Narrative and Characterisation - AG0852A

Narrative and Characterisation

"The aim of this Module is to provide the exploration of story writing methods within existing narrative forms and the development of storylines for digital media." - Abertay.ac.uk

9/09/2014 - Lecture 1 - Week 1 - About a story

The following is my notes on what a story can involve from lecture 1:

"There will be a focus on central conflict theory. (Story is Conflict)

I will understand how to build a plot using key story telling devices.

A story is essentially a river of emotion and how we react to it. This is entertaining.

Genre is something to think about, but remember to value other key storytelling principles.

Decide in my story what I want to say about the human condition, not what I think others want to hear.

Tell the story in such a way to persuade an audience so they can believe that something is happening, even if they don't agree to it.

What are the shared emotional values I want to express.

A story has to be worth telling. Entertainment. A journey. A progression of events. Exploration of a theme. A way of learning. Shared knowledge. An expression. A commentary. A hook, what and why?. Can involve characters and environment. Relatability. Goals and aims. Relationships. Challenges and overcoming obstacles. A tool to engage with people. Morals and ethics. Dramatic arcs. Pace. Contrasts. Resolutions."

My tasks for this semester:

Task 1 (15%)

Sketchbook development - mind maps, reference images, brainstorming, character and environment development.

Task 2 (10%)

Premise for the story - 3-5 line description of the project - 50 words or so. Like a pitch - A seed of what might be to communicate the value of the project to someone such as a producer.

Elements must be present
Protagonist
Antagonist
What they want (reason for the conflict)
Does not have to reveal the end.
Set up conflict
Type of film (Comedy, thriller etc.)
Setting (Theme, place)

Task 3 (15%)

Story beats - Write down shots from my head. The pace of the film. What happens

"Develop the story structure through the use of story beats. Evidence of an iterative approach to the development of story beats throughout the semester should be submitted. Rough draft versions should be compiled with the final version."

Task 4 (20%)

Story Boards

"You will create a production story board based on the story beats, iterating and modifying the story as you proceed. The process of visualising the story from the written word in this way reflects the methodological difference between artists/animators and screenwriters."

Task 5 (40%)

Animatic uploaded to www.Vimeo.com - Maximum length of 2 minutes recommended.

"The animatic can reveal gaps and flaws in the communication of your story and indicate necessary changes in timing and structure. The animatic should tell your story in standalone fashion and without prior explanation communicate the story. As opposed to live action film-making the animatic for animation represents the rough cut of your film therefore should incorporate sound, dialogue and music with the images as necessary."

Sketchbook - Annotate your sketchbook with visual and written research collated during your investigation to demonstrate your understanding of the story.

Premise 1

Protagonist - An Astronaut
Antagonist - The environment and the Astronauts own mind.
What they want - To find a way home to his own dimension within space-time.
Conflict - He is stuck within constantly shifting dimensions
Film type- Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller
Setting - Space, Near Future.

An Astronaut who has very little practical experience finds himself shifting into alternate dimensions. He must overcome his own self doubt and inner conflict.

The Protagonist (Astronaut) is plagued with his own self doubt and insecurity. This is his biggest nemesis. He must rise above this and find the strength to find a way back home. Another thing is heavy in his mind however.

What if this is all a figment of his imagination as he slowly asphyxiates and has vivid hallucinations.

Feedback from my class peers included the possibility that the Astronaut sees or hears mental versions of himself. This would add a visual aspect to his internal struggle and conflict. To represent the passage of time, which is rapidly running out for the Astronaut, I could experiment with the sounds of heartbeats or eye blinks. He could talk to himself and answer appropriately.

Premise 2

Protagonist - An Astronaut
Antagonist - The environment and the Astronauts own mind.
What they want - To survive and overcome his fear and insecurities. To find self worth and a reason to continue living.
Conflict - Shifting into alternate dimensions. Feelings of low self worth and doubt.
Film type- Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller
Setting - Space, Near Future.

A last minute replacement Astronaut who has very little practical experience finds himself shifting into alternate dimensions uncontrollably.

The Protagonist (Astronaut) is plagued with his own self doubt and insecurities. This is his biggest nemesis. He must rise above this and find the strength to find a way back home. He does not believe he deserves to be there, nor does he believe he has what it takes to find a way home.

His inner self represents itself physically as a pessimistic version of himself. The alter ego taunts him to the point that the Astronaut must either find the strength to overcome him and survive, or perish in the darkness of space.

The theme of the story is to overcome your inner demons to find the strength and fortitude to attain your goals.

Premise 3

Protagonist - Astronaut
Antagonist - The environment and the Astronauts own mind.
What they want - To survive and overcome his fear and insecurities. To find self worth and a reason to continue living.
Conflict - Shifting into alternate dimensions. Feelings of low self worth and doubt.
Film type- Sci-Fi, Psychological Thriller
Setting - Space, Near Future.

A last minute replacement Astronaut who has very little practical experience finds himself uncontrollably shifting into alternate dimensions.

Astronaut, the protagonist is plagued with his own self doubt and insecurities. This is his biggest nemesis. He must rise above this and find the strength to find a way back home. He doesn't understand what is happening to him and he does not believe he deserves to be there, nor does he believe he has what it takes to find a way home. This makes him react angrily at himself and his situation.

His inner self represents itself physically as a pessimistic and aggressive version of himself. The alter ego taunts him to the point that the Astronaut snaps and must either find the strength to overcome him and survive, or perish in the darkness of space.

The theme of the story is to overcome your inner demons to find the strength and fortitude to attain your goals.

13/09/2014

Story

Substance, Structure, Style and the principles of screenwriting

Today I received in the mail the book 'Story' by Robert McKee.

I was asked before my first class to obtain a copy for readings within the unit. This book is widely held as a great resource for learning all about effective screen writing.

16/09/2014 - Lecture 2 - Week 2 - Story Structure

"A Selection of events from a characters life story that is composed into a strategic sequence to arouse a specific emotions and to express a specific view of life." McKee, p.33.

Build ideas of story from the inside out. Understand the story at its heart. The plot is driven by events that engage the audience.

Take away the events that detract from the story and do not fit the pace.

Stories have a beginning, middle and end, much like life. 

Story Beats

So what happens in the story? A story beat is where we see a change in the characters behaviours over the course of the story. The key emotional moments and the emotional actions and reactions of the characters that drive the story. The behavioural changes of the characters.

Though development and change, the character can change their position. What would I like the character to be like at the end?

I could challenge another characters ideologies and be controversial if need be to progress the story. I should think in terms of the beginning, middle and end, even within each scene.

Scenes are made up of story beats.

Sequences are made up of a few scenes which solidify the points of the scenes.

An act is made up of a few sequences which shows the story arc.

I must write roughly 10 story beats in the next class. This will be a start which can be worked on and expanded over time. 

I had class reading - McKee - Story - p.31-42.

Various thoughts and ideas 16/09/2014

The following is my notes and ideas before I attempt my first draft of the story beats.

Why does the Astronaut need to survive? What is his reason for trying to save himself? What is his reason for trying to save himself other than simply to avoid death?

The dimensional shifts.

A Flash of light and a burst of energy. How? Some mysterious alien artefact? Built by an unknown race to show other races some other possibilities of the universe. To appreciate what we have. This could be what transforms the character.

Am I thinking too big? Do we need to know how this is happening or should the focus be more on the why?

The story could start with the character already jumping to other dimensions. He talks to either himself or his computer to try to make sense of what is happening. Like a log of events. He could be as confused as we are. This could set up an atmosphere of tension and fear.

He could bring up his inexperience and despair. When he overcomes his fear, he could wake up in the real world with low oxygen and find the strength to save himself.

Act 1 - The problem
Act 2 - Despair, then overcoming the problem.
Act 3 - Conclusion

What do I want to express?

The Astronaut reaches a stage where he is broken and gives up. He picks himself up and finds a solution to bring himself back from the brink of death.

How?

He could realise that his recent experiences are not real by noticing irregularities in his situation. He wakes up from his nightmare.

Why does he try to save himself?

He must realise his worth. He is an inexperienced last minute replacement on the mission and he fells like he does not deserve to be there. He must prove to himself and the others that he deserves a place on the mission, deserves to make it back and deserves to live.

He hallucinates and starts talking to himself. His inner self tries to convince him not to give up and to persevere to survive.

Story Beats - Draft 1 - 16/09/2014

1. Empty Space. A sudden explosion of light. Deep heavy breathing as an Astronaut emerges from the light. A transition from quiet to terrified noise.
2. Astronaut has a moment of panic. He shouts for help into his radio. He looks towards Earth which can be seen reflected in his space helmet faceplate. The shock of what he sees quietens him.
3. He attempts to make sense of his situation. He notes that the Earth seems to have transformed into an arid waterless wasteland. Another sudden explosion of light and he is gone.
4. The flash of light brings him to another version of Earth, this time totally broken up and destroyed by some unknown cataclysmic event. There is no chance of life
5. The Astronaut has a full-on mental breakdown. He gives up on everything and admits defeat.
6. As the broken astronaut floats in space, he is questioned by a mental representation of his inner self. His inner self tries to convince him not to give up. They transition to another dimension again.
7. The Sun has become a Red Giant and the Earth has become a ball of molten rock in its proximity. The Astronaut rejects his inner selves help, claiming it is too late and that he is not worth the time.
8. The inner Astronaut changes his tone and agrees with him. He isn't worth it and he is going to die. He dares the Astronaut to prove him wrong.
9. Astronaut thinks back at all the people who doubted him and said he would not make it. He looks at himself and realises how much he is worth. He has as much right to exist as anyone else.
10. Astronaut jumps awake in his suit orbiting the real Earth. His oxygen is almost depleted. He climbs back aboard his ship, confidently.

Story Beats 2

Empty Space. A sudden explosion of light. Deep heavy breathing as an Astronaut emerges from the light. A transition from quiet to terrified noise.

Astronaut has a moment of panic. He screams for help into his radio. He looks towards Earth which can be seen reflected in his space helmet faceplate. The shock of what he sees silences him.

He attempts to make sense of his situation. He notes that the Earth seems to have transformed into an arid waterless wasteland. Another sudden explosion of light and he is gone.

The flash of light brings him to another version of Earth, this time totally broken up and destroyed by some unknown cataclysmic event. There is no chance of life

The Astronaut has a full-on mental breakdown. He curses himself and everyone else that did not believe in him. He gives up on everything and admits defeat.

As the broken astronaut floats in space, slowly watching his oxygen deplete, he is tormented by a mental representation of his inner self. His inner self explains that the Astronaut is going to die out here, alone. They transition to another dimension again.

The Sun has become a Red Giant and the Earth has become a ball of molten rock in its proximity. The Astronaut rejects his inner selves help, claiming it is too late and that he is not worth the time.

The inner Astronaut changes his tone and agrees with him. He isn't worth it and he is going to die. He dares the Astronaut to prove him wrong.

Astronaut thinks back at all the people who doubted him and said he would not make it. He looks at himself and realises how much he is worth. He has as much right to exist as anyone else. Another jump.

Empty space. Astronaut jumps awake in his suit orbiting the real Earth. He notes his oxygen is almost gone. He smiles and climbs back aboard his space station, confidently...

Story Beats 3

Empty Space. A sudden explosion of light. Deep heavy breathing as an Astronaut emerges from the light. A transition from quiet to terrified noise.

Astronaut has a moment of panic. He screams for help into his radio. He looks towards Earth which can be seen reflected in his space helmet faceplate. The shock of what he sees silences him.

FLASHBACK - In the training simulator, the Astronaut fails the exercise. The instructor shout that he is not cut out for the space program.

He attempts to make sense of his situation. He notes that the Earth seems to have transformed into an arid waterless wasteland. Another sudden explosion of light and he is gone.

The flash of light brings him to another version of Earth, this time totally broken up and destroyed by some unknown cataclysmic event. There is no chance of life

The Astronaut has a full-on mental breakdown. He curses himself and everyone else that did not believe in him. He gives up on everything and admits defeat.

As the broken astronaut floats in space, slowly watching his oxygen deplete, he starts to talk to himself, literally. He is tormented by a mental representation of his inner self. His inner self explains that the Astronaut is going to die out here, alone. Astronaut gets angry. They transition to another dimension again.

The Sun has become a Red Giant and the Earth has become a ball of molten rock in its proximity. The Inner Self asks Astronaut why he is here. Astronaut thinks back.

FLASHBACK - Astronaut is working alone in his lab back on Earth. He recieves a call from the space agency. "We need your help"

Inner self smirks and disappears. 

FLASHBACK - Training simulator. Astronaut finally passes the exercise. The instructor smiles and shakes his hand,

Astronaut thinks back at all the people who doubted him and said he would not make it. He looks at himself and realises how much he is worth. He has as much right to exist as anyone else. Another jump.

Empty space. Astronaut understands now. He knows how to get home. He notes his oxygen is almost gone. He smiles as Earth comes into view.

Story Beats FinalI decided after feedback from my peers that the flashback sequences do not make sense and are not integral to the story so I have removed them. I also shortened my story and have not given away the end as the animatic is better suited to a movie trailer rather than the final movie

Empty Space. A sudden explosion of light. Deep heavy breathing as an Astronaut emerges from the light. A transition from quiet to terrified noise.

Astronaut has a moment of panic. He screams for help into his radio. He looks towards Earth which can be seen reflected in his space helmet faceplate. The shock of what he sees silences him.

He attempts to make sense of his situation. He notes that the Earth seems to have transformed into an arid waterless wasteland. Another sudden explosion of light and he is gone.

The flash of light brings him to another version of Earth, this time totally broken up and destroyed by some unknown cataclysmic event. There is no chance of life

The Astronaut has a full-on mental breakdown. He curses himself and everyone else that did not believe in him. He gives up on everything and admits defeat.

As the broken astronaut floats in space, slowly watching his oxygen deplete, he starts to talk to himself, literally. He is tormented by a mental representation of his inner self. His inner self explains that the Astronaut is going to die out here, alone. Astronaut gets angry.

Astronaut screams at the Inner Self and pushes him away hard.

Display trailer title Alone

Research Documents 

(Digital Sketchbook work)

Where my initial idea originated.

 I write down some basic ideas.

 I write down what it is that I want to express in my story.

 Protagonist mind map.

Antagonist mind map.

 How my story will progress

 I created a first draft of my story's beats. I then cut each beat out so I could arrange them in different orders. I found this activity helped me to build the pacing and shaped the actions of the story.

 A basic sketch of my characters.

 A concept of the space suits.

 Astronaut character design.

Astronaut final character design.

The story's environment. Space.

Astronaut design coloured and in the environment.