#20 TELL ME A GOOD STORY

STORIES

are about characters

in situations (drama/conflict)

to relate a key issue or message

*know your characters.

*put them in situations so viewers get to know them better. 

*use characters to relate to each other & talk about an issue.

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1 SENTENCE SUMMARY (LOGLINE)
= what is your story about?


What makes a GOOD story?
> character(s)
> motive
> conflict (drama)
> 3 act (the art of telling a story)
> target audience (relates to your TA)
> key message (moral of the story)


FOCUS >

> WHAT IS YOUR STORY ABOUT?

> WHAT RELATES TO PEOPLE? TO YOU?


how do i get my story going?
- premise (statement)
- what if
- why not?
- character 
> motive
> conflict (DRAMA)

Learn the art of telling a story 
> make the story yours!!

WHERE DO I LOOK FOR STORIES?
- news
- mag
- our experiences
- other people's experiences
- research
- etc etc etc

tmi? (too much information)


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NO CHARACTERS, 
NO STORY.
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CLASS EXERCISE 1
CASE STUDY - WHAT MAKES A KEY CHARACTER SPECIAL & UNIQUE?
- six million dollar man
- johnny bravo
- powerpuff girls
- austin powers

CLASS EXERCISE 2 
CASE STUDY - MIND YOUR LANGUAGE (PILOT - S1, Ep1)

link: http://youtu.be/lzrXeBhYCFg



Class Exercise:
* 1 sentence summary
* character list
* choose 2 characters - write up the character bio
* what are each characters' unique "voice", trait or action?
* do a quick 3 act structure

IDENTIFY & OBSERVE

- character's unique traits
- character's unique voice
- character's cultural, social, racial, political background, etc
- character's conflict
- relationships - how characters relate to each other
- location (London, classroom)
- situation (learning English in a foreign country)
- protagonist, antagonist, comic relief
- key message 
- stereotypes / cliches 
- genre / theme / issue


Observe:
- characters relating to each other
- a huge setup
- comic relief

Comic Relief
What is a comic relief?
What is the role of a comic relief?
give some examples...


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1 Sentence Summary: (S1, Ep1)
Jeremy Brown starts his new job as the teacher of English as a Foreign Language class, and meets his students for the first time.

Synopsis:
Jeremy Brown starts his new job as the teacher of English as a Foreign Language class, and meets his students for the first time. A diverse group of ten foreign adult students in London, hailing from nine different countries. From Europe come two au pairs, the flirtatious and beautiful Danielle (France) and prim and proper Anna (Germany); two young single men, Giovanni (Italy) and Max (Greece); and a laid-back middle-aged bartender, Juan (Spain), who speaks no English. From Asia come a revolutionary-minded secretary from the Chinese Embassy (Su-Li) and a Japanese businessman (Taro), as well as three students from the Subcontinent: a devout Punjabi Sikh (Ranjeet); and an unemployed Pakistani Muslim (Ali), who are constantly at each other's throats; and finally an Urdu-speaking housewife (Jamila) who can't speak a word of English. The school principal, Ms. Dolores Courtney, nearly dismisses Mr. Brown immediately as she had requested a female teacher, but he is allowed to stay on a trial basis.

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