Writing the Science Fiction Film

Introduction

Chapter 1: What is Science Fiction?
• ?The difference between science fiction and fantasy
• Why write science fiction?
• A genre or a setting?
• The science fiction landscape
• Exercise one

Chapter 2: Finding your story
• Finding the future in the present
• Everyday tools for collecting ideas
• What if? and the vast pool of story sources
• Close to home or far, far away
• Exercise two

Chapter 3: Creating characters
• But it's about people, right?
• Who is your hero, and why that guy?
• Sidekicks and buddies
• Family, factions, friction and foes
• Human characters
• Non-Human characters - how alien is alien?
• Thinking about viewpoint
• Exercise three

Chapter 4: Plotting
• Turning an idea into a story
• Brainstorming
• What are you trying to say?
• Establishing Theme
• Avoiding clichés
• Exercise four

Chapter 5: Building your world
• Deciding on setting
• Establishing rules
• Sketching the backdrop
• Drawing in the detail
• Exercise five

Chapter 6: ?Getting the Science Right Part 1
• Indistinguishable from magic
• When the science matters....
• ....and when it doesn't
• Right science and lazy science
• Doing the research
• Exercise six

Chapter 7: ?Getting the Science Right Part 2
• People and places
• About robots
• Travelling through space
• The physics of space
• Noise and explosions
• A word about time travel
• Exercise seven

Chapter 8: "George, you can type this shit, but you sure as hell can't say it.”
• The dialogue of the future
• The way people speak
• Make it make sense
• Formal speech and street slang
• Creating an alien language
• Dealing with exposition
• Making description work harder
• Exercise eight

Chapter 9: Start writing
• Mood and tone
• The opening scene
• The first 10 pages
• Don't bore the reader
• Don't baffle the reader
• Exercise nine

Chapter 10: Why stop at writing?
• The future is now
• Lo/No-budget science fiction
• Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing
• Shooting on digital
• Desktop CGI, Props and f/x
• Digital distribution

The Last Word

Genre Festivals

IntroductionChapter 1: What is Science Fiction?• ?The difference between science fiction and fantasy• Why write science fiction?• A genre or a setting?• The science fiction landscape• Exercise oneChapter 2: Finding your story• Finding the future in the present• Everyday tools for collecting ideas• What if? and the vast pool of story sources• Close to home or far, far away• Exercise twoChapter 3: Creating characters• But it's about people, right?• Who is your hero, and why that guy?• Sidekicks and buddies• Family, factions, friction and foes• Human characters• Non-Human characters - how alien is alien?• Thinking about viewpoint• Exercise threeChapter 4: Plotting• Turning an idea into a story• Brainstorming• What are you trying to say?• Establishing Theme• Avoiding clichés• Exercise fourChapter 5: Building your world• Deciding on setting• Establishing rules• Sketching the backdrop• Drawing in the detail• Exercise fiveChapter 6: ?Getting the Science Right Part 1• Indistinguishable from magic• When the science matters....• ....and when it doesn't• Right science and lazy science• Doing the research• Exercise sixChapter 7: ?Getting the Science Right Part 2• People and places• About robots• Travelling through space• The physics of space• Noise and explosions• A word about time travel• Exercise sevenChapter 8: "George, you can type this shit, but you sure as hell can't say it.”• The dialogue of the future• The way people speak• Make it make sense• Formal speech and street slang• Creating an alien language• Dealing with exposition• Making description work harder• Exercise eightChapter 9: Start writing• Mood and tone• The opening scene• The first 10 pages• Don't bore the reader• Don't baffle the reader• Exercise nineChapter 10: Why stop at writing?• The future is now• Lo/No-budget science fiction• Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing• Shooting on digital• Desktop CGI, Props and f/x• Digital distributionThe Last WordGenre Festivals