The Calling Card Script
Page 35
109–112, 123, 135–137, 139,
185, 232
Structure 60, 100, 101, 146,
150, 153, 164, 166, 167, 188,
Sound(s) 22, 24, 26, 50, 53,
190
195–197, 201, 211
54, 58, 70, 85, 152, 168,
Studio 15, 28, 47, 167, 168, 222
Seven Streams of the River Ota
169, 185, 193, 199, 201,
Stylisation 209, 211
17, 19, 57, 232
203–205, 207, 209, 210, 216,
Sub-genre(s) 32, 42, 61
Sex 35, 63, 81
222
Sub-plots 121, 164
SFX 24, 26
Sound Barriers 201
Subjectivity 25, 52, 63, 85, 223,
Shadow of a Boy 21
The Spanish Tragedy 56
225
Shakespeare, William 17, 56,
Spectacle 14–17
Subjects 49
57, 79, 84, 98, 142, 143, 166,
Spectator(s) 15, 16, 27
Subsidies 14
INDEX
243
Substance 7, 30, 212
Texture 26, 50, 121, 158, 208
160, 164, 165, 181, 188, 191,
Subtext 25, 91, 161, 214, 217,
Theatre(s) xi, 4, 6, 7, 13–17,
193, 215, 216
218
19–22, 25–27, 32, 47, 57,
Trailers 60
Subtlety 94, 217
61, 62, 69, 70, 92–94, 99,
Training 218, 220
Summer of Love 95, 186, 187,
100, 138, 141, 146, 148,
Traits 68, 79, 81
197, 231
164, 167–170, 172, 173,
Transcription 207
Supernatural 12, 13, 62, 63, 66,
180, 183, 200, 202, 221,
Transformation 123, 128
105, 186
222, 224
Transmission 34
Superstructures 163
Theatre and genre 61
Transposition 146
Surface 82, 84, 85, 87, 161, 200,
Theatre and metaphor 21
Treatment 60, 63, 65, 76, 113
207
Theatre of the Absurd 61
Triangulation 103
Surgery 41, 193
Theatrical character 92
Trick(s) 57, 83, 86, 187, 194,
Surprise(s) 5, 39, 47, 59, 60, 76,
Theatrical release 27
196, 203, 211, 212
106, 128, 135, 139–142,
Theatrical soliloquy 25, 202
Trope(s) 165, 211
144–147, 151, 161, 162, 165,
Theatrical space xii, 13, 15
Troughs 149, 150, 152, 172,
177, 186, 188, 196
Theatricality 17, 180
190, 192
Surrealism 63, 86, 101, 183
Theme 27, 50, 54, 65, 66, 94,
Trust 108, 127, 223
Survival 1, 55, 130, 181, 193,
96, 179, 193, 195
Tumbledown 37
196
The Thick of It 64, 206
TV 4, 6, 8, 20–23, 25, 27, 28,
Suspects 76, 151
This Is England 89, 91, 125,
32–39, 43, 47, 58, 59, 62, 64,
Suspense 40, 41, 143, 144
192, 193, 232
66, 69, 71, 75, 78, 93, 94, 96,
Suspension 14, 16, 167
This Life 55, 183
97, 104, 113, 136, 137, 139,
Swan Theatre 17
Thomas, Dylan 212
143, 145–147, 153, 165,
The Sweeney 42
Thorne, Jack xi, 7, 95, 170, 201,
167–170, 172, 173, 179, 183,
Symbol(s) 17, 21, 30, 80
232
184, 200–203, 211, 214, 215,
Synchronicity 141
Threat 32, 156
221, 222, 224–226
Synonyms 182
The Three Stooges 56
TV catchphrases 203
Synopsis 65, 171
Thrillers 76, 77, 86, 110
TV character 93
System 42, 104, 125
Tics 82, 206, 207
TV drama 6, 20, 32, 34, 36, 37,
Timbre 63, 209
69, 165, 201,
Tableau 98, 158
Time 1, 7, 8, 12, 19, 24, 28–30,
TV viewing 33, 35
Tactics 52, 141
33–36, 39–42, 47, 48, 50, 51,
TV singles 37
Tale(s) 56, 57, 63, 64, 66, 76, 81,
58–61, 65, 67, 69, 71–73, 77,
Twelfth Night 186
96, 97, 124, 143, 180, 181,
78, 80, 86, 89, 91, 92, 94–96,
Twelve Shares 201
182, 193, 183, 214
98, 100, 102, 105, 109, 112,
21 Grams 31, 59, 101
Talent-spotters xi
113, 119, 122, 123, 126, 128,
The Twilight Zone 43, 59, 183
Tales of the Unexpected 183
138, 142, 144, 150, 152, 154,
Twin Peaks 58, 139, 184, 232
Talking Heads 200, 232
156–159, 164, 166, 170, 173,
Twists 76, 139, 152, 165, 177,
Tapestry 17, 39, 57, 64, 115
182, 183, 185, 186, 189,
186–188
Taxi Driver 202
195–197, 200, 207, 215–220,
Two-hander 40, 64
Taylor, Val 233
222–224, 227
Types 56, 62, 82
Tech 28, 35, 52
The Times 153
Technical 73, 92, 168, 205
Timescale 123
Uncertainty 109
Technicians 168
Titus Andronicus 56, 143
Under Milk Wood 212
Technological space 17, 18
Tone 4, 25, 43, 54, 63, 64, 104,
Under-researched 208
Tedium 49, 94, 123, 134, 139,
114, 162–164, 171, 174, 180,
Underscore 26
145, 146
202, 206, 209–211, 214–216,
Unexpected outcomes 144, 162
Television see TV
220
Unity Theatre 17
Telling a story 29, 52, 54, 94,
Tool(s) 2, 80, 203 218, 227
The universal formula 101, 147
133
Torchwood 34
Upside-down 75
Template 100, 101, 104, 172
Towne, Robert 182, 231, 232
Up close 29, 167, 170
Tennant, David 203
Tracking shot 28
Urge 12, 47, 149, 151, 159
Tension 16, 28, 60, 70, 71, 75,
Trade, -ing 2, 205, 208, 214,
The Usual Suspects 76
84, 87, 88, 90, 95, 104, 106,
234
110–112, 121, 141, 143, 144,
Tradition 35, 57, 58, 78, 164
Vagueness 66, 148, 185
149, 159, 163, 165, 166
Tragedy, -ies 55, 56, 59, 61, 63,
Value(s) 103, 113, 181, 191,
Tests 122, 125, 128, 129
79, 84, 90, 97, 102, 109, 111,
209, 221
Text(s) 13, 33, 57, 161, 217
119–121, 124, 131–133, 145,
Variety 132
244 THE CALLING CARD SCRIPT
Vengeance 79, 128, 134, 185
Voicing 201, 205, 207
Williams, Paul Andrew 220
Verse 17, 68
Vulnerability 5, 79, 91, 92, 131,
The Winter’s Tale 63, 143
Version(s) 17, 23, 38, 55, 56,
132, 134, 139, 166
The Wire 6, 73
65, 70, 89, 114, 120, 123, 131,
Wit 216
138, 139,
Waits, Tom 53
Withnail and I 126, 133, 151,
Vic
e 33, 90, 190
Waiting for Godot 56, 86
206
Victim 129, 152
Walkabout 28, 93
Wordplay 216
Viewpoint 73
Wall Street 211
Working class 205
View(s) 16, 25, 27, 73, 85, 88,
Wall-E 79
Workmanship 2
115, 126, 130, 153, 199, 234
Walsh, Enda 70
Workshops 5
Villains, -y 36, 43, 57, 68, 79,
Wants and needs 88–90, 106,
Worstward Ho 120
88, 130, 188
107, 124–126, 134, 149, 189
Write-ups 60
Violence 89, 125, 127, 140, 142,
War(s) 23, 30, 37, 57, 61, 75, 80,
Writer(s), writing passim
155
89, 90, 109, 121, 124, 211, 232
Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook
Virgil 55
The War Game 37
235
Virginity 132
War of the Worlds 23
Writers Guild 235
Virtues 83
Watershed 214
Writing and rewriting 13, 218,
Vision 19, 27, 29, 57, 65
Waves 40, 150, 189
220, 221
Visualisation 25, 150
Way out 3, 20, 30, 141, 186, 187
Visual code 29
Weddings 132, 193
X Factor 53
Visual images 22, 27
Welles, Orson 23
Vocabulary 206, 207
Welsh, Irvine 207
Yes, Minister 216
Vocation 3, 12, 68
West End 14, 19, 61
Young, Jeff 168
Vogler, Christopher 80, 233
The West Wing 58
Your feelings 52
Voice 4–7, 11, 12, 25, 49, 50,
Westerns 16, 30, 55, 56, 61, 88
Your signature x, 6, 222
53–55, 65, 70, 93, 173,
When You Cure Me 95, 232
Your voice 6, 7, 25, 53–55, 65,
198–200, 202, 203, 205–207,
The whole story 30, 76, 163,
225
210–212, 216, 217, 222, 225,
178, 198
227, 232
Whithouse, Tony 63, 231
Zones 144
Voice-over 193, 202
The Wicker Man 88
Zoom 70
Document Outline
Cover
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 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
1 THE MEDIUM THE WRITER AS MEDIUM ‘Medium’
One man and every man
What writers do
Instinct and craft
Is the writer a medium?
Using medium
THE THEATRICAL SPACE 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 '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 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 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
2 THE BEGINNING WHAT ARE PRODUCERS LOOKING FOR? The meat market
The market
So what are people looking for?
WHERE TO BEGIN? 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 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? '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? 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 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 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 '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 When to start writing?
Treatments
Clarity
Coherence
Building a blueprint
3 THE MIDDLE THE MUDDLE IN THE MIDDLE Managing the muddle
Muddled metaphors
Fail better
Dig deeper
Stretch the line
Dominoes
DEEPER INTO CHARACTER 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 Revelation
Deus ex machina
Shock tactics
Secrets
Dramatic irony
Unexpected outcomes
Predictability
Tedium
Cliché
STRUCTURE AND THE MIDDLE 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 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 Ready to write
Refer to the blueprint
Develop the blueprint
Step outline
Wild drafts
Write the beginning
4 THE END AN ENDING IN SIGHT Fundamentals
Some endings
'The End’