Hey! So just to say I have began a new blog for my second year as a Media Production student, why not take a peek?
https://grantsnaithyr2blog.wordpress.com
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 1950s: Woman with surprised look. (Photo by George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images)
Please find attached a copy of my Critical Analysis Essay for 161MC.
The first step of scriptwriting is the pitch which is then developed further into the Outline. Once you have pitched an idea to a producer of commissioning editor and they given you a favourable response, your next stage is to create the Outline. 
The Outline is not the go ahead to write the script, it is a crucial stage in the development of the short film. The fact that you have been asked to produced the Outline shows that someone has shown a keen interest in your idea. When being asked to create an Outline you are begin asked to produce a number of specific things:
– Elaboration on your story
– Proof on the page that it works and is a complete and original story idea
– The main central characters, Protagonist/Antagonist, work and are engaging and original
– An engaging document proving that you can write clearly without confusion or over complication. An Outline incorporates the notion of a synopsis, is a present-tense, prose version of the intended screen narrative.
“It concentrates on the main narrative story, the central protagonist/s and antagonist/s, their motivations, and the essential active questions” (Parker)
“I hate outlines. Hate em, hate em, hate em. The point of the exercise is to tell a story, and once thats told in outline form, why write the script? But… producers require outlines before they will commit to a script, so its a necessary evil” (J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5)
“I usually work from an outline. I will know first in a general sense where I’m going. What it is I want to say” (Walter Bernstein, screenwriter of The Train, The Magnificent Seven etc)
An Outline for a feature screenplay is generally no longer than a page to a maximum of two pages in lengths whilst a short screenplay is no longer than half a page, possible only one or two paragraphs. All Outlines are told in a present tense style. Keep to the main story and the relationships of who the characters are and any relevant conflicts. It is a document where you can include/write emotion. The most important thing to the success of your Outline is the conflict, whether that be external violent conflict or internal emotional conflict. A film without some form of conflict is a film that loose interest with the viewers.
“Peter Parker was in love with Mary-Jane, he always had been and he betrayed this in his behaviour each time he was in her presence”
As with the Pitch before it, it is good practice to examine and analyse other examples of Outlines from other films. I found this process particularly interesting during the Pitch and so will be doing the same for the Outline. Here is an example of an Outline from the film Paul.
“For the past 60 years, a space-traveling smart-ass named Paul has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his kind. But when he worries he’s outlived his usefulness and the dissection table is drawing uncomfortably close, Paul escapes on the first RV that passes by his compound in Area 51. Fortunately, it contains the two earthlings who are most likely to rescue and harbor an alien on the run. In the comedy-adventure Paul, best friends Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings have saved for decades to take a sci-fi fan’s trip of a lifetime: a pilgrimage to America’s UFO heartland to track the legendary hot spots of extraterrestrial activity. But when a close encounter with Paul derails the plans…their dream vacation turns into a road trip that will rock their universe forever. Hunted by federal agents and the fanatical father of Ruth Buggs a young woman whom they have accidentally kidnapped, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling plan to return Paul to his mother ship in one piece. And as two nerds fight to help save an awesome little green man, Paul might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.”
Remember, write in a way that is engaging, the outline is a document that you want someone to read and be intrigued by, so intrigued that they want to go to the next stage, the Treatment. However, it is not uncommon to be asked to revise and develop your Treatment further. Later in the process of the script if it is not working as well as you expected, re-visit your Outline and see if what you are writing reflects what the original story that you had in mind. This is another reason why the Outline is so important and why scriptwriter should carefully follow the stages on creating a script. Film making is an expensive process so at each stage from now on producers especially want to feel that you story/outline/idea is working enough to attract potential backers. It is also important that you actually like the story.
Here is a brief look at an example page from a finished film script to look forward towards as you enter the script writing process. It shows the layout of a script page bu also the importance of why it is laid out as such.
For the second part of my assigned task we were now asked to consider the digital footprint of another professional media practitioner and how they represent themselves. So to do this I decided to pick a favourite director of mine in James Gunn from such films as ‘Super’ and most recently ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.
On what sites do they present themselves on the internet?
So James Gunn has a Facebook page which he operates himself and posts fairly often to it as you may have seen I posted a quote of advise to fellow filmmakers from James Gunn on my blog a month back. He also operates a Twitter page on which some of his posts are the same as on Facebook however he appears to use this more regularly than Facebook, whether this is because her recognises the rising popularity of Twitter for following celebrities or whether this is just because of ease I am unsure. He has his own website ( http://jamesgunn.com ) which I only just discovered since starting writing this blog and can I say it is eye catching and intriguing. The opening header of his website says “the official website of filmmaker james gunn for shit outside the norm”. This particularly struck me as a website is a means of advertisement to potential employees, and although James Gunn is now a big name surely this was still a resource for potential employers. However it is in keeping with his relaxed and casual display of self throughout all media outlets.
What kind of images do they use and do they brand themselves?
So with James Gunn having recently released hit sensation Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy it is clear that James Gunn has since been branding himself as a Marvel fanatic by posting images not only about his hit film but also others related to the MCU such as this image of Daredevil in his early black costume sporting the line “For those among you complaining about Daredevil’s initial costume in the series may I remind you of this…”
Considering Gunn is signed on to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 2 it is within reason that he would show support to Marvel so as to keep employers happy, however nothing about James Gunn’s appearance on the internet appears out of synch with him being interested in things such as comics and so it could simply be a very real appearance of himself.
Do they give interviews?
Yes, Yes he does and I have seen some interviews with Mr.Gunn that have been a delight to watch. Here is one where he discusses writing and it really captures the laid back approach of James Gunn to his media professional career. It is a really interesting watch not just because it shows us what he is really like but also because it is an eye opener to just what the industry is like these days and what it takes to be successful as a writer.
The Journey Begins 