Transcript of Introduction to screenplay | EP-02 | FREE Screenwriting Masterclass in Hindi

Our lives are surrounded by stories. Sometimes a story before sleep, sometimes after waking up, anecdotes with friends, fragments of make-believe , thoughts in the field of good and bad conversations, scenes in the sand of fictional words; we are surrounded by these stories, and our lives pass by amidst them. Some stories reach the people. Some remain right there. I am Manas, your instructor, and I have brought for you a collection of these scenes, anecdotes, stories, and words in the form of a screenwriting course.

Yes friends, this is a 20-module masterclass on a screenwriting course. In which we will learn different types of screenwriting and things related to screenplays. How to write a screenplay? What is the need for a screenplay? So, are you ready? So friends, before we move forward, we need to keep a few things in mind. First of all, I would request all of you that throughout this entire master course, I need a minimum investment from your side, which is a diary and a pen. So please make sure that whatever I tell you in my classes, you should note it down in a diary with a pen. Many of you might want to use a mobile phone to note things down. But I would request and recommend that please do not use mobile too much because at times your display might get damaged.

It is possible your mobile might fall or get damaged, and that data will be lost along with it. It is better that you write it down because subconsciously your hand and your brain will also learn a lot of things while writing, and I think this is the minimum investment you need to become a writer. This is the only course in film , or you could say career, where you don't need a lot of investment. So make sure that this is the minimum that can be done. And one more thing I would like to request all of you is that throughout this 20-module course, I will give you some examples of films. I will give some demonstrations. I might also have you do different types of things. I might also conduct some workshops. So make sure that you keep a list of all those things. Especially if I mention any film, make sure you write down the name of that film somewhere, so that later on, you might benefit from watching it or find what I described within it. One more thing I would like to say is that throughout

these 20 masterclasses, try to ensure that if you have any doubts—for example, if I explain something and you feel there is a disconnect, or you are not able to get it, or you don't understand the pronunciation, or you feel you haven't heard this term before , or even if you Google it and still don't understand, or if you have any other query that has been bothering you for years—we also have a doubt session which is absolutely free. So, we are providing the details for that.

But for that doubt session, you should also have noted down in advance that today these are the five or seven doubts that I need to clear. So, make sure you have a diary where you keep noting everything down. Because this is just like classroom teaching. So, make sure that you note everything down there. Next, I would like to tell you what we are going to cover in this entire module, this first module— sorry, second module—of this screenwriting course. In this module, we are going to cover, first of all, what is a screenplay and how do we determine that it is a screenplay? Then , we are going to talk about why a screenplay is called the blueprint of a film or a television show. Why is it called a blueprint? Then, I would also like to tell you about the difference between novel writing and screenplay writing. What is the difference between the two? Besides this, you must have heard, we are also going to discuss what an original screenplay is. What is an adapted screenplay? Okay? Do not

worry. If you have never heard of it. That's no problem. Whether it's the difference or if you feel like you already know it, that is also absolutely fine. We can always share each other's knowledge and discuss things. So, what are original screenplays and adapted screenplays? Then, we are also going to learn about the different components of screenwriting. Different terminologies that are used. So today, I will try to explain some basic terminology that we will use later on in these masterclasses. I will clarify them for you today so that you don't face any problems understanding them in future classes. I will say them again and again. Please write them down somewhere so that your recall value for them increases later. We are also going to talk about things like what metaphors are. What is visual writing? We are going to discuss that. When it comes to the structure of a film, what is linear and non-linear structure in writing? If we write a script, how do we write a linear structure in it? What is

non-linear? We will have a discussion about this. I will tell you a little bit about dialogue writing now, because I will take a separate module on dialogue writing later, which will be in-depth. So for now, I would like to tell you some basics that we will use moving forward. Apart from this, we will discuss a couple of other things, like what the term 'exposition' is and its use in a screenplay. So these are a few small things that we are going to cover in this module. So make sure that your pen and your diary are ready so that we can begin. So guys, let us begin the process of screenplay. First of all, before joining this course, a lot of people must be thinking, what is a screenplay? I have taught at many universities. I have also taken many online classes. The very first question a student usually asks is, "Sir, what is a screenplay?" And what is a script?

So, what is the difference between a script and a screenplay? First of all, let me tell you that a screenplay is, as the name suggests, a screen play. So , anything that is being played on screen. The written form of that thing is called a screenplay. Especially in films and television. So, whatever films you have seen to date, whatever television shows you have watched, or serials you have seen, I won't say most , but almost every serial and every film is written first. So, no film, no studio, no production house, no producer, no director, or actor ever comes without a script. Because a script is like a plan, a master plan.

So, in connection to this, I'd like to share a small story about one of my students. Although he was a very good student and later learned a lot, when he joined the university, he asked me something. He was quite excited, very excited about his film. So he told me, "Sir, I have a story, and although I don't have a script, I know how to go about it." So I asked him, "How?" He said, "Sir, because I have to leave in two or three days.""My story is almost clear.""I don't have time to write a script.""But sir, don't worry at all.""

I will go and shoot my film." So I asked him, "Are you sure about that?" He said, "Absolutely, sir, don't worry. ""I will finish the entire shoot from morning to evening tomorrow." I said, " Okay, let's see if it can be done." And the next morning, he went out early at 8:00 AM to shoot the film without a script. Without a script. So, he went to shoot the film and said, "Sir, everything is ready and I have everything in my mind.""I know how to take the first shot and how I am going to tell my actors where to enter from."

"Where the camera will be.""What dialogues to say.""I will improvise that, sir.""I will improvise on set." I said, "Very good." So he left at 8:00 AM and started the shooting. I assumed the shooting was underway, and around 10:00 PM, I called him. I asked him if his shooting was finished by now. He said, "Sir, I haven't even been able to turn the camera on yet." I was like, " What are you talking about?" He said, " Sir, you were right to some extent.""I didn't have a screenplay.""Because of that, I can't even figure out what to shoot.""I think of taking one shot.""

Before that, I wonder if this is right or that is right.""My actors are also asking me repeatedly how long they should wait.""My art director is also asking me what he should do.""Everyone is, and sir, the set is becoming quite chaotic.""So sir, I am really sorry." So I asked him, "So what is the solution?" He said, "Sir, the solution is just that I should write a screenplay." I said, very good. And then he left for where he had to go, for the next two or three days. When he returned, he started writing his screenplay. It took him another, I think, four or five days, and he wrote the screenplay properly in just four or five days. He showed it to me, I suggested a few corrections, he made those too, and finally, it was decided and he went and shot the entire film.

This time his film, in just 6 hours, only in six hours, the film was shot and he called me up this time and said, "Sir, thank you so much, my film is completed.""My shots have taken full coverage, all the shots have been done, and it was all possible because of the screenplay." So I am telling you this story because today, students are very excited. Whenever, a film is also such a medium and there are obviously so many vacancies these days too. Many people are working in the industry as well. So the excitement is very high and many students feel that we can work without a screenplay. But even if you try to do it, you won't be able to because it is very tough. You cannot do it; it is impossible according to me.

So, a screenplay, that is the use of a screenplay. In this entire module, in this entire masterclass, we will tell you how to write a screenplay. But what is a screenplay? You should understand that. Now the question arises, what is the relation between a script and a screenplay? Sir, is a script different or a screenplay? So let me tell you that a screenplay is also a form of a script. Script is a broader term. There are many types of scripts. There are advertisement scripts, news scripts, and film scripts, which we call a screenplay. For film and television scripts. So there are many such types of scripts. A music video also has a script. So these are different types of scripts. But the script for films, television shows, and serials is what we call a screenplay. So screenplay, script is a broader term and screenplay is a type of script. So this is one of the basic differences. So next time, please do not get confused. Secondly, I would also like to tell you that a screenplay is not only necessary for an

actor, a director, or a writer. But the entire unit is connected to it in some way. It is a very important document and make sure that whenever it comes to writing a screenplay, never take shortcuts. Try to understand that before writing a screenplay, there is a process called the story. There are many students who send me their scripts directly. They send their screenplays and ask me, "Sir, please read this."

Although I do read them, and sometimes they even make the film, and their film gets finished and edited. They even win a couple of awards. But again, I would say that is not a healthy practice to follow. Why? Because a screenplay is a secondary thing. First of all, it is your story. So unless and until you have a proper written story in front of you, never start your screenplay. This is again a very basic foundation. Is it clear? So, why is a screenplay called the blueprint of a film, television serial, or show? Again, a very important question. A lot of students feel, just as I told you, whether they should write a screenplay or not. Now let me tell you why it is necessary to write it. One point is what I gave you as an example—a student who went there without writing a screenplay and tried to shoot a story but couldn't get anything done. So first of all, the basic thing is that the planning is missing. So, like I mentioned a blueprint. For example, if you go to buy a home in an apartment building. In

an apartment or a high-rise, you see they have a master plan. They have a blueprint. They have a map. Only after looking at that map does the building get approval, and only then does the construction begin. I haven't seen a single building to this day that was built without a plan. They don't get an idea while building the first floor to build the second floor differently. Then they feel like being a bit more creative. Let's build the third floor like this, or maybe let's work on it after 5 months. That never happens anywhere. So, there is always a master plan, and based on that blueprint, the entire structure is made. Now, let's put a film in place of that building.

So, before making a film, a blueprint is very important. Otherwise, the situation will go out of control. Trust me. The shooting process is a very hectic process and it is not for those people; film shooting or the entire film profession is not for those who want to sit in one place and work all day. It's not like that here. So, and you all know that how many people are connected with a film. Sometimes there are 50 people. Sometimes there are 100 people. Sometimes there are 1000 people . Depending on, obviously, the budget of the film. So, from the screenplay, the first thing you get to know is what the film duration is. For example, there is usually a thumb rule because it is calculated that if your screen time is 1 minute, that is equivalent to one page of a script of a screenplay.

So, one page that we write of a screenplay is approximately—and when I say approximately, it is about—1 minute of time on screen. So, meaning if your screenplay is 120 pages, then a film of about 2 hours will be made, or if it is 180 pages, a 3-hour film will be made. Similarly, in television, basically one page converts to 30 to 40 seconds on screen. I wouldn't call it a thumb rule, but yes, that is the process. This has been happening, and we have accepted this as a standard. So , the first thing is that you get to know the duration of a film. You have a story. Now, as you know, there are many ways to tell a story. You can tell a story in so many ways. A short story can also be made. There is an idea, suppose if I have an idea. Is it better to convert that idea into a short story , or is it better to make a feature film out of it? Or is it better to make a documentary film on it? Or I’ll do one thing. I will make an advertisement on it. Right? So, it depends on what the idea is. So, your script is based

on that idea. Your screenplay and your idea depend on your screenplay. If your idea is such that to tell it, I need some time. Then that means a feature film is the best way to do that. If you feel that you can convey that idea in 15 seconds or 30 seconds. Then an advertisement is the best way of doing it. Clear? So, in a screenplay, it is very important that first of all, you create borderlines. Border lines, you create, you know, the starting time and the ending time. That my story is going to be told in two hours or one hour. So depending on that, you know, have an idea as to how many pages you have to write. It’s not like I just wrote the script. I just keep on writing. I just keep on writing. I just keep on writing . And I wrote so much that the film became 5 and a half hours long. So nobody is interested at the end of the day. So we have to figure that out. So a very good reason why I call a screenplay a blueprint is because, first of all, you get to know your boundaries. What are your boundaries?

How long do you have to write for the screen? How long will your film run, or , where do I need to go from here to there? For example, if I have to go from here to Bareilly or from here to Jaipur, I know it’s about a 5 to 6- hour journey. If I go by road, or if I take a flight, it will take me one to two hours. So I know, but if I say that I’ve just left home and I don’t know where I’m going. Then I will end up going nowhere, and maybe a lot of things could happen to you. So it’s somewhat like that. So, first of all, you get some guidance. You get a boundary. You get a limitation that this is my standardized limitation. I have to stay within this. The second reason why we call a screenplay a blueprint? It is connected to a very important thing in your film, which we call budget, meaning money. There is a film I am writing. I don’t have much of a budget. So I won’t include things in it that would require me to spend a lot of money to shoot. Let me give you a small example. There was a film called Trapped, starring Rajkummar

Rao. It was directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. If you watch that film, you will notice that since the story of the film is such that your protagonist, Rajkummar Rao's character...Gets locked in a house. Gets trapped. Gets locked in. The door is locked from the outside . And there is nobody in the entire building. And how he spends the next few days inside that building. So now you have created a situation where the character will remain inside that house , that apartment. So obviously, 95%of the film has been shot inside that apartment. So what happened because of this? Your budget became limited. You know, I don't even have to leave this flat. Whatever props are in that flat, whatever things are there, I will just use those. Any additional household items I need, I will bring, so it won't require a huge budget. But on the contrary, if I am writing something like Baahubali. So, if I am writing a magnum opus like Baahubali. Writing a very big film. Writing a grand, epic film. Then its budget will obviously

increase manifold. Here, I was talking about a small apartment. Here, I am talking about an entire kingdom, and not just one, but maybe two or three kingdoms. If there is a kingdom, there will be horses and elephants too. There will be war scenes as well. Then you will have, you know, huge sets. You will have a lot of VFX there. A lot of makeup, a lot of costumes, and a lot of jewelry. So many things will be there, and obviously, you will also have so many actors—major actors, minor actors, minor characters, major characters, and all those things; so, suddenly, I wrote a script—I am writing both films on paper. I am typing both films on A4-sized sheets.

The script size for one is this much, and the other is that much. But if you look at the budgets of those two scripts, there is a world of difference . So again, when we write a script, we get clear. We draw a demarcation line. What is our budget? And first of all, if there is a production house that is, you know, thinking about low-budget films. They don't have much money. They make films with a maximum budget of 8 to 10 or 15 crores. In today's time, if I say, those are called low-budget films. If they want to make one, then obviously, if a script like Baahubali comes to them, they are not going to produce that film. Obviously, they don't have that budget for that kind of film. Yes, maybe they can afford something like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Bheja Fry, or Trapped—you know, those kinds of films. So keeping that in mind, a budget is also very important. So when a screenplay goes to a production house , a budget is set. And based on that budget, if a production house feels that the film can be made within this

budget, only then do we talk further. So, it is very important to be realistic here. I would like to share one more incident related to this. I had another student in a workshop I was conducting, where I asked everyone to write a scene and then shoot it. So there was this guy who was very excited and he was the first one to raise his hand, saying, "Sir, my scene is done." I said, "That's great, show it to me."

So he came over, and I read a bit of his scene. Then I told him, "Why don't you narrate it yourself?" So he narrated it to me in front of the class . He said, "Sir, there are two characters in this." I have written a chase sequence between them. I said, " Go ahead, tell me." So he said, "Sir, first there's X, who is on a very busy road." It's a busy street. He is running there. Y is chasing him from behind. So, that's how the chase begins , sir. Now, what happens is that X first enters a shop. He comes out from there. Y chases him. Then, sir, he enters a departmental store. Y chases him there too. Then, sir, there is a vegetable market. The chase sequence continues there. After that, sir, what happens is that X enters a building and reaches the top floor. Y also goes up that building, sir. And when he follows him all the way to the top, X has a helicopter ready on the terrace, sir. X gets into that helicopter and it flies away. What happens next, sir? Then Y jumps from right there, and there is

water below, sir, so he falls into the water. The helicopter with X is flying above. Y is down below. Y spots a motorboat there. He gets onto that motorboat. And now, sir, you know, the helicopter is flying and being chased by a motorboat, and the chase sequence continues. I said, "That's a very good thought, son, but when are you planning to shoot it?" So when I asked him when he was planning to shoot, he started looking here and there and said, "Sir, how am I supposed to shoot this?" So I said, "You've asked a very good question." But tell me, son, when you knew the point of the exercise was that you had to shoot it, then why are you writing something that cannot be shot?

At least not at the stage you are at right now. So he said, "Sir, I wasn't being realistic." So I said then that is the entire point. So first of all, one thing that is clear in the example I'm giving is that whenever you write a screenplay, obviously you are going to shoot that screenplay somewhere. So you have to be very realistic in your approach. You cannot write scenes which are difficult, at least when you are, you know, a student filmmaker or an upcoming filmmaker. You don't have the budget either. You have three or four friends and in total you don't even have maybe 10-15,000, and you have to make a film, so you have to be realistic. So a budget is set according to a script; that is why it is called a blueprint because it is a plan that will tell you many things; it will also tell you how many major characters are in this film, in this screenplay. How many minor characters are in this film?

How many junior artists will be needed? What kind of sets do I need to build for this film? How much is the cost going to be on costumes for this film? Is this a college script? Is this a Baahubali-type script? Is it, again, some period drama? So based on all those things, is this a film about, you know, Indian independence? So based on that, your needs will increase. If you are showing 1947 India in that script, then obviously you will have to create the costumes and sets of that time.

Costume, language, and your dialogues will also be of that time. You might need some British actors, so that will increase your needs. So make sure that your script should include your budget. Your major characters and minor characters should be clear. What kind of art direction will it be and what kind of other things will there be. So that is why a screenplay is called a blueprint. Unless and until you have completed it, you cannot go ahead. Is that clear? So friends, now let us find out what is the difference between novel writing and screenplay writing.

Uh, I have written a small paragraph of a novel. Where there is a character, Ramesh, who is slowly, you know, moving towards a temple. And this is what I have written in the form of a novel. You must have read novels, so you would know how scenes are written in them. So let's read it once, and then I will tell you how to write it in a screenplay. Ramesh slowly and steadily walked towards the old mysterious temple. The temple built by one of the oldest maharajas of Central India. It resembled more like an old, haunted, dilapidated building and had fallen into disrepair since all its caretakers had died. The paint on the walls of the temple, like the old worn-out texture of an old lady, had long since faded and cracked in the rough northern sun.

Ramesh felt the cold breeze blow, a strand of hair momentarily freezing him ; he felt someone's breath on his neck and kept strolling ahead. So guys, when I was reading this paragraph to you, some visuals must have been forming in your mind. Right, very good. If visuals are coming, that means you all are on the right track, and it is very much normal and natural. So now, let us do one thing: let's write this same scene in the form of a screenplay. How is a screenplay written? How will we write this scene in a screenplay, and then I will tell you why. Now, obviously, I will explain the formatting of a screenplay in the next modules. But for now, I will tell you roughly. Just watch how it is written. I will explain it to you later. First of all, we will write the scene header, the slug line.

What is the scene heading? Where is this scene taking place? So this is EXT , meaning exterior. Exterior of what? Whose exterior is this? Exterior of an old temple. And then what time? Obviously, day, which I mentioned in the novel, that it is daytime. So this is my slug line: EXT. OLD TEMPLE-DAY. Clear? This is the location. This is the time, and this is interior or exterior. So, whether it is inside or outside, the location, and the time.

After that, we will write. Okay, guys. So this was my slug line, and this is my scene description. Now, you all might be a bit surprised looking at this. You will say that sir, the first one you told me, the first novel you showed, was very elaborate. It was written in great depth. Each and everything was described. But in this, we just wrote one line that Ramesh carefully approaches the temple. So sir , now what to do? I mean, this is very short. The novel was quite good. Now I will tell you the reason for this. Can you tell me what the reason is? Think a little, what could be the reason that it was written so elaborately in the novel? Here it is written very specifically, and we could even shoot this as a screenplay. I will tell you what the difference is between the two.

Friends, a novel is basically something that has no visuals in it. As you may have perhaps read a novel, there are no visuals in it. Secondly, the person who writes a novel writes it in such depth and detail so that visuals are created in your mind. Because when you read a novel, if you just write something simple, it won't be clear, like ' carefully approaches the temple'—what kind of temple is it? Is it an old temple, a new temple, a small temple, a big temple—what kind of temple is it?

So you have to...in a novel, you don't have the visuals, you don't have any pictures in a novel, there is only text . So, that text has to be elaborated upon a lot. Sometimes a single scene goes on for three or four pages. But that is because the reader of the novel should have a clear picture in their mind of what is happening. So that when they close their eyes, they can reach exactly into that novel or that fictional world. They can reach that imaginary world. Then they start reading further. But a screenplay, because it is a visual medium...This is because when you go to watch a film, a whole video is playing in front of you.

The entire film is playing. So you don't need to write in as much depth because you can see it. You can see on the screen whether the temple is old or new, whether it is small or big, whether the temple is inside or outside —do you understand? You can see it. What does Ramesh look like? What kind of clothes is Ramesh wearing? What kind of shoes is Ramesh wearing? What is Ramesh's hair like? What is Ramesh's age? You can see all of this in a film.

That is why we only write as much as the action requires, as much as the description requires. That's it. So that is a big difference between novel writing and screenplay writing. In novel writing, you have to create everything in depth. You have to explain every single thing in great detail. What is the texture of the ground? Even the floor he is walking on , what is that floor like? Is it stone, marble, mud, or wood? What is it made of? The fan hanging above, if it's making a sound, it means the fan is old . Do you understand? So every single thing; a curtain, if there is a curtain in a room, it even describes the pattern of that curtain because that.

Its pattern tells us what the mindset of the owner of that house is like. If it is a very, very expensive curtain, it means the owner is very rich. If it is a slightly torn curtain, it means they don't have enough money to change the curtains. So, you have to describe every single thing in a novel really well, because you don't have visuals. Whereas in a screenplay, you have the visuals, you have the frame. The frame is the most important thing in a screenplay. When you go on a shoot, you will see that an entire frame is set up there. The mise-en-scène inside that frame is arranged in such a way that it becomes clear to you, for example, if you have to show a wealthy family, what are their utensils like? How big is the drawing room in their house? From that, you realize that this is basically a house of a very rich person or a small hut, a small shack. So, you can absolutely see it for yourself. Nobody is going to tell you. So this is one of the most important differences. Now let me tell you a few other differences

between a screenplay and a novel. First and foremost, time constraint. Now, what is time constraint, guys? In a novel, you have all the time in the world. A novel could be, you know, 1000 pages, 500 pages, 400 pages. You don't have a limit for a novel. You can describe as much as you want. You can describe any character in depth. You can describe a situation. You can go back and forth in time and space. I can go into a flashback. I can come back to the present day. So, you know, the story just keeps going on. It just keeps going. You must have seen that many people read a novel and put a bookmark in it and read it two weeks later. Then they read it three days later. But it even takes three to four months to finish a novel. It can even take three to four weeks. Sometimes people even finish a novel in three days or two days. So, it depends entirely on how exciting you can make it. There are no time constraints in a novel. You have all the time in the world to read a novel. You can finish a

novel in a year if you want. You can even finish it in two months. But when it comes to a screenplay or a film, you have a limited amount of time. That is, whether it's an hour and a half, one hour, two hours, two and a half hours, three hours, or at most three and a half hours, you have a limitation. So, the same story for which you might have written 1,000 pages in a novel. You have to tell the same story in two hours. It’s a big challenge, guys. So , if it’s a two-hour story, that means the screenplay is going to be how many pages? 120 pages, because two hours is 120 minutes. So, 120 pages.

Whereas, here there were 1,000 pages. So, the time constraint is a huge difference between the two. In a novel and a screenplay. There is no time constraint in a novel. While in a screenplay, you have to be a little cautious about it. So, what is the most important thing here? That in a screenplay, you cannot include everything. Right? In a screenplay, you have to choose very specific things because it is a visual element. You have to write a screenplay while keeping the visual element in mind.

There is no visual element in a novel. Our second point is connected to this, which is Telling versus showing. In a novel, you are telling everything. You are describing everything. Are you getting it? So, you are describing a thing. What color curtains are in the room? What color paint is on the wall? Which furniture is there? What is the color of the fan? Is the fan old or not ? You are describing each and everything. You are telling each and everything. But in a screenplay, you have to show it. Now, let me give you a small example for this. For example, in a novel, you have to write that Ram is a bit angry. Ram is a, or Ramesh is a bit angry. So, how will we show that?

Instead of writing Ramesh is a bit angry, we write Ramesh is angry. He is very angry. He is shouting at a girl or a boy, whatever. But in a screenplay, how will you show that a particular character, Ramesh, is angry? You are not going to write "Ramesh is angry." Some students, what they write is that Ramesh is looking angrily at another guy. Ramesh is looking angrily at another guy. But if I ask you, how are you going to shoot it? Because you are not going to shoot a novel, right? You are going to shoot a screenplay. So now if I have written that Ramesh is looking angrily at somebody, how am I going to shoot it? Ramesh will come, the actor playing Ramesh will come and ask you, "Sir, how am I looking?""Are you looking angry?" So how will I look at him angrily? Do we really look like that when we are angry? No, we don't.

So how do we show this action? Angry. We will not write 'angry'. We will show 'angry'. Maybe Ramesh picks something up and throws it down very hard, so if we show this action, it depicts that Ramesh is angry. Ramesh is in a rage. So you are showing in a screenplay. You don't have to tell. Remember, in a novel it is telling, in a screenplay it is showing. Later on, when I give you more examples, it will become clearer to you. Okay, now the third point is Collaborative versus Alone. A screenplay, friends, and the film itself, is basically a collaborative art. It is called a collaborative art because many people work together on one thing. As you know, many people are involved in a film. There is a writer in the film too. An actor, director, producer, and you have your art director. You also have musicians. You also have a singer. You also have a makeup artist. And a costume designer.

So there are so many people who are associated with a film. So it is a collaborative art. So while writing a screenplay, a writer makes sure that, you know, I have to make sure that whoever reads your script—for example , if an actor is reading your script— they should have no trouble understanding the dialogue, or whether the dialogue is suitable for them or not. Similarly, have I written, have I given enough cues for the sound designer so that they know where the sound elements are in my script, in my screenplay, and who will control those elements? The sound designer will control those elements. Similarly, who will handle the creative aspect of the script? The director will handle that, like deciding which angle to take to shoot this scene, which camera to use, or how to shoot it. That decision will be the director's. Similarly, if there is a dialogue, how will they say that dialogue? How will an actor deliver it?

Whether they need a language instructor or not. So it depends. So it's a collaborative art. What is there in the script for the cameraman? Are there enough cues for them to understand how to take this shot? So again, screenplay is collaborative. Now when it comes to a novel, it is solitary. Basically, what a novelist writes is supreme in that novel. They don't need anyone's help. It is their own thought. It is their own creation. And going forward, it will remain their creation. No other person comes in because that novel is not meant for production. The novel is printed, and people read it. So basically, a novel writer is alone. But a film's screenplay writer works collaboratively. After the screenplay, many people get associated with it. So always keep this thing in mind. Number four. Number four is Finished product versus blueprint. Now when I say finished product, a novel is a finished product, guys. Always remember that when a novel is written, it is a finished product. It goes directly to

the market and people buy and read it. But when it comes to a screenplay, it is a blueprint. It is not a finished product. After the screenplay, production happens. The film is made. It is shot. After that, the film goes through post-production. Which includes editing. Color grading happens. Promotion happens. Okay? After that, the film is released. Then people judge the film. It's either a hit or a flop.

Whatever business it does. So the screenplay is a blueprint. As I told you in the previous session, it is a blueprint. Blueprint, and this novel is your finished product. Nothing happens to the novel after that. The novel is ready. It will be printed directly. People will read it. So these are the four basic differences between novel writing and screenwriting. Time constraint, telling versus showing, collaborative versus alone, finished product versus blueprint. In case you still have any doubts or questions, any queries, please note them down somewhere so that once we are talking in our doubt session, we can clear them out. So I hope I was able to convey something about novel writing and screenplay writing. If you had any doubts prior to this session. I hope after this session, some of your doubts might have been cleared now. So, let me know in case you have any queries next time, we are now going to move ahead and discuss another thing which is very important. So guys, now we should move

ahead and find out another section of this module which is original screenplay and adapted screenplay. Now again, a lot of people have asked this question. Sir, what is the difference between adapted and original screenplay ? Adapted screenplays are those screenplays which are from a short film , a poem, a play, or any other thing, it could even be a novel. Adapted from there. For example, as we have seen, Vishal Bhardwaj is a very, very big director in Bollywood. Most of his films are based on Shakespearean plays.

So he does adaptations from there. For example, Othello was made as Omkara, Macbeth became Maqbool, then Hamlet became Haider. So, he is adapting a lot of films in that way. Recently, a web series came out. A TV series came out named Sacred Games. That was also inspired by the Sacred Games novels. So this is an adaptation. Adaptation means you take any already existing literary work and bring it to the screen. It could even be a poem. Like Satyajit Ray , who also made short films based on his own poems, which later on became feature films too. So, adaptation is a more successful thing for them. It is more beneficial for them. For people who need some reference point to make films. Because guys, writing an original screenplay is a very difficult task, and many times it is not necessary that in the pursuit of writing an original screenplay, your craft of direction or writing suffers somewhere. So, in case you adapt, if you adapt a play or adapt a novel. The benefit is that you already have a

framework. A small blueprint which you can again elaborate in your work and work further. It could even be a famous dialogue from a film. You can elaborate on that too. So, adaptations are always suitable for people who find it difficult to find original thoughts or original ideas. Original ideas aren't coming. There is no need to worry or stress too much. You can do an adaptation. It is a great thing in today's time. And many people also base their films on real life. For example, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was based on Milkha Singh ji, and you know, many other biopics have been made here. So, that is also a kind of adaptation, like the film Dangal, which was entirely based on Mahavir Phogat's life. So, they tend to fictionalize it a bit. They take some facts and combine them to create a good story. Now, when it comes to an original screenplay. An original screenplay is something that is the original work of the writer. The original work of that particular person who has written that screenplay. In our

film industry, there are many such films, like Jab We Met, which is an original screenplay. No work had been done on it before. Lagaan was an original screenplay. You know, Dil Chahta Hai was an original screenplay. So, these are the films termed as...a film came out, 13B, starring R. Madhavan. A Wednesday was a film. 13B was later taken by regional cinema, even South Indian cinema, and remade. I think there was also a Hollywood director who really liked that film. So , original screenplays are also, I would say, significant because there is no prior work behind them, and they are written in a unique way. It has a different perspective and is designed differently, which is the writer's own personal take. And in today's time, if you write a complete original screenplay, it is a very, very big thing, and I think this is a normal conversation that happened a few days back between me and one of my colleagues. So, both of us were discussing, you know, which one is better—whether we should go ahead and

write an original screenplay or an adapted screenplay. So, I think this is something very healthy, and it doesn't really matter what kind of screenplay you are going to write, as long as you have a story to tell. So, I think this is obvious now; you guys now know. Please write it down somewhere that there is a difference between an original and an adapted screenplay. Okay, guys, so, moving on. The next phase of this module is the dialogues.

A very important aspect of every screenplay is the dialogues. And trust me, dialogue writing is one of the most difficult things in filmmaking. It might look very easy on the surface. You might feel that, you know, it's just writing dialogue, how hard can it be to speak? But trust me guys, this is something which is, you know, which is not so easy. You will only realize this when you actually write dialogue. There is a difference between writing dialogue and how it sounds when it appears on the screen. When we write, we feel that we have written it perfectly. But when it is reproduced on screen, somewhere we get the feeling that, man, who talks like that? This sounds way too synthetic. So, dialogue writing has to be, you know, it has to be done with proper care. I would like to tell you a few points regarding dialogue writing, although I will cover a separate module on it. But still, for an introduction, I'll tell you about a technique called "Enter Late and Exit Early." Enter late and exit early.

Enter means, let me write this down for you. Enter late. Exit early. So, it clearly means that it's not about where you enter or where you exit from. You might not be getting the idea. When I say enter late, it means we have to enter a scene late. By the time we've already reached a point in the scene. We enter right there, and we exit in the middle. We don't give the scene a proper finish. This is a basic mistake that writers make when they start writing something. That we write the entire scene from the very beginning.

We forget that the film medium has to be, you know, it should be a snapshot view. For example, if you go on a journey and your friend asks, "Hey, how was the Manali trip?" You don't tell them every single detail, like I woke up, then went to the toilet, then bathed, dressed, sat in the bus, and so on. No, and no one remembers all that. What do you tell them? You only tell them the highlights of that entire journey. And maybe you don't even tell them in order, you tell them out of sequence. Similarly, in dialogue writing, it is very important to enter late. We will study this in a bit more detail when we cover dialogues later on , but for now, make sure to write this down in your notebooks or diaries because it will be very useful for all of you once you start writing films.

Number two in this category of dialogues is to ensure that what your character is not saying is very important for you. How? For example, if we only focus on the things that a character is saying. What the other character says, or doesn't say, or their response is very important. We often miss that while writing. In writing, we always focus only on verbal cues, on what they are saying verbally. But besides the verbal, when you go on set, it becomes very difficult to explain to an actor, "Hey, I don't have any dialogue here, so how should I react or what should I say?" What should my body language be? So that is very important. Is it necessary for you to say everything out loud, or can you convey some things without saying a word? We will also study this in detail in the upcoming modules. Number three, I would say, is to be very mindful of how you use your dialogues and monologues. Monologues are when someone is giving a very long speech. A character in your film who gives a very long speech within the film is what we

call a monologue. This is something to be used very carefully because if you don't implement it in the right place in a screenplay, it will backfire and your screenplay could become very boring or very preachy. So, to avoid this, we will do exercises later on regarding how and when to use monologues in a screenplay, and if you do use them, how long they should be to be very effective. Number four, make sure that you use dialects very well in your dialogues. Dialects mean that if the story is about a small town, or a state, or a small village, then which state is that village in? If it is in Jaipur, then in Rajasthan, how do people speak in that specific place?

What is this term called there? Alright ? And since our country is such that every 10 km the language, the way of speaking, and the clothing all change, it becomes very difficult, and you know , it becomes extremely challenging for a screenwriter to capture that dialogue . If you haven't captured that dialogue , then somewhere your script will feel very synthetic. For example, if one of my characters is from Bhopal and one of my characters is from Haryana. Then they will speak in a different way in Haryana. They have to say the same line , but the dialect will be different.

Bhopal will have different punchlines. The meaning for both will be the same, but the way of saying it will be slightly different. So you have to capture their dialogue. So you might have to go to Bhopal. You might have to meet a few people. If you are writing, if your character is from Bhopal, then you have to go to Bhopal and meet a character like that. Only then will you be able to write somewhat realistic dialogues. Also, one more thing, number five, I would like to say, try not to write everything in your script. So avoid redundancy; it shouldn't be that you have written everything about the character somewhere. Otherwise, it would look very artificial and very synthetic. So these are five points that you have to keep in mind while writing dialogues. But don't worry, this is just the beginning. As we study further, we will also practice dialogue writing. I will show you some screenplays based on dialogue writing.

How to write it, I will show you by writing it myself. Which could be very useful for all of you. I hope the dialogue portion is clear to you. So now let's move forward. So let's move forward, friends. Visual storytelling, another very important component of screenplay writing; this is an art that will come to us very slowly. You have to keep a little patience. As I told you, in novel writing versus screenplay writing, it is telling versus showing.

Screenplay is all about showing. So how are you going to convey your scene, convey your idea visually? So now, as we proceed through this module? Also, we are going to practice writing scenes . So then I think you will get a fair idea as to how we are going to write scenes visually. Because this is something where you might think you are writing correctly, but once it appears on screen or once you are out for a shoot, you are going to face difficulties. So my job here is to facilitate this, to make sure that you understand in the simplest manner how to incorporate things visually into your screenplay, because we don't just want to tell, we want to show. One of the biggest duties of a writer is to facilitate the production process. Keep your writing such that the director, the actor, the sound designer— everyone gets a cue, so they get an idea that yes, it is written in such a way in this scene that I can understand how many props we need, what kind of sound we need, what kind of dialogue is

required, what kind of pronunciation is needed, or what the visual presentation or color palette will be. What will our art direction be like? I will tell you how that is connected to writing. Yes friends, what I am telling you, you will find in very few books, and even if you find it in books, you might have some difficulty understanding it. Because I have usually seen that the language used in books is often very tough English or filled with jargon, making it very difficult for people to understand. So my main aim here is to provide clarity for you. My aim is not just to teach you screenwriting. My aim is for you to be able to become a screenwriter. For you to be able to write scripts. So make sure, as I have said before, that you keep a diary and pen with you. Note down important points, and we will cover visual storytelling in the upcoming modules.

Because if I want to tell you, I could tell you. But until you do it yourself and I make you practice it. This will not be clear. And trust me, many of my students who were studying Bachelors in Filmmaking, those who were studying Masters, and those who have been studying scriptwriting continuously for 3 years, they also face this difficulty because they do not practice. So practice is very essential. I will teach you visual storytelling. I will teach it in Module Four. When I explain it to you in that module, everything will be clear to you regarding how to write scenes visually. So after visual storytelling, one more component that I am going to teach you in this masterclass is the structure of your screenplay. Now, when I say structure of your screenplay, it really means the form in which your storytelling is going to take place. There are two basic structures in filmmaking and screenwriting, friends. One is the linear structure. Right? Let me write it down here so it gets a bit clearer

for you. Okay, so the first one is the linear structure. Now, linear structure essentially means that your story is moving in one form. There is a continuation where, for example, whatever is happening, it keeps happening one after the other. For example, to explain with an example, a film like Jab We Met—now in Jab We Met, when things start, you will notice there are no major flashbacks in that film. In that film, we never go back in the story and the story is very progressive. That means if the story is starting today, it will only move forward from today. For example, if the story starts in 2020, then within the film, it will go to 2021, 2022, 2023.

Maybe that is where the film will end. But it moves in a linear form. It does not come back. Right? Just like the film Trapped by Vikramaditya Motwane; if you look at that, it's a very progressive story. It happens, it starts on a certain day and then it continues and continues until the time Rajkummar Rao comes out of the apartment on his own; that is where the film ends, and nowhere do we go into flashback mode or move back and forth in the story. Right? All of that is your linear storytelling. There are many such films, friends, where I feel it is very important for a writer to select whether you take a linear structure or a non-linear structure.

Again, it is the choice of the writer and director as to which of these two structures they pick. I will tell you about non-linear first. A non-linear structure is one in which there are many flashbacks. We convey the story by moving forward and backward. I find the non-linear structure to be very flexible. Because somewhere or other, it makes our storytelling ability stronger, and we can build more story in less time. And sometimes it can be a little difficult to understand. But if you write it well or direct it well, then I think it is the best form of storytelling. Especially if you are covering, you know, a large area, a large portion of time in your script.

For example, if I talk about a film, you must have seen "Rockstar," with Ranbir Kapoor, directed by Imtiaz Ali. If you look at that film, the narrative moves back and forth. The film starts in the present day. Then we go into Ranbir Kapoor's past. Then we come back around to the present. Then we go back to the past. Then back to the present. So, this is roughly the structure of such a film. Similarly, there is another film by Rajkumar Hirani, "3 Idiots." The structure of "3 Idiots" is the same. The film starts in the present day. When Raju and Farhan meet, Chatur arrives and tells them something , and then all three go on a journey.

Then we go into a flashback. We see Rancho. Everything we see of Rancho, or rather Aamir Khan, in that film, we see only through flashbacks. In the present day, we see Aamir Khan only in the last scene when he has already built his school. That is the present-day Rancho in the film. Otherwise, whatever else we see of Rancho in the film, we see it all in the past through flashbacks. Once again, Rajkumar Hirani has used this structure very well. The way the whole story was conveyed, because within the film, the story shows a duration of at least 10 to 12 years. So , if you show a 10 to 12-year duration in a non-linear way, it becomes easier for the writer, the director, and also the audience to understand. For example , there was another film, "Mera Naam Joker." By Raj Kapoor. I felt that maybe that film didn't work, or could have been made better, because they followed a linear structure. The film starts when Raju is young. Then he grows up, and three stages of his life are shown, and the film ends right at

the end. I believe that if we had started from the present day, gone into the past, and then returned to the present, then perhaps that film, which had two intervals and was about 4 hours long......could have been compressed into a good 2 to 2.5-hour film. But never mind, all this keeps happening, and it is very important for you to choose whether you make a film in a linear or non-linear structure. You can make a film in both ways. Let me tell you this thing very honestly. It is not at all necessary that if your film spans 10-15 years, you must make it in a non-linear way. It depends entirely on your creative mindset and what the director tells you to do. So again, it's a tough ask. You have to decide it for yourself. So next time, please remember these two structures. We will discuss this more in our modules when we write or explain more film scripts.

So, linear structure and non-linear structures. Make sure that you write it down. Okay friends. So after non-linear and linear structures, let's move on to our next component, which is called exposition. Now, I should write it down for you. What is exposition? I hope you have not heard this term before. You might not have heard of exposition before. So, I will tell you a little bit about it, as it's a very important topic in scriptwriting. Exposition is essentially the backstory. Friends, our films usually start from a certain point in time. For example, if I talk about the film Andhadhun, it starts from the present day, and we see our protagonist, Ayushmann Khurrana. He is basically a blind guy. He plays the piano, there's a cat in his house, and he's doing his daily stuff, like walking on the road, then he meets a girl, Radhika Apte, and things go on.

So, we meet Ayushmann Khurrana at a certain stage of his life. We meet him in the middle of his life journey. But we don't know much about his backstory. Because at some point, every film starts from the present day or a specific time period in a character's life span. So, we don't know the backstory that happened before that. But we have to ensure how to convey that to the audience. Right? So, how we add that backstory into our script is a very important topic, and again, as we practice in the upcoming modules, it will become clearer to you. For example , you must have seen the film Sholay.

In Sholay, during the first major flashback of the film, we see Sanjeev Kumar ji taking Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra ji on a train. Back when he was an officer in the film, and Jai and Veeru were both petty thieves. They were small-time crooks and rascals. So they are taking them on the train and a conversation takes place between them there. Thakur asks both of them, "Hey, how long have you been doing all this?"

"This thievery you are doing, how long have you been at it?" Dharmendra's character, Veeru, replies, "What can we say, Thakur Sahab? Ever since we came of age, it's been like this; we have been together since then." This dialogue of Dharmendra, where he says, "Ever since we came of age, we have been together." This, in itself, is an exposition. This is exposition through dialogue, which is the backstory about Dharmendra and Amitabh. In Sholay, we haven't seen Jai and Veeru growing up from childhood anywhere. Or how they met or whatever. We have only seen them from one phase. We have seen Jai and Veeru from a specific phase of their lives. Mostly, they are young; they are in their 20s or late 20s. So we don't know much about that. We don't know anything about their early lives. So, in the screenplay that Salim-Javed wrote, with just one line that Dharmendra says, "Ever since we came of age, we have been together." Using that exposition, they have briefly explained their backstory through dialogue.

Meaning, we can guess from this that Jai and Veeru might have been orphans in childhood. Perhaps they both met in a juvenile home. Or they met in jail, or maybe they were stealing together. One might have helped the other. And then they might have become friends. So , this is very obvious. It is not necessary that you show a flashback for every character. Show a backstory for every character. Yes, you can give small hints about that character's backstory. Now, the backstory, the exposition, can be done in many ways.

Like I told you about Sholay, it is done through dialogue. In some films, you must have seen a character sitting in his room. And he is having coffee. And behind him on the wall of his room, there is a photo of the same man who is drinking coffee. There’s a lady in that photo with him and it looks like their wedding picture, which means this character is married and his wife is nowhere to be seen right now. This means either his wife is no more, she’s gone somewhere, or she has left him. It could be one of these two or three things. Because that exposition we get—the photo frame on the wall— is exposition through a photograph. So, you are revealing a back-story through a photograph. So when we write a scene, as writers, we need to keep all these props and details in mind so that when we shoot the scene, it becomes clear to the audience that, oh, this character is married. Oh, something went wrong with him. Oh, he’s probably blind.

Okay, okay. I think he lost his leg in an accident. That accident must have been the reason for it. The audience will never say this, but these things are automatically placed in their minds . So, exposition can be done in various ways, such as dialogue or photographs. Sometimes we see it through text too, where a super appears on screen saying "14 years ago." A flashback is also a form of exposition. It is one of the most common forms of exposition. In older films, you might have seen the camera zoom in as the character says, " It was 10 years ago," and then the camera zooms in further. They dissolve.

And then we see the same character from 10 years ago. So, that is also telling a back-story from 10 years ago, but through a flashback. Right? This is the most common form of exposition. So, you know, these things—you have to figure out how to use which element and in what way. If you want to become a good writer, then in my opinion, you can make great use of photographs. You can make great use of dialogue. And when we study dialogue, we will practice how to incorporate exposition into our scripts . So, write this term down in your diary as well. It is a very important term, and in the long run, it will be very useful to know how to tell your back-story through exposition. So, how we will do it in writing, we will see that ahead. So, here our module one ends, friends, and let's recap the things we learned in this course in module one. We learned the definition of a screenplay. What is a screenplay?

We learned why a screenplay is called a blueprint of a story. We also learned what the difference is between novel writing and screenplay writing. What is an original screenplay? What is an adapted screenplay, and what is visual storytelling, which we will do more of in module four. We also learned about the structure of a screenplay, which is linear or non-linear. Again, we are going to practice it. We also learned about dialogues. How to write dialogues , as I told you, where I mentioned four or five things you need to keep in mind regarding dialogues. Apart from this, we also learned about exposition and discussed how to incorporate a back story into your script. So, I hope that everything I have explained in module one is clear to you so far. Make sure that if you are having any difficulty, please watch this module again, and we will clear up any doubts you have in our doubt session. But make sure that you note down all the film names, whatever films I am going to tell you.

Kindly make sure to watch those films and those scenes so that you have a very good recap. Your knowledge will also be clarified. And if there are any questions, then we can always clear them out in our doubt session. So guys, see you in our next module, which is going to be the process of screenwriting and how you are going to generate ideas.