Jeff Kitchen - Full Day Sceenwriting - Part 1 - Lecture

JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

Classical Structural Technique Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, Resolution 00:00:01 This is a tool based on what Aristotle saw in the plays he watched all on the same subject. Is there anything COMMON among those that GRIP an audience? Yes. He observed that they had: • Dilemma • Crisis • Decision and action • Resolution

Sense of Proportion. Have a sense of proportion. Dilemma can appear about 1/3 into the script - it takes time for the character and plot to develop. Once it kicks in, it gets MORE AND MORE INTENSE before the CRISIS. Then it takes a DECISION followed by ACTION to get to the RESOLUTION. Be aware of where they TEND to occur. Not precise, but get the plane in the air, don’t taxi on the runway too long.

Dilemma A situation with a choice to be made, where neither choice is acceptable. EXAMPLE: “Training Day”

It’s a great opportunity for Ethan Hawke on this undercover job, but Denzel Washington is leading him into questionable morality and tactics. (NB: really good explanation of the dilemmas in this movie in this segment). It’s a UNIVERSAL DILEMMA - ambition, ethics, what will it cost, what will you gain. The deeper you go, the more the audience will see themselves. There’s either a DILEMMA in your STORY, or there isn’t. You need to be FAMILIAR - become a STUDENT of HUMAN DILEMMA. OBSERVE YOURSELF IN A DILEMMA. Be able to RECOGNISE DILEMMA so you are ABLE TO WORK WITH IT. PAGE 1 OF 11



JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

If it’s NOT there, you can EXPERIMENT with CREATING DILEMMA. Can we find a way where the CHARACTER is DAMNED if he does, DAMNED if he doesn’t? EXAMPLE: “Forbidden Planet”

Dilemma: Robbie The Robot is forced into a dilemma when he is ordered to shoot someone, but has also been ordered not to harm people. He short circuits. Both sides of a dilemma are EQUALLY PAINFUL. Think of your character melting down between two EQUALLY UNACCEPTABLE OPTIONS. Have a SUBSTANTIAL dilemma. The SO WHAT? test

If it’s not SUBSTANTIAL, and you have to BUILD it up, make it worthy of the audience. Think of the PREMISE and ask ‘SO WHAT?’ You have to TEST it. A BAD PREMISE WILL NOT MAKE A GOOD MOVIE. Be on the look out for a RARE GREAT PREMISE, just the IDEA a producer will kill you for. Someone in a dilemma is a CORNERED WILD ANIMAL. Audiences can be compelled by this. EXAMPLE: “What Women Want”

Mel Gibson has the ability to steal Helen Hunt’s ideas, but yet he is falling in love with her. On one had it’s unacceptable for him not to get his promotion, but at the same time it’s unacceptable for him to destroy her. EXAMPLE: “Minority Report”

Anderton is predicted to murder someone. It is unacceptable to stick around as he has been given a death sentences, and also it’s unacceptable to disappear as he has to get to the bottom of why he will murder someone. He’s either flawed, or the system is, and he has ABSOLUTE FAITH in both. The dilemma is made more SUBSTANTIAL by the discovery that it may be a 1 in 3 chance of the murder, that two of the PreCogs DON’T think the murder will happen - the mystery is too juicy. EXAMPLE: “The Godfather”

For Michael, it’s unacceptable to sacrifice his family life to get involved with crime, but it’s unacceptable to see his family destroyed by his non-involvement. DILEMMA WILL ALWAYS IMPROVE THE MATERIAL. EXAMPLE: “Bladerunner”

It’s unacceptable for Deckard to allow the murdering Replicants to remain at large, but equally unacceptable to kill them because one has saved his life. He finds they have good reason to kill. He sees in the Replicants that they are living with legitimate grievances. And he’s falling in love with Rachel. DILEMMA • TWO EQUALLY UNACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVES • TWO EQUALLY PAINFUL CHOICES • PARALYZED BETWEEN THE TWO

Dilemma adds dramatic horsepower, and complicates the plot. It also ATTRACTS ACTORS. It gives something beefy for the actor to get into.

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JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

WHERE DO YOU FIND DILEMMA?

Sticky subjects often have dilemma. Conflicting needs, desires, necessities etc. Race, class, gender, marriage, justice, ecology, war, planning, stock market, abortion. Anywhere where people are TORN APART by difficult choices. What are the UNACCEPTABLE CHOICES in this race/class/gender situation? Sometimes, one GOOD STRONG DILEMMA can carry a movie. “On The Waterfront”, Brando’s dilemma is to tell the sister of the victim or to break the Mob’s vow of silence. That’s it. That will constitute a GOOD BULK OF THE PROPORTION OF THE STORY. Dilemma is the ENGINE of the car. Once dilemma builds and builds, about 3/4 in, it will reach a CRISIS.

Dilemma into Crisis 00:30:19 CRISIS is the DILEMMA at a CRITICAL JUNCTURE The VERY THING that you cannot choose about - you must now MAKE A DECISION and TAKE ACTION. FORCE IT. Put the PROTAGONIST into a position by forcing a CHOICE. DECISION and ACTION in the face of CRISIS is a decision and action about the DILEMMA that has GONE CRITICAL and the RESOLUTION is the RESOLUTION of the DILEMMA. The DILEMMA is present throughout the FILM. To achieve this, turn a SITUATION into a DILEMMA. EXAMPLE: A cop has to catch the bad guy. That’s a SITUATION. But he owes his life to the bad guy. That’s a DILEMMA. It’s UNACCEPTABLE to not catch him, bit is UNACCEPTABLE to not take him down. HELPFUL: preface your STATEMENT of the DILEMMA thus: IT’S UNACCEPTABLE TO

and it is

EQUALLY UNACCEPTABLE TO

.

The keyword is EQUAL - it is this equality that gives you the FROZEN ROBOT. Save your wife or your son? BE CAREFUL: Keep BOTH SIDES equal. If it becomes lopsided, you lose the paralysis.

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JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

ELEMENTS OF DILEMMA

Feel your way around the story to find the UNACCEPTABLE elements to use as your DILEMMA. You’ll learn how to get better at this. Use a TWO-SIDED chart to help find the dilemma. EXAMPLE: “Training Day”

Just list the sides of the story, and try and lay out the opposite. It can be 100-150 things long. Just throw things out there. This is one side - put the opposite of the dilemma on the other.

AUDIENCE CONNECTION

Connect the dilemma of the PROTAGONIST to the average member of your audience. Once you UNDERSTAND the DILEMMA, you want to WORK HARD at making a CONNECTION to the average member of your audience. How? Say to yourself - “How can the person who lives across the street who I don’t know relate to my protagonist?”. If you don’t, the audience will just shrug. The DEEPER YOU GO THE MORE UNIVERSAL YOU GET. A movie about a WHEATFARMER in OKLAHOMA should resonate with a BANKER in TOKYO. He should say to himself “Oh my God, that’s my life!” They will both be caught in the SAME DILEMMA. At the core of the DILEMMA is a UNIVERSAL BOND, like loyalty, hope, fear etc. EXPERIMENT WITH EXTREMES

Once the dilemma is up and running, PUSH IT. See what the EXTREMES ARE. BUT maybe ratchet it in a bit so it still fits in the CONTEXT of your STORY. Sometimes experimenting with the extremes of, eg, WHEAT FARMING, warp it. See where it will take you. OUTRAGEOUSNESS. You just want to work your ideas out. Picture someone you hate and put a torture hat on them, and tighten it up and get them screaming. Then take the hat on your PROTAGONIST, with the screws that TIGHT. And see what HE screams about. BEAT HIM UP. You tend to be soft on your PROTAGONIST. PAGE 4 OF 11



JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

“Mania is as priceless as genius”, Dr. No. It’s all about going OFF THE DEEP END. CHAOS

When you mess with your STORY, PROTAGONIST and EXTREMES, you create CHAOS. That’s GREAT! Stand out from the others by working with CHAOS. Originality comes from CHAOS. It’s is your friend. PUT YOURSELF IN THE PROTAGONIST

Role play in your head with the DILEMMA as the protagonist. Work it out, live it. And put yourself in the shoes of the ANTAGONIST too - you will see your nemesis in a tight spot, you can see the chinks in their ARMOUR and that will give you ideas to work with. RAMIFICATIONS

Once you’re SATISFIED with DILEMMA, look at the wider world and see how this DILEMMA affects your PROTAGONIST in their world. That will allow you to PRESENT the world more believably.

CRISIS 00:44:40The point at which the DILEMMA goes CRITICAL. Make or break. The PROTAGONIST must REACT IMMEDIATELY to the DILEMMA, rather than continuing to contemplate it from a distance. FORCED to CHOOSE. SOMETHING has to GIVE. Sometimes all the worst possible things all happening at the worst possible time. How many anvils can you drop on the protagonists head? If you have the CRISIS, look at what you can HEAP ON TOP to make it EVEN MORE CRITICAL. (NB. This is a weirdly short segment).

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JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

DECISION and ACTION 00:47:50 Decision and action in the face of CRISIS REVEALS the TRUE CHARACTER of the PROTAGONIST. You want BOTH a Decision and Action ABOUT THE DILEMMA. Seeing CHARACTER REVEALED, stripped RAW, is very compelling to an audience. Decision and Action break the FROZEN ROBOT, the paralysis. It can bring out the BEST or the WORST. EXAMPLE: “Training Day”

Alonzo leaves Jake to get murdered by the Hillside Gang. Jake barely escapes. Jakes has come to a CRISIS. He makes the DECISION that he will TAKE DOWN Alonzo, and his ACTION is to try to arrest him. He’s definitely broken out of the FROZEN ROBOT.

Resolution 00:56:53 The PROTAGONIST ACTIVELY RESOLVES his or her DILEMMA. The DILEMMA should be CONCLUSIVELY and IRREVERSIBLY resolved. You want the protagonist to do it themselves. You don’t want it to ‘just happen’ to them, and you do not want SOMEONE ELSE to do it for them (‘Deus Ex Machina’). The HERO is the do-er, the maker, the SHAPER OF EVENTS. It must be IRREVERSIBLE - it is GRATIFYING for the AUDIENCE. How to RESOLVE a DILEMMA? Being caught on the HORNS of a DILEMMA - you can choose ONE of the UNACCEPTABLE options. EXAMPLE: “Godfather”

Michael chooses to be a criminal, and GOES ALL THE WAY. That RESOLVES his DILEMMA. He has lost his soul in the process, but AT LEAST HE IS NOT SITTING AROUND WONDERING. Or “Go Between the Horns” - THINK ON YOUR FEET and come up with a RADICAL THIRD ALTERNATIVE. “You’ve got to go through Door A, or Door B”. And you pull out a CHAINSAW and CARVE YOUR OWN DOOR. EXAMPLE: “The Firm”

Tom Cruise stuck between Mafia law firm, or crooked FBI agent. Cruise comes up with a THIRD option - to get the firm prosecuted on a POSTAL REGULATIONS violation.

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JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

Theme 01:02:02 The WAY in which the PROTAGONIST RESOLVES the DILEMMA EXPRESSES the THEME of the piece. Look at the RESOLUTION and look at the way in which he or she resolves it and you put your finger on the THEME. The PHILOSOPHY of the WRITER. The SPIRIT of the script. INFUSE the script with the THEME. David Mamet says a script properly done will COMMUNICATE the THEME CLEARLY & POWERFULLY ONCE AT THE END. TRUST YOUR PLOT to communicate the THEME ONCE at the end - don’t constantly bludgeon the audience all the way through. It should be EMBEDDED in the ACTION of the plot, and in the NATURE of your CHARACTERS. As you BUILD a story, a THEME can MORPH and take on a LIFE OF ITS OWN. You have to be AWARE of that. Look at the WAY in which the PROTAGONIST RESOLVES the DILEMMA will let you DISCOVER the TRUE THEME of the piece. It can CHANGE from what you started with. If you CAN’T quite grasp the THEME completely, just WORK ON IT. Let it REST, let your subconscious work on it. EXAMPLE: “Training Day”

Jake resolves the dilemma by STANDING UP to Evil. The THEME is “what if one man says ‘no’?” EXAMPLE: “What Women Want”

Mel opens up to Helen Hunt, totally honest, bare. The THEME is about self expression, and being in relationships. EXAMPLE: “Minority Report”

The way Anderton defeats Lamar is to cut through smoke and mirrors and superstition. It’s about liberation from illusion. EXAMPLE: “Godfather”

Michael saves his family by becoming a criminal. The THEME is ‘what cost power’? Loss of soul.

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JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

RAW IDEA EXAMPLE Just free-form ideas from a basic premise and see where it goes, maybe no where, maybe somewhere. (NB. this really needs to be watched, is difficult to make sense with just the notes) “A wealthy super-busy CEO hires a detective to protect his wife from somebody who is harassing her, but the detective falls madly in love with her while trying to protect her”. Then think about this: • Is there a DILEMMA inherent in this idea? • Or do I have to create one?

Well it’s unacceptable to not do your job, but it’s equally unacceptable to not connect in some way with a person you are fascinated with. Something like that. Work on it. Ideas: Play “What if” • The woman is WILD and FEISTY • He is attracted to her • She runs with a wild crowd • She’s really fun and attractive.

You are literally building a plot by just throwing out ‘what if’. And point 4 makes it even more unacceptable as she is quite a catch, and he’s a boob. • And someone is definitely out to hurt her. • But also there’s something weird and ‘off’ about her. • The job is dangerous, he almost gets hurt. But he has it so bad for her he can’t walk away. • She lives an exotic lifestyle. • She is hot for him too

Really build it up, but STAY FOCUSSED ON DILEMMA. Build the CHARACTER, him, her. • She is un-phased by the danger • He is weirded out by that • She has a crazy streak

Up the STAKES. • She can stand up for herself • She is love-starved for the detective • She likes him and needs his protection. • She is intoxicatingly sexy • Craziest client who doesn’t give a damn PAGE 8 OF 11



JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

• She is a sexual predator • She get into dangerous situation just to see him deal with it • She taunts him as she knows he would not cross the line

Possible titles will occur to you as you play with it. “Hell on High Heels”. Write them down, don’t edit. • She’s the best and worst thing • Dangerous things keep happening • It’s a scary mystery

State DILEMMA based on what you’ve been PLAYING with. “It’s UNACCEPTABLE to let go of this job because she’s the most crazy exciting woman he’s ever met, and the mystery is TOO MUCH to walk away from. It’s EQUALLY UNACCEPTABLE as it is very dangerous and unpredictable, and his 6th sense tells him to get out”. Just try it out, play it both ways. Lay out a TWO-SIDED CHART to get it OUT YOUR BRAIN, ONTO PAPER IN A CLEAR WAY. Can’t keep doing this

Can’t quit doing this

Worst thing that ever happened to him

Best thing that ever happened to him

She’s real trouble

She’s irresistible

She’s got a real enemy

The mystery is too intriguing

He could get killed

He’s having the time of his life

She makes him crazy

She’s waking him up

He’s losing control

He’s furious that someone tried to kill him

She’s crazy

Living the high life

He can’t sleep

Adventure

She’s going to lose him is job

Fun

Danger

He can’t live without her

Unpredictability He can’t trust her It really helps to get the process out there. DILEMMA should be in the middle of the focus. Look for IDEAS on how to ENHANCE it. The list could be 100 long. Explore the IDEAS. How ATTRACTIVE can she be? How little is he being PAID? HOW DANGEROUS are the PEOPLE she is socialising with. PAGE 9 OF 11



JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

An Attempt at a CRISIS

About the 2/3 or 3/4 mark, the BREAKING POINT will come. HOW BAD CAN IT GET? • What’s an ENTERTAINING WAY FOR THIS TO COME TO A HEAD? • What’s a FUNNY way to BLOW IT UP? • What’s a DANGEROUS way to BLOW IT UP? • How can EVERYTHING GET MUCH WORSE? • What if SHE’S INTO BLACKMAIL? • What if she is TRULY INSANE? • What if he’s BEEN PLAYED FOR A SUCKER? • What if he’s finally IN LOVE with her just as it GOES CRITICAL? • What if they made love and it IS BEYOND FANTASTIC? • What if he’s LOSING HIS MIND? • What if he discovers SHE HAS BETRAYED HIM? • What about her MISSING HUSBAND?

That’s the PROCESS of BOTH the MECHANICS and the ENTERTAINMENT of the movie. Step outside the PLOT and think what WOULD MAKE THIS ENTERTAINING. You are in the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY and OUTRAGEOUSNESS is the WATCHWORD. Put things together, and try things on. Possible Crisis: “Right as he is very close to solving who is after her, they sleep together and are now madly in love. He captures her attacker but discovers she is really a blackmailer and that she has been using him. She is acting crazier. He gets attacked and questions his sanity. The husband turns up and suspects he is screwing his wife.” Just drop ANVILS on top of ANVILS. Have ALL THE WORST POSSIBLE STUFF HAPPEN AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME. An Attempt At DECISION and ACTION

What’s he going to do at this crush point? “He’s got to come up with something fast, when everything is on the line, is she the love of his life or the worst that’s ever happened. Has she really betrayed him, or is a third-party playing them both. Is he even sane enough to deal with this.” Here’s an ATTEMPT to state DECISION & ACTION He panics and DECIDES she has betrayed him, and they fight. He tells her he’s through being her dancing monkey. He DECIDES against her, and he takes ACTION by telling her he’s through. He’s broken the PARALYSIS.

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JEFF KITCHEN - FULL DAY SCREENWRITING SEMINAR



LECTURE: CLASSICAL STRUCTURAL TECHNIQUE

An ATTEMPT at a RESOLUTION

What questions would come up? • Would this be a happy ending? • It’s shaping up to be a ROMANTIC COMEDY and if so, then they’d get back together:

How? Why? On who’s terms?

• Do they take out the attacker at the end? • Is he TRANSFORMED? • Is she? • What’s the SECRET of the weird stuff? • Had she really betrayed him, or was it misunderstanding.

One possible ending, one way of pulling it all together is that: She reveals she’s been using blackmail against previous business associates to protect herself, and he has been freed up by the experiences of being with her, now they are perfect for each other and they get it together. An ATTEMPT at THEME

The way the PROTAGONIST RESOLVES his DILEMMA is by OPENING UP and GETTING A FRESH LOOK AT LIFE. He lets go and goes crazy and finally enjoys life. It’s about GETTING CRAZY ENOUGH TO GET SANE. That’s one possible track of working out a movie. It’s an EXPLORATORY TRIAL. You’ve just got to start shaping something up, then you can go back on work on it. That’s the working process on a real story.

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