WRITERS PROGRAM CONTACT INFO: For help with any administrative issues: ;

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1 WRITING THE FIRST SCREENPLAY I Jan Wednesday 7 10pm INSTRUCTOR: DIANE DRAKE Contact: dianesclass@gmail.com WRITERS PROGRAM CONTACT INFO: For help with any administrative issues: ; writers@uclaextension.edu GOAL: To learn the basics of the craft of screenwriting, conceive a workable idea, complete an outline, and begin the first act of your screenplay. HOMEWORK: You will be expected to watch one particular movie each week which we will then use to examine and illustrate the week s topic of discussion. These should all be fairly easy to access either through local rental boutiques or via Netflix. All written homework assignments MUST BE TYPED. Please bring TWO copies of each written assignment to class. One to be turned in at the beginning of class, and the other for your personal use during class discussion. STRONGLY SUGGESTED READING: MOST IMPORTANTLY Screenplays, Screenplays, Screenplays: Read as many as possible, particularly of the movies you love. See how things literally look on the page. Note how a writer leads your eye, how economical they are in their description, how they describe action, how they talk to you as the reader and manage to take you into their confidence, (or not). If you read enough of these, you can t help but start to absorb things, and your work will begin to become more intuitive and fluid. You ll get a stronger sense of what to do, and what not to do. Websites for downloading free scripts: Drew's Script-O-Rama Simply Scripts Daily Script If you want to purchase hard copies, or for a far more extensive selection check out:

2 NOTE: WEEK THREE - WE WILL ALL DOWNLOAD AND READ A SCREENPLAY - THELMA & LOUISE, SO WE CAN SEE HOW IT LOOKS ON THE PAGE. LINK: Other Website Tips: There are loads of websites out there devoted to screenwriting-- you can do a search. Two that I ll call your attention to are: 1) the Writers Guild of America site which has plenty of things one can access even without being a member. 2) This one s run by Terry Rossio & Ted Elliot, (of SHREK and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN fame, among others). Lots of great articles, discussion boards, etc., there. About the Craft: HOW TO WRITE A MOVIE IN 21 DAYS Viki King - The 21 days part is laughable, but much of the rest of this book is extremely useful. SAVE THE CAT - Blake Snyder About the Business: ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE William Goldman An older book, but still fascinating and educational. WHICH LIE DID I TELL? William Goldman - sort of the sequel to the above ON WRITING Stephen King WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN? Budd Schulberg, (technically fiction and decades old, but classic) About Writing and Creativity and, not so incidentally, Your Eternal Soul: IF YOU WANT TO WRITE Brenda Ueland An extraordinarily insightful and inspiring book about the creative process in general, and writing in particular, originally published in 1938(!) I m inclined to call this one required reading, but as it s not about screenwriting, per se, I ll refrain-- for now

3 BECOMING A WRITER Dorothea Brande Equally wonderful and written in 1934 (!) BIRD BY BIRD Anne LaMott - A witty, poignant collection of insights on writing and life. GRADING: Attendance: 25 points Class Participation: 40 points Homework Assignments: 35 points points = A; = B; = C; = D; we re not going to even think about going below this. Bonus Points (5) Attend an evening at the Writers Guild and write up a short summary/ review, (a couple paragraphs), of it. Many of these are events open to the public for a nominal fee and often feature top writers in the business. For info: AND the Writers Guild Foundation SUGGESTED VIEWING LIST: These, in no particular order, are some of the movies that make me want to write movies. A few of these will be assigned viewing for the class. I encourage you to start keeping your own list. Sideways Lost in Translation Casablanca Pulp Fiction The Hurt Locker 500 Days of Summer Broadcast News The Lives of Others Tootsie Thelma & Louise It s A Wonderful Life Swingers Erin Brockovich Enchanted April Meet the Parents Roman Holiday Sunset Blvd.

4 Bull Durham The Full Monty Before Sunset Aliens Il Postino Local Hero Moonstruck Shop Around the Corner Hud Babe Romancing the Stone Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid The Year of Living Dangerously Mr. & Mrs. Smith Body Heat Amelie Out of Sight sex, lies & videotape Dave Toy Story Big True Lies Clueless Four Weddings and a Funeral Hannah and Her Sisters Shakespeare in Love American Beauty When Harry Met Sally The Best Years of Our Lives Groundhog Day Desperately Seeking Susan A Hard Day s Night Big Night Man on Wire Once JAWS CLASS GUIDELINES ETIQUETTE Good feedback is essential for any artist, and I think it goes without saying that everyone is here to learn, and to support one another in that process. I will endeavor to offer honest, but constructive critiques of your work, and encourage you to do the same for

5 each other. Please try to be as specific as possible in your feedback and to treat each other s work with the same respect you d want yours treated. Also, please remember that appreciation of any art form is subjective not EVERYONE has to like your work. Not everyone ever will. You, as the creator, must be open and honest enough with yourself to take in the feedback that is offered and then judge for yourself what applies, what you feel is relevant and constructive and useful, and what isn t. WEEK I 1. INTRODUCTIONS Why we re all here 2. The Syllabus Our roadmap 3. What is a movie? The Best Definition I Know 4. The Big Idea or LOG LINE : Say it in a sentence, (or two) 5. What you need to know Some Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Idea 6. A movie needs a beginning, a middle and an end 7. Writing what you know 8. Idea Generation Tip: What ifs? 9. Why We Go to Movies 1) PREPARE TWO movie ideas of 1-3 sentences each for presentation in class next week. 2) Watch TOOTSIE WEEK 2 1. PRESENT AND DISCUSS your story ideas 2. STRUCTURING YOUR STORY THE THREE ACT BREAKDOWN Screenplays are structure - General length and purpose of each Act Plot Points including my own personal definition of Plot Point #1 which can also often function as your one-liner or log line. Discussion of these elements in action using TOOTSIE The Engine of the Plot Handout - Monologue to the Maestro Ernest Hemingway

6 1. Watch TOY STORY 2. WRITE A ONE PAGE - AND ONE PAGE ONLY - 3-ACT BREAKDOWN of TOY STORY, identifying the Set up, (Act I), the Body of the Story, (Act II), and the Resolution, (Act III), as well as the major plot points. (Approximately 3 paragraphs). We want an overview here-- your ability to boil things down to their essentials is important. Don t get lost in the details. WEEK 3 1 DISCUSS the TOY STORY structure in depth. STORY STRUCTURE BREAKDOWN: ACT ONE - THE SET UP Opening scenes The first ten pages Setting the story in motion, establishing tone The Inciting Incident Puts the lead in motion From page 10 to 25, escalating the tension and need for the main character to take ACTION Plot Point #1 The end of Act One, Main Character Takes ACTION, the story turns in a new direction OUTLINE Act One Hand out of Beat Sheet of TOY STORY 2. PLOTS, GOALS, CHARACTERS & STAKES And how they all intertwine Discussion of these elements in action Goals: What a character WANTS vs. what a character NEEDS (to learn). A word of advice from Mick Jagger The Value of a Great Antagonist Stakes Is it clear what a character wants? Is this worth rooting for? Bottom Line: Make me care. The fundamental things apply. 1. WRITE A ONE LINER for your script. Also a brief ONE PARAGRAPH synopsis. 2. READ the script and WATCH THELMA & LOUISE 3. Blackboard Interview with screenwriter Callie Khouri

7 WEEK 4 1. Discussion of THELMA & LOUISE 2. More on STORY STRUCTURE -- ACT TWO - The Body of the Story and the Murphy s Law Act - Obstacles, complications, side effects, character evolution - How to keep things moving in Act II -- including a couple of cheap(ish) tricks 1. Break into groups, READ AND DISCUSS your one liners and one paragraph synopses. 1. WRITE A ONE PAGE, AND ONE PAGE ONLY, synopsis of your story. Include the premise, the major characters, the main story beats and the resolution. 2. WATCH THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN 3. Blackboard Interview with Judd Apatow; Bonus Handout The war of words between Judd Apatow and Mark Brazill (creator of That 70 s Show ) WEEK 5 1. Discussion of 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN - analyze the story and structure principles we ve discussed in action again in this film. 2. STORY STRUCTURE BREAKDOWN ACT THREE The Resolution -- The Or Else Act 3. CHARACTER ARCS AND ENDINGS A matter of life or death Know Thy Ending I cannot emphasize this enough The Moral to Your Story Satisfying an audience You want your hero to be a hero* (*usually) Epiphanies What is the or else? By this point, we d better be rooting for something The importance of the last 20 pages

8 1. WRITE A ONE PAGE STEP OUTLINE or BEAT SHEET of your Act One, using the TOY STORY one as an example. This should include 7-10 major steps or story beats. BE SURE to include and identify your INCITING INCIDENT and PLOT POINT #1. 2. Watch OUT OF SIGHT 3. Blackboard - Interview with screenwriter Scott Frank WEEK 6 1. Discussion of OUT OF SIGHT. 2. Mini-consults. You will each meet with me one on one to discuss your script ideas and outlines and any problems you may be encountering. 3. While we do these, the rest of the class will work on a worksheet of Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Script 1. WRITE A STEP OUTLINE FOR ACT TWO OF YOUR SCREENPLAY, hitting all the main beats of the story. There should be roughly beats in Act Two. NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES. Please turn this in along with a copy of your FIRST ACT STEP OUTLINE ATTACHED. 2. Watch THE LIVES OF OTHERS 3. Blackboard - Interview with writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck WEEK 7 1. Discussion of THE LIVES OF OTHERS 2. SCENE STRUCTURE Beginning, middle and end within the scene. Writing Scene Description Economy and evocation Arrive Fashionably Late and Leave Early Let the audience put it together

9 Keep it Simple This is a blueprint, not a novel Bits of Business Giving your characters something to do Build, don t repeat 1. WRITE A ONE PAGE STEP OUTLINE for your ACT THREE, (about 6-10 steps). Your entire step outline for all three acts should now run approximately beats, or 4-5 pages. 2. Watch CASABLANCA 3. Blackboard Elizabeth Gilbert ( EAT, PRAY, LOVE ) advice on writing WEEK 8 DIALOGUE Writing Dialogue And your point is? Subtext What is it? We ll watch some good examples Making the medicine, that is, the exposition, go down. When you re stuck, something to ask yourself. (The light bulb test) Homework Assignment 1. REVISE your entire Step Outline 2. Watch SIDEWAYS 3. Blackboard - Interview with SIDEWAYS writer/director Alexander Payne WEEK 9 1. Discussion of SIDEWAYS 2. THE BUSINESS OF THE BUSINESS How to win an Oscar a few random thoughts Agents and Managers and Lawyers, Oh my Rejection, Trusting in the Journey and in Your Own Voice Possible Guest Speaker - Kim Krizan, Oscar-nominated writer of BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET

10 1. WRITE YOUR OPENING SCENE 2. Watch one of YOUR favorite movies and get inspired. AND-- make a list of the other things that inspire you, (art, cooking, music, dance, travel, whatever), and make it a point to seek one of these experiences out this week. Be prepared to share at least one recommendation next week! WEEK PARTY?? 2. WHATEVER WE VE NOT COVERED THAT YOU WANT TO DISCUSS Handout Throw in the Towel Terry Rossio Finish your Script!