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OGLEDI FUNKCIONALNOSTI CELTXA
Kako iztisniti čim več iz Celtxa
avtor dduckett, Associative Movie Productions, Virginia Tech
Ta vodnik se osredotoča na CeltX kot orodje in ne na pisanje scenarijev samo. Čeprav je eno sorodno drugemu, se bomo CeltXu še posebej posvetili.
Ko sem prvič odprl CeltX, potem ko sem o njem slišal, sem se spraševal, kaj lahko stori zame poleg dodatne hitre funkcionalnosti deljenja scenarija z drugimi. Po nekaj mesečni uporabi je jasno, kako nisem imel prav! Nekatere funkcije so briefly prikazane v video prikazih vmesnika CeltX, vendar bi jih rad z vami bolj natančno raziskal in vam pokazal, kako jih lahko uporabite v njihovem polnem potencialu. O tem bom spregovoril brez kakšnega posebnega vrstnega reda. Nekatere teme so same po sebi jasne, vendar jih bom vseeno razložil.
- OPOMBA: Če ne vidite izbire Scenarij na vrhu okna, je to zato, ker niste v oknu odprli scenarija!*
PAGINACIJA
Dostop: Scenarij -> Omogoči paginacijo in /ali Datoteka -> Priprava strani
Ta funkcija je običajno izklopljena, ko začnete s pisanjem novega scenarija, vendar ne smete pozabiti, da obstaja! Vsakič, ko želite oceniti, koliko ste napisali, jo omogočite.
Za kaj se uporablja? Da veste, koliko strani bo natisnjenih! Številni profesionalni scenaristi to funkcijo uporabljajo zaradi ocene časovne dolžine filma. Znano je, da, v grobem, ena stran pomeni eno minuto filma. Brez te funkcije bi težko spremljali, na kateri strani se nahajate!
USTVARI POROČILO
Dostop: meni Scenarij -> Ustvari poročilo
Ni ravno uporabno za tiste, ki pišemo za televizijo, vendar če nameravate snemati projekt, je vredno uporabe! Hudo narobe je, ko med snemanjem filma nekdo pozabi prinesti rekvizit, zaradi česar izgubite na času za snemanje! Ustvarite poročilo, saj si z njegovim izpisom lahko privarčujete čas. Če vam ni všeč, da trošite papir, potem posadite drevo (toplo priporočam!) Takšno poročilo vam bo pomagalo najti, kateri liki so potrebni za igranje, kateri rekviziti, lokacije in posebni učinki so vključeni v prizor.
PREVERJANJE ČRKOVANJA ...
Dostop: Orodja -> Preverjanje črkovanja
Nadvse uporabno! To počne tudi Word, vendar vam nikoli ne bo ponujal tako čistega oblikovanja kot CeltX, pa tudi organizacijskih možnosti ne. Na to funkcijo opozarjam z namenom. Ne zlorabljajte je! Ponovno preberite svoj scenarij! Ne le, da boste tako popravili grob dialog (o tem bom zagotovo objavil vodnik), ampak preverjanje črkovanja ne ujame vseh napak. Prosim, preberite znova -- opazili boste, kako veliko napak odpravite s ponovnim branjem svojih scenarijev.
BESEDILO
Dostop: Datoteka->Dodaj element ->Besedilo
Presenetilo vas bo, kaj me je pritegnilo pri uporabi CeltXa, in to je bila ta funkcija. Najbrž se sprašujete: "Kaj je tako enkratnega pri dodajanju besedila? Nas ne bi moral skrbeti scenarij?" Seveda se je potrebno osredotočiti na scenarij, ampak s to možnostjo je to WONDERFUL! Uporabljam jo za ustvarjanje zaporedja zgodbe, zaporedje prizorov in naključne ideje. Ko se lotim pisanja, lahko preklopim nazaj in naprej, tako da enostavno sledim svojim idejam ter sproti urejam storyline. Če tega še niste storili, izkoristite to funkcionalnost! Ne boste verjeli natančnost organizacije, kakršno lahko dosežete s CeltXom. Kar me je spomnilo ... vidite tiste mape in elemente v zgornjem levem kotu? Razvrstite je v smiselno zaporedje! S tem se boste še lažje get around po programu!
KATEGORIJE
Dostop: Windows:Orodja->Možnosti ...-> Kategorije / Mac:meni Celtx->Lastnosti->Kategorije
Whenever you begin a script which you plan on filming you've usually got a budget in mind. For example, when AMP creates movies we don't have much of a budget. So we're probably not going to need Animal Handlers... especially if there aren't animals in the script! I'm discussing this because if you access your sidebar (Scenarij --> Stranska vrstica) you're going to see the CeltX creator's massive detail. For you, though, this can be clutter; that's why they've made a way to change the categories! Don't be daunted when you use the sidebar because if you want to generate a good report as we discussed earlier you HAVE to label props. Use Categories to remove categories you're not going to be using--that'll make it much easier when it comes time to label props/ secondary characters. In case you don't know how to label certain parts of the script, here's how: 1) Preverite, da je stranska vrstica odprta (Scenarij -->Stranska vrstica) 2) Osvetlite besedo rekvizita, imena lika ali učinek. 3) Now while the word is highlighted, choose the category you want on the sidebar. For example, let's say there are doughnuts in the script, so we'd put them under props. 4) Now under the Item part of the sidebar choose New... you should see under Name what you've highlighted! 5) Click in the description box, and type a brief description then click tag. That's all! Now unhighlight the item, and it should be purple (for props). Now if you ever need to view a prop just open the sidebar, and double-click the colored text. Čestitam! It's now under your report, and easy to view!
POGLED IKON IN BESEDILA
Dostop: Pogled -> Orodne vrstice -> Ikone in besedilo
When we first get something new, it's human nature to sit down and fool with it. Sometimes we can cause errors which make the program harder to use! Or perhaps you're having problems getting around the program because you're not familiar with the quick buttons. Well, here's your solution: just change the program so you can view 'icons and text'! Now you know what the buttons at the top mean, and can navigate around the program much quicker.
USTVARJANJE NOVEGA PROJEKTA
Dostop: odprite program CeltX --> odprite nov projekt
Ko sem prvič delal s CeltXom, se mi je zdel predober, da bi bil resničen. "Samo štiri scenarije boš lahko shranil," sem si mislil. To je čista izmišljotina. Napišete lahko neomejeno število scenarijev. Zakaj lahko vidite samo štiri? No, starejši projekti so shranjeni v mapah (ponavadi v Mojih dokumentih), kar pomeni, da novi projekti ne prepišejo starih. Starejši projekti, ki niso pogosto uporabljeni, preprosto niso na seznamu "Zadnjih projektov".
To je vse zaenkrat. Večina tega je common sense, in nič kaj presunljivega za veterane CeltXa. Vrnil se bom s poudarkom na scenarijih, kmalu.
Pisanje scenarija s Celtxom
avtor Chris Van Patten
(Opomba: Ta opis je bil napisan za različico 095. Nekateri sklici na uporabniški vmesnik so se morda spremenili za različico 098)
1. Odprite Celtx.
2. Na odprti Zagonska stran kliknite "Začni nov projekt", v okviru "Projekti".
3. Pojavi se pogovorno okno "Ustvari nov projekt", ki zahteva vnos naslova projekta. Ko končate, pritisnite V redu. You can change the location, but My Documents is recommended. You can also choose to save all scripts in that folder by default.
4. Odpre se novo okno Celtxa, na Project Page.
5. Kazalko vidite v sivem polju. To je naslov prizora, ime prizora. Vnesite ga in pritisnite Enter.
7. Celtx je samodejno vstavil prelom vrstice in vas postavil v nastavitve za opis "dogajanja". Zdaj vnesite kratek opis, da vzpostavite prizor, razložite situacijo ali kar preprosto nakladate! Znova pritisnite Enter.
8. You will note that you are still in the "Action" setting (by looking at the dropdown box in the toolbar above your header!). We want to be in the "Character" setting, so we have two options: drop down the drop-down and select "Character"... or look at our statusbar along the bottom of the screen and see what it has to say! For me, it says "{Tab} Char, {Enter} Action". This means, if you hit "Tab", the setting will automatically change to "Character". If you hit "Enter", the setting will automatically change to "Action".
9. Now, we get to enter the name of our character! Making sure you are in the "Character" setting, type the name of your character. Press enter.
10. You have just pressed enter, and looking at your setting drop-down box, you should note that it says "Dialogue". You have two options: insert a "Parenthetical" (a bit of text that helps the actor with how he should act the following dialogue) or type the dialogue itself. We want to go the hard route, so insert a "Parenthetical"!
11. Look down at your statusbar again, and note that it says "{Tab} Paren, {Enter} Char". I'll give you one guess as to what we do to insert a Parenthetical... and you're right! We press "Tab"!
12. Now your cursor should be surrounded by parentheses like so, (|), except your cursor will probably blink. Now type in your parenthetical. We want to go back to the dialogue to write out what the actor will say, so we look at our statusbar, and hit "Enter", like it says.
13. Check out the drop-down, we are back in dialogueland! Now we can type out what we want our character to say! This is the fun part. Remember, unlike other word processors, you can no longer use "Enter" to insert line breaks (enter will bring us to a different setting), you have to use "Shift-Enter".
14. Two paths again! Want to insert another character speaking? Press enter, and go back to 9. Want to go back to "Action"? Follow my lead.
15. Pritisnite Enter.
16. Go to the drop-down, and select action, or whatever you want to insert next. If you want to insert another scene... "Control-Enter"! Easy, right?
Čestitamo! Ravnokar ste napisali scenarij!
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Formatting From a DVD to YouTube and Other Sites
The complexities of taking a DVD, and converting it to YouTube can be extremely difficult for the inexperienced user. You can thank me later for saving you lots of time! I spent my time searching for a “DVD ripper” on Google, and came up with many programs. All were complicated, and required multiple downloads.
Only later was a program found with great results, and little technical difficulty. A program was created called '“Gordian Knot”', and it has great details for movies, but is complicated. Luckily, there is another program called Auto GK (Auto Gordian Knot). To get this program go to then downloads Auto GK --> full stable releases --> choose a mirror!
When the download finishes install the program.
Now, make sure your DVD is in the drive, and load of Auto GK.
Now, depending on your movie, some settings might need to be changed.
For YouTube this is generally what you should do. This is taken from the YouTube upload tips:
- Uploads will usually take 1-5 minutes per MB on a high-speed connection.
- Converting your video takes a few minutes; you can add more info or upload more videos while it's processing.
- Videos are limited to 10 minutes (unless you're a Director) and 100 MB.
- Videos saved with the following settings convert the best:
- MPEG4 (Divx, Xvid) format
- 320x240 resolution
- MP3 audio
- 30 frames per second frame rate
With the amount of footage you have, the file size should be fine as long as you change the resolution. Go to advanced options --> fixed with. Change this value to 320. Now the video should upload fine! If you find there isn’t any audio, then check to make sure you have the audio codec installed. Same with the video, if you don’t have a DivX codec then you can’t watch a DivX compiled video! It’s best to use the default codec. If you’re still baffled Auto GK has a tutorial on their site with useful links! http://www.autogk.me.uk/modules.php?name=TutorialEN#5
Not only am I looking out for you, they are too! Let’s see your products
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PROJEKTNO SREDIŠČE-Putting Your Final Project on Celtx Project Central
Recently, I realized my failure to complete the tutorial entitled Formatting from a DVD to YouTube and Other Sites. Although I gave a tutorial about putting a video on YouTube, I never mentioned how to put that video onto Celtx Project Central. That’s okay though, because you must complete the tutorial on putting videos onto YouTube sites before putting your work on Project Central.
First of all, why not leave the video on YouTube and link it in the forums? Well, CeltX gives you the ability to add whatever documentation to the video you’d like as well as a script from others to comment on or learn from. Plus, you’ll find the CeltX community more responsive than the YouTube community when it comes to reviewing your videos. Don’t forget within Celtx is a feature for you to see the most recent projects which distributes your scripts to many people ( Alright Dave, let’s stop yakking and do this!)
So, you managed to decode my technical tutorial, and by some miracle got your video on YouTube. Way to go!
- Open up CeltX where there’s hopefully a script for the video you put on YouTube (you don’t need one, but it’s nice to see).
- Open up the project containing your extra files. Make sure the script is prepared, and go to File --> Upload Options
- From here you have the ability to edit the following fields:
Title: The title of your project, movie, or work that CeltX users will see when looking for your project.
Tagline: A slogan, or motto which you can use to help grab the reader’s interest. It’s good to put a short synopsis in this field. For example, “What happens when people love too much” (Perhaps indicating a movie about a desire driving someone to be unethical).
Description: This is where you put the meat of the movie such as main character names (or not), and the purpose/goal/plot of the movie. As with the tagline, make it luring, so curiosity is sparked in your viewers.
Next is the Image Tab, and is for a picture relating to your work. An example here would be a picture of a ship if the movie were about a ship captain. As a suggestion to gain audience interest, I would try and make the image look like what you would see on a DVD case if you were browsing a video store. One problem I’ve had is figuring out what size picture gives the clearest resolution. I may be able to clear this up later.
The '“Video Tab! It’s time for the tab we’ve been waiting for! You’re probably screaming “There’s no browse button! Do I have to code the video in manually?!” Quit freaking out friend, it’s as simple as copy and paste! Since YouTube has been my focus, we’ll use it as the example.
- Go to YouTube’s site, and sign in (if you haven’t already).
- At the top right of YouTube’s site click My Account --> My Uploaded Videos.
- Click the picture of the video you’d like to upload to CeltX Project Central.
- A window will pull up with the video on it, and if you look at the top right there’s the word '“Embed”'. To the right is what we need!
- Highlight ALL of the code, copy (highlight and press Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl +V) it into the embed box in Celtx.
- Finally go to the last tab, and choose who you’d like to share the project with, then click “Ok”.
- Go to File --> Upload Project…, and click upload (if there’s any problems then check “Force overwrite if server version is newer”)
- Now go check out Project Central, and scream out praises for the wonderful program you’ve been offered for free. I always thought the best things in life were free, I was right.
Najboljši način za objavo scenarijev
Once again I encourage you to start using the forums so we can get to know you better, and share your work.Today I’m going to show you how to put your script on the forums. Why? Well just copy and pasting in the forums messes up the format making your script more difficult to read, and the way I post makes it easier to get your script printed.
- First, register on the CeltX forums.
- Alright, Let’s say you wrote a script on CeltX and you’re ready for critiques.
- Open up your script in CeltX. Looks good!
- It needs a title page so everyone knows the name and who wrote it. Go to Script then to 'Edit title page'.
- Alright now when people open the PDF they’ll know whose it is, and which script they’re looking at.
- Let’s make a PDF so it’s easy to read. To do this click 'Script menu' while your project’s window is open, then go to 'Generate PDF'. Now name the script whatever you want (preferably something relevant to your script such as the title.)
- Now you have a script ready to go!
- Open the PDF by going to the folder where you saved it (usually in my documents Name of project).
- Alright now it needs to go on the forums. Since HTML isn’t enabled we’ll have to use a file host. I recommend you use OhShare (http://dl3.ohshare.com/).
- Go to the link then click browse, and find the PDF file. Now click upload. You’ll be given the link where your file is located.
- Copy and paste that link into a new post on the forum on Script Critiques and you’re done!
- We can see your script, and it’ll be in a compatible format.
Also see Celtx Project Central - About
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SCRIPT WRITING TUTORIALS
Except where indicated, all scriptwriting tutorials are written by dduckett, Associative Movie Productions, Virginia Tech
Začetek je najtežji
When writing scripts many people lack the motivation to stick with writing, or they lack the time. The reason many people don't have motivation is they either have a new idea, or don't like their current story. In order to fix this a new script should be written, or the previous one should be modified into something more appealing to you. It's extremely difficult to write a good script when you don't care about the story or are consumed with a different story entirely. When beginning your script you should decide what you like best. I'm talking about themes. To get you started I'll throw a bunch out there for you to ponder:
TEME
Abstract- A movie with an idea which is depicted in an abstract way. Meaning it is hard to understand.
Action- The plot is constantly moved forward, and the movie involves lots of motion. Dull moments are rare.
Comedy - Written for the sole purpose of entertaining the audience. The primary goal being to make them laugh.
Drama - A serious work associated with issues of real life.
Documentary- A work focusing on a certain issue within the real world. Has the intent of persuading an audience or informing them.
Fantasy- A movie set within a world very far from our own either in the past, or another world.
Historical- A depiction of historical events can be fiction or non-fiction.
Horror- A movie created with the intent of causing fear in the audience or giving them an adrenaline rush.
Mystery- Created to promote thought about an aspect of the story, and hiding parts of the story for the purpose of letting the audience attempt to solve the problem.
Realistic- Movies set within our modern world such as the life of college students.
Science-Fiction- Different from fantasy because it presents a logical and explainable future. For example a post-apocalyptic world is viable whereas a world such as J.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
Silent Films- A film with a focus on images rather than sound.
Not all films will fit into one category because many will be in multiple categories. I made these up, and created the definitions so if you'd like to add more or disagree talk to me about your thoughts, and I may change these. As I think of more I will add them. These are a good way to begin thinking about your movie because once you have a theme it's much easier to create the story. For those of you who don't have much time, but would like to make a movie there isn't much stopping you. If you can write a scene a day. You will be able to roll right through your movie! To help you write when it's time jot down your ideas or think about your movie when you've got spare time.
Malo raziskovanja ponuja veliko
I hope you didn’t cringe when reading the title because you shouldn’t. Research can be your enemy when it’s forced on you, but you do lots of research in your free time. You’re doing research when you check sports scores, view the weather forecast, and look for sources about how to use CeltX. It isn’t required to research in order to write a script, but the benefits of research make it worthwhile. How can research help you?
- 1) Research by looking at other scripts will help you learn to format and write better, but you can check to see if your idea has already been done. Exposure to other script writing will impact your writing style.
- 2) If you’re looking for ideas research can help expose you to usable information for helping the plot.
- 3) Doing good research can clear up inaccuracies. For example, in my current script one of my characters is doing farm work. Would he be planting wheat in the late winter? Doubtful.
- 4) The more you do it the better you get. As you begin to use tools for research like with many things, you’ll get better at it.
- 5) Being specific in your script helps when it comes time to film. Let’s say one of your characters is part of a S.W.A.T team and you designate his weapon in your script as a “gun”. Wouldn’t it be better for visualization and later filming purposes to identify a specific weapon? For example S.W.A.T teams favor M1911A1 handguns. Now you’ve got a better guideline when gathering props together.
What is the best way to go about doing research?
No one way is right or wrong, but the internet is easy to access and excellent (make sure you have good sources). Don’t be afraid to stop at the library, and get a book pertaining to your script. Learn more about the script’s setting, how a mental disease affects your character, or psychological processes we go through in thought. Learning won’t hurt you, and it certainly won’t degrade your script.
A few of you will be altering elements of the world. Research can be a great asset to us. If you’re creating an alien life form you can get a list of animals with pictures. Browse around and imagine what the two animals would look like if mixed together. Some of the most interesting movies/books have many of the qualities of realism, but are dashed with alterations. Look at Star Wars. Humans exist, but in a setting with new creatures and worlds. Lord of the Rings has humans, but many fantasy creatures, and short humans (Halflings). Don’t be afraid to do research it helps your script’s vitality.
Od idej do scenarija
I'm going to walk you through how I make a script from ideas. I'd compare it to driving your car in the morning. You get a spark of imagination, but you have to let it warm up a bit. Then you take off with your ideas and a destination in mind. From then on, it's coasting.
First of all you have to come up with an idea. It's hard to find them because the good ones spring up when you're off-guard. The idea may be for an entire story or a short part. If it's a short part of your story, you can usually expand on it. I recommend you carry writing material with you to keep ideas on paper, because they can easily be forgotten.
Hang onto your ideas, and write them down. Once the idea is recorded, you should elaborate on it.
The first goal when writing a story is to come up with a sentence that explains the story. This is easier said than done in some cases, so if you're boggled you should map out small ideas. By this I mean separate your movie into acts, and write down a summary of each act.
Make sure to chronologically order the events so it's easy to follow when you begin writing your script. Outlining your story makes it much easier to write the script because you can synchronize the parts.
Now that you've got a main idea of what the story is, and each act is summed up, you can begin writing the script if you haven't done so. As you write there will be times you are stumped. This is called writer's block, and it's a frustrating thing. You come to a roadblock in your writing which can take minutes to weeks to overcome. The best thing to do is to go do something else besides writing your script. Keep that thought in the back of your head, and you'd be surprised how quickly you'll find a solution. Don't be afraid to heavily modify your ideas once they're on paper because your script is never done until it's actually recorded.
So let's sum up how to take ideas to a script. You should try your best to get critiques on scripts. They can be harsh sometimes or wrong, but it's good to get other people's views because they might point out major flaws or add beneficial ideas to your script:
- Step 1: Get an idea
- Step 2: Record the idea
- Step 3: Take your idea and try to come up with a sentence synopsis of the story. If your idea is for part of the story than build a story from that part.
- Step 4: Separate the story into acts, and summarize each act so it lines up with your idea in Step 3.
- Step 5: Begin writing the script using the chronologically organized acts.
- Step 6: Edit the script so it flows with your main idea.
- Step 7: Ask for a critique
Hope this helps! I'll be writing some more tutorials soon to help you write those scripts!
Od ideje ->zgodba ->scenarij
By Keith Loh (Taken from this Forum Discussion with Keith's permission.)
It certainly takes a lot of work making a gem of an idea into a story and then that story into a screenplay. I find it's best to start working on a broad outline first.
- Use heuristics (questions you ask yourself to bring out hidden knowledge).
- Who is my main character?
- What is their overriding goal?
- What are the forces acting against the main character?
- What are the forces that can help the main character?
- What are the levels of conflict? Overarching - personal - emotional - spiritual - environmental. How does the main character relate to each of these conflicts? What interesting flaws might they have that make them relate to the audience?
- Are the answers to these questions significant enough to engage the audience that I am aiming at?
Once you believe you have these answered satisfactorily then move onto structure.
STRUKTURA
First Act:
- How do I present the main conflict to the audience in an engaging way?
- How do I introduce my main character and their relation to the main conflict in an engaging way?
- How do I present the setting to the audience in an engaging way?
Second Act:
- What initial steps does the main character take toward satisfying his or her goal?
- What obstacles arise that get in the way of the main character's initial steps?
- In what way do the obstacles raise the stakes in the main conflict? In what way do they keep raising them higher and higher?
- In what way do the challenges that block the main character accelerate the momentum of the story to keep the audience glued to their seat?
- What complications arise that make the conflict more consequential or even introduce new wrinkles to the character's dilemma?
- Is the main character forced to make consequential choices?
- At the end of the second act, what does the main character finally realize is the key to solving each one of his conflicts? Does he even realize that the final goal was not what he thought it might be at the beginning of the story?
Third Act:
- Having realized what is needed to solve the main conflict, how does the main character quickly bring it to its conclusion and solve each one of the conflicts that have prevented him from realizing his goal?
- How can this happen quickly?
Dobri motivi naredijo dobre like
Characters (depending on the type of movie) are the foundation of any script. They are what we love and hate in the script, and give us the best insight into their world. When visualizing a script we can separate it into three elements.
Plot- The storyline and setting.
Camera - Use of cinematography (or special effects) to alter the viewer’s perspective on the story.
Characters - Entities in the script that progress the storyline.
As with many things, you'll find moderation (or balance) is the best way to combine these elements. When working on a script, the creator should take all elements into account, and use them in unison.
For this tutorial, I'd like to focus on the character element of scripts. Notice I used the word entity to define characters. An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, though it need not be a material existence (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/entities). I chose this word because you may have exterior characters (i.e.- forces such as nature) that aren't material, but function as a character in their own right. These "exterior characters" still serve the purpose of moving the plot forward.
The title of this tutorial is "Good Motives Make Good Characters". I chose this title because all great characters have motives (let's not forget about villains). I'll briefly give examples of characters from a popular feature movie. Feel free to comment or disagree with my perceptions of the following characters, and their motives.
Lord of the Rings
Frodo - Has a desire to save his home, the Shire.
Sam - Binds himself to Frodo through friendship and loyalty.
Gandalf - Believes he must assist the parties involved with destroying the ring if they are to succeed.
Boromir - Has a desire to possess power (both in leading the fellowship, and acquiring the ring)
The Ring - Here is where entity comes into play because although the ring is material it acts as an unseen force. It desires someone to possess it, and as is stated often in the book/movie "It has a will of its own"
Saruman - Wishes to use the forces of Mordor to gain control of Middle-Earth.
Gimili - Seeks pride, and to involve the race of dwarves within history.
The list continues on, but I wanted to make it clear that not all characters are living things. Combining characters in a script can be compared to making a recipe. Adding too many characters of a certain kind overpowers the others. It's best to spread characters out, and find a balance. Do you ever notice in many movies the hero has a best friend, and the villian has a sidekick? That's part of the balance I'm referring to.
Kakšen je najboljši način za ustvarjanje likov?
Many people will give you different answers, and there are many correct ways. I've found the best way is to write down the character's name followed by their traits (NOTE: It's best to create plot first, characters second, and worry about cinematography last. Plot and characters can be created at the same time though). After listing the character's traits we know what spurs them on.
Now think about the plot, and how the characters fit in. Returning to the recipe analogy, when is the best time to add an ingredient (character), stir things up (conflict), and let it cool (resolve the plot, or bring it to an end)? Often we'll see diehard villains who want to cause trouble for no apparent reason besides being an arse. A villain should be dynamic like the hero. I find the best villains are those who resemble the hero. In '"The Godfather"', many of the antagonists are like Michael Corleone in their desire for power, but we favor Michael because we see his dreams and goals. In the end, Michael is the same as the people he's been fighting.
Another great character is Magneto from X-men. He's an interesting character because he seeks the same outcome as Charles Xavier, but disagrees on the method. The two act as friends because of their biological nature, but enemies due to differing opinions.
Venturing briefly into the realm of novels, I'd like to point out a wonderful character I've always loved. That character is Meursault from Albert Camus's novel The Stranger. Meursault intrigues me because his motives are astounding. To primitively express this complicated character, his motives are his beliefs. He desires to be an individual, and die rather than become socially acceptable or normal. In this story the antagonist is everyone in the novel (summed up as the universe). Once again, I could continue throwing out characters, but I hope you're beginning to see my point.
Kaj je motiv?
Simply answered, a motive is a reason, either situational or psychological, for action.
An example of a motive used often is revenge. An example of a movie completely centered on this motive is "Four Brothers". In the movie, four adopted men find their mother was killed in a gas station, and decide to take revenge on the group behind the murder. Motives don't have to be what the movie is based around, but the character could have smaller motives. For example, a character with a kind personality would be likely to help out a girl who dropped her books. But a character with an evil personality might step on her book, or help the girl with the intention of taking advantage of her.
If properly used, motives can jazz up a script. For example, if the audience knows a character is wicked than it's interesting when this character offers help and looks to be sincere only to later turn on others. Returning to Lord of the Rings, Gollum does a wonderful job of creating tension because he has two conflicting motives. One motive is to get the ring, and the other is to become his old self.
Motives should line up most the time with character's actions unless the character has changed their personality or the situation has changed (it's best to make the audience aware of these changes).
An assumption I make when creating characters is that since my audience are human beings, than they should be able to relate to my characters. An audience relating to a character doesn’t necessarily mean the audience likes them, but the character can be understood. Many times characters pass from one extreme to the other in personality, or retain their personality but are affected by other characters. An example of a character who passes from one extreme to the other is Ebenezer Scrooge who goes from being greedy to giving after a visit from different ghosts of Christmas. This should help you to make scripts because one of the purposes of a story is the hero (main character) is changed or the world is changed by the hero.
So far I've thrown many examples, and told you a little about character creation. Let's lay out some rules (Don't be afraid to experiment or break these rules. Many great discoveries are made by looking at something from a different perspective):
- 1) A character's motive should match their personality- If a character is selfish they're probably not going to give anything away, and if forced to do so will be upset.
- 2) A character should be easy to relate to - Why would a villain be a rival of the hero? Are they going after the same thing, do they have conflicting views? Have they never gotten along? Do they sense hatred in one another?
- 3) A character should be affected by the situation - If a character is used to living in a beautiful white house set within a gentle green pasture they'll probably have a hard time getting used to not having a home and living on the city streets in poverty.
- 4) Don't overdevelop secondary characters - Let's say a character happens to meet a stranger, ask them the time of day, and run off never see the stranger again. There's no need to flush out the stranger's past or how they got there (unless they become a central part of the plot later).
- 5) A character doesn't have to have constant V.O.s (voiceovers) to tell the audience what's on their mind - Let them confide in an object or person. Do they tell their parents everything? Do they talk to their pet? Show this rather than using a V.O. to write the script faster.
Remember, don't take the rules as strict guidelines, bu experiment with them. I may create a second part to character development, but we'll see. Good luck with your scripts!
Pisanje dialoga
One of the hardest parts authors and script writers have trouble creating is dialogue. When writing dialogue you should focus mostly on the speaking character. No solid rules for dialogue exist because like people, characters have different intelligence levels, slang, and ways of expressing ideas.
A problem some have when writing dialogue is trying to use writing conventions. Think about a conversation with one of your friends. You might use big words every now and then when having an important conversation, but it’s usually limited to abrupt sentences littered with slang. A common phrase I hear often is “How’s it goin?” This phrase lacks the conventions of a sentence, but we understand what it means. When considering dialogue you should think about the different factors about a character (primarily background). If a character comes from the backwoods they’re likely to have a twang to their speaking and use different language than a businessman in a city or a gang member from the streets. But these characters could have an external factor at play. For example, the backwoods character may read often and have an expanded vocabulary. The businessman could be from England and use British phrases such as “Bloody hell!” (Sorry for stereotyping!), and the gang member might have a drawl from a mental handicap. This is what makes dialogue so important it’s another dimension to your character. Here are some tips for writing dialogue.
- Don’t be afraid to misspell words to have them pronounced correctly. For example, my grandpa instead of saying “haunted” says “hainted” (technically not a misspelling because it’s in the dictionary), or instead of saying “ordinary” he’ll say “ornery”.
- Consider the setting when writing your dialogue. A novel set in the Dark Ages probably won’t have the characters making comparisons of things in the modern world. For example, if a character from the Dark Ages was on the battlefield and saw an enemy with an axe tearing through their ranks it’s not likely someone will say “He’s a killing machine!”
- Does the character have a speech impediment or have they been socially inactive for quite some time? They’ll probably not speak perfect English if they’ve been isolated for 20 years.
- Don’t make dialogue just to fill up page space, make it meaningful and advance the plot. This doesn’t mean you can’t have meaningless dialogue because perhaps you want to get across a character rambles on about nothing then go for it! But if a phrase can be left out it’s probably best.
- When talking people will (generally) compact their dialogue. For example would someone be more likely to say “Don’t tell me what to do all the time! You just think you’re some know it all!” or “Don’t tell me what to do. You’re not my boss.” There is a blur here because in life some of us might say the first, but the latter sounds better. Think about giving directions would you tell someone “you’re going to want to turn right then turn left. Next take another right.” Or “Take a right there then a left then another right.”
- Don’t forget the content of the scene! You may not need dialogue to communicate in some instances. A simple gesture such as pointing to an object might work better than writing “Look over there” or perhaps a better effect comes from using them in unison.
- Don't focus too much on realism or bad speech habits because they can become a problem (unless you're poking fun at them or making an annoying character). Watch for extensive use of the word "like", "just" or phrases such as "you know". They can be used a couple of times if your character fits the usage, but overdoing it causes more clutter in your work.
Dialogue isn’t easy to explain because the conditions are variable making it hard to create generic rules. Truly the best strategy is to read the script out loud. If you feel awkward saying something then fix it. If you’re writing in a foreign culture or setting then study the dialect of the society.
Poudarjanje dramskih trenutkov
Here is another tutorial. I may add more if I can think of some. If you see something I missed please feel free to reply or if you think I'm wrong point it out. I'm interested in your feedback. Wink
What goes into those scenes that inspire us, make us sad, excited, or startled? For example the devestating scene in Lord of the Rings when Gandalf falls in the Mines of Moria to his doom below. Or in Gladiator when Maximus fights Commodus and yells out the names of his loved ones as he slashes Commodus to the ground. A lot goes into brilliant scenes such as these that yank at our emotions. Let's look at the different factors which make these memorable scenes.
- 1) Characters
Think about all the movies you see, and how many characters die that we don't remember. For example, in action movies tons of people are killed. We don't shed tears for them, and hardly think about it at all. But when you even scratch the main character we're scratched too. That's good character development. When you can make your audience love your characters like real people then you've done something wonderful. The more lovable and real your chracters the more they'll yank at the audience. We're not just talking about main chracters, but their friends and loved ones. We can certainly come to like more than one character. Think about the Passion of the Christ. This is a very emotional movie not only because people have connections to Jesus, but the character is very real. He cries like us, he loves like no other, and he feels pain. The part of this movie which got me the most was when he is dragging the cross through the streets and sees his mother. He begins to yell her name, but it is his state of helplessness which makes it so sad and his undying love. I challenge you to do the following... make a villian that the audience loves while making them love the protagonist. It can be done... perhaps one day I will prove it to you unless you do it first.
- 2) Timing
Many times characters are tested in a major climactic moment. This isn't a movie, but think about this. Super Mario Brothers 3, you fight the little orange guys, then turtles, then the monsters in the castles... they are only parts of your entire goal which is to kill bowser (or bounce him to death.. whichever you prefer Surprised) How exciting is that moment when everything has led to that final battle or test when the story shifts or is concluded? Memorable moments are usually timed so a major shift takes place at some point during the center of the story. The best friend of a character is killed off. A girl finds out the guy who changed her into a social icon did it for money. Its these trying times which grab our attention because they stick out.
- 3) Extremes
Extremes are important when it comes to human emotions. The hardest hitting moments are usually when everything is going great then falls apart or the other way around. Think of when characters are being cut down and defeated, but then they're friend comes to save them or a force helps them. For example, in Lord of the Rings when Helms-Deep is attacked, and the casualties are terrible, but army reinforcements come to save the day. What an awesome moment.
- 4) Music
Using pictures alone can do a great job of grabbing someones emotions. Sound with pictures takes people's emotions to the extreme. If you can find or write a fitting song for a moment then you've got control over your audience's emotions. Music is a key. Think about how it's strategically used throughout movies.
Koti imajo pomen
Oh, sometimes we script writers forget that words aren't our only way of depicting the story and giving dialouge. We can make a statement using the cameras... amazing!
A significant difference exists novels/stories and scripts. Scripts have an extra dimension added to their depictions through camera angles. While watching a movie we don't usually pay much attention to the angles being used as we do to the content of the film. Camera angles are underused, and I've read when sending scripts to places such as Hollywood it's looked down upon to put Camera angles and effects in the script. There are some grounds because we can become overzealous with angles to the point it's frustrating to read the script, but I condone Hollywood if they actually look down upon screenwriters inputting camera angles because like artwork the frame does matter. Let's think about how
camera angles can portray messages.
Let me give an example, the villain of a story is being introduced. he's a powerful and influential figure. How can we portray this quality using angles? Well, the camera could be near the ground level looking up towards the villain portraying his power and dominance. This effect could also be reversed (camera looking down on the figure from above) which could be used on the villain's weaker henchmen.
Scripts where camera angles can be found abundantly are instances where there's a mysterious character. The angles are used to hide the character or show their P.O.V. (point of view) The point of view technique is great for aiding the audience in realizing a character's exact position. For example in a gunfight using P.O.V. to look around the corner, and see troops marching is a wonderful example. A question which often arises is what is that incredibly aggravating ANGLE ON which is used often in scripts? ANGLE ON is used when we want to tell the camera to focus on a certain object or character in a large setting. For example, when there is a close up shot you can tell the camera to change it's focus to something else.
Other terms leaving you baffled? Have no fear, just go HERE
Oblikovanje scenarijev
Does formatting really matter? Do we really have to format every single script we write? Well, sometimes. It depends on whether you have a solid script or just ideas. If your writing a script you had better format it, but if you've just got an improvisation set up with some chronoligcally ordered ideas than you shouldn't need to.
- Why do we format?
Formatting is important not for the wrtiers, but for editors and the producers. Not formatting leaves a jumbled mess which though saving paper causes confusion. Don't worry, if you really are upset about saving paper go plant a tree everytime you print. Having a well formated script allows for ease of understanding, and distinctions between scenes, actions, and dialouge.
- PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTS ARE SEPERATED FROM THE INFORMATIONAL TEXT BY DASHES. ALSO THE CHARACTERS NAMES AND DIALOUGE ARE NOT CENTERED BECAUSE OF THE FORUM.
- What are the rules for formatting?
- Scene headings are always capitalized and designate the time of day. Make sure to identify whether the area is INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior) For example,
INT. DAVID'S HOUSE - DAY
would tell us the scene was at in David's house during the day. I haven't seen this set in stone, but if you want to define weather I would do that in the action part of the script which is below the scene heading. The action is used to describe the shots. Action scenes are used usually to describe chracters reactions, change in the environment, or camera effects. The action part of the script is usually told from an audiences perspective. That is why "we" is used within the action section. When characters are introduced usually they are described, then names are given to them. This is used in plae of the camera effects so instead of saying "the camera follows" all that needs to be written is "we follow". When characters are introduced the phrase used is sometimes "We come to find this is XXXX", "The figure is known as XXXX", "This is XXXX" "They are named XXXX". Whenever you use a characters name within the script even if it's not a formal name it needs to be capitalized. For example:
INT. AMP MEETING ROOM - DAY
Outside the sky is overcast although the scenery visible through the window. Five figures shuffle through the doors in the room. One of the figures is tall, and has a slight bit of facial hair begins to speak. We'll come to find this is TONY. He stands next to the shorter and blond haired BRENT.
Now that we've introduced some of the characters they need dialouge. The dialouge is usually lined up in the center of the page so it's easy to keep track of. The character who is speaking has there name put at the top of this dialouge. Parantheticals are used to describe something specific to the character. Don't mix these with actions. Paranthetical are best summed as being one or two words. Check out this example:
INT. AMP MEETING ROOM - DAY
Outside the sky is overcast although the scenery visible through the window. Five figures shuffle through the doors in the room. One of the figures is tall, and has a slight bit of facial hair begins to speak. We'll come to find this is TONY. He stands next to the shorter and blond haired BRENT.
TONY
Did you all bring the papers?
BRENT
Hmmm... let me check...
BRENT grabs his bookbag, and begins looking through it. A burnette girl shows up between BRENT and TONY; her name is AMELIA.
AMELIA
I think Jacqueline has them.
A blonde haired girl we'll call JACQUELINE smoothes her hair back, and pops up behind AMELIA.
JACQUELINE
I don't have them.
TONY, BRENT, AMELIA, and JACQUELINE all turn to a burnette haired guy in his early 20's. He is know as JD.
JD
(mumbling)
Where did they go?
Without warning the door to the room slams open, and an average sized man casually strolls in whistling we'll call him JANITOR.
JANITOR
(smirking)
You looking for these?
The jaws of TONY and BRENT drop as JACQUELINE and AMELIA look over at each other. JD takes a step back. His speech becomes stuttered.
JD
Its... its.. yo..you
A sinister smile breaks across the JANITOR'S face, and he cackles wickedly.
JANITOR
I told you to clean up
after your meetings!
Now I'll trash all your
scripts!
Suspenseful huh? Well that's a slight example for you to go over. I think people pay more attention if they like something so I'll do you all a favor. Go to http://www.scriptcrawler.net/ and search for your favorite movie! Hopefully you will be able to find the script, and have an enjoyable time learning and reading. Write on!
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Essential URLs (Uporabne povezave in viri)
Celtx - The scriptwriting freeware which I prefer (of course everyone here already is aware of that)
Fiction Factor - GREAT website for writers in general. Lots of topics about making good characters and stories. I suggest you browse this site for whatever interests you!
File Factory - Great for hosting your PDF generated scripts. Although it's hard to find how to download it for some people.
dvcafe - Not a great site, but it has some content. Some links go to books you have to buy, but others are useful articles. It takes some surfing to find the good stuff.
OhShare - is a great file host! I recommend using them to host your files on the forum rather than File Factory because it's easier for users to figure out how to download the file.
ScriptCrawler - A database of scripts to view. Pick your favorite movie, and examine it.
SimplyScripts Glossary - Gives a lot of screenwriting terms to help decipher scripts or get across an effect exactly the way you want.
Oglejte si tudi wiki Celtx Useful Links and Resources.
