Scriptwriting Month week 4: The Future of Scriptwriting


Hello everyone and welcome to the penultimate article from scriptwriting month! It has been a very long month, but one in which has slowly achieved some of the aims set at week one.

For those who are staring at their computer saying “Scriptwriting what?” here is a full list of all the articles and polls so far, which relate to this month:

Scriptwriting, why not start?
Reading Plays Poll
Recommended Reading Poll
Scriptwriting Month Week 1: Exposing your Character
Scriptwriting Month Week 1: Monologue Contest Entries
Scriptwriting Month Week 2: Considering your Audience
Scriptwriting Month Week 2: Scene Contest Entries
Interview with a Scriptwriter- Ebony66316
Scriptwriting Month Week 3: From Page to Stage

Scriptwriting For Animation by ^guruubii
A Directors View by =in-art-we-trust


Week 3


Week three felt like a fairly quiet week in comparison to the previous two. Possibly the fact there was no contest threw people a little, but personally it was one of the better articles I had put together and I believe it has some very valid information to resource you moving forward.

Format may be one of those things we keep at the back of our minds, but whenever you are submitting any kind of work, a good presentation is the key factor to keep people interested. Scriptwriting is the same, and ensuring your work is clearly written for someone to understand could be the difference between a director reading or not reading your script. As I have said in previous weeks, a script is a tool, it is the ground work to a bigger picture. The words need to communicate from the text to the actor and to the audience.

The reasons there was no contest last week was so you could save your energy for the one below, and also spend some time digesting the information already discusses. The below contest will be judges on the elements that the previous weeks have talked about, so if you want to make a success of your entry, do have a good read.



Week 4: The Future of Scriptwriting


A good dramatic title for what is a good dramatic week! This isn’t a message of impending doom about scriptwriting dying out or anything like that; it is a discussion of where scripts can go and what they can do. Like most writing, words are a much more powerful tool than initial thoughts. Not everything is about entertainment or even about being artistic and that is what we are looking at this week.

So where can scripts go outside of the entertainment and art world? This pinpoints just a few areas which you may not have considered, but probably have experienced.


Theatre in Education

Theatre in Education (TIE) is a rather clever and powerful tool that is used a lot in schools all over the world. Usually touring companies will visit places with their piece in hope that the performance in some way will educate their audience. This isn’t just limited to schools either. I have been involved in a project where we worked with the National Trust and another one where the piece was taken to a prison.

TIE can cover a whole range of subject content within their works. Many are directed at raising awareness, looking at personal issues, social issues or even health. The reason why this concept works is because people are taken out of their normal educational space to experience something which perhaps is a little bit more unique. Instead of listening to someone talking about the subject, they discover characters and instances they can relate to, therefore learning without realising as such they are.

Over the past few decades, TIE has grown in strength and with enthusiasm it should continue to do so. TIE is not limited to theatre either, and short films and animations often use the same methods to generate the same messages.


Pushing the Boundaries

As writing evolves, so does the subject content around the changes. Scriptwriting has the power to shock and surprise people, making them look at things differently or even just push them to see something controversial. In 1965, playwright Edward Bond produced a play called ‘Saved’, which was considered the first big ‘shock’ in theatrical boundary pushing. The very first scene starts with a group of grown men stoning a baby to death. This play was then censored because of the uproar it caused.

Thirty years on, this play still can cause a shock response, despite the censorship now not being so strong. In fact more shocking scenes came along, and anyone who has read the works of playwright Sarah Kane may understand further. Sarah Kane had scenes in her plays such as a Man raping a young woman, and this same man then being raped by a soilder. The same man again then ends up eating a baby (Blasted). Another play based on a Greek tragedy involves a young man who is so disgusting he pleasures himself and uses dirty socks to clean up. He later has his penis cut off and barbecued so everyone can eat it.

These things may make you uncomfortable to read, and probably even more so if you saw them in performance, but creating a reaction is what makes these scripts a success.


Strike Strike Strike!

Over the past year, scriptwriting has actually been involved in a protest which has probably affected us all in one way or another. Whether you are interested in screenwriting or just happen to be annoyed season two of Heroes is only 11 episodes long, it has been something which changes the future for scriptwriters in film and television.

Why were scriptwriters striking to the level where the entertainment industry in America was halted for a whole fortnight at one point? The script can be the baseline for successful shows no matter what the formats they are shown in are, but what happens after the piece is produced? What are the writer’s rights?

Although I don’t know nearly enough to discuss this further, I wanted to highlight it to show that scriptwriting has an important role to play in successful shows, and without that presence, it can bring those successes to a completed standstill.


The Future?

The future of scriptwriting depends on young people’s interest in the style of writing. Although many people believe they could write a blockbuster film, few pursue it because of the immense structure and understanding of the style. However like any kind of art. You have to trust yourself, you have to be open to experiment and have a go at new things. The previous contest and this contest is doing this, we want to encourage people to experiment and not just say “I don’t write scripts.” You never know until you have a go what could happen in the future.


Contest 3: One Act Play


Write a One-Act Play. You have 6 weeks to spend working on your piece. This gives you 6 weeks to write your play, get critique, revise, revise again and polish before submission. We’re looking for quality, we’re looking for effort.


Objectives: This time it is entirely up to you what you write and who you write for. Try to consider all the elements that have been discussed, especially the communication of text to actor to audience.


Rules:

The play must be no longer then 30 minutes long.
Must be written for performance.
Please ensure your pieces are written in English only
Only one entry per person
All Submissions must be received by Monday 4th August, Midnight GMT.


How to Submit

We have been fortunate enough to have a special category set up for this contest. This can be found by when you submit your deviation you chose the following category path:

Contests & Projects> Contests> 2008> One-Act Contest

Please note…

If you do not submit your work to this category, it may be missed out.
If there are any problems involving the submission of your work, please note me and let me know.
Submissions can be made either as text of in PDF Format.


These plays will be judged by…



^lovetodeviate is not only an excellent writer, but a fair and unique person. I have worked with her on several projects, including *Writers-Workshop and I trust her judgement entirely.



^Nico1 is our representative from the film GDs. Although your play may be written as if for stage, ^Nico1 will be able to see the potential in your piece in a visual stance.



`Beccalicious is me. My own experience in scriptwriting and from hosting this month means I will really be looking out for those elements of scriptwriting that have been discussed over the recent weeks.


Prizes:


The Winner of this contest will receive the following:

A Fella Plushie from $Moonbeam13
3 Month Sub, devwear keychain and journal feature from `Beccalicious
3 Month Sub and journal feature from *ninja-librarian
3 Month sub and journal feature from `conorschild
3 month sub and Journal feature from *Memnalar
A 5x7 or 5x5 print from the gallery of ^Kaotika
Shoutboard feature form ^Helewidis
Journal feature from =Squarix
Journal feature from ~itzjusdrama
Journal feature from ~chugglepuff
Journal feature from *poprocksandcharlotte


Second place:

3 Month Sub, Devwear Keychain and journal feature from `Beccalicious
3 month sub from *GaioumonBatou
Journal feature from *ninja-librarian
Journal feature from ^Helewidis
Journal feature from *poprocksandcharlotte


Third place:

Devwear Keychain and journal feature from `Beccalicious
3 month sub from *GaioumonBatou
Journal feature from *ninja-librarian
Journal feature from ^Helewidis
Journal feature from *poprocksandcharlotte


Honourable Mentions:

In depth critique on your script from `Beccalicious
Journal feature from `Beccalicious
Journal feature from *ninja-librarian
Journal feature from ^Helewidis
Journal feature from *poprocksandcharlotte

NB: Any other prize donations are a welcome addition, would be nice to see more critiques offered.


The Grand Prize!

Now this is the bit I have been getting very excited about. Over the past few weeks, ^GeneratingHype and I have been liaising with the lovely film GDs to bring an exclusive and unique prize which will bring two galleries together in a way we haven’t seen before.

The top two One-Acts (First and Second) will be the featured scripts in the a dA Film Community Contest. Using the winning scripts, the film community will be invited to turn your One-Act into a short film that realizes the creativity and vision behind your words. Better yet, YOU will be one of the judges deciding which film best represents YOUR vision. This is a unique opportunity for a collaboration between galleries and artists and an excellent experience for any budding scriptwriter or playwright. Don't miss out on this chance!



Some helpful hints


You do not have to write your play for film. Therefore try not to worry yourself with things such as camera angles, as this will be part of the film contest side of things. If you want to write for stage instead then do so, the later contest will be judges on their adaptation of your work.

Do some research. These articles have contained oodles of resources for you to have a read up on. You don’t have to read everything, but there may be one or two links which may really help you in your writing.

Organise yourself. You have 6 weeks to writer your script, and therefore plenty of time to plan and write your play. Don’t leave it to the last minute though, get it written, then start redrafting!

Get critique on your piece. Join #getLIT, the officiall DA literature chatroom and ask people to read your script. Try the literature workshop forum, or asking deviants you think will help you. Don’t ignore the critique you are given either, another pair of eyes can really encourage you to rework those bits that just aren’t working.

read your play aloud, preferably with another person or two to help you. Reading aloud can help you work out those lines where intonation and pace need reworking and whether or not it reads clear. Scriptwriting differs from prose writing, and reading aloud may help you understand it. Even better, why not record it too, so you can listen back and make notes?

Remember to do final checks before final submission. You can submit your piece before the deadline and continue to edit throughout. However as soon as the deadline closes, no more editing please. Therefore on that last day, spend some time going over your piece and making sure any minor errors are caught and ironed out.


Finally…

Finally, thank you everyone who has got involved so far, and have read the articles, supported this month and joined in. Thank you especially to the film GDs and ^GeneratingHype who have worked to get this contest on the roll, and $Moonbeam13 and the AR team for their support.

The contest results for week 1 and two will be out soon. There is also another interview out later this week, so stay tuned!

Good luck everyone considering entering! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to drop me a note.

Thank you

`Beccalicious