PRODUCTION: Feedback

Tutorial Feedback
 Sent script very late, at mercy of anxiety despite understanding the importance of feedback to help a script grow into a more considered story accessible to more than just the writer. This was further impressed upon me when watching Grayson's Art Club(1), watching Perry and his wife, Philipa comment on each other's artworks impressed upon me the importance of showing your most vulnerable work to somebody you trust. I understand the personal feeling of wanting to hold onto your story until you're ready to share it, and believe in this too - to an extent. I think that once your first draft is completed and proof-read, just before feeling truly assured and proud is when I have realised I search for feedback. When the story is still fresh with me, but not solidified into something I'm too protective of or have spent too much time nitpicking and diluting. Fear is good, if you're not scared, you're not passionate. Hearing feedback on my scripts always reassures me, even when it tells me something I don't want to hear - constructive criticism is just as important for development as knowing where you're going well, if not more. Feedback can also bring up things you haven't noticed yourself yet.

"Dialogue captures lively and frank exchanges between the community of friends that sets an authentic tone, which is consistent with genre expectation. Interpersonal conflict (such as the taunting of Ryan) is well controlled"

+Dialogue was big worry so reassuring to hear positivity. Spoke about importance of space in capturing, having been in university for four years - two in halls and two in student house, meeting wide variety of students.
+Enjoy writing characters and interactions, characterisation important part of approach and process, so very rewarding to be praised, reassuring doubts that perhaps depth of approach was time-wasting, instead built understand and individuality.
- Did mention that action scene of Sarah washing up was more doing than anything story driven, suggested moving mum ringing to front, tidies to avoid call, keep phone ringing in back - that's the tension!!! Action is CONFLICT!

1) Grayson Perry's Art Club (2020) Channel 4, 27/4/2020

PRODUCTION: Evaluation

Critical Evaluation! 

One of the most surprising parts of writing this series was developing and realising I'd been developing my own personal approach to writing. I have grown to understand the importance and benefit of properly planning your story, taking time to consider characters, story and structure. When I first wrote, I tended to begin with an idea and build off of it, writing the script on the fly. By taking the time to genuinely consider my series, I avoided my typical issue of burning out but also began to enjoy the process of building the story, deeply considering the characters, their world and building it all to intertwine and feed from each other. In future, I'm aware (and excited) to try and spend more time considering the full act structure of my story, ensuring to try and correlate each act with its corresponding and to spend more time considering the way I reflect character through action and better considered through stories. I've been able to better understand importance and benefit of pre-thought, re-consideration and testing ideas. Feedback has proven extremely beneficial in not only furthering my story, but reassuring myself as a writer but also being able to push and challenge myself. Asking and requesting feedback is something I'm aware I need to get better at actioning, setting aside my personal worries and anxieties for the sake of the story - i'm aware their thought on my script don't reflect on me as a person .. I just need to accept that and work on it.  

  

Perhaps the biggest struggle of the whole project came about mid-way through. Combining the time spent on the project with the Covid-19 lockdown meant I spent a couple of weeks away from my script and it definitely had a big impact. My motivation took a big dip and I lost a lot of time during the writing phase, which knocked-on to affect my re-writes, almost cancelling them entirely. I realised perhaps almost too-late to refocus on story, but that proved a big help in re-energising personal interest in the project and after some time away, I came back with fresh ideas, new perspectives and an anxious urge to get back to writing. In order to prevent this happening - or at least be better equipped when it does - I developed more discipline and structure in my working approach .. definitely a little late, but hopefully it will serve me well in the future.  

  

Something I struggled with during this process was writing dialogue. All of my sources informed me that one key aspect of dialogue should be subtext, characters saying one thing but acting in another way to reveal their true intentions. While this is something I tried to achieve, I was very consciously aware that the majority of my dialogue seemed fairly two-dimensional and literal. Dialogue is definitely a skill I want to practise and hone, exploring the idea of characters speaking contradicting to their actions. I think my dialogue is too conversationally, instead of presenting the illusion of conversation but serving the structure and character. One positive aspect of my dialogue I was reassured to was that it fit with the genre and authentic within its tone - though I think that was helped by my being fully immersed in university for 4 years.  

One of the biggest downsides of losing two weeks at the beginning of lockdown, is the time I made up ended up coming out of the time i'd originally planned for my re-writes. I'd originally planned to take the final few weeks to dedicate solely to making the final checks and corrections to my scripts, strengthening my dialogue, scene descriptions and looking out for any obvious mistakes/missed elements. I was especially worried about some of the story aspects I'd included in later episodes and needed setting up. In order to ensure these were being set-up I was able to set aside time on the weekends to add in these elements, aware that without full dedicated re-writes the script would still have some loose ends or missed connections but all of the necessary elements are there! 

  

Overall, writing this series has proven to be a genuinely, and at times surprisingly, very enjoyable experience. Beginning mostly as a personal project, I've always enjoyed stories and writing (even being a short-realised dream career as a child). As i got older, I developed an interest in theatre and performance but again anxiety and self-esteem stood in way. Now appreciate how performance has also helped with appreciation of character.  

  After taking a small confidence knock after a terrible and barely thought-through script in my first year at university, I wanted to test myself and see if I could build my skills to write a full series.  Committing to writing full series, 6X40 (despite initial tutor unsureness) became personal challenge which proved invigorating to write, especially in having to maintain focus for so long on one thing which I found easier after developing a story from conception and yet and still enjoying project, growing deeper appreciation and understanding for it as it grew too. Already considering and developing potential further story ideas. 

Now, in braver moments, I can consider role as writer - although I am deeply aware that perhaps I'm not resilient enough to truly pursue it as a full career. This project has taught me I crave stability around my working environment, which i'm aware is not always likely as writer. However, this process has helped build my confidence and belief in self, and I feel as if I'd genuinely love to send a script off for real consideration, even if it's just the once and it's immediately sent back. 

PRODUCTION: Characterisation

CHARACTERISATION 

Characters have always been the focus and heart of my writing approach, I fully believe if characters are believable and interesting, I could watch them write a shopping list. "Character is the beating heart of every great idea, every great story, every great script. " (BBC Writers Room) If stories are gripping, but the characters are dull and hard to invest in or relate to, audiences won't care. But well-written and considered characters can do something trivial but it already has the potential for strong entertainment. 

Each character acts as an antagonistic force for Sarah in some way. While the overall antagonist IS Sarah's own internal struggles, these struggles are reflected and contrasted through her housemates. "Conflict between how we wish to be perceived and what we really feel is at root of all character" (Yorke, J) - Sarah CLEARLY wants to study and do well, but has created a persona and ideology she's trapped in. Jack is as nihilistic as Sarah and the pair are always able to act as an enabling force for the other, however Jack smokes to relax after work and to help them access a more creative (and productive) headspace for their artwork, whereas Sarah smokes with minimal need for reason. Natalie's religion helps her find an inner peace and provides her with a purpose, larger than university or relationships and while Sarah doesn't believe in religion, it's the idea of order, structure and openness that mostly annoys Sarah, because she's aware of its importance to her, but her own lack of each. 

 Beth is perhaps Sarah's most obvious antithesis: hard-working, personally motivated and only drinks in small amounts and when work is done. She encapsulates everything Sarah isn't. While she was originally intended to be a shier character, dealing with social anxiety. However, moving the show to an almost solely internal set-up affected this dramatically. My original plan was to show her as smaller and more nervous when out of the house, struggling with seemingly 'easy' tasks, talking to strangers or being somewhere she's not fully comfortable with, and contrasting this to the Beth seen in the show, smart, confident and outspoken - once in the safety of the home. Unfortunately, I only noticed this, what I considered too late into production when it would have been more difficult to fix. However while I first considered the Beth that ended up in the script almost the opposite of what I'd intended, confident and initially quite confrontational, I quickly realized that she was the comfortable Beth at home, I'd always wanted and that her upfront honesty really set her out among the other housemates and helped avoid cliché of quiet, bookish characters. 

The "Circle of Being" is an idea raised in Definitive Guide to Screenwriting (Field, S 2013), which asks the writer to "uncover some kind of an incident or event in your character's life that emotionally parallels and impacts the story" He insists it should between ages 10-16. According to psychologist Erik Erikson, the stage of life between ages 12-18, is when a person will undergo the ' Identity vs. Role Confusion' crisis (SimplePsychology) during which time "The adolescent mind is essentially a mind or moratorium, a psychosocial stage between childhood and adulthood, and between the morality learned by the child, and the ethics to be developed by the adult " (Erikson, 1963, p. 245).  According to Erikson, this is when an adolescent begins searching for sense of individuality, exploring personal beliefs, values and goals. This makes sense as a timeframe for an incident to occur in a character's life which will impact their future, for example in Thelma & Louise (Scott, R. 1991), Louise is raped and unable to claim a sense of justice and its this event that leads to the shooting of rapist Harlan and powers the entire story. I was not aware of the process of 'circle of being' when I began designing the characters, but instinctively included such a factor for the characters of Sarah and Jack, Sarah and her mum left her father and Jack's mum died. It is these events that my character's claim desperately to have no interest in, yet consistently refer to - revealing that despite their uncaring facade, they obviously care very deeply and require personal forms of closure. By further exploring this idea of a Circle of Being and trying to relate my ideas into it more was very beneficial, not only in ensuring me I was a on a right track characterisation-wise early on, but I also believe it helped bring depth to my characters, strongly defining their points of view, attitudes and aiding in bringing conflict into the series. 

 BBC Writers Room, 'Characters Bring Your Words to Life' Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/resources/scriptwriting-essentials/5-characters. Accessed 21/5/2020) 

SIMPLY PSYCHOLOGY, ' Erik Erikson' Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html Accessed: 21/5/2020) 

Scott, R. 'Thelma & Louise,' 1991, US, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

Yorke, J (2014) Into The woods. Lonon, Penguin Publishing.  

Erikson, E.H. (1963) Childhood and Society. 2nd Edition, Norton, New York. 

PRODUCTION: structure

STRUCTURE 

 My choice to include the day and time throughout the series came after writing the first draft of my pilot script. Because of everything being set within the one house, it could become to keep track of where we were time-wise, jumping from room to room, sometimes staying in one for long period of time. The decision was inspired by Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia (20th TV, 20005 - ), which starts each episode with the day and time, then occassionally callback to update if days have changed or great periods of time jumped. This technique helped keep track of the story and became a potential for comedy, showing large periods of inaction for example, highlighted by expanding the period of time between each cut. 

Tried to use 5 act structure to  follow and keep moving, having burnt out with previous stories due to lack of direction. Prefer over three-act as control-freak in me re-assured by added acts, providing "stronger structure, creates regular gripping turning points that increase narrative tension and in turn eliminates ... the often hard to follow second act." (Yorke, J.)  In future, need to look at act symmetry more - what goes up must come down, seeing symmetry pleasing as writer and audience member. 

 My series is split between four episodes set solely within the walls of a student house, and two episodes set externally. I immediately liked the idea of a student show set in a student house as its where people are both comfortable but also learning how they approach homelife away from the family, maintaining facades in front of peers they want to be accepted by and try mould a future path for themselves. I am a big fan of shows like Fresh Meat, but my heart drops a little bit when they leave the house because I find those scenes so relatable and reflective of the university experience. 

 As my series developed and I decided Sarah and Jack would both confront their fathers, I decided to split this across two episodes, giving Sarah an episode to solely focus on her as my main protagonist and then giving my final episode to her housemates. I also wanted to set these two episodes out of the house, feeling that the solely interior story so far was a very strong stylistic choice but by that point, audiences would have grown comfortable with it. I chose to set these episodes away from the house to disrupt this comfort, as Sarah tries to take control of her life and shake herself from her comfort, so must we as an audience. As the audience, we now explore a new town WITH Sarah as she returns to her hometown. 

I realised at one point that why story had followed a very naturalistic and linear progression. While I understand that is isn't a problem and fit the tone and genre very well, it also grew and grew on me that shaking this up could help the show stand out. I decided to include flashback in episode 5, growing throughout the episode as Sarah is reminded piece-by-piece of the night she and her mother left her father. At first, the memories appear positive, as Sarah and her father play games but these quickly sour as Sarah realizes her father's true character until she finally remembers his alcoholic and angry past. While only a small step in disrupting the linear approach of the show, I also feel that this helps to upset the status quo of the show, increasing audience tension in reflection to Sarah's growing turmoil. 

If approaching this story again, or perhaps when considering other stories in the future, I did consider quite late into the writing, the idea of non-naturalistic, visual representations of a character's mental state, similar to the stylistic moments in Rocketman (Fletcher, D. 2019). For example, when Sarah feels all of the eyes in the pub turn to her, having the lights turn out instantly and all of the eyes shine and blink at her in the darkness. 

Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (TV Programme) 20th TV, 2005 - Ongoing 

'Rocketman' (2019) Fletcher, D. Rocket Pictures, UK 

Yorke, J (2014) Into The woods. Lonon, Penguin Publishing.  

PRODUCTION: Genre

GENRE 

Akin to the question of whether 3/5 act structure are important is the discussion around the importance of genre in modern art/TV. Genre serves various functions but one of the most obvious is that it brings codes and conventions, sometimes regarding form, story or characters. Jordan Peele describes this as "a contract with the audience", (1) horrors will have gore, thrillers will be tense, actions will be fast-paced and punchy and to break these can startle audiences, sometimes for good or sometimes for bad. Genre can also help to place a show, by relating it among similar shows, you can help can draw audiences of those shows, hopefully building your own fanbase. 

 However, it may not always be easy to relate your film to others. Some, like Darren Aronofsky, believes they do not follow genre(1), saying that ESPN did not recognise The Wrestler as a sports movie, because they do not class wrestling as a sport, which lost him their production credit, and that his Black Swan is technically hard to place among a specific set  genre. Following conventions and an expected path that audiences have seen before can seem boring and unimaginative to a writer. "Tension between creativity and commerce, tradition & its subversion radiates across all of art." (Source, Into the woods) By trying to not necessarily find a new way of approaching a story, but instead find a fresh way, an inversion on an existing trope or different way of tackling it, can prove challenging but creatively liberating. This can also help set your show apart from the shows that help place it, but may also swallow it up in a highly saturated market. 

PARENTS 

In British youth drama, adult characters – usually parents – play an important role, even if it isn't always glamorous or perhaps similar to representations across another genre. Typically, these characters are “carefully written and elaborated” Creeber, G. (2015), this partially for development over the ongoing serial format but can also help to accommodate the “double address” of youth drama, speaking also to older audiences that relate to the parents but also youth characters as they themselves reminisce on their adolescence.  Division between youth and family drama comes from focus on youth characters. 

Filmmaker Taika Waititi is incredibly skilled in writing child characters that are nuanced and fallible and commonly and clever relates and contrasts these same traits in their adults. In an interview ith BAFTA Guru, he says that he learned early that grownups are fallible and untrustworthy, spent a lot of time leaning to survive by himself, channelling this into Boy, a comedy about child neglect. He says that because of different cultural approaches to comedy, US audiences were made uncomfortable, but NZ and UK had found it funny as hoped. 

I wanted to try and reflect a variety of capabilities through the adult characters in my series, from Sarah's father, image obsessed and immature to Jack's, whose grief sent him down the neck of a bottle or Natalie's whose strong Christian morals maintain them a moral standpoint. Sarah's mother stands distanced from her child compared perhaps to a more typically written parental figure, to reflect Sarah trying to carve her independence and reject her mother's new family; however, as Sarah tries to reject family, she finds herself heading for the arms of her estranged father. Upon realizing what a let-down he is, but mostly noticing their similarities and seeing him as a projection of herself if following her path, rejects that notion and side of her - returning to the maternal figure that had protected and loved her all along. 

 NARRATIVE 

First person narration and diary entries are a very common tool in Youth dramas, seen in mad fat diary, inbetweeners. It's a common mode of address used “as a direct expression of subjectivity and teen self-hood" (Creeber, G.) Shows like Inbetweeners and I Am Not Okay with This, contrast device with sudden punchlines contradictory to protagonists' beliefs for humour. The intimacy provided by this device provides audiences with a direct line to the protagonists' thoughts, usually increased by British behaviours. I specifically decided to avoid this trope within my own show, hoping to create a disconnection between the audience and Sarah, as they hope to understand her actions and thoughts, reflecting perhaps unclearness to self. I also thought that the idea of Sarah keeping a diary could prove contradictory to the mental disconnect she presents; she doesn't keep a diary because can't face thoughts. I considered having Ryan keep a diary when I initially considered following the Skins approach of centring each episode around a different housemate but decided against this, choosing instead to make Sarah's journey the focus of the series. However, I did hold onto this idea, keeping it if - in a real setting - a second season was commissioned. In this case, I could explore the supporting characters in this time, using Ryan's diary as a conflicting idea to his hyper-masculine pretence for both comedic purposed but also to let audiences in on his growing mental awareness as his tries to circumvent being honest with a diary. 

 My general approach to the show is also quite uncommon in youth TV. Frequently filmed on location and featuring high-drama stories, I wanted my show to almost be the antithesis to this. With a dialogue heavy show, set almost solely in one location I wanted to reflect a more laid-back approach to youth drama, while maintaining similar storylines that explored the movement from adolescence to independent adult. 

 1) The HollyWood Reporter, Youtube, (2018) 'Full Writers Roundtable: Jordan Peele, Darren Aronofsky, Emily V. Gordon | Close Up With THR' {online] Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB3nfc1tQ0E [accessed 18/5/2020) 

Creeber, G. (2015) The Television Genre Book. (s.l.): Bloomsbury Publishing.) 

Youtube, BAFTA Guru ‘Director Taika Waititi | Screenwriters Lecture’. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-3ozJZ4zWs [accessed 21/5/2020]