The Central Question

central-question

More questions… But to be precise, THE CENTRAL QUESTION. Also sometimes referred to as THE CENTRAL DRAMATIC QUESTION.

Hey Obi-Wan…

When you get settled down and whatnot, got coffee and feel like it, would you mind a few more elaborating words on THE CENTRAL QUESTION… either email or on the dear old blog - I was surfing through there, but maybe I missed it… but it’d be cool to hear anything more you have to say on it…

I’m probably overcomplicating it in my head, I’m sure… When I break it down, I see it as basically related to the call to action… once the hero accepts the call, the question is will he / she succeed at whatever the call requires… will Frodo return the ring to the pit, will Marlin find Nemo, will Angelina take her shirt off (oops, different question, perhaps more central to my viewing habits than it is to any movie story she participates in)… etc.

Just curious, what would you see as the central question of TRAINING DAY, is it, will the rookie survive training day?

Anyways, no rush, boss… just muse when it hits you.

The Central Question is like a lot of screenwriting elements… We can make it as complicated as we want.

Or not.

The first thing we should probably get out of the way is that normally, the central question poses itself somewhere in the first Act. Does it have to be in the first act? Nope… But if yours isn’t in the first Act of your screenplay, you better keep me glued to my seat with something while you make me wait for it to reveal itself. And that something needs to be related to the story to keep me glued. Don’t just toss some spaghetti up against the wall to keep me interested UNLESS it really has something to do with the story.

I’ve seen the central question CREATED in a myriad of ways in even more than a myriad amount of movies. In stories and movies where ye old Protagonist doesn’t really have a character arc — rather — they are used as elements of change i.e., they don’t really change or arc themselves but they try to change something major that’s happening in the story — usually something being done by the antagonist or antagonistic forces. In a lot of these kinds of stories and movies, the central question is pretty simple. Will the protagonist defeat the antagonist and bring about the necessary change to set the world back in balance? Not in balance like it was before but just a little better than it was before that nasty old antagonist was working his or her plan.

In most of these kinds of stories and films, the central question evolves from the inciting incident and once the inciting incident occurs, hopefully both the reader of the screenplay and the audience of the story is immediately asking themselves a couple of questions:

1) What does the protagonist want?
2) What or who is gonna try and stop him or her from getting what he or she wants?

Together, these two questions normally infer the story’s and once a reader or audience member’s gotta decent understanding of a story or movie’s premise — once again, the subconscious kicks into high-gear makes the central question clear:

Will the protagonist stop the antagonist?

In stories and movies where the protagonist definitely transforms, the central question can be a little trickier… Some stories and movies like to use the inciting incident to thrust the protagonist on his or her journey and this almost always brings up the central question of:

Will the protagonist resolve whatever the inciting incident disrupted in his or her ordinary world? Of course this isn’t REALLY the central question is it?

Nope.

Because the protagonist will journey away from his or her ordinary world — pick up knowledge along the way — maybe even a friend or two that depart some of their knowledge — this begins the element of change within the protagonist.

They’re absorbing all this new knowledge and very much like a caterpiller in a cocoon undergoing physical change to emerge as a beautiful butterfly, the protagonist discovers his or her TRUE GOAL. The want or desire that evolved from the inciting incident is no longer the real central question. Now the central question is will the protagonist now become the beautiful butterfly? And in becoming so, will he or she ALSO defeat the antagonist or the antagonistic forces in play?

Maybe — maybe not.

Another way to present the central question is simply by creating the … Remember, we’re not talking about the best of the best. Not the best cop. Not the best private investigator. Not the best attorney. We’re talking . The very best representation of that KIND OF CHARACTER.

If it’s a cop on the take, make the cop the quintessential cop on the take.

If it’s an attorney who only defends scumbags, make the attorney the quintessential attorney who only defends scumbags.

By creating a quintessential character — we — meaning we who will read your screenplay and or hopefully watch your movie, will automatically ask ourselves if this quintessential character is going to REMAIN the same. If you go with your character, thereby making him or her quintessential, we will almost always subconsciously ask ourselves these two questions:

1) How did this character come to be this way?
2) Will this character stay this way?

Whereas the first question is simply a question that we will wonder about but the second question can easily become the new central question of this story i.e., now assists in creating the central question of your story.

A lot of stories and movies try to make THEME the central question of the story. Nothing wrong with that at all especially if your theme explores one or more of life’s many unanswered questions.

The problem?

Making the central question important enough, dramatic enough, compelling enough to hold our interest through to the end and to ME, that’s the hardest part of getting the central question RIGHT.

Now let’s DISCUSS…

Unk

Sunday: 20 July 2008|1452|Under Questions

60 Comments 

Spelling sound effects: Onomatopoeia

sfx-wordsI can’t really say that was the first screenwriter to write the sounds in his screenplays but I do have to give him credit for being the most memorable. He captured a rythm that made you almost believe that you heard the sound in your head.

One of my own collections I thought I would share with you is my own collection of sound effects and their spelling… Pretty simple stuff, right? LOL.

No… This isn’t something you’re gonna see on too many other sites but it could be fun. How many of you out there actually spell out your sound effects? And more importantly, are they realistic? Do they work? Do they fit?

I think what’s interesting here is that I don’t see sound effects written out too often in screenplays but in my own humble opinion — if done correctly — enhance the writing.

So without further ado…

Different kinds of HITS:

BA-BOOM BA-DOOM BAM BAMFF BANG BAP BASH BE-BAP BIFF BLAM BLASH BLOOF BOFF BOINK BONG BONK BOOM BOOT BOP BUDOW CHOKK CLANK CLAP CLAP-CLAP CLOMP CLUNK CRASH CREEE-UNCHH CRUNCH DOINK FA-WUMP FACK FAP FLUMP FOMP FONK FOOP FRACK FUMP FWAK FWAP FWOP FWUMP GLOMP JAB KA-BLANG KA-BONG KA-PO KACHAK KA-TAP KANG KERPLUNK KERSPLAT KLONG KLONK KLOP KONK KRAK KRATOOM KREEE-UNCHH KRONCH KRONK KRUNCH KRUNCK KWAP PIK PING PLAP PLOCK PLOINK PLOK PLOP POIK POING POK POKE POP POW PWOP RATTA-TAT-TAT SHAK SHAKKTT SCHTOCK SHOK SHOOM SHTOK SHUDD SHWAK SHWOKK SLAM SLAP SMACK SMASH SPAP SPLACH SPLACK SPLAT SPLATT SPLOSH SPLUNK SOCK TAK TAP THOK THOMP THROMP THRUMP THUD THUDD THUMP THWACK TO-OM TOINK TOK TOMP TONG TONG TUFF TUNK TWAK TWIK TWONG TWONK TWUNK VRONK WABOOM WAK WHACK WHAK WHAM WHAMMO WHAP WHTTT WHOK WHOMP WHONK WHOOP WHOP WHUM WHUMP WONK WUMP ZLONK ZOCK ZOK ZOP

Different kinds of vehicle STOPS:

EEEEERRRP SCHHHHHID SCREEEETCHH SKREEL SKRITCH SQUEAL SQUEEE VREECH Z-EEK

Different kinds of GUNFIRE:

BADOOM BAM BAM-BAM-BAM BANG BLAM BOOM BOOM-CHICK-CHICK BRRAK KABOOM KA-BANG KA-BOOM KER-BLANG KER-POW PEOW PEOW-PEOW PEOW-PEOW-PEOW PHUT POP POW POW-POW-POW RATTA-TAT-TAT TAKA TAKA TAKA

Get the idea? I’m not going to sit here and tell you how they should be used… I won’t tell you that you need to use a specific word for a partcular sound. That’s all up to you but at least now you have a list that you can add to — assuming you don’t already have one — and if you do — nevermind. LOL.

I would only say to consider being consistent when using a particular word for a specific sound. Of course there are different kinds of sounds that are definitely related… Like different kinds of wind or air rushing past you… Of course you wouldn’t use the same word for every instance of wind rushing past you. You use the best word for the kind of wind rushing past you.

Get it?

.

Unk

EDIT: Almost forgot… Please feel free to share your favorite onomatopoeia with us…

EDIT #2: (thanks Will!)

Tuesday: 1 July 2008|1801|Under Tricks

47 Comments 

Subplots Screenwriting Structure Part 16

abcd

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Don’t really know what a subplot is? No problem… Some writers don’t. LOL. A subplot is basically everything else going on with your Protagonist that you’re not including in the main storyline. All your other main characters are not unlike your Protagonist. Each has their very own main storyline, goal, motivation, action, events, obstacles, crisis, and resolution.

Subplots.

You’ve got a couple, right? If you do not, now might be the time to consider them… A lot of stories very naturally spin off a or two and that’s a good thing but there’s nothing wrong with a planned subplot either. In fact, it’s okay to manipulate your spun off subplot into a planned subplot that helps serve the story better.

Consider using to do some of your dirty work when it comes to the following…

Many writers call the subplots the “B,” “C,” and “D” stories… They are similar to your main or “A” story but usually lack some of the same story or structural elements. While there is certainly no definitive rule, subplots do not require the same story or structural elements as the main story and often rely on exposition to fill in said story or structural elements.

Often, by simply exploring and analyzing your main plot from as many different perspectives as possible can spin off a new subplot. This is perhaps, best accomplished by using those amazing secondary characters that you’ve developed.

Tell us your secondary character’s story…

Just as your Protagonist is a character in conflict, so should your secondary characters be in conflict of some kind and hence, we follow this secondary character’s struggles via the subplot and this subplot helps pull the main story into full focus by the end of of the screenplay.

Consider the importance of all your subplots…

Many times I will read a screenplay that puts a weaker subplot in front of a more important subplot. Meaning that there is so much emphasis on a weaker subplot that either it needs to be fleshed out so that it becomes more important or maybe it needs to be the main story. You do not want your subplots to be more interesting than the main story.

An outstanding movie to watch if you want to see a movie that caters to the importance of subplots is . I’ve learned so much from this movie that every time I watch it, I am amazed. The same goes for .

Intersect your subplot with the main story plot and allow this subplot to create new complications for your Protagonist. Subplots can run parallel to the main storyline or they can run in complete contrast to it but ALL SUBPLOTS SHOULD SUPPORT, INFORM, AND EVENTUALLY WRAP UP OR PAY OFF INTO YOUR MAIN STORY PLOT. Do not leave your subplots UNATTENDED. Don’t get us all spun up in a B, C, or D story and then forget to tie it up.

Either tie it up or get rid of it.

Unk

Thursday: 26 June 2008|1333|Under Structure

15 Comments 

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