Should it be drama or sitcom?

[ShiRa Ryu]

The idea goes like this,

- a high school girl who didn't make it to college while her two best friends did.

Any comments?

[joecalabre]

No comment because it's not a complete idea.

What does she do with her situation? Try and get her friend kicked out of school or get them to quit? Does she try harder to get in?

You need to complete the thought. Right now would be like me pitching Star Wars as "A boy meets two robots."

As for drama vs. sitcom, it could go either way, depending how you want to present it.

[ShiRa Ryu]

Maybe I should elaborate a bit more.

- a high school girl who didn't make it to college while her two best friends did.

- She decides to give herself another shot on getting into college. (By re-attending high school, possible right?)

- She realize that it's difficult to actually engage in her studies.

I don't know if I should make this a drama or a sitcom. Coz I was thinking of putting her in a family that she doesn't feel comfortable living with.(bad relationship with dad and mom) Is it better to present this as a drama?

[joecalabre]

It could be drama or comedy. You decide.

The situation of going back to highschool doesnt seem funny, unless it's been many, many years since she graduated. Films like "back to school" and "old school" were funny because of the fish out of water element.

[SimonSays]

The key question is can you write comedy? Can you write funny characters, humorous situations and dialogue.

Comedy is the hardest thing to write. It's about tone, rhythm and pacing - as well as the above. Very few have the talent to do it well.

[joecalabre]

the same could be said for drama.

[SimonSays]

True Joe.

But with comedy, on top of everything you need to do to write good drama, you also need to write funny.

Most writers (like actors) who've done both will tell you comedy is harder.

[dchapma123]

Comedy or drama is irrelevant at this point, because you haven't developed your story yet. So you have to ask yourself (or maybe you already know):

1. Why is this character in this situation? Bad grades? Troubles at home? Horrible mistake on the SATs? Did you she not even apply? To answer that, maybe you also have to ask...

2. Why are you interested in this scenario? Do you have a unique perspective to add based on your life experience? Do you know someone that went through something like this (or did YOU)? What kind of character growth are you looking to explore here? "Learning the value of hard work" is kind of trite, but maybe there's a more interesting approach you can take.

The comedy-or-drama decision can wait while you develop the story, and I think you'll find that the decision will probably make itself as you do that.

Dave...

[joecalabre]

Good point. Scripts can be made funny (or funnier) but without a solid foundation of a good story behind it, there's nothing to build on.

[kojled]

srr

that's not an idea for a story


zilla

[ShiRa Ryu]

1. Why is this character in this situation? Bad grades? Troubles at home? Horrible mistake on the SATs? Did you she not even apply? To answer that, maybe you also have to ask...

- Bad grades, bad relationship with parents and low Sat scores.

2. Why are you interested in this scenario? Do you have a unique perspective to add based on your life experience? Do you know someone that went through something like this (or did YOU)? What kind of character growth are you looking to explore here? "Learning the value of hard work" is kind of trite, but maybe there's a more interesting approach you can take.

- Basically, my idea is to tell the audience that sometimes in life, you knew what is the right thing to do(study, get good grades), but often you find yourself doing the wrong things(surfing the net, play computer games, chatting for half a day)
And the price to pay, well a ruined future.

I will try to get her background story done and post it for more opinions.

[SimonSays]

Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here and jump to a conclusion.

This is my guess: That Shira got bad grades in school, didn't get into college while his or her friends did, regrets it and wants to share the life lesson with an audience. An admirable goal.

What you need now is a compelling story to communicate your theme to an audience. Sometimes what is dramatic to us in real life - is not dramatic or interesting to an audience. No offense, but the little bit you've posted doesn't not sound all that interesting to watch, although your theme is solid. Seeing a character find it hard to focus on their studies is not must see TV

Perhaps the story is in the high school experience the first time around, rather than having the protagonist go back to school. Or the struggles they face trying to make their way in the world without a college education. Your story should lead your character to an epiphany, not start after they've already had it.

Perhaps there is a better way to communicate your theme that has nothing at all to do with high school.

While it is true that it is good to write what you know, it is not always best (especially for new writers) to write a story about a real experience. We are often emotionally connected to the experience and do not have the objectivity to separate what will work dramatically on screen from what actually happened. Sometimes it's best to go with a totally fictional story. There are far more powerful scenarios to dramatize the consequences for a character who ignores what he knows is right.

I could be totally off-base here, and this might not be based on your real experiences - but either way, your main goal should be to find the most powerful story to communicate your theme.

Also while it is important to know the backstory of your character, it serves no purpose for you to post it here. The background of your characters is for your reference as a writer only - as it helps you define who they are, what drives them and how they will react to the different conflicts in your script.

Whether people on this board like or don't like your character does not matter. The only thing that matters is that YOU know your character inside and out and that you are not afraid to give your characters flaws.

[ShiRa Ryu]

Simon, thanks for your opinion.

After reading what you say, I come up with a log line.

- A girl struggles to live in a world of reality without an appropiate diploma.

While it is true that it is good to write what you know, it is not always best (especially for new writers) to write a story about a real experience. We are often emotionally connected to the experience and do not have the objectivity to separate what will work dramatically on screen from what actually happened. Sometimes it's best to go with a totally fictional story. There are far more powerful scenarios to dramatize the consequences for a character who ignores what he knows is right.

- Ignoring what one knows is right means he thinks his actions are right(e.g. he thinks killing someone is right).
But what I want to portray in the story is even though she knew the right thing to do, she still can't bring herself to do it.
I thought presenting this sort of theme would be better than ignoring what is right.

I will work on the opening scene and will post it for more comments :>

[SimonSays]

Shira -

I think you misunderstood me, when I said ignore, I wasn't saying that the character would think the wrong thing was right, I was saying it would be more dramatic to have a character who for example KNOWS that it is wrong to steal - but shoplifts anyway.

Anyway, I wish you luck with your script.

[NikeeGoddess]

drama or sitcom - is it 1/2 hour or 1 hour per episode?
or are your writing a feature?

anyhoo - it seems you need to write an extensive character bio on all your major characters (teen and 2 friends atleast, then her parents) BEFORE you start writing your story. you need to know everything about them before you can tell us what they will do in any given situation.

write on!

[ShiRa Ryu]

As I continue writing my play, I'm beginning to realize that she is in a middle of two situations that she is struggling with..

- Her two best friends made it to college while she doesn't, so she is in a dilemna whether to look for a job or *reattend school.

- Her step-dad tries to establish a better daughter-father relationship, but she does not want to put effort in it.

I'm thinking of making one of these two situation a main plot. I figured going on for the first one, but I decided to list both of them. So, if you are the audiences, which of these two are more appealing?

(Simon suggests that the story should lead my character to an epiphany, not start after they've already had it. So, I might omit that.)

[SimonSays]

Shira -

I think you misunderstood me again. You can have the character back in school - that's fine.

You want the character to learn a lesson at the end of the story - that's what I meant by an epiphany.

If all her friends are in college and she knows she messed up at the beginning, then she needs to learn something else at the end.

[Eowyn Eomer]

How about a dramedy which is actually more true to real life I think. :) I personally don't like shows which are too heavily drama and I don't like sit-coms which are nothing but laughs. Any story I read or show I watch or movie I watch, I like it to be believable. I like comedy to feel natural rather than forced and yet not prevail. Life is not all laughs, nor is it all tears. I try constantly to make people laugh. I've got my work cut out for me at the moment with my new co-workers who don't seem to like to smile. But anyway. Maybe they like dramas more.