ARTS HIGH SCHOOL

Lynn Irby-Jackson, Principal

HIGH SCHOOL

PERFORMING ARTS & TELEVISION DEPARTMENT

Mr. James Manno, Vice-Principal

SUMMER PACKET

COURSE: TV III

TEACHER: RAFOLS

STUDENT NAME ______

June 2015

Television Production III

Summer Assignment

Welcome Juniors to your third year at Arts High School! This year will be your most important year in high school as you begin to create the path to your future. In Television Production III, we will focus more on the film aspect, which is significantly different from television. Throughout the year, several different topics will be given for you to produce an original piece to showcase throughout the school. We may also collaborate with other performing arts departments, and work as a team to contribute projects to our major.

For your summer assignment, you will begin pre-production (the most important phase of production) on a suspense/drama/romance film. It all begins with your message. Ask yourself, what is the message I want to tell? Then begin using your creativity to tell your story. Please use the following guidelines for your summer assignment:

DUE 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL:

  1. Synopsis/ Brainstorm of your Project
  2. Emailed/ Saved on Flash completed Screenplay Exercise on Page 9
  3. Emailed/ Saved on Flash of completed Minimum of 1000-word Screenplay of YOUR MOVIE.
  • Watch a movie. (Use the Internet or watch a movie to INSPIRE your project.)
  • Jot down shots/ angles/ sequences you enjoyed while watching the film.
  • Some drama/ romance examples you may enjoy:

1

  • Forrest Gump
  • Cyberbully
  • She’s All That
  • 17 Again
  • Juno
  • 10 Things I Hate About You
  • Precious
  • A Walk to Remember

1

  • Some suspense examples you may enjoy:

1

  • Insidious
  • The Grudge
  • The Ring
  • The Shining
  • Jennifer’s Body
  • Amityville Horror
  • Psycho
  • The Conjuring

1

Write a 1000-word story formatting into screenplay format:

  • Read the attachment of how to create a suspenseful movie.
  • Brainstorm (submitted for grade)
  • Format using the given SCREENPLAY example
  • Read the attachment on formatting a screenplay
  • Complete the exercise (submitted for grade)
  • Break-up scene-by-scene and make sure IT MAKES SENSE.
  • You don’t want people watching your projects asking questions about “how things got where” and “That didn’t make sense.” A major part of your grade is your thoughtfulness towards the project, and anybody can tell how much you truly spent time thinking about your story by simply watching it.
  • Create suspense
  • Examples
  • The supernatural
  • Chase sequences throughout the school/ scene.
  • Mysterious objects
  • Storyboard ideas for creative shots
  • Include different SHOTS and ANGLES (CUs and ECUs are very important)
  • Describe your scene
  • Include dialogue
  • See the attached rubric for full grading and attached storyboard for proper layout.
  • Begin scouting people to play your characters and find locations to film your projects.
  • Begin scouting and securing locations you may want to record your movie: diners, hotels, parks, etc.

MOVIE Requirements

  • Film has to be a minimum of 5 minutes in length.
  • Any project less is an automatic FAILURE of the project.
  • Do not include any acts of physical violence, but get creative
  • NO Stabbing, Punching, Kicking, Physical Violence or Intimacy
  • Production may begin in September
  • Grading: Story (Treatment), Treatment Presentation, Storyboard, Production days, Editing, Final Copy.
  • Email Final Story and screenplay to or Y SEPTEMBER 3RD.

Failure to complete the assignment without the requirements will result in a multiple “F” grade and likely suspension of Essex County College privileges with a phone call home. Projects that receive a “D” or “F” grade will not be played at the Television Gala. Projects with a “C” grade will be considered, but not guaranteed to play.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at text (732.322.4805) and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Let’s begin Junior year right. Continue “building your brand” and preparing for your future! Have a great and safe summer!

Mr. Rafols

Tips on creating a story

  1. First, you need to make sure both your protagonist (hero) and antagonist (villain) are very solid and well defined. This applies to any main characters as well.
    A common problem with action stories is putting more focus on the events rather than the characters. You have to keep in mind your readers will likely keep reading based on how much they care about and believe the characters. If you need help in creating characters, I've included a free template below. The best "name generator" for characters is also free--your local phone book
  1. Step2

Allow your readers to know both sides of the story.
One way to create tension is to give the reader a view of the villain's plans that the hero doesn't know. As the hero gets closer to reaching the villain, the reader will feel more and more internal conflict since they know obstacles in the way that the hero is going to encounter.

  1. Step3

Use an A story/B story format.
You can see this in a lot of action-based television shows. At a moment of great suspense for one set of characters, the next scene goes to the situation of a different set of characters.
This shifting back and forth between parallel plots keeps suspense high. It also allows you to create the climax to the story that merges the A and B story. If you want a more complicated story, you can even do more than 2 sub-stories. Just be sure the reader can still follow what's happening.

  1. Step4

Timing is important.
In any action or suspense story, there is almost always a time limit involved. This puts your hero under pressure and causes him or her to have to make quick decisions.

  1. Step5

Keep adding problems and conflicts.
Your hero needs to be pushed to his or her limit, but not to the point of breaking. Just when the reader thinks one problem is resolved, throw another one into the mix.

  1. Step6

Don't always do what the reader expects is going to happen.
If you read a lot of books or even watch a lot of well-written TV shows, you develop this ability to see what are supposed to be "twists" in a story before they happen. As a writer, you almost have to put more thought into it--doing what would even surprise you. This gives the readers something very unique and makes your work stand out. If an idea comes to you, you can always go back into previous sections of the story and drop a clue or two.

FORMATTING YOUR SCREENPLAY

You've plotted your story, developed your characters, and written a scene-by-scene outline of your story. Now you're ready to write it in professional screenplay format.

Keep in mind that a screenplay is visual and your characters' actions move the story forward from scene to scene. Actions show the audience what it needs to know. Your characters' dialogue supports the actions. Seeing a character do something is far more powerful than having him or her talk about it.

Think of a scene as a unit of action. In each scene, define who (character or characters), what (situation), when (time of day), where (place of action), and why (purpose of the action).

Scene Headings: Each time your characters move to a different setting, a new scene heading is required.

Scene headings are typed on one line with some words abbreviated and all words capitalized.

Specifically, the location of a scene is listed before the time of day when the scene takes place.

Example: A scene set inside a hospital emergency room at night would have the following heading:

INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT

Interior is always abbreviated INT. and exterior is abbreviated EXT. A small dash (hyphen on your keyboard) separates the location of the scene from the time of day. Leave a two-line space following the scene heading before writing your scene description.

Scene descriptions are typed across the page from left margin to right margin.

Names of characters are displayed in all capital letters the first time they are used in a description, and these names always use all capital letters in a dialogue heading.

Example:

CATHY sits at the end of the first row of plastic chairs. Her head is bent over, and she stares intently at the floor.

The names of characters who have no dialogue are not capitalized when mentioned in scene descriptions.

Example:

A man moans softly as he presses a bloody gauze pad against his forehead. A woman cradles a listless infant in her arms.

Sounds the audience will hear are capitalized (eg, ROAR or WHISTLE). "Sounds made by characters are not considered sound cues and do not require capitalization."

Dialogue is centered on the page under the character's name, which is always in all capital letters when used as a dialogue heading.

Example:

DOCTOR

I'm sorry…

If you describe the way a character looks or speaks before the dialogue begins or as it begins, this is typed below the character's name in parentheses.

Example:

DOCTOR

(Apologetically)

We did everything possible.

Here is an example of a complete scene in the screenplay format:

INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - NIGHT

A crowded hospital emergency waiting room. Clean but cheerless.

Sick and injured people sit in plastic chairs lined up in rows. A TV mounted near the ceiling BLARES a sitcom. No one is watching.

A man moans softly as he presses a bloody gauze pad against his forehead. A woman cradles a listless infant in her arms.

CATHY sits at the end of the first row of plastic chairs. Her head is bent over, and she stares intently at the floor.

She raises her head slowly, brushes her long, silky hair away from her face.

We see fear in her eyes as they focus on a clock that hangs above the front desk. She twists a tissue between her fingers and is unaware that bits of it are falling on the floor.

The door to the emergency treatment room opens, and a middle-aged DOCTOR dressed in hospital green walks through the door toward Cathy, who bolts out of the chair and hurries toward him.

DOCTOR

(apologetically)

We did everything possible.

CATHY

(gasps)

What are you saying?

DOCTOR

I'm sorry…

CATHY

(screaming)

No!

All eyes in the waiting room are riveted on Cathy and the Doctor. Cathy lunges at the Doctor, beating her fists against his chest.

CATHY (CONT'D)

(shouting)

You killed him!

Our scene ends here with Cathy's last words, but it could continue with more dialogue and action. Note that (CONT'D), the abbreviation for continued, is added in parentheses next to Cathy's name above. CONT'D is added here because Cathy has just spoken and is continuing to speak. Her dialogue was interrupted by a description of other actions, not by another character's dialogue.

To make sure you use the correct tab settings, it's advisable to use one of the excellent screenplay formatting programs available for your home PC. Such programs include Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 and Final Draft, both of which make the job of formatting your screenplay much easier.

Even if you use screenwriting software, it's important to have a working knowledge of screenplay formatting so that your presentation copy looks thoroughly professional.

We recommend that you read professional screenplays and familiarize yourself with formatting. However, many published screenplays are shooting scripts and contain camera directions.

As a screenwriter, you are not required to indicate camera shots. In fact, it's not advisable to do this because it's the job of the film director, not the screenwriter.

Formatting Exercise:

Format the situation described below into a screenplay scene. Use correct scene heading, action descriptions, dialogue, and parenthetical descriptions for characters' dialogue.

Situation:

Bob and Marianne walk into a dark movie theater. The movie has already started, and nearly every seat is occupied. Bob, a tall, stocky young man, carries a super-sized box of popcorn and a super-sized drink. Marianne, dressed in a revealing tight sweater and jeans, carries a bag of potato chips and a large drink. She moves down the aisle quickly, scouting for seats while Bob struggles to see her in the dark. He stumbles over his own big sneakers, and popcorn spills from the container onto several patrons seated near the aisle. Bob apologizes, and other patrons tell him to "shut up." Marianne waves to Bob from the front of the theater. She's found two seats up front. She calls out to Bob and waves frantically. A variety of comments are heard from other patrons. Bob catches up to Marianne, and they move across the row to their seats. Bob steps on a woman's toes, and she shrieks. He apologizes. Bob and Marianne finally settle into their seats. He munches his popcorn happily and slurps his big drink. A woman seated behind Marianne squirms to see the screen above Marianne's big hair. Marianne turns toward Bob and kisses him noisily on his cheek. He smiles and squeezes her thigh. A man seated behind Bob says something unkind. Bob turns around, smiles, and tells the man he must be jealous. It's quiet for a few moments.

Marianne begins opening her bag of potato chips. A man seated in front of her turns around and looks at her viciously. Marianne offers him a chip, but he declines. Marianne munches contentedly on her chips and sips from her big drink as she watches the screen. The audience is no longer watching the screen. Their angry eyes have settled on Bob and Marianne.

1