Major Project: Psychological Writing Research

In order to develop my script further and be able to create a psychological film that is believable and rich in character personalities - I have decided to research further into how to write psychological films/books.

I decided to look at the website Writers and Artists and found a really interesting article on writing thrillers.
Here are some of the main points I found that really got me thinking more about the story and how to make Bethany's actions have consequences.

• You must lead your readers to anticipate something
• You must make your readers understand that the outcome will have powerful consequences.
• Make sure the readers care about the characters to whom the consequences may occur. The more the character interests readers, the more they identify with her struggles, the sharper the suspense and will be when she is faced with a menacing situation.

''Suspense depends on much the same qualities as does good writing in general: that is, on vivid characters with whom readers can empathize, on a keen sense of what those characters are aiming for, and on understanding the consequences if they fail to achieve their ends. ''

The tips that I found are really helpful towards not only myself but when Vic is directing the characters. When writing the character Bethany, I tried to make her a sweet, young girl who is innocent and has one real dream in life - to perform on stage. I feel that Bethany is a relatable character as that's all people really want in life, to be happy and secure in what they do. I do want to try make her further relatable to the audience by showing she isn't in the best financial situation and show that she desperately wants to get out of her small home. I feel like I can also push the relationship with herself and her sister further, as not all people feel they are at the same level as their siblings and often have to prove themselves. I think all these problems in Bethany's life will make her much more of a relatable character and the viewers may care more about her as she is seen as the protagonist throughout the film. 

However, the tip about making sure the viewers anticipate something definitely needs to be worked on. I need to make sure that something is always happening through the film and that it's building up to the last scene more. I can do this by changing some parts so that the show is mentioned more and that Bethany is really excited for it, if she's so excited for a show the audience must wonder why and expect something big to be happening.

I also found some more tips which are really useful and may help further develop the characters and script.

• Feed in necessary information about the characters or their world before a suspenseful moment arrives- and when it does, keep information to a minimum.

• Introduce will he/ won't he situations: will the boy from the Indian slums be able to answer the quizmaster's question, or will he fail? 

• Sprinkle a hint, for readers to pick up, of danger ahead (the shadow at the window, the unlocked door, the blinking answering machine) 

• Set up two courses of action, where the neglect of either could have dire consequences; then force your character to choose between them. Should she rush to collect her child from pre-school, or make a dash to intercept a killer?

''At the same time, don't over do it. Recognise that suspense depends upon fluctuation in the mood.''

''There's nothing less exciting than non-stop excitement'' Guy Saville

Reference: https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers/advice/788/dedicated-genre-advice/writing-crime/thriller/

I also decided to research further into some more writing lessons which I found also very useful, I found an article online which gives examples of the technique from feature films.

1) Keep us with the story - no matter what.
This is something i've been struggling with as a writer, I get so into the story that when telling it to people not everyone understands, and when I have to explain it, I know that it can't be used as it's obviously not a good idea if it has to be explained. I need to try slow down the pace of some of the ideas in the story and allow my character Bethany to live in a normal world. So far, I have done this by adding in the breakfast scene to show a normal life with herself and George, however, I think I can do this a little more as I've realised some parts in my story are a little complicated and need to be softened out to make more sense.

2) Surprise and challenge the audience from the offset
I want to do this by showing the teaser of the film at the beginning and then switching to reality by cutting back to '48 hours earlier' or something similar, which I think will surprise the audience as the film starts very creepy and then goes back to a 'normal world' I also think I can work more with the ending of the film to make Francis look more strange when he is sat in the audience starring at Bethany on stage.

3) Make sure your secondary characters are memorable
I've tried to make sure all the characters in the film have a purpose and all have a different personality. However, I feel the role of the husband, James, isn't as fulfilling as the rest of the characters - which I could change. I will try to make him more active and suspicious in the final audience scenes and have a little more of an impact on the scene or he will basically look like hes been put there as a prop.

Reference: http://www.bang2write.com/2015/03/7-screenwriting-lessons-from-crime-movies.html

BUILDING SUSPENSE

I also decided to watch a video in which screenwriter William C. Martell shares some ideas and tips on screenwriting which I found particularly helpful.

William discusses about how to build suspense instead of just throwing it all in and getting excited. William uses what Hitchcock said as an example

There could be a bomb in a room during a meeting under the table, and you could just show the bomb and surprise the audience and it scares everyone for 5 seconds, or you could show the bomb, allow the viewers to see it and build up the suspense, show two people laughing and talking about something else, and the anticipation is building through the audience as they are waiting for the guys to find the bomb. 

I think this is a really interesting point to make, and William says to draw out the suspense, not to rush it. I really want to make sure I do this when developing the script as it will really help to build the tension. William also talks about suspense being built around dramatic irony - the idea that the audience knows something that the characters don't, which draws out the suspense even more as the viewers are curious as they know ahead of time. 

William also says that when writing the script you should be writing something that you would want to see - which may seem obvious but it's really important. I'm glad that i'm writing a mystery drama because it's a genre I really like and I am definitely trying to create something which I would want to see. For example, when receiving feedback when I first wrote the script, I tried to make sure that when writing the changes, I always put my own twist on it, even if it was just changing something slightly, if I enjoyed it and made sure that I liked it, I would feel more passionate about what I was writing. 

I next watched a video on Suspense and Tension and the women states that suspense and tension is like pulling a huge elastic band out infant of an audience, they are all on edge because they know at any minute it's gonna snap, you pull it out further and everyone is more tense, and then you bring it back in - which relaxes everyone. And finally, you pull it back out twice as far as before - she says that tense and suspension. 

Finally, I've decided to look into another article about screenwriting and looking at other techniques to create a great story such as the importance of misdirection, which is important in swaying the viewers into thinking something else. 

The Importance of Misdirection

Finally, I've decided to look into misdirection in writing which is important in swaying the viewers into thinking something else. 

'A psychological thriller needs diversions to lead the reader off course and obscure the identity of the perpetrator or at least, to create a surprising outcome. The villain often hides in plain sight as an unassuming secondary character or someone close to the protagonist, perhaps her husband, best friend, or even herself'

The article I read mentions the importance of suspects, to introduce secondary characters and give them motive and opportunity. To do this, i've tried to make changes to make Lucy look more suspicious, as we see her in the street giving something to George. Also, I've decided to change her actions towards the end of the script, I will make her look a little more suspicious at the end by putting something into her bag. I've also done the same with her husband James, instead of being sat in the audience, he will walk in through the side door and sit down, shuffling around his tie a little.

The article also discusses about us trusting the protagonist, could they be the one in the wrong? This is important in our film as the ending is quite open, we don't know if Bethany is crazy and has made it all up, or if any other characters was the ones stalking her, or if it was Francis.

New revelations in each scene.

''Each scene should reveal something new to advance the story.''

In the script i've tried to make sure something new is happening in every scene, and that everything in the scene is pushing the story forward in some way. If it's not I will take it out, or see how it is done on set incase it may appear differently.

Don't dwell on clues.

''Don't dwell on clues. Instead treat them lightly, interspersing them with red herrings. In The Good Neighbour, when the neighbours house is on fire, the protagonist tries to call her husband in his hotel room. He doesn't answer. In the first draft, Sarah thinks too much and wonders why he's not answering, drawing attention to her husbands absence. However, in the revised draft she simply calls the hotel and leaves him a message. Even though I, the writer, understand the significance of the telephone call, the protagonist would not dwell on the phone call in this situation''

Make sure characters respond in believable ways.

''Think about how the particular character would believably react in each situation.''

I've tried to shatter George and Bethany's relationship a lot during the film, but gradually. I want Bethany to stop being so trust worthy of George, so gradually, she begins to question his actions. I only do this as he lies to her on the phone when she can clearly see that he is not where he says he is. 

• ''All of these elements – believable events and characters, misdirection, subtle clues, and a story question that remains unanswered until the end – work together to create a compelling novel of psychological suspense that we hope readers won’t be able to put down.''
  Reference: http://manhattanbookreview.com/book-reviews/crime-thrillers/five-tips-for-writing-a-psychological-thriller/