THE BUSINESS SIDE OF WRITING WITH BARRY

PROVIDING SCRIPT FEEDBACK
By Barry M. Putt, Jr.

[June 3, 2008] Constructive, insightful feedback is regarded highly by those developing dramatic pieces. But what makes up a thorough critique? The more we understand about story construction, the better we can be at evaluating scripts.

According to Aristotle’s ‘Poetics’, every dramatic piece contains five principle components, which are:

• Plot (a series of growing complications)
• Character (a being with unique traits)
• Diction (the word choice a character uses)
• Reasoning (the choices a character makes)
• Spectacle (scenery, special effects)

Each of these should be examined when you critique a script. Let’s look at them in more detail.

PLOT. Plot is the structuring of story events to produce the highest dramatic results. This structure is comprised of three acts (beginning, middle, and end). There are several story structures to choose from. The most common are:

• THE HERO’S JOURNEY: This is the most widely used of all structures. It revolves around a protagonist (main character) who strives to achieve a goal during the course of the story. The protagonist confronts a series of mounting obstacles along the way and ultimately has a showdown with the antagonist (opposing force/character). This final battle leads the protagonist to either obtain or fail to obtain their goal. The major components of a story in this category are:
  
  

  ACT I
  

  • Denouement: A time when everything is status quo.
  • Inciting Incident: The event that forces the protagonist to make a choice that starts their story goal.
  • Plot point/Turning Point End of Act One: This event occurs at the end of act one and turns the story in a different direction. The tension is intensified. There is no turning back now.
  
  

  ACT II

  • Mid Act two turning point: This event turns the story in yet another direction. It occurs midway through act two.
  • Crisis: The final series of challenges that lead up to the obligatory scene.
  
  
  

  ACT III

  • Obligatory Scene: When the protagonist and antagonist meet face to face and fight until there is a winner.
  • Reversal: The climatic moment at the end of a story when there is a change in fortune. This is the point when the protagonist either reaches or doesn't reach their story goal.
  • Denouement: When everything is status quo again.
  
  

• THE EPIC STORY STRUCTURE: This is similar to “the hero’s journey” structure, expect for the fact that it focuses on several main storylines that run concurrent with one another. Each story relates to the central theme of the overall piece.




• POV STRUCTURE: This is a story that depicts a single event through several main characters’ viewpoints. Stories in this category contain two primary elements. The first is that each main character comments directly to the audience regarding the event. The second is a dramatization of each character’s view on the event.

Once you’ve identified which structure the script you are evaluating uses, verify that the script contains all major story components for the given structure and that those elements are executed to their fullest dramatic potential.

CHARACTER. Well-developed characters are comprised of both strengths and weaknesses. Depicting principal characters in a variety of situations with an array of characters will provide insight into who the principal characters are because the audience will get to see how they handle themselves in different social settings. If this aspect isn’t a part of a script you are reviewing, encourage the writer to incorporate it. One way to do so is by examining how a character behaved in situations prior to the start of the story and then incorporating those behaviors into the situations being depicted in the script.

DICTION. The words a character says perform several functions including moving the story forward and giving insight into the character that speaks them.

There are three levels that dialogue can be spoken on, which are:

FIRST LEVEL: A character says exactly what they mean. (i.e., Yuh sure are puttin’ on the pounds.)

SECOND LEVEL: A character refers indirectly to what they mean. (i.e., Why don’tcha save some for later?)

THIRD LEVEL: A character talks on the surface about one thing, but is actually referring to something else that other characters in the scene understand. (i.e., How come yuh didn’t wash the dishes yet?)

Dramatic scripts should primarily contain dialogue from the second and third levels. This will give the story a richer feel.

REASONING. The choices a character makes tell us a lot about who they are. Do they make snap decisions? Are their actions the result of a labored thought process? Do they make poor choices that always get them into trouble? Take note of how the primary characters go about making decisions. A well-developed script will include characters that have differing or even conflicting ways of reasoning. If this is not the case, encourage the writer to further develop this facet of the story.

SPECTACLE. Scenery and special effects enhance a story and drive plot forward. For example, a stage backdrop that depicts the skyline of Paris is essential to establish location as well as set the tone of a piece. In a battle to the death fought using laser guns, the lasers are a vital effect that will ultimately move the action forward. If the script you are reviewing uses excessive spectacle that doesn’t have a dramatic purpose, encourage the writer to reassess its usage.

In addition to Aristotle’s five principle dramatic script components, there are several other elements that should be reviewed. They are: <

• Story Premise
• Factual Accuracy
• Script Formatting
• Story Logic

Let’s take a closer look at these.

STORY PREMISE. A clearly defined story is one that focuses on a single premise or overall theme. Having too many premises can make a piece appear to be unfocused. If this is the case with a story you’re reviewing, encourage the writer to center the script around the theme they are most drawn towards depicting.

FACTUAL ACCURACY. Portraying historic events and every day processes accurately is important. Whether it’s a court trial or the baking of a cake, each event should unfold in as true-to-life a manner as possible. If not, the script may appear to be poorly researched, which risks losing merit in the eyes of the audience. Make note of any suspected discrepancies and be sure to point them out to the writer.

SCRIPT FORMATTING. Proper page layout is a core component of any script. While the popularity of scriptwriting software has simplified this area greatly, a general review of formatting is always helpful. Here are some guidelines to use:

STAGE & RADIO PLAY FORMAT

1. Margins should be one inch on all sides, expect the left side, which is set at 1 ½ inches.
2. All character headers should begin on the center tab.
3. If a character speaks followed by an action line, then the same character speaks again, a (CONT’D) should be added to the end of the second character header (i.e. MARIA (CONT’D))
4. The abbreviations (O.S.) for Off-Stage and (V.O.) for Voice-Over can also follow a character’s name in the character header when applicable.
5. Dialogue should be flush with the left and right margins.
6. Action lines are indented 3 inches from the right and left margin.
7. Parentheticals are indented 4 inches from the right and left margin.
8. All script pages should be numbered, starting on page 2.
9. A character header and its corresponding dialogue should always follow one another. If a character header appears at the bottom of a page and the dialogue it corresponds to appears at the top of the next page, move the character header to the top of the next page so it accompanies the dialogue.
10. For stage plays, each scene should start with the phrase “Lights UP” or “At RISE” and end with “Lights OUT” or “CURTAIN.”
11. For radio plays, each scene should start and end with the phrase “MUSIC UP and OUT.”

SCREENPLAY FORMAT:

1. Margins should be one inch on all sides, expect the left side, which is set at 1 ½ inches.
2. All character headers should begin on the center tab.
3. If a character speaks followed by an action line, then the same character speaks again, a (CONT’D) should be added to the end of the second character header (i.e. MARIA (CONT’D))
4. The abbreviations (O.S.) for Off Screen and (V.O.) for Voice Over can also follow a character’s name in the character header when applicable.
5. All dialogue should be indented 3 inches from the right and left margin.
6. Action lines should be flush with the left and right margins.
7. All script pages should be numbered, starting on page 2.
8. A character header and its corresponding dialogue should always follow one another. If a character header appears at the bottom of a page and the dialogue it corresponds to appears at the top of the next page, move the character header to the top of the next page so it accompanies the dialogue.
9. Each script should start with the phrase “FADE IN:” and end with the phrase “FADE OUT”.
10. Every scene begins with a scene header, which is written in caps and is flush against the left margin. Scene headers contain the following three elements: 1) the basic environment of the scene, which is either INT. for interior or EXT. for exterior, 2) the specific location, 3) the time of day, which is either DAY or NIGHT (i.e. INT. DRUG STORE – DAY).
11. A scene header should always be followed by an action line.

STORY LOGIC. Every story begins by establishing the rules of its world. For example, if all of the characters in a script walk on air, this should be set up at the beginning of the story and remain consistent throughout unless there is a plot-related reason for it to change. The majority of scripts that don’t work are due to inconsistencies in their story logic. A general review of the concepts found in a story will verify if the logic is consistent or not.

The following is a list of questions to ask yourself as you review a script. While this list should not be considered definitive, it can be useful as a guide:

• Which story structure does the script use?
• Are the characters unique and well defined or do they blend together with not much distinction between them?
• Is the protagonist easy to identify?
• Is the protagonist’s goal well defined?
• Is the antagonist/antagonistic force clearly set up?
• Do the story events build to a climax?
• Are the story rules firmly established at the beginning of the story?
• Are the story rules consistent throughout the story?
• Does each character have their own speech pattern or do they all sound alike?

When you present a script assessment to a writer it’s a good idea to begin by discussing some of the shinning moments in the story and then move on to elements that need tweaking. Be sure to back up your observations with solid story structure principals like those that have been outlined in this article. If you use this approach, you will be able to provide a well-rounded critique as well as develop a keener sense of how to construct stories yourself.

Written by Barry M. Putt, Jr.
Copyright June 3, 2008 Barry M. Putt, Jr. all rights reserved. This article may not be reprinted without permission from the author.