creating story

 “A story has someone who wants something badly and is having trouble getting it.” - Karl Iglesias

3 Primary elements for Story are character, character goal and conflict.

Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them

Everyone knows that stories are made up of 3 acts – the Beginning, the middle, and the end.  But you need to understand the importance of each act, especially the first.  Billy wilder said “If there is something wrong with the third act, it’s really in the first act”.  Act one is where you give your audience all the information they need to get behind the characters and the enter into the world your creating.

Think of it like this - Set it up, mess it up, tie it up

A story can be broken down further into several smaller steps, a formula.

Seven steps to a better story

• Once upon a time...
• And every day....
• Until one day...
• And because of this...
• And because of this...
• Until finally...
• And ever since that day...

Once upon a time and every day are your act 1.  The purpose of act 1 is to tell the audience everything they need to know to understand the story that is to follow.

Until one day – the inciting incident, the true beginning of your story.

And because of this – the second act. Time to explore what happens as a result of your first act.

And because of this – act 2 continues, everything should be cause and effect

Until finally – the beginning of act3, the start of the end

And ever since that day – something that lets your audience know what the life of the protagonist is like after the climax.

 

Questions to ask yourself when building a story

1. Who is your character?
2. What is your characters goal?
3. What is your inciting moment?
4. Does your conflict rise?
5. What does your character need to learn?
6. Does your ending relate to the beginning?
7. Is your audience entertained?

Good story is a combination of strong character combined with the appropriate choice of structure, conflict, emotion and reaction.







For a great book on how to build story try "Invisible Ink"  by Brian Mcdonald.
Or check his Blog  http://invisibleinkblog.blogspot.co.uk/ 

What makes a good short film

 

When you write a short film, think of it as if you’re telling a joke.  “a duck walks into a bar and orders a rum and coke.”  Just as all elements of a joke support the punch line, so should every element of your story support it’s structure – nothing is extraneous; every element leads to an inevitable, yet surprising, conclusion.

When you create a story, you must let the audience know the reality of your story.  “When a joke starts like that, no says its ridiculous, they accept it because its the first thing they are told.  You understand the reality of that world from the start.

Here are some rules to writing a good short film, I know creatives don’t like rules, in fact you’ll probably want to break them and that’s fine if you do, but you need to know them and understand first

Keep it simple

·         Simple single situations
·         One conflict that intensifies
·         A single memorable moment (an adrenaline moment)
·         Slices of life
·         Demonstrations of personality

 

Create conflict

Conflict = drama.  3 types of Conflict
 ·         Character vs character
 ·         Character vs enviroment
 ·         Character vs self

Story is king

Every production element in a film is purposefully designed for the good of the story.  It is through your story that your characters are revealed and that you communicate with your audience.  Without story all you have is technique.  An audience might forgive poor technique, but they will never forgive poor story.

 Know your concept, theme or meaning

This is not the premise or plot of the piece, it is the broader idea the underlying meaning. 

 Create memorable character

An audience loves a good character who intrigues or enchants them.

 Show, don’t tell

The golden rule. Always strive for the most visual way to tell your story.  Don’t have someone say “he’s a miserable old git” show he’s a miserable old git.

 Know your ending

If you write without destination you sure as hell won’t reach it

 Entertain and respect your audience

Intrigue your audience. Take them on a journey that exceeds their expectations and leave them somewhere that made their trip worthwhile. 









For more information along the same lines check out the book
"ideas for the animated short"