Finding the story

If you want to make a film - and we do - you've got to find people to help you tell your story. And you don't have to be good at English to write a script. Here's a rundown of what we learnt about scriptwriting last week.

Find your character
Scriptwriting is about characters. Characters who'll conflict with each other and be interesting. You need someone the audience will connect with instantly. Our task: find an interesting person or group of people or even a dog that will help us tell our story. Often, the most interesting thing about us is our secrets so ideally we would find a complex character who surprises us.

For characters that confound expectations, take a look at the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs.



Seven minutes
The other thing is, we've only got seven minutes so we have to be able to get that character across quickly. Constantly ask - how can I do that visually? We need an engaging visual image that tells the story - and we need to try to allow a way in for everybody.

What's your theme?
Find something that lots of different people can relate to. Being misunderstood. That's a possible theme for dogs and young people.

Change your mind
Be open. Challenge your own preconceptions. It may be that the story you didn't expect comes out of it that might be better than anything you can imagine. It's great if you can find a turn or a twist.

Get an attitude
Focus is important. At the end of the day, you have to decide what your attitude is. What's interesting is how a character develops from beginning to end so you need to think about where you're starting and where you're going to get to.

Hear me
You also need to get your voice across. Ultimately you'll come up with something that's personal and important to you and you'll bring that in by the unique way you approach the topic. Anything you make is about you, in a way. Every piece of art is a biography. You need to find your vision - know what you want to say. You won't find it immediately, it's the writing that finds the voice.

Involve others
In any film project you've also got to work with other people. A script is like an architect's blueprint for a building. You still need someone to build it. You'll do your first draft and hand it over to your producer. They'll add their notes. You need to accept ideas and criticism but hang on to what you really care about.

Final tips for a great script

• Show, don't tell.
  
• Conflict is important, and change is important too.
• Confound your audience's expectations (in other words, surprise them!)
• Go against the obvious - shock us
• Tell your version of the truth
• Always ask - how can we make that more interesting?
• If you can tell a story then you can write a script.
• Don't worry about getting it right. Write!

If you (or your dog) could be our character or you want to find out more about Hackney Hounds, email us.