How to write a script together as a family: tips, part 1 of 2
How to Write a Script Together as a Family
If you enjoy watching films together as a family, then you may just enjoy writing a script together! Writing a script can be a fun project all by itself or a welcomed addition to your curriculum if you homeschool. We’ve encountered so many families in the faith and family arena that have authors, script writers, actors, editors, and just all around creative people in their family…it’s amazing! So we thought it may be fun to put together a little 2 part tutorial on how to write together…as a family.
Then, if you’d like, you could act it out at your next friends and family or church get-together—or you could capture it on video. There’s plenty of places to put up great family videos on social media…the Lord knows we need more Godly content out there.
And, who knows! You may discover that you have a budding creative writer in your home!
Elements of a Script
When writing a script, your family should consider these foundational elements:
Characters: people who are in your script and their personalities
Motivation: this is why a character does what he or she does
Plot: action that takes place in the storyline
Conflict: this is when two or more characters want something different; this is what keeps the action moving forward
Dialogue: what people actually say
Setting: where the action takes place; this can mean in a particular city or in Grandma’s living room
Suspense: this is what keeps people on the edge of their seats, wondering what’s going to happen next
You’ll want to think about the costumes people will wear and the props they’ll use. Props are objects you’ll use in your setting, typically ones that will actually be used or at least referred to. This can be a glass of water that a character picks up, a clock that’s pointed at to make an important point, and so forth.
Two People and an Object
You can make your script as simple or as complex as you’d like. With children, it can help to start with a less complicated concept and then let them add layers to it if that makes sense. This is perfect for children who want to get into making videos with their friends. Teaching them structure will be a valuable gift if they decide to pursue a career in storytelling.
One of the easiest ways to get children started is to imagine two people—say, John and Maria—and an object, say, a smartphone.
A plot with no conflict would look like this: John and Maria share a smartphone. Fortunately, they’ve worked out a way to share it without any problems. The end.
That would be nice in real life, but not so interesting in a play or film.
In our second version, John and Maria still share a smartphone. This time, though, John has a sick mother and needs the phone to check in with her. Maria, meanwhile, is a nurse, on call—so she needs it in case the hospital calls. This is an example of how there can be a conflict between two people, each with good motivations about why they need the phone. Of course this is a simplified technique of goals and conflict, but it proves the point. When two characters want different things then that can sometimes be a great tool for dramatic conflict.
In our third version, John wants the phone to give someone else a hard time, while Maria still wants it in case she gets called into work. In this version, one character has a good motivation; the other, a negative one.
There are literally hundreds of books on screenwriting and we could never teach it all in one blog, but this article was meant to hopefully inspire you to spend sometime as a family and to potentially get your mind thinking about writing a story. If you want to read part two of the series you can click here to read it! And, in the meantime, consider watching and discussing films with your children. This is a great way to prep them for writing their own scripts!
Feeling like you want to go the extra mile, you can learn how to discuss films as a group here.