UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television FTV 183: Film and Television Development

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1 UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television FTV 183: Film and Television Development Instructor: Alex Franklin Daytime Phone: Office hours: by appointment Course Description This course is designed to enhance students understanding of the motion picture industry. Students will be acquainted with common business practices in the filmmaking process and learn about how films and television shows are developed and produced, while at the same time expanding their critical understanding of the industry at large. 1. Course Requirements: Course work consists of required weekly class meetings. There are assigned readings, a midterm paper, and a final paper. Assignments are due at the date and time specified for each assignment below or in class. All assignments should be submitted via . Late submission of assignments will impact the grade negatively. Attendance is required of all students in all class sessions. Unexcused absences and more than one excused absence will impact the grade negatively. 2. Weekly Reading: For the first several weeks, students will be assigned to read screenplays and write standard studio script coverage. Each assignment of script coverage is due by 5pm on the Sunday after the class in which the script was assigned. 3. Midterm Paper: For the midterm, students will read two different drafts of a feature film. One draft will be the original draft, another will be a draft that caused the project to lose momentum (aka Development Hell ). The assignment will be to analyze why the project lost momentum and what, if anything, can be done to revive the project. Midterm paper should be 4-5 pages and is due by Sunday at 11:59 pm the week that it is assigned. 4. Final paper: At the beginning of the course students are assigned to choose a TV program premiering on network television this Fall (it must be a scripted program on one of the major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, The CW).

2 Throughout the course students should analyze how the show is being marketed to the target demographic and discussed in the media. The final paper will be an analysis of the creative and marketing decisions made in launching your show and of how the choices made by executives at the network may have impacted the show s success or failure. Final paper should be 4-5 pages and is due by Sunday at 11:59 pm the week that it is assigned. 5. Class Participation: One of the most important topics we will discuss in this class is your opinions, and how to express them well. The ability to express an opinion intelligently and efficiently is the most important thing that young people in this industry have. Students are thus expected to participate in class discussions about the scripts read for homework and about important industry topics. The goal is for everyone to come out of the class with an improved ability to express opinions in a sometimes-adversarial setting. 6. Required Reading: Students are required to read Deadline, The Wrap, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and other industry trades on a weekly basis. Industry topics will be discussed in class. 7. Recommended Reading: -Blake Snyder, Save the Cat! (2005) -Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, Writing Movies for Fun and Profit (2011) -David Hughes, Tales From Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made (2012) 8. Grading: Grading breaks down as below. 30%--Final Paper 30%--Midterm Paper 10%--Other Assignments 30%--Attendance and Participation in Class 100%--Final Grade

3 UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television FTV 183a: Introduction To Film and Television Development CLASS ONE: Introduction and Overview LECTURE AND DISCUSSION TOPICS Introduction Attendance Policies My Background Assignments and Grading Overview Internship Preparedness Internship Questions Industry Information Sources Script Coverage Opinion Lecture The Real Business of Studios and Networks CLASS TWO: The Studio Mandate General notes discussion on first script Internship questions Source Materials The Major Movie Studios The Mini-Majors The Studio Mandate Genres Audience Demographics CLASS THREE: Studio Development Internship questions Studio Development The Goal of the Development Process Immediate Objective of Development Steps Different Kinds of Studio Rewrites Script Notes Evaluating the Rewrite Replacing Writers Development Hell

4 CLASS FOUR: The Greenlight Process The Greenlight Process: Studio Structure The Greenlight Committee Physical Production Marketing Domestic Distribution Distribution and the One Finite Quantity Foreign Sales The Future of International Markets Home Entertainment The Greenlight Process: Final Decision Discussion of Midterm Paper CLASS FIVE: Franchise Filmmaking General notes discussion Franchise Filmmaking Overview Sequels Prequels Unintentional Franchises Loss Of Key Personnel Reboots Remakes Horror Movies Final Discussion of Midterm Paper CLASS SIX: Independent Filmmaking Overview The Business of Independent Cinema How Independent Films Get Made Pure Independents Foreign Sales Companies Regional Distributors Negative Pickups How Independent Films Get Distributed Direct Sell-Through (Shopping, Acquisitions Screenings) Film Markets Film Festivals Advice On Film Festivals For Young People New VOD and Streaming Models

5 CLASS SEVEN: The Business of Television General Notes Discussion on Assigned Script The Growing Businesses of Television Broadcast Network Television Basic Cable Television Premium Cable Television How They Make Money Target Demographics Channel Breakdown How Their Business Goals Impact The Development Mandate Timeslots DVR Impact VOD and Streaming Impact Growing International Business of Television CLASS EIGHT: Producing Network Television Final Paper Discussion The Role Of Writers In Television The Network Development Process Pilot Season Choosing The Fall TV Season Showrunners Staffing Season Fall TV Premieres The Future Of TV Development CLASS NINE: Producing Cable Television and Reality Television Opinion Summary Discussion Final Paper Discussion Cable Television and Subgenres Unscripted Television and Subgenres Analysis and Discussion of Notable Cable Television Shows and Reality Shows CLASS TEN: Your Hollywood Career Internship Summary Discussion Career Questions Non-Career Questions Summation of the Ideas and Themes of the Course