Teach Secondary Issue 13.6

What if…? Screenwriting employs its own unique language, reflects DavidWolstencroft – one that your students may well benefit from getting acquainted with... W ho told the first ever story ? Seriously, it must have happened somewhere . That one story that has shaped the way we approach all stories since. It probably went something like this: “ Hey! I went to the valley last night. There was a huge creature there. Hairy. No, not like Tharg – even hairier. It ran at me with huge fangs. I threw a rock and ran away. Stay away from that valley, especially at night! ” These first tales no doubt served vital purposes – to impart information, warnings, recommendations, fun holiday recipes for the whole family (okay, maybe not) – but at the bottom of it all would have been stakes ; the magic word of all storytelling. The things that makes a story matter. Creating a blueprint Stories are probably one of the reasons we’ve survived this long. A critical learning tool used across the milennia. Which is why storytelling is taught so intensively in schools. Right? Right... ? To be clear, I love prose. I love books. I wouldn’t be a writer at all if my imagination hadn’t been sparked by Dr. Seuss’ wordplay, or Douglas Adams’ genius in The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . My latest book, The Infinite Minute , is a middle grade adventure that plays with time and time loops – inspired, no doubt, somewhere deep down by Adams again. But those first stories weren’t written down, or even narrated. They would have been performed –most likely with visuals. I’ve been a professional screenwriter for over 30 years now ( gulp ), withmost of my career having been spent writing for the screen. And at no point inmy education did I ever learn how do to do that. Our first story had to have had gestures, visuals, dialogue…which sounds a lot like a screenplay. Have you ever read a screenplay, or tried to write one? The screenplay isn’t, at first glance, a literary medium. It’s closer to a blueprint, intended to show the movie in the mind of the reader and elicit emotion within its unique format. Screenplays paint pictures in the mind using spare language, structural discipline and psychological insight. Dialogue andvisuals Movies, TV shows, games – these, like it or not, are what make up our dominant storytelling culture. Pupils are exposed to them, or interact with them, far more than books. And while we don’t want pupils to read fewer books, we do want to encourage them to write creatively in ways that they can relate to. So what’s the difference between prose and screenwriting? Firstly, there’s the format. Screenwriting utilises a different kind of language, almost like coding, as you can see in the example opposite. Secondly, screenwriting is all about economy .With a screenplay, the goal is simple – create the biggest emotional and visual impact in the least amount of words. Thirdly, VISUALS. Screenwriting limits you to description and dialogue. There are no internal thoughts allowed, and hence no lines like “ David thought for amoment about that last sentence. Was it too boring? ” Prose lets you into a character’s mind and heart. In screenwriting, we have to create every emotion without that cheat code. Fromsheet to screen Screenwriting is a language of expression that requires discipline, economy, structure and focus. I believe it should feature as part of the curriculum We can inspire young people to express themselves by letting them into what can seema closed shop – the world of entertainment. What if they saw how desperate studios are for their points of view?What if they could envision their ideas transfering from12-point courier font to a TV screen? Luckily for them, in screenwriting that ‘WHAT IF…?’ is the starting point of every single story. What would yours be? “Screenwriting limits you to descriptionanddialogue” teachwire.net/secondary ABOUT THE AUTHOR DavidWolstencroft is a multi-award- winning screenwriter and author, and creator of the BBC spy drama, Spooks; his latest YA book, The Infinite Minute , is available now (£7.99, Scholastic) 72