Aviva Field is true to her words. She took my question rather seriously, and has shared a response, which could probably be called the first step to a long journey.
Now, by storytelling, one is normally inclined to think fiction; more specifically, feature films. Syd’s books, whatever I have read, are replete with a strong focus on cinematic storytelling of the fictional genre.
But that’s not the only way to tell a story.
Early in his career, Syd Field himself was a documentary film-maker; he knew that.
Besides, I have personally felt the need of following his structural wisdom while formatting my stories – which have been majorly documentaries and biopic. I know others who have done the same; hence, we need him as much as our brethren in fiction.
So maybe, we could come up with an alternative paradigm, based on what we learnt from Syd, to help non-fiction filmmakers structure their stories better. Maybe his wisdom and lifetime of determined work can help us to find a way of applying his formatting principles to documentaries, in all its myriad forms, including social media, even insta-videos and other more trendy and younger ways of audio-visual communication.
There’s no harm in dreaming that such a pervasive Syd Field ‘Documentary’ paradigm is possible. But will it be exactly the same as his existing paradigm? Or will it draw upon it and take it forward?
After all, the most exciting adventures and turning points in the world of cinema have always drawn heavily on ‘inferences’ and ‘ideas’ propagated by master-thinkers who thought ahead of their generations. Syd Field was one such thinker.
Cinema is a field where ‘past’ theory and ‘now’ action has to merge seamlessly for something new to happen. One has to learn from yesterday to faithfully realign with the demands of today. I might sound hackneyed, but we all know that to break conventions, we need to learn them first.
Syd did that. He learnt, and then re-invented classical Greek playwright Aristotle.
So if there is a Syd Field ‘Documentary’ paradigm, let’s find it !!!
That was the reason why I asked the ‘documentary’ question to Aviva Field, and she promised an answer. The question was…
Is it possible to apply Syd Field’s methods of screenwriting to documentary storytelling?
Those readers who have directly come to this post might consider visiting my previous post where I asked this question, so for them I will give the link. It’s really not needed though; just continue reading.
The response from Aviva came as a breath of fresh air. I will make you read that first.
Dear Anirban,
Hope all is well with you and your ongoing work!
Attached is an excerpt from a yet-to-be-published, SydField.com Blog post, which was inspired by your wonderful query about applying Syd Field’s screenwriting methodology to documentaries. This essay was written by my awesome contributor, Screenwriter Shari Goodhartz, who also taught Syd’s Paradigm all the way in Singapore. You can expect Shari’s full blog post to be published in September on the Syd Field website.
Please feel free to publish this version on your blog.
It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you through your blog, and thank you for reaching out with your intriguing question.
With very best wishes,
Aviva
And this is how IMDB describes Shari Goodhartz.
“Shari Goodhartz is a multi-award nominated Writer of film and television. In 2016-17, she was the Program Director of WritersLab, a professional TV course at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. Ms. Goodhartz designed and taught this rigorous training, developing eight series in ten weeks, based on long-established Hollywood standards.”
Shari is a prolific writer with Emmy and American Writer’s Guild nominations. For more details about her, google her IMDB page.
About her response, like Aviva said, this is work in progress, but this gives us a fair enough idea of the direction it is going to take.
Documentary Writer/Producer Anirban Bhattacharya asked SydField.com:
How are Syd Field’s methods of screenwriting applicable to documentary storytelling?
What a terrific question!
Syd Field’s structural Paradigm, along with the methodology he described in his bestseller Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting and its follow-up The Screenwriters Workbook, provide a time-tested roadmap to consciously leverage the art of visual storytelling, no matter the content or style of tale being told.
Pretty much by definition, every viable story – fictional or documentary – needs a beginning, middle and end (though not always in a direct, linear progression). Field suggested that the most effective way of approaching this most basic requirement is to start by articulating the narrative landmarks at the Beginning and the End.
By first choosing a visually gripping event to start a story, and even more vitally, by selecting affecting imagery to conclude it, the rest of the storyline can be carefully structured to take the audience on a journey that’s both surprising and inevitable.
To accomplish that, Field then guides writers to figure out two major narrative pivots, each of which turn the story in a new direction. For these, he coined the term Plot Point (PP): the First PP occurs at the end of Act One, the Second PP at the end of Act Two.
Between these is the Midpoint, which roughly defines the halfway mark of the entire story, and bends the action in a less intense, but still meaningful manner. Please note: the essence of classical, three-act dramatic framing comes to us from the ancient Greek playwright Aristotle; Field was the first to tailor it specifically for screenwriting in guidebook form.
See Paradigm Worksheet below.
Next comes filling in the story material between those five landmarks. Syd Field viewed the contextual thrust of Act One to be Set-Up – establishing the world of the story, the characters who inhabit it, and the overriding need/desire/problem that will drive the primary story arc.
Act Two, which is about twice as long as Acts One or Three carries the narrative propulsion of Confrontation, in which the character(s) established in Act One are beset by obstacles and conflict that prevents them from getting what they want and/or solving the central problem.
Act Three carries the movement of Resolution, whether the character(s) succeed or not truly doesn’t matter, but the close of the story must contain enough emotional purpose to provide the audience a worthwhile, cathartic experience.
Note: the dramatic goal known as catharsis also comes to us from Aristotle; it’s a release of emotional tension that promotes healing and wholeness.
Focused through the clarifying lens of Syd Field’s storytelling techniques, the crafting of functional-and-inspiring narratives for feature films, shorts, television episodes/seasonal arcs and webisodes are all covered, regardless of whether the content is documentary or fictional in nature. Field’s structural components and elemental concepts are helpful and applicable to all visually expressed stories.
If you want to download a PDF copy of the excerpt , you can do it HERE.
Shari Goodhartz writes in-depth articles and often contributes to sydfield.com as a guest writer. Here’s the link for one of her articles that I really liked.
For me, I will be waiting for Shari’s expanded post in response to my question with eager anticipation; I have a feeling that it has the potential to open up a global floodgate of debates and discussions and further research.
After all, Syd Field spent his entire life talking to master-craftsmen of film-making to find his answers. He browsed through thousands of screenplays, rigorously exploring structural secrets of fictional screenplay writing. That’s how he perfected his paradigm that enabled a whole generation of screenwriters to dare write movies. He substantiated all his claims with valid and irrefutable evidence.
Someone needs to do that with documentary scripts and screenplays.
I have a feeling that applying his principles to non-fiction screenwriting will not be a simple task. Shari Goodhartz’s blog post is just the beginning.
I am so happy. Go ahead. Stay blessed.
[…] THE SYD FIELD ‘DOCUMENTARY’ RESPONSE […]
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