Thesis+based+research+Assignment


 * Rationale for Research/Introduction**

I decided to research the topic of play writing as it is a possible profession that I wish to peruse in life. this class gives me an opportunity to get one step in the door by gaining more understanding about the topic. The question that drove me through the research process was a combination of two things, what does it take to be successful as a playwright, and what kind of styles and techniques can enhance my writing? I had to evaluate my current writing style and I also had to learn more about the business before answering my driving questions.


 * Research**

A. Bronfeld, Stewart. //Writing for Film and Television//. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-hall, n.d. Print 1. Hollywood has changed, and there has been an inflation in talent for movie and screenplay writing, making the big time regions overly competitive, squandering talent of aspiring writers. (3)

2. Outlines are necessary in writing scripts, what makes good plays is the details brought out from the basic outline. (68)

3. "Money comes from selling your script, to sell one must package the script, protect the script and then market the script" (116)

4. Protecting a script involves copyright and not sharing the script with anyone until it's finished and copyrighted.

5. Advertising agencies can be a great start for writers by writing commercials and getting his or her style acquainted with producers and the public. (131)

B. Clark, Leroy. //Practical Playwriting//. N.p.: Pearson Education Inc, n.d. Print. 1. The essence of plot lies in 6 different things, conflict, the turning point, the climax, common problems, more levels of conflict, and solutions.

2. Different levels of conflict for a plotline should include inner conflict, personal and external conflict or conflict with society, these can either be shown in different characters, or all in the same one, both make for good plots.

3. when developing a story for a play, use personal experience as a base for what you want to write. Use observations of people around you or events that occur. Most importantly, once you've established your idea, research the topic of which you want to write about so that you will be accurate in the script (22)

4. A key to holding to holding the audiences attention is to make sure that you include the various levels of entertainment, comedy, romance, violence and the supernatural.

5.Give character to your characters, by allowing them to develop psychologically. Their development makes it easier for the actors to establish character in the person they portray in your script. Give them definite voice and a consistent tone and language.

//C. The comic in Theory & Practice//. New York: Appleton-century-crofts INC, n.d. Print. 1. When defining comedy, you have a few different types which include, physical, dark, dry, light and vocal comedy.

2. delivering comedy on stage is a matter of of the actor maintaining mystery in his or her subject matter. it is up to the writer to provide different subject material that will often switch focus, keeping the audience on it's toes (12)

3. Laughter is key in comedy. A silly laughter from the actors will automatically encourage laughter in the audience. A key to remember is that laughter is contagious. Once you have an audience going, don't let up with the comedy, and don't allow them to focus on anything else.

4. Using wit as a form of comedy in writing is difficult, and can be used in situational irony. It may not always get direct laughs, but it is excellent for setting an audience up for a better joke.

5. Verbal comedy comes completely from the actor, Indicating pauses is key, and comic timing is in their hands. you can have the best comic script, but if you don't have good actors to portray it, your script will fail.

D. "How to Format A Stage Play." //Writer's Resources//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. . 1. The source provides a guide to the basic format of writing a play.

2. When writing make sure all character names are in bold and that there is a space underneath their name or next to it for the lines.

3. All stage direction goes in italics within parenthesis

4. capitalize character names in EVERY situation in which they are used in direction or indication of speech

5. The Global Settings: Margins > Right 1.0"
 * Top: 1.0"
 * Bottom 1.0 - 1.5"
 * Left 1.5 (scripts are 3 hole punched so leave more room on the left)

E. "How to Write Comedy." //eHow//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. .

F. Marcus, Sander, Ph.D. "5 Rules For How To Write A Classic One-Liner Joke." //Ezine Articles//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. . 1. Choose 2 topics-1) the content of the joke, and 2) the surprise topic. For example, let's say you've been putting in a lot of overtime at the office. Now, just for the sake of making this a good mental exercise, let's also say that you combine this topic with the fact that you have a dog. Here is one possibility of combining them: "I've been putting in so much overtime, that I came home to an empty house last night. I found a note. It said, 'I can't take it any more. I've gone for a long walk in the park to think over our relationship.' It was from my dog."

2. Look for opposites, especially ridiculous and impossible opposites. Many, many great jokes rely on opposite meanings. A few years ago at a Rotary meeting in which I ended the year of my presidency, I wanted to say a few things before turning the club over to my successor. I began by saying, "Before I formally hand over the reins of powerlessness, ..." It got a nice laugh.

3. Build up the joke in a certain direction, so that the listener is locked into one assumption, and then spring the joke on them. For example, talk as if it is something important, and end with something trivial: "I should like to introduce my business partner, my mentor, my best friend, and a man to whom I owe five bucks, ..."

4. Put the key word or phrase, the one that changes the meaning, at the very end of the one-liner. You'll notice that the very last words in the previous three jokes ARE the joke (dog, powerlessness, five bucks). Imagine a cocktail party. Everyone has a drink in his or her hands, except for one guy. His wife turns to him and says, "You know, George, you really SHOULD have something to drink--otherwise people will think you're an alcoholic." This is a lot funnier than, "You don't want people to think you're an alcoholic, do you? You'd better drink something." This second line isn't as funny because the second topic (alcoholism) is introduced before the end. It blunts the surprise and therefore the comic shock at the end.

5. Get rid of every unnecessary word and idea. Nothing ruins a one-liner more than even one extra word. My wife, Christine, is a Paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department (She was my hero long before September 11th). She works a 24-hour shift. Over the years I've developed a stock response to people who ask me if I'm worried about my wife being in the firehouse all night with all of those men: "Gee, you're right. I'd better call and warn those guys." Is there one unnecessary word in that response? I don't think so.

G. Matthews, Brander. "How to Write a Play." //Theater Database//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2009. . 1.

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H. Wright, Michael. //Playwriting in Process//. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, n.d. Print. 1. A key to writing is setting up an environment, improvising the monologue on the spot and recording it for memory's sake. (22)

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 * Thesis**

My Initial thesis is as follows, "In order to be successful in play writing, one must employ different writing techniques and different script styles to be noticed as a strong playwright." After reviewing some of the research, my stance has shifted to focusing only a bit more on plot development in writing. After more research on the topic, my thesis has been revised to, "In order to be successful in play writing, one must show deeper meaning in plays through strong understanding of the subject and using different script styles."


 * Findings & Support for Findings**

1. Writing a plot line requires knowledge of the topic before hand preferably through personal experience, and also requires further research of the topic.

a. B1, B3, B4

2. Comedic writing styles must keep the audience on a winding and uncontrollable path in terms of subject matter and language to employ successful humor.

a. C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5

3. In order to make money as a playwright, you must be able to sell your script, and make sure that in between jobs are only fillers to pay the rent.

a. A1, A2, A3, A4, A5

4. Script formats will change between plays, TV, movies and general film.

a. D1, D2, D3, D4, D5

5. To have a strong play, one must put deeper meaning shown subtly through the characters.

a. B1, B2, B4, B5, C5


 * Process Reflection**

1. I learned a lot about play writing, but I also for the first time got the hang of really successfully using a multitude of sources for research. I also learned about about the comedic styles which I wish to use in some degree in my project.

2. I used problem solving when I needed more sources to consolidate my search. I also used critical analysis in some of the sources I found as this topic is of top interest to me and I have the drive to learn everything about it.

3. Proper use of time will be something I need to work on, because even though I felt on task during class periods, I feel like a lot of time was wasted focusing on certain things that do not need my attention at this point in research.

4. I had a decent understanding of play writing before the research because I had already written a very successful scene for //Glimpses of Springfield// last year, but I found that there are many other ways to develop my comedic style in scripts and also new ways to convey messages through a play.


 * Connections to the Overall Project**

1. I can use a lot of what I learned to write a much better script to be produced for my project.

2. This research has given me a clearer idea on how I can write my paper on such a topic, as that was something I didn't have a definite understanding on how it would be done with my topic. It will also help me to stay focused and think of better ideas for the play I will write for the independent project.