Scriptwriting Webinar by Ruth Lev Ari.
The beginnings and endings of films and television series, each and every episode, the whole season, form a compelling dramatic cinematic cycle that brings into mind visual statements, the full story, the filmmaker’s intention, the reason why we watch. It is the journey from the departure to the return, transforming us to more reconciled, perhaps sadder, but always wiser writers.
Taking our own heroes from the beginning and tying their story to the ending, and vice versa, enable us to look for and create visual clues, personal attachments, deeper layers, connections. This vital relationship between how we start our films and how we intend to finish them is a vital writing tool as we must plan the route to its end. Even if it finally takes us by surprise.
Sometimes we base the whole story on a word, or a sentence that is said at the beginning, seeking its meaning in reverse. Sometimes a sentence or an image triggers us as filmmakers and we know it is the last sentence or image of our film, but we need to explore this motion to find our path back and forth.
As an audience as well, we wish to feel the satisfaction of being part of the road from its very beginning, routing the hero to the end. From his Quest/ion, his quest question, to his return, we wish to understand the full dance itself. The tone, the music, the steps from here to there.
When we explore beginnings and endings as part of a full cycle, completely connected, carefully designed, we are better equipped as writers and filmmakers to get safely home.
Part 1 – The Beginnings
The cinematic tools to start the story, win our battle with the blank page, weaving our beginning to the end, exposing fears to ignite the story, also visually, placing as writers our own emotional investment in the story.
Following the main character we ourselves invented from his ordinary world to the extraordinary world of the story, we get to know his daily life to the inciting incident which pushes him to cross his own boundaries seeking a solution, redemption, an answer to his own quest question.
Part 2 – The Endings
Returning with our hero/heroes home, with his triumphs and wounds, we tie the thread to the beginning of the story, to decipher the road. Words such as resolution, happy endings, full cycle, are deciphered with visual and verbal clues to enhance and empower the story from beginning to end.
As writers we may think of the end before the beginning, as viewers we need to understand the magical connection, therefore some sort of order is vital to the chaos, some sort of chaos is enriching to the order we seek at the end…
Films and series to be discussed among others from war films, drama series, romantic comedies, suspense and thrillers, classicals, among them: “Full Metal Jacket”, “Jarhead”, “The Wall”, “Scenes From a Marriage” (2021), “Citizen Kane”, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, “Parasite”, “Let There Be Morning”, “The Never Ending Story”, “Planet of the Apes”, “Breaking Bad”, “Godfather” and more.
Ruth Lev Ari, writer/producer, teacher, director of Industry Events at Haifa International Film Festival, artistic consultant to Israel Film Funds and national television, jury at international events. Programmer Israel of the French Israel Drama Co-Writing Residency 2021 (Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, with Series Mania and Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image animée). Resides in Israel.
The event is being held in English.
The event took place on 13th November.
In partnership with Creative Europe Desk Lithuania MEDIA office.