Self taught award-winning scriptwriter explains what it takes to make a good film

In scriptwriting there is the belief that a page is worth a minute of filming. That is a lie, says Brian Munene.

The award-winning scriptwriter reckons that good films are not determined by the length of their scripts, but rather by the completeness of their stories. For instance, one of his short films, My Faith, was 24 minutes long with only an eight-page script.

“Some of the projects we do are a group effort, someone can say they want to do a film of someone in car. Another will ask, “why is he in that car?” That is where a scriptwriter comes in. We are charged with coming up with the character’s motivation, needs, wants and goal. In a nutshell, determine what the character wants to be achieved at the end of the film,” he says.

Munene’s passion for scriptwriting started during his primary and secondary study years. He says his teachers noticed his talent and encouraged him. In high school, he was acting as well and one of his plays reached the provincial level of the Kenya Drama Festival.

After high school, he met Likarion Wanaina who was part of a travelling theatre group performing plays based on high school literature set books. The two found that they shared the some interest and vision and therefore decided to do a short film.

“We realised that there were a lot of things missing. So he (Wainaina) started studying the directing craft while I focused on the writing part. We did this and still do through forums and research from books and the Internet,” he says.

Under their production house, Kibanda Pictures, the two have collaborated on award- winning short films like My Faith where he won the 2015 Riverwood Award for Best Scriptwriter. My Faith also won Best East African Film and Best Actress awards at the inaugural 2015 Mashariki African Film Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.

This year, they will be submitting their latest short film, Before and After based on the post-election violence to various film festivals. Both these short films are available on YouTube.

Munene points out that the biggest challenge in the Kenyan film industry is the lack of a local style and culture of how to make a film. So most of his short films are experimental. Their strategy so far, he says, has been to try and target as many people as possible using the underlaying themes in their films.

Although not everyone will understand the message, the idea, he adds, is to make people understand where the film is going and what the story is about. It is the same process employed by a lot of viewers who do not relate with Hollywood movies, especially science fiction, but nonetheless understand them and immerse themselves in the story.

“The question should not be will they relate to the story, but rather do they understand this story?” He says.

According to Munene, there are qualities that characterise a good script.

“You need to know where your script is set. The setting determines a lot of things, like the mood, how people react and relate to each other. People tend to be happy during Christmas and unhappy around July after the national budget, maybe because a new tax has been introduced,” he says adding, “The setting sets up the plot.”

To further explain the plot element in scriptwriting, he uses an analogy of a character trying to get to town within five minutes, only that the country’s president is using the same road he intends to use for his commute. Like the case when Kenya’s president is on the move, all other motorists are ordered off the road.

Dilemma

Munene says given such a twist, the plot becomes interesting because the character is then plunged into a dilemma about how he can get to town. Without the president aspect in the story, he says, the plot then becomes flat.

Munene says part of a scriptwriter’s job is to come up with interesting characters.

“You get a character who has been selling newspapers outside an office building and suddenly wins a million shillings. He is confused and his life totally changes. An interesting character is a normal everyday person that is faced with an extraordinary situation,” says Munene.

To create authentic characters, research is key. A scriptwriter looks for people similar to his character and looks to learn what drives the person- worldview, mannerisms and reactions to certain situations.

“You need at least three days of full interaction (with the person). There are mannerisms that you can never get from an interview. It is actually a plus to go to the field with them because they will do things that they do not realise they are doing,” he says.

Once the research is done, the character has to have a goal. The protagonist’s goal has to be clear; if it is Superman, he wants to save the world.

“The protagonist’s ultimate goal is what the rest of cast members rally for or against. And this brings in another element; you cannot have a protagonist without an antagonist. Superman needs Lex Luther,” he says. The harder it is for a hero to achieve his goal the more interesting the film, he says.

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