Hello, it's Mrs. Butterworth here, and it is so great to see so many of you here for today's English lesson.

Now, this lesson, we're going to be thinking about "The Twisted Tree" and how we can turn it into a script.

So we'll be looking at small sections and thinking about how we can change that prose into a dramatic script.

Sounds good, huh? So, let's get started.

So in this lesson, you will turn a key scene from "The Twisted Tree" into a written script.

But before we begin the lesson, let's look at those all important keywords that we will need throughout the lesson.

So these words are script, stage directions, dialogue, act, and character profiles, so let's just look at those definitions to make sure we really understand what these are.

So a script is the written text of a play, including dialogue and instructions for performance, so this is what we will be creating today.

The stage directions are instructions in the script that tell actors where to go, how to move, and how to speak.

Stage directions are incredibly important, and they can be really creative and really descriptive in order to get across all the information required to create characterization, setting, and other information.

The dialogue is the spoken words between characters in a play, so obviously, dialogue is very important, and we must make sure we craft it to suit our characters' voices.

An act is a major division within a play, often encompassing several scenes.

And finally, character profiles.

Now, these are brief descriptions of characters that outline their personalities and roles in the script.

So remember, a script is all about, is written to be performed, so the writer needs to make sure that they give enough information so that we know what the characters are like, how they behave, what they think, how they feel, in order for that performance to be successful.

So the outline of our lesson looks like this.

We're going to just focus the first parts on revising the features of a script, so make sure that we know all of that.

And then we're gonna think about how we write our scripts, how we are going to transform "The Twisted Tree" from prose to a script.

So let's begin by revising those features of a script.

So, quick thoughts.

What key features do you remember from a script? So pause the video and just either jot some ideas down very quickly, think to yourself, or you may wish to discuss.

But what key features do you remember from a script? Off you go.

Okay, fantastic.

Lots of you remembering lots of those features.

So you might have said the name of the scene, the act and scene number, character profiles, character names, stage directions, and dialogue.

So all of these things are key features of a script, which will be very important for this lesson.

So in today's lesson, we are going to take a key moment from "The Twisted Tree" and write it as a script, so we're going to transform prose into a script.

So I want you to think back now to "The Twisted Tree" and have a little think about what key moments from the story do you think would make a good script.

So you can think quietly to yourself, you may wish to discuss with a partner, or jot down some ideas.

So what key moments from the story do you think would make a good script? You may want to pause your the video now to give yourself time to do that.

Okay, so let's share some ideas.

You may have come up with something different.

If you're struggling to think of something, this will help you now.

So you might have said, when Martha meets Stig for the first time, that's a really good moment, isn't it, where the characters interact? When Martha meets the Norns, again, another really good place where different characters react.

When Martha meets the draugr, so lots of action there, lots of conflict and tension.

And when Martha is reunited with her mother, which again, a really emotional interaction between characters, which could be really interesting in terms of a script.

So let's look at an example of a script from when Martha meets Stig for the first time.

So this is a script that has been written based on this moment in the novel.

So, let's read it through together.

"Act one, scene one, Mormor's Cabin, "characters, Martha, a troubled teenager, "Stig, a mysterious boy.

"The scene opens in Mormor's cabin, "dimly lit and filled with the scent of old wood and herbs.

"Martha stands near the doorway, "hesitantly glancing around the room.

"Stig is sitting in a corner, partially hidden by shadows." Isn't that fantastic? It really brings Mormor's cabin to life, doesn't it, and adds loads of intrigue and suspense.

So I'd like you to discuss, just look at that script again, and I'd like you to discuss what features of a script can you see there.

So pause the video to give yourself time to identify those features of the script, off you go.

Okay, so you may have identified the act and scene, so we've also got a title there as well.

So it's act one, scene one, Mormor's Cabin.

So we've got act, scene, and a title.

You may have noticed that the characters are listed, so these are the characters that are going to be in the scene.

But they also include a very short profile, a troubled teenager, a mysterious boy.

So we have to assume that this play, the people who are performing this play may have never read the novel, so they need to have an understanding of what the characters are like.

And then the opening stage directions, which I really love.

They outline the settings, the mood, and the characters' actions, so we can see all of that in those opening stage directions.

So let's read the next part of this scene.

"Martha, whispering to herself, 'Mormor.

' "She steps further inside, "eyes scanning the familiar surroundings.

"Suddenly, she notices Stig.

"Martha, startled, 'Who are you? "'What are you doing here?' "Stig, emerging from the shadows.

"'I'm Stig, I shouldn't be here, but who are you?' "Martha, defensively, 'I'm Martha.

"'This is my grandmother's cabin, or it was.

'" Okay, so again, we notice that we've got those stage directions describing what the actions of the characters and how they should move and behave.

So you'll notice that they can include whole sentences.

So as well as those smaller stage directions in brackets, you can include whole sentences indicating how a character should move and behave.

And like I just said, they can also include short words and phrases, telling actors how to perform individual lines.

So the stage directions are such an important part of the script in terms of bringing the characters to life, allowing the performers to understand the characterization of their parts and also what is happening.

So true or false time, stage directions should only be short words and phrases telling actors how to perform individual lines.

Is this true or false? Okay, should we look at the answer? Who's feeling confident? How many of you said false? Well done to all of you who said false, but now you need to explain why.

Okay, has everyone got an explanation as to why that statement is false? Okay, so you may have said something like, "Although stage directions can take this form, "they can also take the form of extended sentences "outlining how a character should move "and behave more generally." So you've got actually two types of stage directions.

Yes, they can be short words and phrases, but they can also be extended sentences, giving a bit more details about character and setting.

Okay, so our first practise task.

In a moment, we're going to look at the scene between Stig and Martha, but what you may notice about this scene is the stage directions have been left out.

So it's going to be your job to add stage directions to this part of the script to give the actors more information about how to deliver the lines.

So a good way to think about this is they can either be a specific action, so e.

g.

nodding, or an adjective or adverb that outlines the emotion of the lines, so for example, suspiciously.

So let's just look at the script together.

Okay, so this is what the script looks like.

You can see how it's missing those stage directions here.

So we'll read it through together, and then it will be your turn to complete the task.

So, "Stig, 'I ran away from home.

"'I needed somewhere to stay.

' "Martha, 'Why here? "'How did you even find this place?' "Stig, 'I just stumbled upon it.

"'It seemed safe, but I can leave if you want.

' "Martha, 'No wait, it's just I wasn't expecting anyone, "'especially not after,' voice trails off.

"Stig, 'I'm really sorry about your grandmother.

"'I can see she means a lot to you.

' "Martha, 'She did.

"'I came here to feel close to her again.

"'My parents don't understand.

' "Stig, 'I know what it feels like to feel alone.

"'Maybe we can help each other.

' So you can see how without stage directions, it becomes very monotone and not very dramatic.

So that's your job to put those stage directions into those blanks, so let's just look back at the task.

So, you will need to add the stage directions to get to the part of the script to give the actors more information about how to deliver the lines, okay.

So pause the video to complete those stage directions, and hopefully, we can really bring this script to life.

Okay, off you go.

Great work, everyone.

I really enjoyed hearing some of you reading those scripts aloud to test out different stage directions in terms of how those lines should be delivered.

So we're going to have a look now at an example of how you could have approached this task.

So you may have something completely different.

There are so many different ways to complete this task, so don't worry if you have something different, but maybe use this as an opportunity to compare or just reflect on your own task.

And likewise, if you're missing any stage directions, now is a good time to add them.

Okay, let's see how we brought this to life.

"Stig, looking away, 'I ran away from home.

"'I needed somewhere to stay.

' "Martha, suspiciously, 'Why here? "'How did you even find this place?' "Stig, sighing, 'I just stumbled upon it.

"'It seemed safe, but I can leave if you want.

' "Martha, softening, 'No wait, "'it's just I wasn't expecting anyone, "'especially not after,' voice trails off.

"Stig, sympathetically, "'I'm really sorry about your grandmother.

"'I can see she meant a lot to you.

' "Martha, nodding, 'She did.

"'I came here to feel close to her again.

"'My parents don't understand.

' "Stig, understanding, 'I know what it's like to feel alone.

"'Maybe we can help each other.

'" So you can see how those stage directions really change the delivery of those lines.

It stops it being very monotone and really brings the characterization to life.

Good job, everyone, let's keep going.

We are now on the second part of our lesson.

So we've revised the features of a script.

We've had a practise at writing some stage directions, and now we're gonna be thinking about creating our own scripts.

So in this part of the lesson, we are going to focus on writing up a key scene from "The Twisted Tree" as a script, just like the example we just looked at.

So, quick thoughts, so you may want to discuss this or jot down some ideas or think to yourself, what do we include at the beginning of a script for a scene? Okay, you may want to pause the video or just quickly come up with an answer, off you go.

Okay, great, lots of really quick answers there.

So let's just share the feedback.

So you may have said the act and scene number is included at the beginning of the script.

You may have said the characters in a scene, so all of the characters need to be listed at the start.

And then also those detailed stage directions of the setting always appear at, not always, but usually appear at the start of a scene.

So this is really important, these detailed stage directions of the setting, so they may include where the story is set, the time of day, the season, the weather.

It may mention the mood and the atmosphere, so the director/performers know the kinda vibe they're going for, the time period, and the class, age, background of the characters.

So just some kind of key information to allow the performers to understand the characterization.

Okay, so multiple answers need to be found here, so there is more than one correct answer.

The opening stage directions outlining setting can include weather, time of day, character dialogue, and season.

Okay, so which of those can be included in the opening stage directions? Pick your answers now.

Are we ready to hear the answers? Okay, so you should have three answers, so hopefully we have all found three.

And it is the weather, time of day, and the season can be included in those opening stage directions.

Character dialogue isn't included in stage directions, that's separate.

Okay, so we're gonna think about the scene where Stig meets Martha for the first time, and I want us to think about the opening stage directions and what we could include in these.

So let's just look at the different things.

So we're thinkin' about our opening stage directions, so we could include where the story is set, the time of day, the season, the weather, the mood or atmosphere, the time period, the class, age, or background of the characters.

So we're thinking about the scene where Stig meets Martha for the first time, so what could we add in each of these to our opening stage directions? So, for example, where the story is set, you might include Norway.

Okay, so pause the video so you've got time to discuss this, or you may just wish to think quietly to yourself or jot down some ideas.

Okay, so pause the video, so you've got time to think about this, off you go.

Okay, lots of fantastic ideas as to how we can craft our opening stage directions and what to include, so let's just look at some ideas.

So we could include where the story is set, so a remote Norwegian cabin.

We could include the time of day, so perhaps sunset.

The season, as we know from the novel, is the depths of winter.

We know that the writer describes the winter quite a lot.

The weather, we might say that a snow storm rages outside, because again, in the novel, there was a big description of the wind and the storm to really create an atmosphere.

We might describe the mood and atmosphere as melancholic and eerie.

So the time period, we could kind of suggest that it's the early 2010s.

And the class, age, background of the characters.

We could say something like, there's two teenagers each seeking to be alone, so that just gives us a bit of a description about the characters.

So when we're thinking about those opening stage directions, we can include some of these things to really bring the description alive for our directors or our performers.

So, we're going to put all of those ideas together to create our opening stage direction.

So we've got that list, but we need to write it into full sentences, so it could potentially look like this.

"A remote Norwegian cabin nestled "in the depths of a dense forest.

"It is sunset, "casting a dim orange glow "through the small frosted windows.

"The depths of winter grip the scene "with snow piled high against the walls of the cabin.

"Outside, a snowstorm rages, "the wind howling and snow whipping violently "against the structure.

"Inside, the cabin is dimly lit "and filled with the scent of old wood and herbs.

"A crumpled newspaper lies on the floor, "dated February 2012." "Two teenagers are present, "each having sought refuge here to be alone.

"Martha stands near the doorway, "hesitantly glancing around the room.

"Stig is sitting in a corner, partially hidden by shadows." What a fantastic opening stage direction, right? It's so descriptive, and it really brings the setting, the characters, the time of day, the mood, it really brings it to life, doesn't it? You can imagine a director or performer picking up this script and knowing exactly what they need to do.

So with that in mind, it's over to you now to write your own script.

So choose one of the moments below and turn it into a dramatic scene with an accompanying script.

So you may choose when Martha meets Stig for the first time.

We've done a lot of work on that already today, or you may choose something different.

So when Martha meets the Norns, when Martha meets the draugr, or when Martha is reunited with her mother.

Now you must remember that your script must contain the following, the name of the scene, so you will need to give it a title, the act, and scene number, character profile, so that brief description of the characters in your scene, character names, those all important stage directions, and dialogue.

Okay, so remember with your dialogue, you want it to sound like the characters.

Okay, so when you're ready and you've got everything you need, pause the video so you can write your script.

I cannot wait to see what you create.

Good luck, and off you go.

Well, good job, playwrights.

This has been fantastic.

I loved hearing you read your scripts aloud to test how the dialogue sounded.

Some of the opening stage directions are just beautiful.

I love how descriptive they are.

And the character profiles of the different characters, so descriptions of the draugr, really fantastic.

I could see these on stage, definitely.

So Lucas has given us his section from his opening stage direction, so let's have a look at those.

"It is a freezing winter night outside Mormor's cabin "with the twisted tree casting eerie shadows "under a dim moon.

"The air is filled with the smell of decay, "as Martha, trembling but resolute, "faces the menacing draugr.

"The undead creature with rotting flesh and glowing eyes "advances slowly, its presence permeating fear and death.

"Martha, holding a sharpened branch, steels herself." Okay, so over to you to think about this.

So I'd like you to discuss what do you like about Lucas's opening stage directions, and is there any feedback you could give him? Okay, pause the video, so you've got time to reread those stage directions and discuss or think about what you like about these opening stage directions and any feedback that you might give Lucas.

Off you go.

Okay, fantastic, so thinking about those discussions and those ideas, you may want to spend a moment now just revisiting your own work and thinking about how effective it is, and you may wish to improve it at another time.

So fantastic and creative work today, everyone.

I loved seeing these, and as I say, I can almost imagine this book becoming a play, which is just fantastic.

So let's just read through everything that we have looked at.

So we've revised our scripts, and we know that scripts can transform key moments from stories into structured, performable scenes.

We know that scripts must include the act and scene number, character profiles, character names, stage directions, and dialogue.

Stage directions can describe the setting, time of day, weather, mood, and a character's actions and emotions.

Dialogue specifies what each character says with accompanying stage directions on how to deliver the lines.

Effective script writing requires detailed opening stage directions to establish the scene's atmosphere and context.

So good job, everyone, and thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

Can't wait to have another English lesson with you all soon, so I will see you then, goodbye.