What does this book talk about#
This is a classic work that delves into the process of screenwriting for movies and TV shows. The author reveals the key to creating captivating and emotionally resonant stories by discussing techniques such as plot construction, character development, and dialogue creation. It is also a book that enlightened me in self-study of screenwriting, with many points worth recording and reflecting on. I am sharing them here with everyone. If you are interested in scriptwriting, I hope it can be helpful to you.
Below is a summary I have compiled during the reading process. It is not a verbatim translation of the original text. I have made some adjustments to the wording and context for my own understanding and future reference.
Premise: The Purpose of a Play#
- Without a well-defined premise, no inspiration or situation can be powerful enough to lead your drama to a logical conclusion.
- You must write about something you believe in. Your premise should first and foremost be your own belief, so that you can wholeheartedly prove it. Perhaps your premise may seem absurd to me, but you must prove that it is your truth.
- Not all examples have high literary value, but they have clearly defined premises, which are necessary for all excellent writing. Without a premise, you cannot delve into the characters.
- A premise must include: characters, conflicts, and resolutions. If the premise is not clear, these elements will be unknown.
- The premise does not need to be a universal truth. Poverty does not always lead to crime. But if you choose this premise, it becomes the truth in your work.
- No part of a script can have an independent life; all elements should blend harmoniously into a cohesive whole.
Characters#
Framework Structure#
- Three dimensions of character roles: physical, psychological, and social.
- Studying a character's personality, beliefs, habits, and morality is not enough. We need to understand why a person becomes who they are now, and whether it is voluntary or not, their personality will inevitably change continuously.
- Every action of a character is closely related to a specific moment in the past.
- The author must understand the three dimensions of the character, but they do not necessarily have to mention them in the script. These characteristics are conveyed through the character's actions. You must understand every detail of the characters you create and know how they would behave in each situation. Everything that happens in your play must directly come from the character you have chosen, and they must have a strong will to help you prove the premise.
Environment#
- In fact, even a simple "yes" or "no" answer is the result of complex and subtle examination, evaluation, and adjustment of the fictional or real environment we are in, our mental or physical conditions, and our economic situation.
- Our thoughts are often influenced by the external environment (or often influenced by the environment). The degree of influence is no less than the physiological reactions of the body. Just like those seemingly forgotten childhood memories, they are still deeply rooted in our minds. No matter how hard we try to escape the influence of the past, train our nature, we still cannot break free from its control. No matter how hard we try to remain impartial, this unconscious memory always influences our judgment.
- Characters are the sum of their own physical conditions and the influence of the environment they create.
Dialectics#
- The development of dialogue consists of three parts:
- First, a statement of a proposition, called the thesis.
- Then, the presentation of the opposite of this proposition, called the antithesis.
- Finally, to resolve this opposition, the original proposition must be revised and form a synthesis.
- These three steps have a logical rule of movement. All things in continuous motion are constantly negating themselves. Through motion, all things will transform into their opposites, the past becomes the present, and the future becomes the present. There is no completely stationary thing.
- Change is the driving force that forces things to move, and the movement itself also becomes different from before. The past becomes the present and together they determine the future.
Character Growth#
- The position of a character needs to be manifested through conflicts. Conflicts start with a person's decision, which is made based on the premise. The character's decision will inevitably trigger a corresponding decision from the opponent. These decisions keep occurring and drive the drama towards its ultimate goal of proving the premise.
- Characters need a lot of motivation before making decisions, mainly from the physical, psychological, and social aspects. Countless motivations can be created based on them.
- Only in poor writing will characters make changes that do not align with their characteristics.
- A good play often has tension that develops from one extreme to another.
Willpower of Characters#
- A character with weak willpower cannot continuously create conflicts in the play or sustain the story.
Plot vs. Characters#
- Before constructing each situation, you should ask yourself (as the creator of the characters) three questions:
- What should I do?
- What should others do?
- What must be done?
- Characters are elements with untapped potential.
- Conflict is only necessary when it can prove the premise.
Protagonist#
- The protagonist is the leading figure in any movement or causal relationship.
- The protagonist must not be without ambition. They must be eager to obtain something to the extent that they are willing to destroy everything or bring about their own destruction on the path to achieving their goal.
- Negative forces, if persistent enough, can become positive forces.
- The reason why the protagonist is the protagonist is not because they want to be, but because they are driven by their inner needs and external environment, they shoulder heavy burdens.
Antagonist#
- The antagonist obstructs the protagonist's progress, and the protagonist must use all resources to fight against them.
- In any play, the antagonist must be as powerful as the protagonist and have the same strong will.
- A play is a crisis from beginning to end, developing towards an inevitable conclusion.
Character Arrangement#
- Arrangement means to set up several clearly defined and determined characters in opposition to each other, and through conflicts, the drama shifts from one extreme to another.
- When watching a play, you must observe how each force in the drama is arranged. This force can come from a group or an individual.
- Every major transformation contains many minor transformations.
- If you are faithful to the three dimensions you have set for the characters, their words and actions will align with their personalities, and there is no need to deliberately create differences between characters.
- If by chance there is a conflict between these two characters and they try to prove the premise of the drama, the conflict will be more rich and colorful due to the differences in expressive abilities. This dramatic effect of contrast also depends on the characters' inner personalities.
- For any character, there are countless possibilities for growth. Without growth, the script loses the initial opposition and the hidden attributes in character settings. Lack of growth also means a lack of conflict, and without conflict, the character arrangement is not perfect enough.
Unity of Opposites#
- In nature, nothing is "destroyed" or "dead"; they are all transformed into other forms.
- True unity of opposites can only be broken when one or both sides completely change their characteristics. In true unity of opposites, it is impossible to make any party compromise.
- After finding the premise, immediately verify whether there is such a unity of opposites between the characters. If their "unity" relationship is not close enough and the opposition is not absolute, the conflict will appear flat and unable to be intensified, let alone reach a climax.