Moving Images, Understanding Media

276 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

Analysis: Story and Screenplay

In your analytical work with this text, you have studied motion pictures from a

variety of angles: motion picture language, sound, editing, cinematography, and

other factors. With this unit, we will focus exclusively on the development of a

story from a writer’s perspective through the viewing of short fi lms, including

Immersion by Richard Levien (see included DVD). If possible, you may read

the scripts for these fi lms, and it is also acceptable to answer the following

questions aft er having only read scripts.

A. Character

1. List the identifi able characters of the movie, separating them
   into main and secondary characters.


2. For the main characters of the motion picture, what are their
   objectives at the outset or during the course of the movie?


3. What persons or other forces come into confl ict with each
   objective?


4. From these confl icts, who or what are the antagonists in the
   fi lm?
   B. Setting


5. What are the settings for this movie? Are there changes of
   location or is the movie set primarily in one place?


6. In what ways are the settings important to the story? Do they
   help to establish the characters? Do they have any impact on
   the actions of the narrative?
   C. Structure


7. Make a list of the scenes of the movie, writing each scene
   using the scene heading format. Indicate the central action of
   each scene in one sentence.


8. What is the opening sequence of the movie? Does this
   pr ovide the setup for the story? If not, when are the
   characters and central confl icts established in the motion
   picture?


9. Is there exposition during the fi lm? Does the fi lm contain
   explanations of backstory or any other clues to important
   information needed to understand the narrative?
   D. Premise and Th eme


10. What is the premise of this movie?


11. What is the central theme of this movie? If there is not a clear
    theme, what are the messages delivered by the story?


12. If there is a key dramatic moment in the movie, what is it?
    How does it refl ect the premise? Does it solve the confl ict or
    leave it unresolved?

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