Story by Chucks Okoye
Screenplay by Bode Alao/Jide Alli
Awards: Best Actor at Eko film festival
5 awards at In-short film festival 2016 including Best Actor and best film.
Okay, what is not to love about this film? The first time I watched it, I felt it was boring and talky. It could be because I was critically assessing it to know why it won 5 awards at a film festival where my film was also nominated (and mine didn't win so there was a heavy dose of envy somewhere). But then I took off my envy cap and wore my creative hat and saw the brilliance of the film for what it is.
It is well made, well plotted and it deserves the award it got.
Here is how the score board stands.
A story structure has the beginning, middle and end.
1st act/The
beginning/set up must haves:
|
Bout
|
Begin a memorable image/hook
|
Present
|
1.
Find the catalyst/motivation e.g information
about the situation, where are we? What’s going on here? Or something or an
event to start the story. It could be a gun shot, an explosion or a letter
arrives.
|
present |
1. Raise
the central question
|
Present |
2. Establish
the conflict.
|
Present
|
3. Establish
the antagonist.
|
Present
|
4.
Ends with the 1st turning point. It
is a twist and turn that changes the story’s direction as new event unfold
and new decisions are made.
|
Present
|
The 2nd
act/middle/development must haves:
1.
Begins with the 1st turning point.
|
Present
|
2. Momentum
(a cause and effect/action and reaction scenes)/Action points/dramatic event
that causes a reaction.
|
Present
|
3. Barriers
stop the action for a moment, and then the character goes around it and
continues.
|
Present
|
4. Complication
is an action point that doesn’t pay off immediately but we wait for it and
anticipate the inevitable response. And it gets in the way of the character’s
intention.
|
Present
|
5.
Reversals change the direction of the story
180 degrees/ moving it from positive to negative.
|
Absent
|
6.
Puts the central character in jeopardy.
|
Present
|
The 3rd
act/resolution/end must haves:
|
|
1.
Begins with the 2nd turning point
and speeds up the action here, makes it intense, and gives a sense of urgency
like a ticking clock.
|
Present
|
2.
The big finish/climax
|
Present
|
3.
The question is answered/not answered.
|
Present
|
By now you've guess what the verdict is right?
 |
| The writers have a place in my Hall of fame. They are hereby crowned screenplay Kings |
