Three down, two to go!
Last week, I submitted my final piece of work for my third MA module, Individual Script Development. Like the first module, Individual Script Development involved creating a short film premise, treatment, writer’s statement, and screenplay. However, the focus of this module was developing our own working techniques, as well as exploring concepts like structure, theme, and genre in greater detail.
It’s been a hugely rewarding module. Not only have I come out of these last few months with a short film script I’m really happy with, but I’ve learned just how important structure is to my writing. For example, the first draft of my short film Thrill of the Chase had plenty of great comedic and character moments, but the first act was too long, which meant the second and third acts felt rushed. By recognising this flaw, I was able to restructure and reshape my story, devoting enough time to each act to make the story build more effectively.
Understanding genre and how you can use genre and tone to structure a narrative has been hugely useful. For example, if you’re writing a dramatic story, there need to be wins-and-losses to keep the audience in doubt as to whether your hero will have a happy ending, while a tragic story will signpost that an ill-fated outcome inevitably awaits your protagonist.
By recognising early on that my protagonist was a dramatic character (despite the film itself being primarily comedic), I was able to structure my film to ensure that her fate was unpredictable to the audience, which created more suspense in the third act. While the tone of the film was often comedic from scene-to-scene, having a dramatic protagonist meant I could have her undertake a large narrative arc and emerge at the end of the film as a new person. This is seen in many comedic films which offer personal drama narratives, such as Bridesmaids and Funny People.
The lessons I have learned from this module will come in useful as I continue to write and develop new projects. By gaining more understanding of how structure works, I can put in more work before writing to ensure that my acts are well-paced, the tone is consistent, and the storytelling fits with the audience’s expectations of the story. Now that the third module has finished, I’m over halfway through with my MA journey. Here’s hoping I learn just as much in the next module!
–Harry J. Ford
Harry Ford - Comedian 