How Scriptwriting has evolved since the 1980's

Kiran Joneja, senior actor and well-known film personality, walks us through the evolution of script-writing, the changing techniques, what all this means for the new-age writers and how all this will gradually impact the quality of film productions.

 

The art of scriptwriting has changed by leaps and bounds, over the years in our country. Back in the 80’s and the 90’s, actors were not given a hardbound script beforehand. Even the dialogues sometimes, were given to them on the sets, right before the shot. It was common to narrate a one-line script to an actor before he signed it and then improvise during the film but today, the scenario has changed, wherein an actor asks for a bound script and goes through it in order to even consider doing the film. This change has slowly and consistently made its way into the Indian film industry and is here to stay. It is an absolutely delightful thing to have happened, as it has brought about a new kind of discipline into the process of film-making.

In the older times, it was common to narrate a one-line script to an actor before he signed it and then expect him to improvise during the film but today, the scenario has changed. An actor asks for a bound script even before considering a film.

A director is much clearer about his vision of the film and is able to follow a pre-decided process of how to go about making it. During the production phase of the film as he has a clear understanding of what the beginning, middle and end scenes of the movie should look like. While there is a place for productive improvisation, the basics are planned and scripted. Even an actor has a much better understanding of how the movie progresses and is able to stay on the same page as his director and scriptwriter since they all follow the bound script. The actor becomes familiar with the graph, understands where his character is going and is able to get into the depth of it by adding nuances to the performances. Having a script gives an actor an ample amount of space to give the character a thought, add to it, and do in-depth research for it, all this adds to the consistency of the role.

Another change that has been brought about is the kind of discipline it has introduced into the life of the actors. Earlier, it was common to see an actor work on multiple films at the same time. An actor would shift from one set to another doing various kinds of scenes from different films. They would end up doing a comedy scene in one film, a serious scene in another and a dance sequence in the third one, as a result of which, they would get distracted. They would shuffle between various scenes which had different costumes, tonalities, and genres. Compared to that, actors today are more focused on one project at a time and usually end up giving their dates to just one film at a time which helps them to understand and portray the role better. So, the Indian film industry has seen a substantial change in the process of scriptwriting.

Today, scriptwriter follow arcs, such as character arcs, thematic arcs, and conceptual arcs, which are an extremely vital part of the plot of a film. You can build your script around an arc which would give it the right amount potential to evoke interest amongst the audiences.

Even though there are stories that don’t have character arcs, they contribute immensely to good screenwriting. While writing a strong script, you need to create a good character arc and then move on to conceptual arc and thematic arc. Character arcs are something that elevates a fictional story and build connections with the audiences. Good training in screenwriting shapes a writer's intuition as much as it shapes his talent.

In the earlier days, there was hardly anyone who took formal training in writing in India. New untrained writers usually worked under a known writer to learn and then depended on their own creativity to write good scripts. The scriptwriters back then learned mostly on the job, while working. Today, a lot of the writers that enter the film industry have received an education in screenwriting and some even study writing from international universities, thus broadening the horizon and scope of cinema in their minds. They use the techniques that they learn at film schools and build scripts around it. They understand the use of technique and creativity in the formation of scripts, screenplays, and dialogues. They combine their talent with skill in order to bring out their best work, which helps in giving form to the characters. When you systematically work on each character’s growth, the story comes together wonderfully.

A good script is a combination of talent and technique as all the skills in the world cannot replace the brilliance of a creative mind.

But in the end, no amount of technology can compensate for the lack of talent. So, the film industry is definitely looking forward to some brilliant scripts and scriptwriters in the near future who have to learn the skill and art of writing from good institutes like Ramesh Sippy Entertainment RSACE offers a graduation course in screenwriting where the students are given a 360 degree understanding of filmmaking and then two years of specialisation in screenwriting. Interaction with celebrities from the film industry and masterclasses that are held all through the year also helps the screenwriting students get exposed to the industry and also get connected with in the industry people.

About the author

Kiran Joneja Is an actor, writer, director, anchor, painter, producer. She also happens to be the Director of Ramesh Sippy Entertainment and MD of Ramesh Sippy Academy of Cinema and Entertainment. She is probably best known for her role of Veerawali in the iconic serial Buniyaad (1986) and “Ganga” in “Mahabharat” (1988)

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha