Directing, : Film Techniques and Aesthetics

255 Pages·2003·2.55 MB·English

by  Michael Rabiger

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DEVELOPING
STORY IDEAS
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DEVELOPING
STORY IDEAS
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DEVELOPING
STORY IDEAS

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Contents

Intraduction ie
Pon OVERVIEW 1
(Chapter: This Book Its Goals and Getting Started 3
CChapter2: You and the Creative Process 5
Parti SELF EXAMINATION, OBSERVATION,

‘AND IMPROVISATION ASSIGNMENTS, a
Chapter: Artstic Identity 2
Chapter: Inoductionsand Playing CLOSAT. 2»
CChapter5: Autobiography and Influences 3°
Chapter: Observing from Life oo
Part: USING THE TOOLSOF DRAMA st
CChapter7: Developing Your Characters and the

‘Dramatists Toolkit 3
CChapter8: Analyzing aScene 6
Chapter Assessing a Complete Work 2
Chapter 10: Testing a Story Mea and Deciding

Paint of View at
Parti; CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS 8%
Chapter 1: A Tle from Childhood oo

Chapter 12: Family Story 10
vill Contents

Chapter 13:
Chapter
Chapter 15:
Chapter 16:
Chapter 17
Chapter 18:
Chapter 19
Pat Ve

(Chapter 20:

Part VE

Chapter21:
Chapter 22:

Index

‘A Myth, Legend, or Folktale Retold
Dream Story

‘Adapting aShort Story
‘Ten-Minute, NewsInspired Story
‘A Documentary Subject
‘Thiny-Minute Original Fiction
Feature Fm

‘THE EMERGING WRITER
‘Revising Your Anistic entity

EXPANDING YOUR WORK INTO.
5 FINALFORM
‘Story-Baiting Your Outline

Expanding Your Outline

13
19
a
Introduction

you ke writing but get frustrated by characters who refuse to comealive,
los that fizz or story ideas that all fel secondhand, ths book will prove
‘exhilarating and freding. Using minimal prgon and speaking directly to you
{82 colleague is advice and many practical assignments wil hap You gen-
erate a fund of your own story ideas—and have great pleasure doing it
‘Though addressed to prospective screenwriters, the hooks work is founda-
tional and can lead just as easily 10 profes in prose Fiction, theater, radio, oF
journalism

‘The story development work all akes place in outline form, so extique
and further work really bear frat, for this i awarkout manual in idation—
that isin finding and developing the cove ideas and the personal connec
tions that underpin all good stories ae lend them impact.

"A book lke this necessary because telling stovies~so natural and easy
{or the very young—gets mare dificult as we grow up. We become self-
‘conscious and selfevtcal. Academic education compounds the problem by
Ihering. us into large, competitive, and impersonal institutions. Most
schooling concentrate on facts, objectivity, and vote memonzation, and this
‘males selF-esploration seem indulgent and iredevant. But we come into
[possesion of ourselves only if we conna:temotionaly imaginatively, and
Spintually—with others. Humans have always dane this through telling
and listening to stories. Stories are the oxygen of csiliztion and the elitr
fof sanity and wisdom; we must both hear them and tll them if we are ©
survive and prosper.

My halfentury of professional invalvement with storytelling and story-
tellers has convinced me that each person is deeply marked by key exper
fences, and s0 each has moving stories 0 tell. Doing this well means fist
looking inward. In order to develop your creativity and individual “voice”
‘you will need to access, value, and buld upon what you carry within, This