the Na’vi on attack of Colonel’s forces

155 min Commitment: Jake’s last report

After-story:
Jake
abandons his human body for permanent life as a Na’vi

Dialogue Notes:

Jake’s self-deprecating tone & marine jargon

Col. Quaritch tough military narrow-minded tone

Parker’s whiny yet corporate arrogance

Grace’s intellectual arrogance

Na’vi cadence

Alpha Character posturing differences:

Jake vs. Quaritch vs. Tsu’tey vs. Norm (note his confidence evolution from subordinate to leader)