The Calling Card Script A Writer's Toolbox for Screen, Stage and Radio

by Ashton, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781408110171
• ISBN10: 1408110172
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-21
• Publisher: A&C Black

Summary

The calling card script is the script that expresses your voice, gets you noticed and helps you reach commission and production. Written by Paul Ashton, Development Manager of the BBC writersroom, and born out of his wide experience of reading scripts, working with writers, and as an industry 'gatekeeper', this is a guide to the key writing tools you need to know and understand to write a truly original script.As many professionals need to switch mediums and genres in order to survive and thrive, the book uniquely draws together the universal principles of dramatic storytelling for screen, stage, and radio. With a focus on the script as a blue print for performance, sections and chapters break down into bite-sized practical insights and the book mirrors both the journey of the story and process of writing it.The Calling Card Script shows how to tell a great story in script form and offers valuable professional development insight for all writers, whether established or just starting out, who wish to hone their craft and speak their voice.

Author Biography

Paul Ashton is the Development Producer at BBC Writersroom. He has assessed thousands of scripts of all shapes and sizes, developed hundreds of writers towards commission and production, and written, produced and directed new writing across theatre, radio, film and television.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
An act of faith
The 'toolbox'
The form of this book
What this book does not do
An industry perspective
Points of reference
The 'calling card' script
A basic definition
The writer's ego versus the writer's journey
The Medium	p. 9
The Writer as Medium	p. 11
'Medium'
One man and every man
What writers do
Instinct and craft
Is the writer a medium?
Using medium
The Theatrical Space	p. 13
What is theatre?
Magic, ritual and spectacle
Spectator and audience
Auditoria
Complexity of space
Complexity of form
The empty space
The technological space
Clarity of space
Money, monsterism and miniaturism
The director
The actor
Directing the action
Theatre and metaphor
Radio and the Acoustic Environment	p. 21
'Theatre of the airwaves'
Cinema of the airwaves
The contradiction
Auditorium
The purest form
The audience
Only for radio
Acoustic environment
Scope
Voice
Music
Sound
Film and the Cinematic Canvas	p. 26
The big picture
Theatrical release
Cinema scope
Knowing your place
'Show don't tell'
Sign language
Up close
Montage
The whole story
The complex singularity
The kind of story
Universal
Television and the Relentless Format	p. 32
Distractions
The morning after
The cold light of day
The schedule
Audience is god
The phenomenon
Jumping the shark
The single exception
Format not formula
Basic distinctions
Serial
Continuing series
Precinct
Returning series
Relentless meets format
The Beginning	p. 45
What are Producers Looking for?	p. 47
The meat market
The market
So what are people looking for?
Where to Begin?	p. 49
The blank page
Knowledge is power
News of the world
Devil in the detail
A head for ideas
You
Your feelings
Your voice
The X Factor
What is a voice?
Can you hear your own voice?
Kinds of Stories	p. 55
Archetypes
Linear
Epic
Full circle
Fractured
Repetitive
Reversed
The impact of shape
Genre
Theatre and genre
Radio and genre
Television and genre
Tone
The right form
What's the Big Idea?	p. 64
'Droit moral'
Theme
Universal
Concept and world
Premise
Premise and character
Premise and emotion
The big idea
Idea and medium
Theatre
Radio
Film
Television
What's the Story?	p. 71
Beginnings and endings
Knowing where you are going
Direction and purpose
Focus
Point of view
Movie ensembles
Hook
POV turned upside-down
Getting Into Character	p. 77
Test of character
Dramatic versus comic
Spending time
Empathy
Definition
Archetypes
Features
Eccentricity
Qualities
Capabilities and flaws
Estimation
Attitude
POV
History and backstory
Moral compass
Morality and conflict
The 'agon'
Hero and villain
Desire and need
Desire versus need
Action
Vulnerability
Character and medium
Theatrical character
Radio character
Film character
TV Character
Hitting the Ground Running	p. 94
Page one
Know your story
Hook the attention
The midst of a moment
A focused way in
'Getting to know' the characters
Exposition
The captive audience
Structure and the Beginning	p. 100
'Act one'
Structural diagrams
The universal formula
Three is the magic number
But three is not a simple number
The beginning
Disorientation versus confusion
Establish the world
Delayed establishment
Desire, need, problem
Call to change/action
The complex call
The uncertainty
Point of no return
Tension
Episode and series beginnings
The Plan of Action	p. 112
When to start writing?
Treatments
Clarity
Coherence
Building a blueprint
The Middle	p. 117
The Muddle in the Middle	p. 119
Managing the muddle
Muddled metaphors
Fail better
Dig deeper
Stretch the line
Dominoes
Deeper into Character	p. 122
The 'arc'
Change
State of becoming
Muddied wants and needs
Muddled consequences
Beyond the comfort zone
Developing the 'agon'
Developing the complexity
New world, new characteristics
Qualities
Capabilities and flaws
POV, morality, attitude
Vulnerabilities
Developing relationships
Journey towards awareness
Contradiction
Surprising themselves
Character and action
Character and structure
The 'middle' in series and serials
Returning series
Serials
Abstract alternatives
Surprise	p. 139
Revelation
Deus ex machina
Shock tactics
Secrets
Dramatic irony
Unexpected outcomes
Predictability
Tedium
Cliché
Structure and the Middle	p. 146
The dividing lines
Momentum
Dominoes
Peaks and troughs
The road ahead
Sharp bends and chicanes
Cul-de-sacs
A clear view of the distance
Quicksands and high tides
The cave
Chasms and rockfaces
A second point of no return
The (not so) natural order
Causing a Scene	p. 156
What is a scene?
The basics
Picture and montage
Dramatic action
Conflict
Goals
Conflicts that matter
What's at stake?
Three dramatic levels
Subtext
Surprise
Beats
What to show
Juxtaposition
Less is more
Kinds of scenes
The theatrical scene
The radio scene
The screen scene
From Plan to Action	p. 170
Ready to write
Refer to the blueprint
Develop the blueprint
Step outline
Wild drafts
Write the beginning
The End	p. 175
An Ending in Sight	p. 177
Fundamentals
Some endings
'The End'
Simple versus complex
Is that it?
Ending is emotion
A fitting end
Satisfaction	p. 181
Entertainment
Follow through
The story beyond
Open endings
Ambiguity
Twists
Deus ex machina
Anagnorisis
Impact
Structure and the Ending	p. 190
Climax and crisis
Change
Resolution
Conclusion
Coda
Absurd endings
Series and serial hooks
Cliffhangers
The natural order
No pause for breath
A means to an end
The Character's voice	p. 198
Mouthpieces
Dialectic
Dialogue is not conversation
Monologue
Theatrical soliloquy
'Inner' and 'close' in radio
The cinematic voice-over
TV catchphrases
Can you hear it?
Can you say it?
Dialogue is not logical
The non-sequitur
Voice is expression
Authenticity
Uniqueness
Tics
Accents
Dialect and slang
Naturalism
Stylisation
Rhetoric
Lyrical
On the nose
Exposition and information
'Bad language'
(Prefacing)
Shouting!
Terse versus glib
Wit and wordplay
Silence and space
Subtext
Writing and Rewriting	p. 218
Focus and control
Expectations
Questions
Realities
Rewriting
Rewriting your signature
Time and space
Objective and subjective
Feedback
The red pen
Reclaim your subjectivity
Is it really finished?
How finished does it need to be?
Coda	p. 226
Starting over
It never gets any easier
Appendix	p. 229
Script reading and viewing
Books about writing
Resources
Index	p. 235
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