Review of work

On the back of only a few weeks of scriptwriting study, I intended to use my time writing MARA primarily as a personal learning experience. It helped me to develop both my practical writing skills, as well as develop competency of software like Final Draft, and my theoretical approach to writing and media production. MARA is the first time I have ever written something from scratch, and as such it tested and challenged me on many occasions. No matter how many obstacles of personal issues in my life fought to deter me, I persevered throughout the past few months to achieve my goal of writing a 10 page short screenplay – one which I could be proud of.

All of the very obvious writing mistakes I have made and trials I faced while doing so have, in the end, taught me valuable lessons which I can take with me into my future work.

The traditional Celtic folk tale of the selkie is a story of feminine awakening and autonomy. It has taken place in the past across many countries, sometimes tragically and sometimes with happy resolutions. However, the tragic version is probably, sadly, the most widely known, thanks in part to its many cross-media adaptations. The tale is similar in plot to the many Swan Maiden tales that are found worldwide and have versions in many cultures.

The title refers to the central protagonist, a selkie who we originally meet in her human form as she is stuck working as a serving girl in a wealthy home. I primarily used the Franny Billingsley tale 'The Folk Keeper' as inspiration, but also looked to popular adaptations such as Ondine and The Song of the Sea. I decided that I preferred to adapt an existing legend or myth and imbue it with my own meanings rather than to create a story and characters completely from scratch. Folklore provides the perfect pool of stories from which to fish, many of which are prime for adaptation and remediation. Folk tales have always been accessible – originally coming from peasant classes and making their way in popularity through the ranks of society. They are public territory, with no single authorial voice. Even their method of communication, be it oral, literary or filmic, can add to their accessibility. From the very start, I knew that I wanted to set my tale in my home country of Ireland, so I looked to popular Celtic folktales. 

I found that re-reading stories and watching films about selkies helped me with pacing and kept me inspired throughout my project. The brief for this project required the short to be 10 pages, or 10 minutes in length. A major challenge for me was trying to fit all of the scenes and actions I desired into this timeframe, while also not including anything unnecessary to the story which would make the pacing drag. It took a great many revisions of my story, both by myself and with the input of friends, before I decided upon a suitable script.

I wanted to keep the potential film as accessible as possible by using very little dialogue, so it could be  easily understood by people from all walks of life. I also wanted to create a reflective mood with long sequences of atmospheric shots. I featured the protagonist carrying out every day tasks in a pensive manner to evoke a particular feeling.

While deciding how best to adapt the folk tale into a short film, I took to watching a great many animated and live action shorts. I found them readily available all across the internet, so spent a few evenings at a time powering through them, to consume as many as possible. It helped me to acquaint myself with short film formatting. Just by passively absorbing the writing and pacing techniques of multiple films, I found it easier to approach my own work and apply the tips that I had picked up to my own treatment. It was far easier to watch a large number of short films in a limited space of time than dedicating myself to sit down in front of multiple feature films. I loved ‘studying’ in this way, because it was as enjoyable as it was enlightening.

As well as for technical inspiration, I looked to media for works with thematic similarities to my own. I also completed a great many readings on the topics of screenwriting, representation, and folklore to expand my knowledge and understanding of the subjects, which I could apply practically to my own work. Critical reading and viewing were essential to developing a nuanced take on the adaptation of a prized folk legend. Through reading of media texts and academic literature, I have grown a greater understanding and awareness of screenwriting as an art and communication form. It had made me increasingly aware of time and energy that goes into the writing stage.
As a woman establishing my independence and autonomy through the creation of a media text, I felt that this act in itself was a mirror for the tale itself of freedom and escape. I watched many subversive feminist texts with strong female characters or creators, to inform the representation I was hoping to utilize. I also watched many films and shows with wondrous elements, especially those that featured fantastical metamorphosing creatures or people, from selkie texts to the very well known Beauty and the beast, Skrek, Ex Machina, etc.

Selkie Research

Sourced from http://www.tor.com/2015/02/11/selkie-stories-from-sea-songs-to-tragic-romances/

Selkies are ethereal creatures who take the form of seals in the ocean, but then transform into supernaturally beautiful humans while on land: they’ve inspired tales for centuries. Their stories tend to be romantic tragedies: females are trapped on land and slowly waste away when men hide their sealskins; fishermen wake to find their beloved wives gone back to the sea and selkie children are spirited away to an aquatic life.

The Secret of Roan Inish
Fiona goes to live with her grandparents on the western coast of Ireland, and soon learns that one of her ancestors may have had a tryst with a selkie. As if that weren’t magical enough, at least a few members of her community think that her baby brother was spirited away by the creatures.

Sofia Samatar’s “Selkie Stories are for Losers”
Tells us of a different side of the selkie myth. Our narrator is the daughter of a selkie who has to stay behind and take care of her father, while also dealing with the emotional fallout of not only losing her mother, but of being tied so tightly to the world of myth.

Ondine
Neil Jordan gives us a semi-magical Selkie story in Ondine. Colin Farrell is a recovering alcoholic fisherman, his daughter is slowly dying of kidney failure and has to use a wheelchair, and her mom, Farrell’s ex, is an active alcoholic who keeps messing up their lives.
One day Farrell pulls a half-drowned woman up in his fishing nets, and takes her home. Soon he notices that when she sings he catches more fish, and other strange things. Obviously, things get complicated, but Ondine is an often lovely modern fairy tale.

Song of the Sea
Two children, Ben and Saoirse, live in a lighthouse with their father, Conor. The loss of their mother has shattered the family, and Conor remains inconsolable. Ben is often left to care for Saoirse, who hasn’t spoken even though she’s six years old. When Saoirse discovers a shell flute that used to belong to their mother, the spellbinding music she creates becomes both a means of communication and the key to a magical secret locked deep in their mother’s past. 

Selkie
This sweet family movie changes the usual story up by transplanting the Celtic legend to Australia! Jamie has a great life: a decent job, a place on the footy team, and best of all, he spends his nights playing lead guitar in a band. Everything’s going swell until his whole family has to move to a remote island. Once they’re on the island, because he begins to learn the truth about himself. The funny webbing between his fingers? The uncanny pull of the sea? Could he be a selkie?


The Selkie’s Lover
Set in the Scottish Highlands, The Selkie’s Lover is another update on the story. After a selkie is trapped on land in her human form, she finds herself falling for a human fisherman. Can she find a way to stay with him? Or does her heart belong to the sea? 

The Folk Keeper

By Franny Billingsley

I read this book when I was around 8 years old maybe, and it has stuck with me ever since. It was the first time I had ever heard of the legendary Selkie characters, and I fell in love with their mythology.

The Folk Keeper rings several changes on the selkie traditions of folklore.
Fifteen-year-old Corinna Stonewall is never cold, she always knows exactly what time it is, and her hair grows two inches while she sleeps. She is a steely, hard-hearted, vengeful orphan who prides herself in her job minding the 'folk' creatures. The Folk Keeper has power and independence, and that's the way she likes it.
One day, Corinna is summoned by Lord Merton to come to the vast seaside estate Cliffsend as Folk Keeper and family member--for she is the once-abandoned child he has been looking for. It is at Cliffsend that Corinna learns where her unusual powers come from, why she is drawn to the sea, and finally, what it means to be comfortable in her own skin. Here, Corinna first encounters the sea, and finds that she has a strong affinity for its tides, as well as for the seals who inhabit the waters around her new home.
The setting of The Folk Keeper is left deliberately vague, but is reminiscent of the isles of Scotland or Ireland, a pre-industrial setting of coaches and ferries, village fairs and manors.

Short Film: Night of the Foxes (2012)

Description: KENT, GARDEN OF ENGLAND. THE SUMMER IS LONG AND FRUITLESS, TEMPERS ARE FRAYED AND SUBDUED WITH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.
A FALL FROM GRACE, RAMPANT FOXES AND ERRANT TEENAGERS SPELL DANGER IN THE MIDNIGHT ORCHARDS.

Directed by Tom Haines, Written by Luke Norris and Tom Haines

The tension builds really brilliantly as the film is slow paced, and has mainly action as opposed to dialogue.It's the pauses as much as the decisive action that make it so attention grabbing. The narrative builds up gradually so that you don't know what exactly the characters' relationships are to each other or what the plot will entail. About 4/5 pf the way through the film is when the pace picks up dramatically and the conflict becomes intense. Every second feels longer and more high-risk. There's a very real sense of urgency near the climax. It is certainly an engaging film and one that is very well executed.
The film both begins and ends in the same location of the apple orchard, but in different times of the day which give drastically contrasting atmospheres.

Work for 13th April

Tips and Advice: Writing the first 10 pages

Sourced from: http://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting-101/screenplay/first-ten-pages

When it comes to screenwriting, the first ten pages are some of the most important, as they have to engage the audience so can't be dull or meandering. You must maximize script economy and move the story forward immediately because you’ve only got about 10 pages to accomplish five major components:

• Establish the tone/genre (comedy, fantasy, etc.)
• Introduce your main character: (interesting, flawed, empathetic)
• Clarify the world of the story and the status quo.
• Indicate the theme or message (Good vs. Evil, Man vs. Nature, etc.)
• Set up the dramatic situation (what the story is going to be about.)

There is no absolute order in which these five rules are applied. 

Often a screenplay begins with main character and his/her status quo, but sometimes the dramatic situation comes first, and occasionally all five elements will be covered in one scene alone. The important this is that these five core elements are executed well and established early on.

Building a Character

Name ... Mara
Age ... 15
Place of birth ... unknown exactly, was discovered as an orphan. Believed to be local to the setting of coastal Northern Ireland
Childhood (Happy, Sad, lonely? Brothers/Sisters? What is their relationship) ... presumably unhappy childhood without any parental figures or close relatives or friends. This is reflected in her solitary actions and reserved, staunch demeanor.
What's their relationship to their parents? ... Orphaned, unknown.
Parents divorced? Widowed? Single? ... -

Three P's – Professional, Personal, Private

Professional Life
What do they do for a living? Is he she on a career track? ... Works as a servant in a manor house.
What's the relationship between your character and who they work with? ... strained, she does not identify closely with them and acts as an outsider, despite her lifetime spent in the house growing up next to them.
How did they get the job / been working there? ... again, unknown. Probably taken in from an orphanage as cheap labour, or found and raised by the house and naturally became employed.

Personal life
Are they married / single/ widowed / divorced? ... Single
Are they in a relationship when the story begins? How's it going? Solid, shaky, getting together, breaking up? No, she is solitary and has no close connections to anyone within the story
Married? Same with divorced, widowed, separated? No, too young + does not suit her character.

Private Life
What does your character do when he / she is alone? ... Walks or stands outside alone breathing in the sea air. Gazes outside towards the sea or into the wind and rain, Spends time mainly by herself, and is secluded. Does not seem to have any known hobbies or interests. She does, however, spend quite a bit of time in the company of the house's animals like the hunting dogs and the chickens.
What hobbies do they have? ... No significant hobbies.
Social life? ... Little to none. Is polite to her peers but does not maintain any friendships or engage in group activities.
Friends? ''
Do they work out? ... She has a physically demanding job so does not need to - she remains svelte and fitter than her size would suggest because of the demands of her job and her small food helpings provided at her job.
Have pets? ... No, but there are animals that belongs to the house she works in which she spends time with.

Week 9 Workshop and Practical

Reading: 5 Plot Point Breakdowns

sourced from: http://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting-101/screenplay/five-plot-point-breakdowns

This video helped me to understand the theory of the 5 plot point which films can be divided into. It takes a few films as examples and completes textual analysis on them to explain the theory. These are moments that change the thrust of the story, and change the protagonist's path or objective.

Inciting Incident: Middle of the first act. Shakes up status quo. A new door is opened, but the protagonist does not yet step through the threshold.

Lock In: Protagonist can no longer back out or return to the status quo. The previously opened door slams closed behind the character. It propels them forward into the second act.

Midpoint: halfway through the screenplay, either a major success or failure that swings the story in the protagonist's favour or against them. Mirrors the happy or tragic ending.

Main Culmination: AKA the climax. Pinnacle of the protagonists journey. Brings the second act objective to a close. The highest or lowest point.

Third Act Twist: halfway between the main culmination and the end of the story. Monkey wrench thrown into the protagonist's path, which changes their trajectory.

Week 8 Workshop and Practical

Interview with William Goldman

Sourced from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCs4gdt-mPY

Goldman discusses the likelihood of films doing well at the box office or tanking, and peoples' ability to predict their success. He started writing back in the 60's when studios weren't spending so much money on productions so there was less risk involved in trying new stories or writers, and placing renowned actors in their films. There was more freedom in what could be written.
The princess bride is one of my favourite films, so it was delightful to hear some commentary directly from its writer. The video was very long, as it felt a bit for like a full autobiographical tale of his life, but it was nonetheless informative and insightful. He talks about his difficulty in writing in a screenplay format.He talks too about Will Smith, which I thought was funny. He mentioned how valuable he was to have starring in a film, and how he 'opens' a film - brings in a lot of opening weekend revenue. He talks about his own works such as The Princess Bride and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid.
Goldman swears a lot but is very personable, and I enjoyed very much listening to him and his wisdom.

Reading: Short Film 'Origin'

I hated the use of the work 'snog' in this script, because it seems like such a colloquialism and a nasty sounding word. I did like the description of Freddy pissing on Cheyenne's coat in the cloakroom, it seemed very believable but also unexpected and shocking.I liked that this, like my own script, does not contain very much dialogue and reads more like a story or novel than a drama.
It's quite an interesting story but feels a bit predictable. I also think the ending might have been better with Freddy running off rather than dying/ his story ending.

Week 7 Workshop and Practical

Reading: 'Constructing the Scene' by L. Cowgill

Cowgill, L. (1997) Writing Short Films: Chapter 8- Constructing the Scene

Reading: 'Scene Design' by Robert McKee

Robert McKee, Story, Ch. 10: Scene Design

Reading: 'The Inciting Incident' by Robert McKee

Reading: L. Cowgill 'Dialogue'

Film: The Social Network

Written by Aaron Sorkin, I first watched 'The Social Network' the year in which it was released, in a movie theatre. I was neither aware that it was an adapted screenplay, nor that it was written by Sorkin, who is a popular television writer. The descriptions, particularly in the opening scenes, of the characters are engaging and enticing. They give you a sense when reading exactly what the film will look like. The dialogue in the first scene is so mis-paced between the two characters that it is almost jarring. it gives you a great sense of the lack of social skills that Zuckerberg possesses without explicitly stating so. I can already tell from just a few pages in how well written this would be.

Unlike a few of the other scripts i have read, this one is very dialogue heavy and can go for pages without mentioning any action notes. I think this is so interesting, and reading it is like listening to a conversation in real time. I felt actively angry towards some of the characters just from reading their dialogue interactions and monologues. The dialogue is super sharp and witty.
The setting jumps between the present day courtroom proceedings and the past college and post-college days of Zuckerberg as he first founded Facebook. In this way, we learn from the proceedings that something has gone completely amiss and the best friend we see accompanying him along his journey has taken a 180 degree shift in opinion, and now the two partners have  serious rivalry. We wait intently to find out what exactly has gone 'wrong' to ruin such a relationship.
Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian reviewed it very positively (http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/14/the-social-network-review)

'This is an exhilaratingly hyperactive, hyperventilating portrait of an age when Web 2.0 became sexier and more important than politics, art, books – everything. Sorkin and Fincher combine the excitement with a dark, insistent kind of pessimism. Smart work.'

Week 6 Workshop and Practical

Reading: 'Narration' by Edward Brannigan

Brannigan, Edward. “Chapter 1: Narration” in Narrative Comprehension and Film. Routledge: London, 1992.

This chapter begins with Brannigan offering an in-depth analysis at a car/train chase scene from The Girl and her Trust. He describes in detail the shot break down, and how the camera cuts move the narrative forward. The rhythm of the editing dictates how the viewer understands the pacing of the action. The chase sequence helps viewers to build up expectation which is directed towards a future outcome.

Reading: 'Structure and Meaning' by Robert McKee

Reading: 'Dialogue' by L. Cowgill

Cowgill, L. (1997) Writing Short Films: Chapter 9- Dialogue

Week 6 Workshop and Tutorial

Reading: 'The Paradigm' by Syd Field

Field, Syd. The Screenwriter’s Workbook. Chapter: ‘The Paradigm’.

A screenplay is a story told in pictures. The context is the 'space' that holds the content in place. Context doesn't change, while content does. Field says that for him, screenplay is like an open structure, in which your characters will give you as much direction as you give them. You interact with one another, rather than just controlling the screenplay.
A paradigm is 'a model, example, or contextual scheme.' The paradigm is like a painting that you can see. A table has a paradigm of having one flat surface with four legs, but the details of what its dimensions are and what it is made out of are changeable. It would be like a to-scale model of an architecht's blueprint, which can help you to fully visualize the real thing.
In Hollywood, most films average 120 pages, and are a maximum of 128 pages. They each contain an Act I, II, and III; the beginning, middle and end. The paradigm is only a model and is not laid down in concrete. Field talks about the breakdown of action between the three acts, as I have already covered in previous readings. The setup is at the beginning, then aplot point which leads on to the confrontation, then another plot point followed by the resolution.

Before you can express your story dramatically, you must know: the ending, the beginning, plot point 1, and plot point 2. With these you can draw a diagram of your paradigm in order. this is what your idea might 'look like.'

10 Tips for Writing Loglines

Burbidge, James. '10 Tips For Writing Loglines'. Raindance Film Festival. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

A logline distills 100+ pages of script into one sentence. Its purpose is to summarize, titillate and intrigue. You need to identify the crucial story elements and leave everything else out. 

A logline is a one sentence description that boils the script down to its essential dramatic narrative in as succinct a manner as possible, while a tagline is a piece of marketing copy designed to sell the film. The logline is more focused towards industry professionals. (Burbidge mentions that some people suggest writing a logline for your idea before embarking on the script)

1. The logline contains the character, their goal, and the antagonistic force
2. Don't use the character's name, instead say their description, e.g. profession
3. Use an adjective in this description too
4. Clearly and quickly present your character's main goal
5. Describe the antagonistic force, in a little less detail than the hero
6. Show that the hero is pro-active
7. If you can, add urgency with stakes
8. Mention a setup if it is needed: this could be the universe in which a sci-fi film takes place, or the psychological background behind a demented person
9. Don't write the ending
10. Create a desire to see the script: sell it!

Reading: We Need to Talk About Kevin

Directed by Lynne Ramsay and released in 2011, this film's screenplay was written by Lynne Ramsay & Rory Kinnear. It is an adapted tale from the book by Lionel Shriver, and so it is quite different from ones which i have looked at previously. It is 144 pages long, which should make a total running time of nearly two and a half hours. The actual running time is less than 2 hours.
I watched the film only about a year ago, so I remember the general plot line quite well. What i don't remember is the intricate order of the reveals, since the film features a heavy use of flashback and dream sequences.
Rex Reed from the Observer online (http://observer.com/2011/11/we-need-to-talk-with-kevin-review-rex-reed-john-c-reilly-ezra-miller-tilda-swinton/) calls it a 'vile, pretentious movie' with an 'incomprehensible script.' He does not agree with the type of timeline used, stating - 'Composed of brief images, like shards of broken milk bottles, the film takes forever for the pieces to form some kind of picture of what’s going on, and even then, some of the pieces never fit.' He comments that 'the movie jolts back and forth in 20-year time frames as it follows the shocked expressions of the traumatized mother of a psychopath.' and calls the whole ordeal a 'fractured mess.'
Collider online holds an interview with Ramsay, and the writer is a lot less critical of the film and its structure than Reed. Messr calls it 'hauntingly paced, with a jigsaw configuration of its timeline' and seems to think the fractured narrative adds to the audience experience. In the interview, we find out that Ramsay re-structured the novel, which is a series of letters from the mother, into a far more sympathetic portrait of a woman struggling with incredibly discomforting questions of motherhood.

I enjoyed reading this script which contained a lot of action notes and not much dialogue. I have a hard time myself writing dialogue and can see myself likely writing a script which features a minimal amount. This gave me a good tip about how to use more direction rather than speech in a script. Below is a screenshot example of one of the pages which contains no dialogue whatsoever.

Week 4 Workshop and Practical

Workshop

• Watched a short clip from the beginning of We Need to Talk About Kevin. The film, similar to Usual Suspects or Memento, jumps around in time: non-linear narrative. It doesn't rely on the traditional 3-act structure. The structure reflects the emotions of the character: reflective, nostalgic, etc.
• In the event of the 'unreliable narrator' the point of view is subjective. We don't know if the audience has more, less or the same amount of knowledge as the protagonist. In the Shawshank Redemption, the narrator is not the protagonist.
• Watched the short film Robbie which was made entirely out of archival footage from NASA and narrative voice over. Plot point 1 is when the robot gets sent into space, and plot point 2 is when he gets left alone on the space station. 
• A story is the set of all events in a narrative, whether presented or not; while the plot is what is shown to the audience. The opening raises expectations - perhaps foreshadows ending? The patterns of development can be goal-oriented, temporal patterns, or spatial plot patterns.
• 15 minute rule: if it doesn't engage within the first 1/4 hour, then people will become uninterested.
• Our 10 minute script needs understanding and application of the classical structure - don't diverge!
• We looked at the diagram of film paradigms and compared various stories of films to it.
• We watched a video with Dustin Lance Black, giving tips about his screenwriting process. He talks about how he makes an entire research project around writing historical films. He likes to make his characters specific and real. 

Brainstorming from Class

IDEAS

Fantasy > fairy tale > selkie

Fantasy > fairy tale > crane wife

Historical > joan of arc

Sci-fi > androids

Sci-fi > 'brave new world'

Setup: introduction to Girl, House and Occupation.
PP1: see selkie skin for the 1st time. Discover she is an orphan.
Confrontation: see neglect at hands of her caretakers. Overworked. Longs to be elsewhere.
PP2: grabs skin and runs away.
Resolution: escapes from the house, runs to the sea and disappears.

Motivation to leave: neglected, orphaned, longing for 'other'
Motivation for mistreatment: perhaps smell?, youngest, daydreamer
Locations: house. shore.
Name: Nessa, Glas, Mara

Conscious motivation: escape from servant life
Unconscious motivation: return to her family and true home in the sea
Conflict: reality vs. other-world, oppression vs. freedom, protagonist vs. antagonist

Simplicity: 2 locations, 1 main character
Conflict: antagonistic oppressive situation
Originality:
Filmic Quality: period, fantastic
Deeper Meaning: folk origins, myth, freedom
Twist Ending: unknown selkie until climax

Action Points - Shots
Mother crying, swaddled baby in bundle.
baby alone, wailing.
Old lady looking into girl's grey eyes, grabs her by the hand.
man leering, stroking the girl's hair.
girl gazing out the window towards the ocean, hand touching the glass.
girl in bed, silver cloth as a comforter.

Week 4 Class Notes

storytelling & structure:

- watched a short clip from 'We Need To Talk About Kevin.' From the beginning of the film. Like 'The Usual Suspects' or 'Memento,' it jumps around in time. Doesn't rely on traditional 3 act structure. Narrative structure mirrors the emotions of the character. Reflective, nostalgic, etc.
- unreliable narrator means the PoV is subjective.
- should the audience have more, less, or the same amount of knowledge as the protagonist?
-in 'The Shawshank Redemption' the narrator is not the protagonist.
- watched a short called 'Crossbow' which has an interesting narrative device.
- watched a short called 'Robbie' which is made completely of archival footage from NASA with an acted voice-over. Plot point 1: Robbie is sent to space. Plot point 2: Either when he gets left bu himself, or else when we find out his battery is dying.

Story: set of all events in a narrative (presented or not)
Plot: what is shown to the audience
Opening: raises expectations, perhaps foreshadowing the ending?
Patterns of Development: goal oriented plot / search quest. Temporal patterns (flashbacks etc). Spatial plot patterns (single locale).

15 Min rule: if a feature doesn't engage within the first 1/4 hour, the audience becomes uninterested.
Our 10 min script needs an understanding and application of a classical structure. Don't diverge!

- looked at diagrams of paradigms, compared shorts and films to it.
- watched a video with Dustin Lance Black. He talks about his research project as he writes historical films. He likes to make his characters specific and real. He writes notecards with ideas so he can mix and match them - colour coded. Within weeks or months he orders the story properly, cutting as he goes, 90% of his research and writing he never uses. He likes exploring new ideas. After figuring out the order, he then writes the first 'vomit' draft which he hones and refines to perfection.
- good to do 'off the page' writing, Don't start in final draft. Explore character descriptions, scene mapping, note taking and brainstorming.
- be aware of when you work best, whether its a certain time of day or place.
- talked about our ideas and how they fit into the paradigm as a class group.
- talked about 'The Inciting Incident' (McKee reading).
- some characters are great but don't fit int he story you're trying to tell, so they need to be transposed to a different context.

Reading: 'Conflict & the Circle of Being' Syd Field

Reading: Syd Field: 'What Makes a Good Character'