I believe whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you… stranger.

The role of conflict

*Conflict is the central feature of the screenplay
- Man against man
- Man against the environment
- Man against self

*It’s variations of sex, age, religion and culture, which provide variety to the conflict

Conflict = change
- Change is common to everyone
- Change is universal
- Bodies changing
- Seasons change
- Lives change
- Relationships change
- Feelings change
- Locations change
- Technologies change

*As universal as change may be, people often resist it for fear of the unknown
*People must learn to cope with change if they want to survive
*The action in drama depends on conflict

Conflict
- Definition
- (Opposition of persons or forces)
- It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests, or wills and creates the plot
- Plot cannot be constructed without conflict
- As your characters attempt to reach their goals, they come into conflict with one another
- The end of the story nears when the protagonist and the antagonist approach their goals and the conflict rises to generate maximum suspense and excitement

Assignments in the class will use:
-Present tense
-3rd person
-Visual voice

Example:
“Mark picks up the gun and holds it in his hand. It begins to tremble, as if alive.”

*Screenplays (and directions) are written in present tense and 3rd person

It presents a more immediate and urgent feel to the material

WRITTEN VS VISUAL VOICE
Written voice
-Uses weak verbs
-Tells us what’s happening in the character’s head
-Distances the reader from the story

Visual voice (something has to be seen, present tense)
-Uses strong action verbs
-Shows the action
-Uses an immediate sentence structure
-Conveys the stories in a lively manner

Passive voice
eg. The sky was blue with a lot of clouds

Tips for writing
-If you have a work in progress, never stop for the night if you’re stuck
-Always solve the problem and keep going until you are in safe water. A good night’s sleep is important. Sleeping on problems is a myth.
-If you can’t get started on a project, start writing anyway. To do this you have to have some words to type.
-It doesn’t matter what you write. You’ll soon begin to think and move in your own rhythm/place.

The really short story…
Johnathon puts on his hula girl outfit and enters the temple and starts dancing to YMCA at full blast, because he wants to prove to his friends that he is a man of his word. After loosing the bet, he ultimately has no choice but to do it. Even though his friends are standing outside the temple, they have a clear view of johnathon and they are recording every hilarious action he is doing.

Johnathon moves his body rhythmically to the music as his friends cheer him on. Some of his friends are shaking with laughter while others are feeling the humiliation he has to go through. All of a sudden, the person in charge of the temple comes running out with a broom. He sees johnathon, who scares the hell out of him and starts yelling “ you crazy girl or boy! Get out of my temple before I start smacking you with my broom!”

Johnthan flees the temple as fast as his legs can carry him, grateful that his ordeal is over.