A) Director as Story-Teller There are many facets of a Director’s prep on any film or TV show - from location scouts and creative meetings to casting and scheduling.

But the first, and most important part of your job, is to understand the script - what the story is about; the themes; the story points; the characters.

A director is a story-teller, and to be a good story-teller, you need to understand every detail about the story you are telling. There’s an old expression that says if it doesn’t work in the script, it won’t work on the set - and boy is that true! Understanding the story requires a lot of work on your part because you need to rip the script apart to find out what it is about, what works and what doesn’t.

B) Script Structure

Here is the “traditional” Three Act Structure of any story:

ACT ONE - THE SET-UP (Boy Meets Girl)
ACT TWO - CONFRONTATION (Boy Loses girl-fights to get her back)
ACT THREE - RESOLUTION (Boy Gets Girl)

NOTE: There has been a lot of debate lately on script structure - how many acts there are in a script! Because this is not a writing course, (and every story ALWAYS has a Beginning, Middle and End), I will refer to all scripts as having the traditional Three Act Structure. Even Television scripts follow the Three Act Structure - they are just divided into Act Breaks because that is where the commercials go.

Here is a “general guide” to the physical structure of TV scripts:

1) Half-Hour Episodic TV (22-25 pages and Two Acts)
2) One-Hour Episodic TV (50 - 65 pages and Four Acts)
3) Two Hour TV Movie (100 - 110 pages and Seven Acts)

Television scripts can also be broken down further by using a Teaser and a Tag. So a one-hour TV Script could be divided up like this:

a. Teaser
b. Act One
c. Act Two
d. Act Three
e. Act Four
f. Tag

C) Script Analysis

When you first get your script, find a nice quite place and just read it through once - from start to finish. Your first pass is to get an idea of what the story is about, where it takes place and who the characters are. This is when you form your first impressions of the story and it is probably the only time you will ever enjoy the script as a story - because from now on it’s all work!!

Then, read the script again (and again, and again…) and start making notes and jotting down the answers to the following questions:

1) what is the PLOT? (what is the story about)
2) what is the THEME? (what is the message)
3) what is the LOGIC? (does the story make sense)
4) what is the EXPOSITION? (what are the characters doing/thinking)
5) what is the COMPLICATION? (what is the drama in the story)
6) what creates the TENSION? (what will happen next)
7) what is the MAIN QUESTION? (what problem is to be solved)
what is the MAIN ACTION? (what event hooks the audience)
9) what is the CAUSE OF THE ACTION? (what happens to the main character)
10) what is the RESULTING ACTION? (the answer to the main question)
11) what is the CONCLUSION? (how does the story end)
12) who is the PROTAGONIST? (the main character)
13) who is the ANTAGONIST? (could be one or more characters)
14) who is the MOST INTERESTING CHARACTER? (not always the main character)
15) where does the story TAKE PLACE? (location, time period)

D) Scene Analysis

Once you have an understanding of what the story is about, you then need to analyze each individual scene in the script.

1) what is the INTENT of the scene? (what is the scene used for dramatically)
2) what are the PLOT POINTS? (points that move the story forward)
3) what is the CLIMAX of each scene? (what is the turning point)
4) what is the RESOLUTION? (how is the theme resolved)
5) what is the CONCLUSION? (how does the scene end)
4) what are the important LINES OF DIALOGUE? (contain story points)
5) which character CONTROLS the scene? (who pushes the story forward)
6) what are the BEATS/UNIT CHANGES? (where does the story change directions)

E) Other Structural Elements

Here is a partial list of some other elements you need to look for during your script breakdown:

1) foreshadowing
2) recurring motifs
3) scene transitions
4) counterpoint
5) repetition
6) contrast
7) clarity of information
action and stunts
9) comedy scenes
10) special effects (explosions etc)
11) visual effects (CGI, green screen etc)
12) locations

F) In Conclusion

Your script breakdown will be a never-ending process. Each time you read the script, you find out something different about the story or the characters.

The script will constantly evolve. It will change because of the your creative notes - writer changes - actor changes - producer changes - network changes - location availability and on and on and on…

As long as you know what the story is about and where the story is going, you can adjust to all the changes.

About The Author
Peter D. Marshall has worked in the Film and TV Industry for over 32 years. In 2000 he created www.ActionCutPrint.com as an online resource center for Filmmakers where you will find filmmaking tips, articles and directing workshops. Peter also publishes the free monthly ezine, “The Director’s Chair.” http://www.actioncutprint.com

If you want to broadcast across Hollywood that you are an amateur, pay the rental company’s published rate card amounts for your production equipment. No professional pays rate card!

I don’t even know why they bother to print rate cards, except to give you an idea of the top of the price range, how high not to go in your negotiations.

You can get a deal on anything, but you have to ask. It really is as simple as that. You don’t have to know anyone or say a secret password. Just ask.

Let’s use dolly rental as an example. Now, you don’t just rent a dolly. I mean, you can, but that’s all you’ll get: the dolly. No tracks, no wheels, no camera mount, no seat — just a dolly. You want to rent a “dolly package.”

When you call to rent your dolly package, plan to shave 20% or so off rate card. Ask if they’ll throw in extra days. If you need if for eight days, ask for the weekly rate. (Usually two to four days rental).

Get the dolly first, then start adding in the extras. You need dolly track. Pay for the curved pieces, and ask for the straight ones for free or half price. Go through the entire equipment list that way.

There are two things to keep in mind when you call for a deal:

1) The equipment isn’t making any money sitting there unrented. They’d rather have it out for half price than not have it out at all.

2) They never rent at rate card. Odds are good the person you’re talking to doesn’t even know what the rate card prices are.

It’s called haggling. They do it with every single person who calls. You aren’t asking for anything special.

As Americans, we are raised in a culture where “the price is the price,” but in most of the world, you haggle or negotiate for everything. In filmmaking, everything is negotiated. I recommend this book, to sharpen your negotiation skills. http://snurl.com/h5al

If you can’t get everything at the price you want, tell them you’ll have to check and get back to them. If you can call around and compare prices, do it. If you live somewhere where there’s really only one place to rent a dolly, be slow getting back to them, anyway.

When you call back, say, “Look, I just can’t go that high. Can you work with me some more on this?”

The person you are talking to wants to help. When she was eight years old, she was not saying, “When I grow up, I want to work at a production rental house.”

Odds are good that, like you, she is a filmmaker. She feels your pain and will work with you however she can.

If you’re working on an extremely limited budget, try this: Tell the person on the phone how much you can spend: “Look, I only have $1,200 budgeted for my dolly rental, and I need a jib arm, twelve feet of straight track, six feet of curved track, hard-surface wheels, and a seat, for ten days. What can you do for me?”

They’ll tell you what they can do for you. You may have to make concessions on your equipment list, but then again, you may be surprised to hear them say, “Yeah, we can do that.” You have to A-S-K to G-E-T.

Of course, there will be times when you just can’t get what you want, no matter how much sweet-talking you do. If there are a lot of shows shooting at the same time, rental houses won’t be as willing to let things go out cheap.

You still don’t have to pay standard prices, (I’m not kidding - no one pays rate card), but you may not get exactly the deal you want.

The Rolling Stones were on to something: you’ll get what you need. It’s more of a pain in the neck to work with less track, but you can do it. You may have to sacrifice the jib shot, but maybe you can get that hand-held. And maybe you can adjust the schedule so that you need the dolly less than eight days.

This process applies not only to your dolly and your grip and lighting equipment, but your post-production, as well. It’s a similar process, shaving percentages and getting extras, when you negotiate for your lab and editing.

The business of Hollywood is dealmaking. It starts when you put pen to paper. It continues through buying scripts, hiring actors and selling your movie. You have to make deals at every step along the way. Start haggling!

About The Author
Angela Taylor is a Hollywood producer, and a seven-time Telly Award winner.
She teaches Independent Producing at http://hollywoodseminars.com

© 2005 Angela Taylor, All Rights Reserved. You may forward this in its entirety to anyone you wish. Hollywood Seminars, Box 2449, Hollywood CA 90078 USA