Story telling unit: Using Celtx and Final Draft, Steve Coombes Lecture

Steve Coombes: Using Celtx and Final draft

In today's lecture Steve ran us through the basics of using Celtx and Final draft, both of these are script writing softwares. When writing a script Steve encouraged us that if we think we have a moment we need to hold on to the first reaction to it and every time we see that moment again we need to remember the original reaction, trust the first reaction never the last.

Film scripts begin at the start of the 20th century, the first screenplay ever written "A Trip To The Moon", was bullet pointed with no dialogue, it just had vague direction for the camera and actors.

Link to video

Scripts continue as instructions for the camera until 1929 where films started to have dialogue.

In the 1940's Holly stopped controlling exhibiting/cinemas (they used to own cinemas and the productions of movies) Because of this screenwriters needed to write scripts that investors could read, understand and want to put money into, as well as being able to schedule it. Scheduling can be done online.

The main aim when you make a screenplay is not to make it as good as you can but to make it as cheaply as you can. Because of this scenes get recorded in a mixed order which allows money to be saved, for example instead of hiring an actor for a week to film their scenes in order with the story you can hire them for a day and shot all of their coverage then.

To be able to tell how much it would cost them screenwriters and production companies would draw up charts with things like the talent, directors and production staff etc with the amount of days they were needed to work out scheduling and prices etc.

Scriptwriting evolved from being on a typewriter to Final Draft (industry standard), all scripts need to be in courier (the font should never be changed). In Final Draft you are able to get cast "reports", these can tell you how often they speak and their total appearances on scene, as well as a profanity report etc. 

When you're trying to schedule a shoot feed final draft into movie magic you get a schedule and a budget

Elements

Anything not part of the script such as the title should be put in General.

Parenthetical are hints to an actor about how you want something done.

DON'T PUT TOO MANY TRANSITIONS AND SHOTS UNLESS CRUCIAL.

Final Draft will write continued for you.

LEAVE PAGE LAYOUT.

Script notes won't show up when you print out your script.

Production

Scene numbers will number all scene headings, if you then decide to add another scene between 1 and 2 it will become scene 1A. You should lock the script when finished with it so that no one else can change it, if it does get changed it will be on a coloured piece of paper each changed will be on a different coloured piece of paper so that you're able to keep track of them.

2ND HALF OF LECTURE

Before the lecture we were given a script from Steve to save onto our hard-drives.

We had to copy and paste them into either Celtx or Final Draft, before formatting it to look like a proper script. The first 5 pages establishes things (show don't tell), Ayesha is an important character, the first 5 pages show a lot about her and her family.

Minor characters describe accurately and quickly, the small details about the characters is what grabs the audience's attention. (Shown the hospital isn't up to standard because of the misspelt title, demonstrated a character is a diabetic through their insulin and chocolate bar.)

RULES ARE THERE TO BE BROKEN

Ask yourself if you can come anywhere later in the story, look at the script in another way.

WRITING IS ABOUT RE-WRITING, you can come back and fix one scene as the next one might help you to do that.

You also don't have to write about what you know, you should at least know a little bit about it though.

For our 10 page script Steve suggested we try to move the audience instead of making them laugh, we can also have multiple stories but they all need to be caught at the end.

Don't give half a page of description/action, the audience prefers revolution through things the characters do.