Transcript The Art of Drama  Drama is the word we use when we want to indicate that we are studying something, like plays or.

The Art of Drama

Drama is the word we use when we want to
indicate that we are studying something, like
plays or screenplays, in the written form when
it is really intended for performance.

The written form of the play or film will give
important instructions to the director or others
involved with the production that may not be
apparent to the audience during the
performance.
Stage Directions
In a play, these instructions are called stage
directions.
 They may include;

– References to set and props
– Directions or actions for actors
– Lighting changes

In a film, these may include camera angles
or changes, as well.
Difference Between Drama and Fiction

A main difference between drama and
fiction is that in drama, the action must be
carried out largely by the dialogue and
actions of the characters. In fiction, this can
be helped along by the narrative point of
view.
Similarities Between Drama and Fiction

There are a number of similarities between
drama and fiction:
– The settings are equally important and likely to be
equally symbolic.
– Characters will have the same general functions
» In a play, the main character is the protagonist, while the
character who opposes the protagonist is the antagonist
» The characters will have motivation, or an incentive or
reason for their behavior
» Sometimes the characters will have a flaw or defect,
called hamartia, and that defect will often lead to the
character’s downfall.
Similarities, continued
– Dramas, like works of fiction, will rely heavily
on plot to communicate the story and theme.
» The common pattern of most dramas is depicted in
Freytag’s Pyramid, below
Freytag’s Pyramid

A German critic, Gustave Freytag, derived his
pyramid from Aristotle’s concept of unity.
– Basically, a plot will present a problem or conflict
that will need to be resolved by its end.
– The play provides the audience with needed
information in the beginning of the play, generally
called exposition, and then increase the dramatic
tension with various plot complications.
– As the action rises to its climax, the point of
highest tension, the audience anticipates the
resolution.
Another Version of the Pyramid

Barbara F. McManus, professor of classics
emerita at the College of New Rochelle, has
created an alternate diagram of the pyramid.
Questions for Analyzing a Plot
(Understanding Movies, pages 332-337)
What does the exposition include?
 What are the rising plot points or twists?
 What, where, or when is the climax?
 How does the film get resolved? Is that
resolution satisfying to viewers? Why or
why not?

Theatre versus Film
Generally speaking, audiences of film need not be
as active as audiences in theatre because camera
angles and movement, close-ups and long shots,
and editing assist film viewers.
 The actors on film do not interact with audiences,
as theatre performers may.

For example, in film the elements guide the viewer and help the
viewer interpret the information presented. You will not find this in
theatre.
While the shot above acts as an
establishing shot, it is a cluttered image.
Lucas uses increasing close-ups to draw
viewers’ attentions to the important
information.
The Auteur Theory in Film
In the mid-1950s, the auteur (French for
author) theory became popular.
 It stressed the dominance of the director in
film art
 It holds that whoever is responsible for the
mise en scène—the medium of the story—is
the true “author” of the story.

The Role of Director

The talent of the director is still what can
“make or break” a film.

Well known directors can request “final cut”
privileges, which allows them complete
aesthetic control of the final product that is
the film. Without that, producers can make
editing decisions.

The truest examples of Auteur theory are
writers who secure the rights to direct their
own work
–
–
–
–
George Lucas
John Patrick Shanley
Andrew Niccol
M. Night Shyamalan
Film directors have more
freedom in selection of
settings and décor. It
would be hard to
reproduce the desert
expanse that makes the C3PO shots so humorous
and memorable.
Directors can use special effects and miniatures to
create moods and mimic realities.
It is hard to imagine a theatre production that
could exploit effects to this degree.
The Screenplay

Script
– A general term for a written work detailing
story, setting, and dialogue. A script may take
the form of a screenplay, shooting script, lined
script, continuity script, or a spec script. A
script is often sold for a particular price, which
is increased to a second price if the script is
produced as a movie. For example, a sale may
be described as "$100,000 against $250,000".
In this case, the writer is paid $100,000 up
front, and another $150,000 when the movie is
produced.
 Screenplay
– A script written to be produced as a movie.
 Shooting
Script
– The script from which a movie is made. Usually
contains numbered scenes and technical notes.

Lined Script
– A copy of the shooting script which is prepared by the
script supervisor during production to indicate, via
notations and vertical lines drawn directly onto the
script pages, exactly what coverage has been shot.

Continuity Script, or Continuity Report
– A detailed list of the events that occurred during the
filming of a scene. Typically recorded are production
and crew identification, camera settings,
environmental conditions, the status of each take, and
exact details of the action that occurs. By recording all
possible sources of variation, the report helps cut
down continuity error between shots or even during
reshooting.

Spec Script
– A script written before any agreement has been
entered into ("on spec" or speculation), in hopes of
selling the script to the highest bidder once it has been
completed.

Treatment
– An abridged script, it is longer than a synopsis.
It consists of a summary of each major scene of
a proposed movie and descriptions of the
significant characters and may even include
snippets of dialogue. While a complete script is
around 100 pages, a treatment is closer to 10.

Synopsis
– A summary of the major plot points and
characters of a script, generally in a page or
two.
Formatting a Screenplay

Most Hollywood films are 120 minutes long; most
European films are 90 minutes long.

A page of screenplay—no matter if it is all dialogue, all
action, or some combination of the two—equals
approximately a minute of screen time.

Screenplay Formula
– Set-up, Exposition
– Plot Point I
– Confrontation
– Plot Point II
– Resolution
pages 1-30
pages 25-27
pages 30-90
pages 85-90
pages 90-120
Formatting a Screenplay, continued

Screenwriters do not, in general, have to worry about
camera angles when writing. The directors will read the
script or screenplay and then decide how to film it.

Screenwriters need only introduce the scenes by stating
whether the scene takes place inside (INT.) or outside
(EXT.), where specifically it take place, and when (usually
either DAY or NIGHT). These scenic cues start at the left
margin.
Formatting a Screenplay, continued

After introducing the scene’s location, double-space and
then give a description of characters or places can follow.
This should not be more than a few lines long. This begins
at the left margin, as well.

Characters’ names are capitalized in the description as they
are introduced.

Once characters speak, their names, all capitalized,
followed by their dialogue, is centered on the page.
Formatting a Screenplay, continued

Stage directions should appear in parentheses under the
speaking character’s name, single-spaced.

Sound effects or music effects should be capitalized within
any descriptions.
Common Terms
Term
Meaning
ANGLE ON
(the subject of the shot)
A person, place, or thing
ANGLE ON BILL leaving his
apartment building
FAVORING
(subject of the shot)
Also a person, place, or thing
FAVORING BILL as he leaves
his apartment
ANOTHER ANGLE
A variation of a SHOT
ANOTHER ANGLE of Bill
walking out of his apartment
WIDER ANGLE
NEW ANGLE
POV
A change of focus in a scene
You go from an ANGLE ON
Bill to a WIDER ANGLE which
now includes Bill and his
surroundings
Another variation on a shot,
often used to “break up the
page” for a more “cinematic
look”
A NEW ANGLE of Bill and
Jane dancing at a party
A person’s POINT OF VIEW,
how something looks to him/her
ANGLE ON Bill, dancing with
Jane, and from JANE’S POV
Bill is smiling.
REVERSE ANGLE
A change in perspective,
usually the opposite of the
POV shot
Bill’s POV as he looks at Jane,
and a REVERSE ANGLE of
Jane looking at Bill
OVER THE SHOULDER
SHOT
Often used for POV and
REVERSE ANGLE shots.
We see Bill’s shoulder and head
in an OVER THE SHOULDER
shot of Jane
Focuses on the movement of a
shot
A MOVING SHOT of the jeep
racing across the desert.
A MOVING SHOT of Bill
walking toward Jane.
MOVING SHOT
CLOSE SHOT
A close-up.Use sparingly for
emphasis.
A CLOSE SHOT of Bill,
ecstatic, as he stares at Jane.
INSERT
A close shot of “something,”
like a photograph, newspaper
headline, or gun.
INSERT of faded photograph,
showing Bill and Jane’s
wedding
FADE IN
DISSOLVE IN
Ways to begin a screenplay or
a scene
FADE IN:
ANGLE ON Bill putting on
dress shoes
CUT TO
FADE OUT
DISSOLVE TO
Ways to end a screenplay or a
scene
CUT TO:
JANE opening closet, sorting
through clothing, and pulling
out a flowered dress
Screenplay Facts





Over 15,000 screenplays are registered with the Writers Guild of
America each year.
About 80 to 90 feature films are made by studios and independent
production companies each year.
A literary agent gets a ten percent commission on anything he/she
sells
Prices for a screenplay vary from $400,000 to the Writers Guild
minimum.
– A high budget movie that costs over $1 million to make earns
about $20,000 for the writer(s)
– A low-budget film earns a little over $10,000
If someone options a film, they pay the writer 5-10 percent of the
agreed upon price. If the option is picked up, then the writer
receives the rest on the first day of shooting.
More Questions for Analysis

In addition to the questions provided int eh
Fiction section, with drama you might ask
yourself:
– How do the stage/filming directions contribute
to your understanding of the work? How do
they go beyond what you would see if you were
watching the work being performed?
– How are the settings or props adding to the play
or its theme?
– How is the plot structured? Is it following the
classical structure, or has its chronology been
manipulated with flashbacks or flashforwards?
Sources

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
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Field, Syd. Screenplay: The Foundations of
Screenwriting. New York: Dell Publishing,
1994.
Henderson, Gloria and William Day and Sandra
Waller. Literature and Ourselves. New York:
HarperCollins College Publishers, 1994.
Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies.
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall,
1999.
Internet Movie Database. http:// www.imdb.com
Niccol, Andrew. Gattaca. Dir. Andrew Niccol.
Sony Pictures, 1994.