The process of writing a screenplay depends on who is at the helm, from a short, three-month endeavour, or a longer, year-long creation. This thesis will aim to capture the thoughts and feelings of a first-time ‘rookie’ screenwriter as they write their first-ever full, feature-length screenplay. It will show their journey to create and understand the character’s arc, motivation, genre, and wrestle with the theme of their narrative. The other elements that will be explored are what is key to creating an effective screenplay, the understanding of the key parts of screenplay creation and the opinions of other professionals. The thesis will explore the importance of character, genre, and industry through the lens of someone new to the work of a screenwriter. Due to the nature of this work, it is natural that to follow the work of former/current successful screenwriters and authors, following the ‘How-to’ guides of screenwriting.
It should be known that at some points during the writing of this thesis, the creation of my screenplay, Going Over, was not completed. Because of this, the thesis will touch on parts of the fundamentals of screenwriting, from beginning to end, comparing the thoughts of screenwriting theorists and practitioners. The practice-led nature of this thesis will lend itself to the discussion of an in-progress screenplay. While the opinions of these practitioners debate the means and uses of certain conventions, it is for the screenwriter to be informed on these theories. In the practical part of this thesis, the screenplay still in development opens a lot of cases for redrafting, accessing mistakes and discoveries to be made considering new theories, ideas, and speculation. The chapters in the thesis cover character and story development, story structure, genre, and theme. The themes of the film, narrative progression, and the acceptance of genre in modern screenwriting is discussed, as well as the filmmaking industry which includes the place of the screenwriter.
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