4 Main Tools Screenwriters Use To Keep The Audience Engaged

4 Main Tools Screenwriters Use To Keep The Audience Engaged - Paul Joseph Gulino

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5 жыл бұрын

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In this Film Courage video interview, Chapman University (Dodge College) Professor Paul Joseph Gulino on 4 Main Tools Screenwriters Use To Keep The Audience Engaged.
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Пікірлер: 113

@chrisd7733 5 жыл бұрын

Four Techniques to Keep the Audience Engaged 1. Telegraphing - raising a question and promising an answer, which could be an appointment, a deadline, a threat, a warning, a prediction, an expression of hope. E.g., let's meet at Jerry's tomorrow. 2. Dangling cause. Each cause has an effect, but this effect will happen in future. E.g., I love her, so I plan to kiss her by the end of today. 3. Dramatic irony. The audience knows more than one or more character, so the audience wants to see that character find out. E.g., someone in the next room has a gun. 4. Dramatic tension. The audience cares about a character with an objective but who faces obstacles. This works for the whole screenplay but can work for individual scenes or sequences. E.g., we care about the outcome of a tennis match if we care about the character, the character has bet a large sum on the match, and the opponent is a hustler.

@Wayne_C_Kelly_II 4 жыл бұрын

Thank You, So Much. The Spokesman Babbles.

@alexispapageorgiou72 4 жыл бұрын

If your comment was above the video, it would've saved me 20 mins ... Thanks a lot

@pikiwiki 4 жыл бұрын

we need more people like you doing this kind of work

@samtem77 4 жыл бұрын

Chris Denholm great

@babylonkid 3 жыл бұрын

Jesus man thank you. I couldn't listen to this guy much longer.

@UmairKhan_x 4 жыл бұрын

In the beginning of the film come up with an idea thats creates curiosity in the audience and leaves a gap to understand it. You gotta hook your audience in the first 10 pages of your screenplay, but why not on the 1st page? You just gotta raise a question on the first page and then they want to know the answer which will keep em hooked and promise them that they will find an answer on the next page so then they'll keep turning the page. 1. Telegraphing - simply telling the audience what is coming. Drama is about something that hasn't happened yet, its particularly obsessed with the fututre. Use something like an appointment or deadline. Sometimes the audience feels like the movie is gonna end now but it doesn't and it keeps on going and then they're like how much longer is this gonna go and then they're sapped of energy (use this creatively). Be clear about telling the audience when and where the movie is gonna end because when the protagonist reaches that goal or doesn't then the audience doesn't want to watch anymore. 2. Dangling Cause - a cause will have an effect that will happen or not after a certain amount of time and the audience is engaged because they want to know whether this cause will have an effect or not? You don't want the audience thinking where is this going? I don't know where this is going they have a fear that this might get boring so they'll try to get out of it before it too late so by telling them the goal of the protagonist you make the audience get involved in the story right in the beginning and this makes them ask themselves well if i close it now I'll never know if he'll get to this or not. 3. Dramatic irony - the audience knows something more than the characters and this makes the audience wonder what is going to happen when either one founds about the other. Eg. Tell the audience about the owner of the house coming but not the robbers who are still in the house clearing the place out. 4. Dramatic tension - this is where the 3 act structure comes in. What the character wants and whether hell get it or not. This is what unifies all the scenes. Sequencing might be invisible to the audience but is like building blocks to the writer.

@euanaird 2 жыл бұрын

Paul Joseph Gulino is himself SO engaging, I could listen to him all day.

@cxa011500 4 жыл бұрын

NOTES: Hook the reader/audience in the beginning of the story with curiosity. Maintain tension throughout and let them know where the story is going by telegraphing.

@nodscelott2558 4 жыл бұрын

Then... completely throw it out the window and subvert expectations! Never answer the questions! (glares at some movies and shows the past 2 years)

@mozisrozis 4 жыл бұрын

we see the way he takes time to dive into the answer really shows the complexity of the queation, but yet he give us all we need.

@juliewochholz1629 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, I took notes. The statement: "You don't want he audience thinking: where is this going?" I am going to go back and look at the screenplay I just completed and keep that statement in my mind as I read every scene.

@ScriptSleuth 3 жыл бұрын

It's like the icing on a cake... It's not really a cake until you have it!

@ajtaylor8750 5 жыл бұрын

Telegraphing is the perfect tool to keep the audience engaged because it allows you to give them the necessary information about what's going to happen without being overzealous. I use it very subtle in my screenplays, and it makes for an easy way to keep readers glued to the page, especially fellow film junkies that I know. I also use dramatic irony because it creates great scenarios for your characters moving forward when they have to learn about something that the audience already knows.

@Sophia-wv6yf 4 жыл бұрын

Just when i thought I learned all the key story writing tools. I can’t wait to go and embroider my story. Thanks so much 🥰

@thereseember2800 5 жыл бұрын

He’s a consummate gentle, humble teacher who would highly nurture each of his student’s individual processes. He capaciously aerates, carefully tills and leaves rich castings in the soil of his amassed learned teachings. That he’s at peace with himself has a calming, nurturing and fear-quelling effect, which buoys him to feel centered about leading others to safely venture into writing. Sometimes Hollywood can exude neurosis or else a marked negativity to the point of completely deflating and negating even remotely remedial efforts. So he’s a breath-of-fresh-air exception. You can tell that he accesses something infinite that fuels and suffuses him with a quiet confidence, plus he seems free from the veiled jealousy of some teachers who are quick to furtively assail any and all threats of their students’ creative attempts. Thank you for this kind teacher.

@thereseember2800 4 жыл бұрын

fuckyoumcmike: Thank you!

@CubeParrot1 4 жыл бұрын

I had him in my class, a teddy bear for sure.

@catcactus1234 3 жыл бұрын

ah I see someone has been practicing their prose in the KZfaq comment section

@ClintLoweTube 5 жыл бұрын

Micro-tension is a great way to keep the audience hooked.

@alexispapageorgiou72 4 жыл бұрын

If your story stacks up fat then yes, and I guess every story does at one point or another

@Johan-vk5yd 3 жыл бұрын

I learnt some descriptive vocabulary. Thank you for the video! I’ll rewatch a couple of times I think. Such a pleasant old man, about my age!

@PsychicWorldTV 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome Paul more please

@guicaldo7164 5 жыл бұрын

This has given me ideas for my newest, problematic screenplay... Thank you!

@josephkelley8641 Жыл бұрын

Love Paul's patience/teaching style.

@scottslotterbeck3796 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, great interview. Think of it this way: two teams you don't care about are playing in the Super Bowl. You're more interested in the half time show. But if it's YOUR team, and they have never won one, and it's a miracle they're even in the game, and the bad team (call them, say, the Dallas Cowboys) are heavily favored, and it's a nail-biter, you bet you're going tp be sweating bullets to the final second.

@ScriptSleuth 3 жыл бұрын

Great point!

@RobyDavis 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for this one. This was one of the more helpful explanations I've seen!

@usernametaken2tekken 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. Very enlightening.

@tasneemdaniels7979 Жыл бұрын

This channel really does give me courage. Thank you, Film Courage!

@filmcourage Жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@kevinreily2529 4 жыл бұрын

Paul is one of the best and most helpful screenwriting teachers in your entire series.

@ScriptSleuth 3 жыл бұрын

Totally agreed!

@stphnlyns 3 жыл бұрын

This was amazing

@seanpurdy8230 Жыл бұрын

Good interview in that he actually said what he said he would 👍🏻

@Staarker99 4 жыл бұрын

This is very helpful, thank you film courage.

@filmcourage 4 жыл бұрын

We appreciate you supporting our channel. Glad you found this video!

@atallguynh 5 жыл бұрын

@12:16 Sounds like a forerunner to the movie/show "Catfish".

@SAGINAWDANCESHOW 4 жыл бұрын

So many gems in this interview

@rodee1671 5 жыл бұрын

I adore this mentor. More, please.

@akilabug 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing

@ianhtexas 3 жыл бұрын

No offense or anything and this is dope af! The first thing I thought when this started playing was... station.

@mozisrozis 4 жыл бұрын

probably the best answer for me starts on 05:35 and ends 06:28

@user-rv4wn5qk7q 5 жыл бұрын

Nice, It is helping a lot in my 3 hour screenplay project

@theguyyoudontfuckingknow294 5 жыл бұрын

How many pages will it be?

@user-rv4wn5qk7q 5 жыл бұрын

Something like 240

@theguyyoudontfuckingknow294 5 жыл бұрын

They dont realy make 3 hour long movies anymore. It better grasp the reader throughout, I dont expect It to be easy.

@user-rv4wn5qk7q 5 жыл бұрын

I'll try to do It myself

@thereseember2800 5 жыл бұрын

Ismael Judá Moraes Reis dias: Gone With The Wind (3hr 58 min) The Ten Commandments (3hr 40 min) Lawrence of Arabia (3hr 36 min) Ben-Hur (3hr 32 min) The Lord of the Rings (3hr 21 min) Dr. Zhivago (3hr 17 min) Schindler’s List (3hr 15 min) Titanic (3hr.14 min) Cleopatra (3hr 12 min) Gandhi (3hr 11 min) Spartacus (3hr 4 min) The Godfather (2hr 55 min) Quo Vadis (2h 51 min) Saving Private Ryan (2hr 49 min) The Bridge on the River Kwai (2h 41 min) Amadeus (2hr 40 min) Gladiator (2hr 35 min) Star Wars, Episode 1 (2hr 16 min) The Matrix (2hr 16 min) The Robe (2hr 15 min) If you have an inordinately powerful film, the audience will watch it. Of course there are much longer films, but this list of mainly award-winning films has powerful epic messages.

@coloaten6682 5 жыл бұрын

The idea of "nesting" is interesting and can really make a difference to a story.

@greatnesss8747 4 жыл бұрын

I’m just curious. If somebody is aware of all the components necessary for a great screenplay, how come they aren’t writing one themselves? I’m grateful for the input but there has to be a missing component.

@jasonjanisewski78 3 жыл бұрын

Just knowing the components doesn't make you a great storyteller which is its own skill. For example, someone can know the mechanics behind how to throw a football like Rodgers but still physically be unable to do so

@greatnesss8747 3 жыл бұрын

Jason Janisewski Thank you 🙏

@justusgreen8498 2 жыл бұрын

It’s the special flare of people’s minds that allow that next step to happen I believe

@ajp2334 6 ай бұрын

Those who can’t do…teach. It’s still extremely valuable for those who long to “do.” Also, when it comes to the arts (unlike the aaron rodgers example, which is a good one) never underestimate the LUCK factor. This gentleman (and i know for a fact several other Film Courage guests) HAVE written great screenplays. Not all great scripts get made. Luck is a massive component in this industry.

@livealittle9498 4 жыл бұрын

The sound of this video needs to be cleaned. I suffer from Tinnitus & the noise in the audio in this video made the viewing a huge challenge! Lovely class though, extremely informative! Thanks!

@ninapearce3176 4 жыл бұрын

Director Mumbai agreed

@TheNaturalLawInstitute 4 жыл бұрын

1) If you can't write the dialog you haven't observed the category of people your character is a proxy for in similar circumstances. Go study people instead of reading books about it. Do your research. 2) If you can't write the scene, you can't role play your characters init, because you haven't studied people like your characters. Most of the time your characters are talking (crap) is because you're actually writing to yourself to convince yourself, because your scenes and your characters aren't acting rationally in context, in furtherance of the plot, because you can't empathize with them. (Most people write lower middle class characters in middle class conditions, with upper middle class resources, because that's all the people they know, the contexts they find attractive, and the wealth making the condition possible. The classes think, speak, act very differently.) Do your research. 3) Dramatic tension is only possible for people who share concerns that would provide them with tension. What constitutes tension for gender, class and age varies. Status and self image is important at the bottom, wealth as you rise, but insults mean nothing, and power at the top because money is plentiful - but power is given to leaders they don't 'have' it. It's all loyalty alliances and opportunity with similar people who merely 'shop' for opportunities. Do your research. 4) Leave open mystery, have the characters react, rather than explain, and use mystery (the unknown, uncertainty).... 5) the main tool of any writer is research. If you do your research then the story will flow out of you.

@storyteller2882 Жыл бұрын

Instead of "telegraphing," isn't the term "foreshadowing"?

@JrtheKing91 5 жыл бұрын

how many sequences are in a script?

@kajetandziuda6190 5 жыл бұрын

In a classic 2 hour movie, usually there's a sequence every 15-20 minutes. They might be shorter, they might be longer, it all depends on the story.

@JrtheKing91 5 жыл бұрын

@@kajetandziuda6190 thx

@filmcourage 5 жыл бұрын

Here is another segment where Paul discusses the 8 sequence approach - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mLJ9o7GotK_Kg40.html

@coloaten6682 5 жыл бұрын

I found this really helpful: thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/structure/the-sequence/45-the-eight-sequences/ and here are some examples, broken down sequences: thescriptlab.com/category/screenplay/sequence-breakdowns/

@coloaten6682 5 жыл бұрын

@AlmightyGamer Not sure if my reply was flagged to you... some helpful links: thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/structure/the-sequence/45-the-eight-sequences/ and thescriptlab.com/category/screenplay/sequence-breakdowns/

@jesusjones9215 3 жыл бұрын

You sir, have just sold a book.

@shameer_khan24 4 жыл бұрын

Imagine this guy standing in the corner of a dimly lit room...

@mjolninja9358 4 жыл бұрын

shameer khan can you?

@absw6129 4 жыл бұрын

I think I might be addicted to screenwriting books... in my kindle I have Trottier, McKee, Truby, Egri, Yorke, Seger, Field, Snyder and now this guy.

@ianhtexas 3 жыл бұрын

This is like really speaking to me and helping me with something I’m writing right now. Station, bro, station. Dude, yeah, I think this one is big, this is a big, good one man. Wendy Pefercorn, the slumlords have been stacking the money they stole, “She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine.”, the last caretaker murdered his family, a criminal killed my parents and now I’m powerful, a great king held this ring and failed and now it belongs to you, they want you to be a slave. Yo, my mind just expanded. Thank you. 🍻

@anthoniyhristov6268 4 жыл бұрын

Awful mic noice±±±±±±±

@coralreeves4276 4 жыл бұрын

So basically keep the audience guessing about what will happen next? Hmmmm...

@coralreeves4276 4 жыл бұрын

@Abhishek Biswas So exactly what GOT season 8 should have done, right? Badum tss! 😀 Thanks that was useful!

@markfox7764 3 жыл бұрын

This guy talking about 'Engagement'. It's an oxymoron, right?

@bluenetmarketing 5 жыл бұрын

At 13:40 - "Will girl get girl"? Why the perversion?

@atallguynh 5 жыл бұрын

Because it's 2019, not 1919... so people talk openly now about certain things that were previously hidden.

@bluenetmarketing 5 жыл бұрын

@@atallguynh And that makes it ok? Openness about perversions is somehow a good thing? Excuse me? What kind of moron are you? What's wrong, is wrong, regardless of whether it's 1919 or 2019. I suppose you are in favor of outlawing gravity or green grass next, right? Perversions are regressive, not progressive. Perversions were hidden in 1919 because people back then had a sense of morality and shame. Today, the left has shamed too many into accepting their perversions, all except me and most people, that is.

@ottobangsgaard5279 5 жыл бұрын

bluenetmarketing Don’t

@coloaten6682 5 жыл бұрын

@@bluenetmarketing What is a perversion to one person is not to another. Many perversions come from religion, some think eating pork is perverse, some think a same-sex relationship is perverse, some think using modern day gadgets like phones on a Friday is perverse....on the other hand some think that being intolerant of differences is perverse. We live in a world where it is easy to identify a difference and dislike people for it. There is a lot to be said for tolerance and not judging others by our own prejudices. :-)

@Ruylopez778 5 жыл бұрын

You're watching a video about screenwriting - which is often a medium dealing with controversial or "challenging" subject matter, that reflects or informs society, in 2019. Do they need to put a disclaimer at the beginning for you?