Storytelling for people in a hurry.

The following is based on something I use to teach storytelling at my movie camps. More info about the summer movie camp program can be found here.

How I write stories for movie scripts. -a one sheet- The audience must care about your characters so get characters into trouble immediately. Getting to know them and making them hurt goes together. Focus on clearly drawing your characters, not on making the audience like them. If they are in pain (mental or physical); the camera spends time on them; and they are clearly drawn then you did well. Tell your story to one person in your mind. Real or imaginary people are both okay. Pick one person as your ideal audience if you can. Make the movie as if it is for them. Keep the plot as simple as possible and not simpler. The simplest plot is 2 people want something only one of them can have. Sometimes the goal is two sides of one coin. Luke wants to destroy the Death Star his father wants to build. Nemo's dad is trying to find him while nature (and a collector) are trying to stop him. The simplest act structure in movies is 3-part structure. Keep the beginning as short as possible (act one) then keep the complications fast (act two) then end it conclusively (act three) in a ratio of 1:3:1. keep the beginning as close to the end as you dare. Audiences come for human emotion so keep the action heavy, the dialogue moderate and the exposition/description as light as possible. Stories end with an option-lock or a time-lock or both. The arc looks like pity-struggle-catharsis(relief) The simplest shape of a story is called 'man in a hole* after Kurt Vonnegut formulated this grid approach with good fortune and bad fortune on the y-axis and beginning end end on the x-axis. Your scenario should be 250-350 words for any length of movie. Like any synopsis, if the major themes are not clear on a single page then you have gone overboard and it's time to stop and try again. Arbitrary? Yes. Effective? also yes. Ignore any of the rules above if you want. Just remember it is easier to break rules successfully if you know what they are. Good luck and happy story telling!