The Essential Guide To Scriptwriting — Part 3

This is part 3 of the essential guide to scriptwriting. The essential guide to scriptwriting is a 7-part guide to help scriptwriters write better to connect with their audience better.

Learning Objectives

The basic elements of storytelling are characters, conflict, and plot.

In this topic, you will be able to:

• Explain why conflict is a central feature of the script
• Include conflict in your script

What is conflict?

Conflict is the central feature of the script and exists in 3 forms:

1. Man against Man
2. Man against environment
3. Man against self

The definition of conflict is as follows: “An opposition of persons or forces.” It is the interaction of opposing ideas, interests or wills that will create your story. No one wants to watch a film where nothing happens to a character!

*Conflict makes things happen to the character which makes the story interesting!

• Conflict = Change
• Conflict usually happens because a change occurs in relation to your main character (eg, someone around the character changes, the character’s environment changes or the character himself changes)
• Change is a universal thing but people resist change all the time
• This resistance is because of a fear of the unknown
• When crafting stories, you have to throw your characters into a world of change and make them cope so they can survive
• This provides your action in the drama

Putting conflict into a script

• The most effective way to include conflict in your script is to have characters aiming for opposing goals.
• This way, when each get close to their goals, the conflict between them is amplified.
• This is why the end of the script is always the moment where the characters come close to their goals and the conflict is at it’s highest.
• In creating conflict, there must be no compromise between the characters.
• Both will fight to the death for what they want.
• The more evenly match are their wills, the stronger the battle will be.
• The stronger the battle, the bigger the conflict and the more interesting the film will be.