Questions for the Evaluation of the Script How have you paid respect to screenwriting conventions?

There are a number of ways that I have paid respect to screen-writing conventions when creating my script. These are by using CELTX. By using this program, I was able to stick to all elements that are the most important when creating a script. For example, using slug-lines, and using appropriate spacing when writing up action, speech, character names, etc. This use of spacing means that the script retains a professional finish. Also, when writing the script, I made use of appropriate font. By using 12 pt Courier, an adaptation of a traditional typewriter font, the script is mono-spaced, and roughly equates to a minute of footage each. This means that if the script was read, it would read properly, and make sense. How does the script adhere to the guiding principles of the TEN POINT PLAN? My script follows the ten point plan of script-writing. This is as follows TITLE - My film is named Stuck. GENRE/TONE - The title is based under the genre of social realism. As it was written, I tried to make it seem as realistic as possible; realism being one of the defining features of social realism. SETTING (TIME AND PLACE) - The film is set within a high school technology block, taking place both inside and outside the building. MAIN CHARACTER - The main character is Charlie. He is a teenage boy, keeping his head down throughout school. He is a perfectionist, and does not like confrontation at all. WANT/NEED/OBLIGATION - Charlies work is destroyed by a younger year early on in the film. As a result of this action, Charlie wants retribution for the boy, but also, wants to stick up for his friend. OPPOSITION - The opposition for the protagonist is a younger year, Ryan. The boy is cocky, arrogant, and would be described as a Chav. CATALYST FOR CHANGE - When Charlies work is destroyed, he leaves the building shortly afterwards, and sees one of his classmates being bullied by the same younger boy that destroyed his work. This makes Charlie want to help his friend. CLIMAX - The film climaxes with a confrontation on the school bench. Charlie faces up to Ryan, after telling his classmate that he has everything covered, and could handle himself. Ryan prepares to punch Charlie, but Charlie dodges out the way, and lets Ryan sit down.

RESOLUTION - Unbeknownst to the younger boy, Charlie has applied industrial strength glue to the back of the bench that the boys have been arguing about. Ryan, the younger boy, becomes stuck. THEMES - The defining theme within the film is ingenuity. Charlie tries to solve a problem with his brains, rather than his fists. Previously being afraid of confrontation, Charlie faces his fears, and stands up to the bullies, even though they, ironically, are much younger than him.

Does every scene reveal something new? Break down each scene using the STEP OUTLINE to demonstrate how each is a consequence of the previous scene and in addition brings a new and significant development. The step outline is as follows - One sentence that summarizes what happens. - What is revealed that is significant to the plot? - What is revealed that is significant to the audiences understanding of the characters? - Is there an indication of significant theme? I shall follow this structure when outlining the scenes of my film. - Charlie is working on a piece of work in the school Tech Room. - Charlie has something that he now cares about, and is actively working on during the start of the film. -The audience can now see that Charlie (The protagonist) has perfectionist tendencies about him. He keeps sanding down the edges of his work with sandpaper, looking at them, and then sanding them down again. -At this point, there are no defining themes within the short. - Charlie walks into the storage cupboard and starts looking for extra materials. -We now see that Charlie has moved away from his desk, leaving his work open to anyone that may want to have a look. -The audience can see now that Charlie is a persevering character. When faced with a problem, he will try to find a solution. -At this point, there are no solid recurring themes within the short. - Footsteps move into the room where Charlie is working. - This introduces the antagonist of the film. - The character is moving slowly, so this indicated that he is thinking carefully about what he is doing. -This does not create a theme within the film, as the use of stealthy movements only happens once in the entire film. -Charlie is still rummaging through the cupboard.

- Once again, Charlie is still trying to work through a problem. If he is not in the cupboard, then the vandal cannot slip into the room undetected - Charlie is still showing perseverance to the audience. - Still no themes yet. - The vandal picks up Charlies work, and spins it around in his hands. He throws it back down onto the table. - The vandal is introduced to the plot, and creates a new character element to the short. - The way that the vandal picks up the work shows the audience that he has little regard for the work of others. - One of the themes that emerges in this scene is the vandalism of others property.

-The vandal picks up Charlies work, and places it under a drill bit. He drills a hole through the centre. - This creates the drive for Charlies want/need. It also creates a problem for Charlie to overcome. - This show the audience that the boy has no regard for the work of others, and is happy to vandalize. -There is an indication of the theme of vandalism, that is used throughout the opening scenes. - Charlie sees that the young boy that was destroying his work is now bullying one of his friends, and breaking his stationary. - This creates the choice for Charlie, and as a result, forces the plot to move forwards. -The audience can now see that Charlie is contemplating the decision. It shows that he has a sense of morals, as opposed to the other boy. - One of the themes that can be seen in this scene is that of right and wrong, but also revisits the theme of vandalism. - Charlie walks over to the bench, and sits down next to his friend being bullied by the other children. - This shows that Charlie is trying to fight back, in his own way, against the vandal that had partly destroyed his work. - This shows to the audience that Charlie is capable of making the right decision, and that he chooses to stand up for his friend. - One of the themes within this scene is that of resistance. - Charlie puts his hands behind his back, and leans forward. Ryan goes to hit him, but Charlie moves out of the way, and then stands up. Ryan sits down, and is firmly stuck to the chair, as Charlie has put industrial strength glue on the chair. - This shows that Charlie has actively fought back against his tormentors, and as a result, gained his self confidence back.

- The audience sees that Charlie has the ability to fight back, and does so. It shows that Charlie has realized what was being done to him, and then done something about it. It shows that Charlie is determined, and leaves the situation has been dealt with. - One of the themes that it is in this scene is redemption. Does the narrative progress cinematically and with minimal dialogue? Explain how it progresses cinematically rather than dialogue. How do visuals drive the narrative forward at points? How does sound drive the narrative forward at points? How are visual elements (e.g aspects of mise-en-scene) used symbolically? One of the key points, cinematically, within the film is the scene with the drill. As the drill-bit moves down, a screeching sound is heard. This creates a dramatic tension in the scene, meaning that the audience engage with the film further. This scene moves the film forward, as it creates a catalyst for change, but also sets the stakes for the film. How engaging is the protagonist? Is the antagonist convincingly portrayed? I believe that the main character is engaging, as I have attempted to write the script in such a way that he is never really revealed entirely. He only very rarely says a line of dialogue, and therefore, he is kept mysterious, and aloof to the audience. The antagonist, however, is an opposite of Charlie. The younger antagonist is loud, disruptive, and doesnt care about what he does, and how that may effect others. This could be seen as a stereotypical representation of younger children.

Is there a clear tone? Describe the tone, is it consistent throughout? The tone of the film is clear. The tone of the film is rather neutral, in terms of character performance. The tone is not upbeat like ___ , but at the same time, it is not as dark as short films like About A Girl. Is tension created and built all the way through? In the script, I tried to created tension for effect through the actions of characters. For example, at the start of the film, I tried to introduce the antagonist in such a way that the audience would be given a menacing atmosphere from the boy, something that you wouldnt normally experience when looking at a year 9 boy. Also, by sustaining the scene where the vandal is destroying Charlies work, I tried to build tension by leaving the scene somewhat as a Nail-Biter, and for a short time, leaving the audience wondering if the boy will actually destroy Charlies work, or just leave it. What kind of setting are you establishing? Is/are the space(s) allowing you to effectively encode your mise en scene with semantic pathways through to your macro ideas? With the scene I had in mind, the idea was to take a familiar setting such as a classroom, or a tech room in my case, and then make it slightly more menacing than it would be normally. So, the idea behind using a tech room was essentially taking a regular classroom, and then adding a more menacing element of power tools and low lighting. The combination of those two, in my opinion, would aid in making the scene a little more threatening than it may seem in broad daylight.

Does the story contain key themes and issues that relate it to wider social/media contexts? One of the key themes that is recurrent through the entire film is bullying. However, I tried to relate this to a wider social context, as it is sometimes the case where bullying is reversed, and younger children bully older children. Some people may have experienced this kind of bullying, or seen it happen, and as a result, I believe that it makes the content of the film relatable. However, when writing the script, I also wanted to challenge the typical conventions of bullying that is normally portrayed in short films.