Workshop # 1: 3 minute short film.

Weeks 1 to 2

Write a 3 minute film script with a title page, and synopsis page (5 pages in total). Each page = 1 minute of screen time. You can make up your own story or use the one here and complete it.

Grab an example of the "Terminator" script from here for reference.
G:\mmedia\Cert III Media 2010\Write Content\scriptwriting

It needs to have at least one of each of the following...

• Scene header
• Dialogue
• One CHARACTER (always type characters in bold)
• Sound effect (left justified SF:) or visual effect (FX:)
• Camera Direction (left justified PAN UP:)
• Beginning (the setup)
• Middle (the crisis)
• End (the resolution)

Here's an example...

(synopsis)

Synopsis is a brief way of telling the ENTIRE story in one or two paragraphs.

One day a little girl by the name of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD set off to visit her GRANNY in a dark forrest. She comes across a menacing WOLF, that later eats her GRANNY (we believe) and takes her place in bed. When LRRH arrives, she immediately senses something is up, but is not quite sure. She begins to remark on GRANNY's new features ie "what big eyes you have". It soon becomes apparent that GRANNY is actually the WOLF who chases LRRH out of the house. At the moment of LRRH's imminent peril, a WOODSMAN comes to her aid and lops off the WOLF's head. As a twist the WOLF tranforms back into GRANNY.


Beginning, Middle and End

Beg: LRRH ventures into the forrest and sees the WOLF
Mid: Confrontation with GRANNY/WOLF
End: The chase and battle with the WOLF dying.

Shot sizes:

MCU: Medium close up (head and shoulders)
CU: Close up (Eyes and mouth)
XCU: eXtreme Close up (Eyes)
LS: Long shot ( full body)
M2: Medium 2 shot (2 people - waist up)
WIDE: Wide (opening scene - whole set/stage/room)
MED: Medium 1 shot (1 person - waist up)
LOW ANGLE: Looking up at an object/person (menancing)
HIGH ANGLE: Looking down (things look small and insignificant)

(scene header)

1      EXT.              FORREST           DAY              1

(action description) We see LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD running merrily along a path in the forest. While skipping along her red hood from which the villagers gave her the name, is bobbing up and down and seems to shine brightly. As she continues, the shine on her hood seems to dim, and she follows a dark path on into the forest. This visual aesthetic is meant to create a sense of impending doom.

(dialogue example. Notice the character is always UPPER CASE anywhere in the script)

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

(gleefully)

What a wonderful day, I'm off to see Granny.

(camera direction)
PAN UP to see the sun is setting rather quickly considering it was just midday. We assume this is some sort of time lapse.

(sound effect)
SFX: Wolf howling.

(visual effect)
FX: As the sun sets, the clouds seem to look like a menacing skull.

FADE OUT: