Getting started telling your story with film
If you'd like, you can use the following tips to help you make your science movie, but remember that there are no rules that you have to follow.
1. Good stories typically have a beginning, middle, and an end.
Beginning
- The beginning of a film often sets up a situation and presents a problem or a question.
- The beginning often defines your character(s) and what your main character(s) want. Your character(s)'s actions are generally motivated by what they want.
Middle
- In the middle, the main character (the protagonist) often runs into problems that stop him/her from getting what he/she wants. These problems create tension and conflict in your movie.
- Tension generally comes from two things opposing each other. The two things can be people (like a hero and a bad guy), they can be a person and a place (like a climber and a big mountain), they can be a person and
a fear they have (like a person trying to overcome their fear of spiders), they can be a person and question they're trying to answer, or they can be many other things.
- The character(s) is (are) often affected or changed in some way by having to face these problems.
End
- The end often contains a climax - the action builds to a final event, confrontation, or problem that your main character faces and either does or doesn't overcome.
- The end also generally contains resolution - for example, your main character makes a decision, solves a problem, or gets an answer to a question. Sometimes the resolution can mean a happy ending, but it doesn't have to.
2. When choosing what your film's going to be about, you might want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Why do you really want to make this film?
- What is the film really about?
- Does your film tell a good story?
- And don't forget: Does the film have something to do with science?
3. Here's some good advice on how to make documentaries:
- There are a million different ways to make a documentary - there's never just one way to do it, and there definitely isn't just one right way. Pick any way you like or make up a new one... it's totally your choice.
- Scripts can make movie making a lot easier - for instance, they can help you organize all of those ideas that are whirling around in your head. Remember though: a script is not written in stone - if you decide you need to change something, go for it.