Before I Forget: Writing A Screenplay

Abstract

The current thesis consists of two parts: the creative work “Before I Forget” and the essay reflecting the process of writing and editing the screenplay. The script takes the major part of this thesis and is devoted to the exploration of such themes as death, childhood trauma and the work of human memory. The essay covers the challenges I had to overcome in the process of learning how to write a screenplay: planning its structure according to the dramatic canons, building relatable character arcs and writing plausible dialogues. While the inspiration for the script was drawn from life and films, such as “American Beauty” (1999); the practical information about writing and editing methods, including the Nutshell Technique and the six tasks of a dialogue, were derived from various handbooks on writing a screenplay. Not only did this thesis allow me to embody my film idea into a script, it also helped me to sharpen my knowledge and skills in creative writing.