Advanced Screenwriting

Advanced Screenwriting

1

FMS 409

Advanced Screenwriting

Spring 2008

Professor: Daniel Cutrara

Office: LL 645C

Office Phone: (480) 727-6925

Email Address:

COURSE OUTLINE

Through a combination of lecture, discussion and workshops, students will complete a feature length film. They may choose either a traditional or alternative structure for their screenplay. Students will also develop their ability to analyze the various elements of a feature film, including concept, character arc, dialogue, and plot devices such as suspense, surprise, dramatic irony, planting and payoff. This course is not only an opportunity for students to learn the techniques necessary to write a feature but it is also an opportunity for them to grow in their overall understanding of writing and an understanding of themselves as writers.

Reading: There are two books that need to be purchased for this course:

  • McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. New York: Harper Collins, 1997.
  • Trottier, David. The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 2005.

You will likely need to purchase these books at the ASU bookstore or from an online distributor such as Amazon.

Screening: Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino, 1994. You will be responsible for viewing this on your own. You can get the movie from such places as Blockbuster or Netflix.

Peer Critique and Feedback: An important part of becoming a writer is gaining insight to other writing and expressing that insight in an articulate and constructive way. Throughout this course you will offer your peers feedback and critique. The nature of your comments should be encouraging and supportive but also helpful and insightful. As the old saying goes, “The sword of truth doesn’t have to decapitate. It can simply point.” (If you experience criticism that is not consistent with these goals, let your instructor know.)

Plagiarism Policy: You are expected to turn in original work for this course. Taking credit for another's idea or writing is plagiarism, which is a serious violation of the University's Code of Academic Integrity: Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. This principle is furthered by the student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures established by ABOR Policies 5-308-5-403, all provisions of which apply to all Arizona State University students. If you are unsure how to credit your source, ask a member of the teaching team for clarification.

GRADED WORK

We expect every student to leave this course with a better -- more insightful -- understanding of screenwriting and what it means to be a writer.

Participation (50 Points): Class attendance is essential. You need to be there to support and critique one another’s work as it unfolds in the workshop.

Assignment 1: Script Analysis (100 Points): This is your midterm. You will apply McKee’s concepts of character, structure, etc. in a thorough analysis of a screenplay chosen from an approved list.

Assignment 2: Peer Feedback (50 points)

You will exchange your work in progress, pages 1-60. Give your peers supportive and encouraging critiques, but also comment with respect to strengths and weaknesses. In your final draft, you will also be asked to submit a response to the feedback that you received on your work in progress, explaining why you did or did not incorporate feedback into any revisions.

Assignment 3: Final Draft (200 Points): You will be expected to finish a feature length screenplay along with a revised treatment. The treatment should be 4-5 pages in length. The script will be evaluated based on four components: 1) format and grammar, 2) the deployment of the craft, i.e. how well do you use conflict, dramatic irony, surprise, etc. 3) how well did you handle feedback in revising the work, 4) and finally, is the work creative/fresh?

Grading Scale - 0 to 400 Points

A+ ..... 400+ Points

A ..... 372 - 399 Points

A- ..... 360 - 371 Points

B+ ..... 352 - 359 Points

B ..... 332 - 351 Points

B- ..... 320 - 331 Points

C+ ..... 312 - 319 Points

C ..... 280 - 311 Points

D ..... 240 - 279 Points

E ..... 000 - 239 Points

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 01: Conflict (Wednesday, 1/21)

Reading: Chapter 14, “The Principle of Antagonism” (McKee, 1997)

Media:Ordinary People (Redford, 1980)

Lecture: Conflict

Week 02: Scenes (Monday, 1/26)

Reading: Chapter 11, “Scene Analysis” (McKee, 1997)

Media:Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942)

Lecture: Scene Breakdown

Workshop: Pitch Story (Wednesday, 1/28)

Week 03: Genre (Monday, 2/2)

Reading: Chapter 4, “Structure and Genre” (McKee, 1997)

Media:Alien (Scott, 1979)

Aliens (Cameron, 1986)

Lecture: Make it Fresh

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 2/4)

Week 04: Subplots (Monday, 2/9)

Reading: Chapter 9, “Act Design,” pp226-232 (Subplots and Multiple Plots) (McKee, 1997)

Media:Tootsie (Pollack, 1982)

Lecture: Subplot and Secondary Characters

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 2/11)

Week 05: Pacing (Monday, 2/16)

Reading: Chapter 12, “Composition,” pp. 288-294 (McKee, 1997)

Media:Independence Day (Emmerich, 1996)

Lecture: Rhythm and Tempo

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 2/18 )

Week 06: Comedy (Monday, 2/23)

Reading: Chapter 16, “Problems and Solutions,” pp. 359-362 (McKee, 1997)

Media:Wedding Crashers (Dobkin, 2005)

Lecture: Negotiating Story and Laughs

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 2/25)

Assignment 1: Script Analysis due- upload to digital drop box by Friday, 2/27, 11:00pm MST.

Week 07: The Structure Spectrum (Monday, 3/2)

Reading: Chapter 2, “The Structure Spectrum” (McKee, 1997)

Media:After Hours (Scorsese, 1985)

Shortcuts (Altman, 1993)

Lecture: Rules of Engagement

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 3/4)

SPRING BREAK 3/8-3/15

Week 08: Structure (Monday, 3/16)

Reading: Chapter 9, “Act Design” (McKee, 1997)

Screening:Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)

Lecture: Departing from the 3 Act Structure

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 3/18 )

Week 09: Designing the Progression (Monday, 3/23)

Reading: Chapter 12, “Composition,” pp. 294-302 (McKee, 1997)

Media:The Deer Hunter (Cimino, 1978)

Lecture: Breaking Through, Progressions in your work

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 3/25)

Week 10: Peer Review (Monday, 3/30)

Lecture: The Art of Constructive Feedback

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 4/1)

Week 11: Point of View and Adaptation (Monday, 4/6)

Reading: Chapter 16, “Problems and Solutions” (McKee, 1997)

Media:Dark Passage (Daves, 1947)

Lecture: Problems and Solutions

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 4/8)

Assignment 2: Peer Feedback due- upload to digital drop box by Friday, 4/3, 11:00pm MST.

Week 12: Image Systems (Monday, 4/13)

Reading: Chapter 18, “Text,” pp. 400-409 (McKee, 1997)

Media:Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)

Lecture: Poetry of the Screenwriter/ Image Systems in your work

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 4/15)

Week 13: The Rewrite (Monday, 4/20)

Reading: Book IV, “Writing and Revising…” (Trottier, 2005)

Media:Adaptation (Jonze, 2002)

Lecture: Sacrifice, Nothing is Wasted/ Revision Process

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 4/22)

Week 14: Write (Monday, 4/27)

Workshop: Pages

Workshop: Pages (Wednesday, 4/29)

Week 15: The Business (Monday, 5/4)

Reading: Book V, “How to Sell Your Script” (Trottier, 2005)

Media:The Player (Altman, 1992)

Lecture: Being Proactive/Strategies for an Emerging Writer

Assignment 3: Final Draf and Treatment due- upload to digital drop box by Friday, 5/8, 11:00pm MST.