SOPHIE'S CHOICE:
Sophie's POV
A beautiful Polish refugee who lost her family in the holocaust tries to rebuild her life in postwar Brooklyn with the help of her troubled boyfriend and a young southern writer they befriend.
• Nathan’s POV
In post WWII Brooklyn a charismatic man suffering from schizophrenia tries to maintain a relationship with his Polish refugee girlfriend and their young writer friend without letting them know of his illness.
• Stingo
A young, Southern man, struggling to be a writer, is befriended by a charismatic
couple in postwar Brooklyn and ultimately comes of age when he discovers
the tragic story of their past.
THROW MAMA FROM THE TRAIN
• OMNISCIENT POV - (Also Larry’s POV)
A professor suffering from writer’s block must come to grips with jealousy over his ex-wife’s success and at the same time fend off an obnoxious student who wants to enlist him in killing his mother.
• Owen’s POV
A well meaning but hopeless mama’s boy tries to break free of his domineering mother by involving his writing professor in a scheme to kill her.
• Mama’s POV
An overbearing
old woman, fearing her grown son’s abandonment, tries
to keep him at home through psychological coercion.
THE ELEMENTS EVALUATED IN A SCREENPLAY ANALYSIS SYNOPSIS
A synopsis is a condensed version of the screenplay plot. It includes the main action, any major characters and what they do that affects that action. Subplots are noted insofar as they are integral to the main plot. A synopsis is written in present tense, with the exception of flashbacks and back-story, which can, if appropriate, be written in the past tense. Character’s names are written in CAPS the first time they appear, then title case after that.
A synopsis contains NO EDITORIALIZING – if the plot is incoherent, it will be revealed in the more specific commentary. The essential tone and mood of the genre and/or writers style is communicated in the synopsis.
The Overview of your script notes its general strengths and weaknesses. Within the overview the following points are discussed:
• CONCEPT:
The idea around which your screenplay is structured; the theme or premise.
For example, the concept of The Fugitive is: A man is wrongly convicted of
his wife’s murder and breaks out of jail to pursue the real killer.
Sounds a lot like a logline, right? It is. A logline is your concept contained
within a quick snapshot of your story.
But a concept can also be as simple as this: “Die Hard on a bus.” That’s not a logline but it is the concept behind Speed.
High concept -- is a script with a definite commercial hook (i.e. the aforementioned
Speed) Generally this would be a movie that has mass appeal and blockbuster
potential.
• CHARACTERIZATION
Relating to the characters you have created the following questions are addressed:
Is the protagonist (main character) likable, sympathetic, empathetic, and identifiable? Is he/she an engaging, credible, dynamic character who can carry a picture? Is he/she worth watching for two hours? Is the protagonist engaged in a journey for a specific goal? Is this goal strong enough to hook and hold an audience throughout? Does the protagonist fight for what he/she wants amidst conflict and are they forced to take greater and greater risks and actions? Is she/he active or reactive? Does he/she have the will and capacity to fight for what they want? Is character revealed through what people do (visually) rather than what they say? (Film is a visual medium. Motion pictures are supposed to MOVE).
Will the audience root for this character to succeed? Do you care? Do you become enmeshed in his/her world? Does the protagonist sufficiently “arc” through the story? Does he/she undergo a meaningful change by the story’s end? Is the antagonist(s) or forces of antagonism strong enough to challenge the protagonist and continually thwart his/her effort? Is the villain a truly formidable foe? Sufficiently bad, evil, dangerous, frightening? Does he/she make it too easy for the protagonist? In other words, do you have a lame antagonist – if so, then that will diminish the protagonist.
How are
the secondary characters handled? Are they colorful and fresh or clichéd
stereotypes? What purpose do they serve in connection to the protagonist?
Has the writer
maximized the opportunity
for conflict? Do all
of the main characters have individual traits, quirks, idiosyncrasies? Are
they true standouts or just average? What are their strengths and weaknesses
as far as their viability for the screen? Do they have audience appeal?
• DIALOGUE
How well
have you crafted the words your characters speak? Is it believable, witty,
intelligent, compelling, sparkling, and
razor-sharp? Is it wordy,
stilted, artificial, hackneyed, contrived, and flat? Is it coherent, too
rambling, or nonsensical? Is it consistently well-suited to each character?
Is it appropriate to the period of the film? Does each character have his/her
own manner of speaking and does this distinguish them from the other characters?
Is the dialogue too expository? Is it too “on-the-nose,” revealing
exactly what everyone means, thinks, and feels? Does the dialogue lack subtext?
Is there no other meaning beneath the lines themselves? Does the dialogue
artfully and seamlessly reveal character? Are there too many long, dull speeches?
Is the dialogue crisp and well paced? Is it consistent? Does the writer rely
too heavily on dialogue to propel the story? Is the dialogue too profane
or sexually explicit? Crude or offensive in a way that is out of sync with
the story? Is it appropriate to the genre, adding humor to a comedy or tension
to a drama?
