Tuesday 21 October 2008

Rough Treatment

With my second assignment not due until November 12th, and the rough draft for it written and resting, I've decided to concentrate on the new project for another week or so. In that time, I aim to have a treatment and a step outline done, and hopefully a rough draft. Keep the momentum going to the end, until I have a thing to work on.

To every script,
Draft, draft, draft,
There is a story
Draft, draft, draft,
And a three act structure,
Which emerges organically out of your characters' desires, and escalating conflict.

An act to set up,
An act to develop,
An act to resolve,
And a surprising ending.
An act, you will cut out
An act you'll redo, in light of your emerging theme.

To every script,
Draft, draft, draft,
There are visual motifs,
Draft, draft, draft,
And inventive set ups, which you tie in in clever ways
To subvert the audience's expectations.

A draft to explore
A draft to cohere
A draft to tear up
A draft to despair
A draft, to show all your mates
A draft to redo in light of feedback.

To every script,
Draft, draft, draft,
There is pathos,
Draft, draft, draft,
And humour which also serves to underline the emotional resonance.

A draft to put in,
A draft to take out
A draft for transitions
A draft for dialogue
A draft to cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut
A draft oh bugger it I should shut up and get to work.

3 comments:

Lara said...

Nice one! x

Near by said...

ooh you're twinkling Andy!

Andy Phillips said...

I'm going to do more Byrds songs, adapted for screenwriting. Watch this space.