Last screenwriting workshop

Yesterday was our last screenwriting workshop with Steve Coombes.

Steve showed us a video clip of Trey Parker and Matt Stone (creators of South Park) explaining how to put a story together. They say use 'This happens therefor this happens but then this happens'. This makes a story whereas 'and this happens and this happens' don't work and it will be difficult to make a story. When I talk about my ideas I often say 'and this happens' which doesn't really help.
Steve told us that we 'want buts in our story', stories need 'buts'.

We went onto learning about irony and how it is used in screenwriting. It is important to have irony a we enjoy it. E.g. 'A doctor who is a drug addict' and 'Police man robs banks'. We looked at the types of irony.

• Situation irony- Irony involving a situation where actions have an effect that is opposite to what was intended. Like 'Wizard of oz' which the situation turns out that Dorothy could have gone back home all along. 
• Dramatic irony- A device of giving the audience an item of information about a character they not aware of. The audience knows more than the story itself.
• Tragic irony- This is the 'holy grail' in screenwriting. Making a tragic event unfold that the audience will feel guilt. 'Romeo and Juliet' for example, Romeo thinks Juliet is dead so he decides to kill himself but she is not dead. When Juliet finds this out she also takes her life, a tragic irony making the audience feel pure guilt as we know she wasn't dead. 
• Comic irony- Comic irony is set-up as a distraction tool, taking the audience another way before the punchline.

Irony is important in screenwriting as it keeps the audience one step ahead. Structured like a joke giving suspicion and resolution but the audience don't see it coming. 

A coincidence is shown in the beginning of the story. 

Other tools used include cliche's and pleasure. We as an audience enjoy seeing cliche's that we are grown up with as we can relate. We get pleasure from other peoples pain. 

Steve finished with a summary of what we have gone through adding in "A story is like a shark, it needs to keep moving forward". 

We need moments as people remember these. 'If's and buts' are great, don't use 'ands'. 

I enjoyed the workshop as we learn't some important tools that we need to use in order to have a successful story. Steve gave us a summary going over what he has told us over his sessions so it refreshed us even more.  I have got quite a few key words stuck in my head as Steve repeated them a lot. This is helpful as I now know what I need to include in my story. I am looking at irony and what I could set up in my story. I am still looking at moments and planning what to feature in my script. I constantly think SHOW DON'T SAY, so I am confident now on what to describe in my script. I look forward to writing my script and putting my story into a moving image.