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Advanced Higher folio DRAMA Published literature I would strongly recommend that, before you start writing your own drama script, you read some plays written by professional playwrights. This will benefit you in a number of ways: It will allow you to see how dramatic conventions are used by professionals It will allow you to see different genres and types of plays It will give you inspiration and ideas Research Before you begin, it would be useful for you to research the different genres and types of plays and choose one that you think would be the most appropriate for you. You should then ensure that you are consistently following the conventions of that particular type of play. You may also wish to do more research on some of the dramatic techniques discussed in this PowerPoint. SQA exemplars Read the two example plays that I have provided you with: -”Corruption” -”The Revolution Will Not Have an Itinerary” Both these plays received a high mark from the SQA. This will enable you to see the standard that they are looking for. You should also use these examples to ensure that your play is written using the correct layout and format for drama. SQA Success criteria Content Structure Tone/mood Expression Content The main themes and ideas of your play should be conveyed in a thoughtful, insightful and imaginative way throughout Structure Your play should be shaped and sequenced in a skilful manner The structure of your play should contribute significantly to the impact of the play Tone/mood You must skilfully create and rigorously sustain a particular tone/mood in your play You must convey a committed and clearly distinctive authorial voice Expression You must show skill and originality in your use of style, language and dramatic techniques Important advice before you begin In your play, you are likely to be creating quite a short, self-contained piece. You should focus on a single scene from your play, possibly the opening scene. Your concern in your piece should be to: set the scene (focus on one setting) introduce characters (not too many) establish conflict Establish plot and theme Establish mood and tone Think carefully about the following questions. It may be useful to take notes and make a plan. What is the overall plot of the play? How will you begin and end the play? What are the theme(s) or central concerns of the play? What is the genre of the play? Who is the main character? Who are the secondary characters? How will you build and develop these characters? How are the characters going to interact with each other? What are the main conflicts in the play that you wish to explore? Where and when does the play take place? At what point in the play does your scene take place? What has happened before this scene? What will happen after this scene? How will you use stage directions throughout to convey setting, plot and character? How will you use dialogue throughout to convey character, plot and mood? What is the mood/tone of the play? Which other dramatic techniques are you going to employ? Dramatic techniques to consider using Plot Effective opening Effective ending Setting Characterisation Stage directions Dialogue Monologue Soliloquy Aside Conflict Turning point/climax Foreshadowing Dramatic irony Tension and suspense Plot Plot= The main events/storyline of your play Must have a logical sequence Must have a clear and sensible time-frame Try to be as original as possible You must use the plot to convey the theme(s) of the play Effective opening In order to grab the reader’s attention from the very start of your play you have to begin in the most effective way possible. There are thousands of ways to begin, but your intention should be to invite the audience in. You have to decide when, where and how you will invite the reader in to your play. Try to establish from the very start a sense of the complexity and detail that is to come in the rest of your play. Some ideas for beginning your play Share some insight into the characters Start with an incident that is crucial to the story Start at a crisis point Establish the conflict in your story Give some signs as to what will happen later in your story Effective ending Advice Have an idea about how you want to end your play before you start to write the play Ensure that your play builds up to the denouement in a logical manner The ending must be a logical conclusion to the play Try to make a link between the ending and the beginning Experiment with different endings and choose the best one Setting Where your play takes place When your play takes place The specific location of the scene You can convey the setting of your play through: • Information in the stage directions • Information in the dialogue Time e.g. Time of day. Day of the week. Month. Season. Year. Time period. Past/ present/ future. Place e.g. Country. Continent. Urban or rural. Specific locations. Inside or outdoors. Real or fantasy. The setting of your short story should be used to enhance the plot create mood/atmosphere convey theme Characterisation • Characterisation refers to any information that you give the audience about a particular character • Characterisation can be conveyed through what the character says and does on stage. Character is revealed as much as by how a person behaves as by what he or she says • Each character should have a particular role/function in the play. Each character must be used to drive the plot forward and/or convey theme. • The characters in your play must be convincingly brought to life and be three-dimensional • Reveal more and more about the characters as the play progresses Key aspects of characterisation: - appearance. personal information What the person does What the person says What the person thinks/believes How the person interacts with others What others think about the person and act around them What other people say about them Creating a character Bring your character to life by giving the audience information about them and showing what they are like as a person. Make the audience interested in and curious about the character. Try to create an emotional connection between the audience and your character. Health Conflict with others Motivations Problems and worries Create a mind-map of each character Background Age Nationality Family and relationships Mannerisms and body language Hopes, dreams and ambitions Secrets Social life, friends, hobbies and interests Ethnicity Sexuality Beliefs Personality Stage directions Stage directions are important in conveying and developing: Setting Plot Characterisation Theme Mood and atmosphere Stage directions give important information about what should be happening on stage Stage directions indicate how the actors speak their lines, how they move, what they do on stage. They are an important way of conveying the emotions, thoughts, feelings and motivations of the characters. They convey the tone/attitude of the character. Dialogue The words spoken by a character to another character. Dialogue is important in conveying and developing: Characterisation Plot Theme Mood and atmosphere Dialogue reveals important information about the character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings, motivations. It enables the audience to understand the characters. The dialogue spoken by the characters must be realistic and authentic. The dialogue you use in your play should sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of normal spoken language. The dialogue must help to drive the plot forward, as well as convey important aspects of theme Monologue A lengthy speech delivered by a single character to another character. Monologue is important in conveying and developing: Characterisation Plot Theme Mood and atmosphere A monologue reveals important information about the character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings, motivations. It enables the audience to understand the characters. A monologue spoken by a character must be realistic and authentic. The monologue you use in your play should sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of normal spoken language. The monologue must help to drive the plot forward, as well as convey important aspects of theme Soliloquy When a character in your play, who is alone on the stage, speaks to himself/herself, sharing his/her thoughts and feelings with the audience. These soliloquies provide the audience with insights into the character’s thoughts, feelings, motives and state of mind. A soliloquy is important in conveying and developing: Characterisation Plot Theme Mood and atmosphere A soliloquy reveals important information about the character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings, motivations. It enables the audience to understand the characters. A soliloquy spoken by a character must be realistic and authentic. The soliloquy you use in your play should sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of normal spoken language. The soliloquy must help to drive the plot forward, as well as convey important aspects of theme Aside When a character in a play, speaks to himself/herself, sharing his/her thoughts and feelings with the audience but the other characters on the stage cannot hear what they say. These asides provide the audience with insights into the character’s thoughts, feelings, motives and state of mind. An aside is important in conveying and developing: Characterisation Plot Theme Mood and atmosphere An aside reveals important information about the character’s personality, qualities, thoughts, feelings, motivations. It enables the audience to understand the characters. An aside spoken by a character must be realistic and authentic. The aside you use in your play should sound natural. It should reflect the sounds and rhythms of normal spoken language. The aside must help to drive the plot forward, as well as convey important aspects of theme Conflict The struggle/clash/tension between the protagonist and external or internal forces. Conflict drives the plot forward. Main types of conflict: Between the protagonist and the antagonist Between the protagonist and the society in which they live Inner-conflict within the protagonist Turning point/climax A significant moment in your play which changes the course of events. Foreshadowing Giving the audience subtle hints and clues regarding what may occur later in the plot. Dramatic irony When a character says or does something which he/she does not realise has great significance with regards to what will happen in the plot, but the reader/audience does. Involves a situation where the reader/audience possesses more knowledge of present or future plot circumstances than the character. Tension and suspense Tension= a feeling of discomfort and unease in the audience Suspense= a feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next If you are struggling for inspiration Why not try an imaginative response? Write a play based upon the plot or characters of another well-known literary text. If you are struggling for inspiration Why not write a play based upon an event from history? Utilise your knowledge and understanding of the historical event to write a play