Advanced Screenwriting

The final draft of your script is due to me, in my office, no later than 5.00 pm, Wednesday, December 8. This final draft must be flawlessly formatted, printed single-sided, three-hole punched, and bound with brass paper fasteners (brads).

Due during the class period before your workshop slot:
A draft of your full script. You will, one last time, need to make sufficient photocopies of your script (double-sided is fine) for everyone in the class, and you will distribute those copies during the class session before your workshop slot, so that your peers will be able to provide you with thoughtful feedback.

Due Monday, November 15:
Your script’s completed second act is due to me at the end of class; you need only turn in one copy. Please make sure it is properly formatted, and please print single-sided.

Due during the class period before your workshop slot:
Ten pages of Act II. Remember that you’ll need to give us enough set-up information, to give us sufficient context for what we read.
You will, again, need to make sufficient photocopies of your pages (double-sided is fine) for everyone in the class, and you will distribute those copies during the class session before your workshop slot, so that your peers will be able to provide you with thoughtful feedback.

Due Wednesday, October 20:
Analyzing the Second Act
Choose any of the films that we have watched and discussed thus far this semester, and carefully analyze its second act. How is the second act constructed? When do its key moments of conflict occur? How is the tension intensified through the act? How are the characters further developed? Your analysis should be 3-5 pages, double-spaced.

Due Wednesday, October 13:
Your script’s completed first act is due to me at the end of class; you need only turn in one copy. Please make sure it is properly formatted, and please print single-sided.

Due during the class period before your workshop slot:
Ten pages of Act I. These may be the first ten pages, or they may come from later in the act; if they come from later, you’ll need to give us the set-up, so we have sufficient context for what we read.
You will, again, need to make sufficient photocopies of your pages (double-sided is fine) for everyone in the class, and you will distribute those copies during the class session before your workshop slot, so that your peers will be able to provide you with thoughtful feedback.

Due during the class period before your workshop slot:
The Treatment
For this assignment, you should produce your screenplay’s narrative synopsis, making sure to give your reader a sense of your script’s context and genre, a strong outline of its key characters, and all of the major plot points, including the hook, the key turning points, and the resolution. Your treatment should be between five and ten pages long, double-spaced.
You will need to make sufficient photocopies of your treatment (double-sided is fine) for everyone in the class, and you will distribute those copies during the class session before your workshop slot, so that your peers will be able to provide you with thoughtful feedback.

Due Wednesday, September 15:
Part A: Character Bios
Write a 1-3 page background description of your main character(s). What is their “problem”? Where are they from? What do they look like? What’s eating them? What is their secret? What is their emotional history? Medical history? Social history? Romantic history? Who are their heroes? Who would they vote for? What causes would move them? What scares them? How do they feel about themselves and other people? What do they want in life? Include all the detail you can possibly imagine, whether or not you think you’ll use it in the actual script.
Part B. Story
Write a paragraph on each act of your script that describes the major plot points and action as you now visualize it. Emphasize action rather than explanation. Just tell what happens.

Due Monday, September 6:
First, read the script for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and then watch the film. Make notes for yourself as you read and watch.
Bring to class a timeline listing the key plot points in the script, noting the pages they occur in the script and the times they occur in the film.