MEA 108 FALL 2014 SCRIPTWRITING FUNDAMENTALS or as I like to call it Adventures in Screenwriting!

Transcription

1 MEA 108 FALL 2014 SCRIPTWRITING FUNDAMENTALS or as I like to call it Adventures in Screenwriting! Units: 3.00 Section: Monday 6:30 PM 9:35 PM Instructor: Location: HASLEY 133 Office Hours: 6:00 6:30 Monday nights common area near Hasley 133 8:00-9:35 Tuesday nights Mentry Soundstage By Appointment Dates: 8/25/14 12/8/14 ron.mita@canyons.edu or ronmita@gmail.com COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed as an introduction to screenwriting, not only for the screen, but TV and other mediums. Initially we will learn story, structure and characters and then begin a semester study of several different applications of the craft including television, video games, commercials, graphic novels and more. INSTRUCTOR My name is, I graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Masters degree in screenwriting. After working at a variety of jobs in the film and television industry, I sold my first screenplay to Columbia Pictures in Since that day, I have made my living as a professional screenwriter with projects at Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, HBO, TNT, Warner Brothers, Screen Gems, Dreamworks and CBS. I have three produced films, the Animated feature film ROBOTS, at 20 th Century Fox, S.W.A.T, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Ferrall at Columbia Pictures, and SNIPER II starring Tom Berenger at Tri-Star Pictures. Currently, I am adapting a European children s television series as a feature as well as a sci-fi action feature, 24 HOURS TO LIVE, for Thunder Road Pictures. I have been teaching screenwriting at College of the Canyons since STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME Writing a screenplay is not as difficult as you might believe. All it takes is a good idea, dedication and originality. These three ingredients are available to everyone from the struggling writer to the highest paid Hollywood scribe. In this class, we will cover the basics of screenwriting from the

2 gathering of ideas to creating a detailed story outline. To better understand the craft of screenwriting, we will not only read screenplays, but watch several movies over the course of the semester. Students completing the class will have a practical and working knowledge of screenplay structure and format for the feature film industry as well as an intimate knowledge of the creative side of the entertainment industry. The homework assigned in this class is mostly fun and geared toward helping you understand the craft of Screenwriting. Among the disciplines you will learn this semester: Format of a screenplay Develop characterization in scripts Structure your plot via plot points Market and pitch your screenplay Develop writing discipline How to play the Hollywood game TEXT To reinforce the concepts learned in class, you will study handouts and prescribed readings from articles or textbooks. The recommended text is available at the COC campus bookstore or online: Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting Syd Field. The best textbooks for a screenwriting class are good screenplays. I will supply you with links to screenplays. CLASS MEETINGS We meet every Monday night unless there is no school. No class September 1 Labor day GRADES The grading system for this course is based on the Grade Point Percentile system. The grade values for each progress assessment are as follows: OBJECTIVE POINT VALUES FOR OBJECTIVE % OF FINAL GRADE Challenge Points: 15 Points (15 weeks of lecture) 15% (15 pts) Quiz 5 Points x 2 10% (10 pts) 24 Plot Points Project 10% (10 pts) Classwork/Assignments: 5 points x 3 Projects (15 total) 15% (15 pts) Midterm and Final Exam: 20 points for Midterm/30 points for Final Exam 50% (50 pts) TOTALS: 100 Points Possible for this course 100% (100 pts) At the conclusion of the semester, your point totals from each category will be tabulated and turned into a percentage resulting in your grade point percentile, which will be weighed on the scale below to determine your final grade. Grading Scale: 100% - 90% A 89% - 80% B 79% - 70% C FAILURE TO WITHDRAW (see below) 69% - 60% D below 60% F FW

3 IN CLASS CHALLENGES (15 points) This is a lecture driven class that centers around frequent class discussions. There will be 2 challenges for every lecture class held (13 total). Each challenge is worth đ of a point for a daily total of 1 point and a cumulative total of 15. The first challenge will be given 5 minutes after the start of class and the second challenge will be in the last 10 minutes of class. If you are late and miss the challenge, you CANNOT make it up. If you leave early, without a pass from me, you CANNOT make up the second challenge. QUIZ (10 points) Without warning (or with) I will drop four 3-point quizzes on the class. There is no formal date for the quizzes, so always be ready. CLASSWORK (15 points) There will be several (mostly fun) projects assigned throughout the course. These are demonstrations of your comprehension of the course material. Due dates will be announced in handouts upon assignment. They will be graded as RS (received satisfactory) RU (received unsatisfactory) NR (not received. RS = 100% point credit RU = 50% point credit NR = 0% point credit 24 PLOT POINT PROJECT (10 points) This is one of the most important projects in the class the completion of a 24 plot pointed outline of an original feature film idea. Samples will be handed out as guidelines. This is an at home project. Project must be typed and spell checked. Missed Classwork: If you miss a class or an assignment without a prior excuse, you must make up the work within 2 weeks and you can only earn up to 50% of the point value. It is your responsibility to make up missed classwork. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero points for that project. Prior arrangements/conditions must be made with me. You CANNOT make up missed challenge projects.

4 EXAMS (2 exams, 20 points and 30 points) Midterm Exam: The mid term will include questions and writing challenges from materials we ve learned this far into the class. Exam date: October 20 Final Exam: There are two choices for a final exam in this class. Preferred choice: Write the first 30 pages of a motion picture, base upon an original idea. You can change your idea after the mid term but that will require you to create a new complete set of plot points. Points: 30 points + 3 possible extra credit points. See the rubric chart at the end of this syllabus for grading details Due Date: December 8th Acceptable Choice: Take an in class exam on December 8th based on material from the entire year of lecture including questions pertaining to movies shown in class and lessons learned from lectures. If you absolutely cannot attend class on one of these days due to an emergency, you must have this absence cleared by me prior to the beginning of that class meeting. It is only under such circumstances that a student may be able to make up an exam. EXTRA CREDIT Extra credit (up to 5 points max) can be earned at any time during the regular semester by writing a two-page, typed paper. You may write a maximum of (2) extra credit papers during the semester. The content must address specific elements taught in this course, and for each E.C. paper you write, you must get prior approval from me with regards to the topic you choose to discuss. **IMPORTANT NOTE ** You must take the Final Exam or complete the Final Assignment in order to pass the class, regardless of your final point totals. Failure to do so will result in a grade of F, and you will not receive course credit. Attendance Policy and Grading Student attendance will be documented each class. (Per COC catalog): Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. Any student absent for any reason, for one more time than that class meets in one week, may be dropped from the class, providing the deadline for the instructor s option to drop has not passed. Students

5 enrolled in courses other than the standard semester in length may be dropped if they are absent from more than 10 percent of the total class meetings, providing the instructor s option to drop has not passed. This course relies heavily on in-class viewing and discussion, so class attendance is critical to the learning process and your ability to complete assignments. If you must miss a class, it's your responsibility to make arrangements with me to get missed handouts via . FW Failure to Withdraw (Per Section of California Code of Regulations Title 5 Section 55578) The FW grade symbol will be used to indicate that a student has both ceased participating in a course some time after the last day to officially withdraw from the course without having achieved a final passing grade, and that the student has not received district authorization to withdraw from the course under extenuating circumstances. (508.3A) For the purposes of calculating grade points, and for determining academic standing per district policy 536, the FW symbol will be treated in the same manner as the F. THE DROP DEADLINE FOR OFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL (DROP WITH A W ) is November 14 Unless a student has officially dropped ( withdrawn ) his/herself from this course prior to the registration add/drop deadline, that student will, at the conclusion of the semester, receive a grade of either A, B, C, D, or F. In accordance with COC academic policy, the instructor reserves the right to give an Incomplete. Only under dire circumstances, and with proper documentation provided, will an incomplete grade be considered. See Course Catalog for further details. Tardiness or leaving early from class meetings without prior instructor permission may result in an automatic absence for that day. Conduct Please conduct yourself with respect and consideration for others. If you cannot conduct yourself accordingly, you will be asked to leave and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. Refer to your COC student handbook for this and other academic policies. Materials REQUIRED: A flash drive dedicated to the work produced in this class Access to a computer with MS word or an equally good writing program. Internet access is crucial. A screenwriting program such as Screenwriter 2000 or Final Draft is nice, but not required. Download a copy of the free screenwriting program: celtx (

6 Media Content and Academic Freedom Some of the material or topics that will be viewed or discussed in this class may be of a sensitive nature to some students. This may include the viewing or discussion of films with an R Rating. It is the right of any student to exercise personal discretion during any class meeting in which he/she may be feel uncomfortable. In such cases, it is not necessary to ask permission to be excused from class, but it is necessary that you inform me that you are leaving. In such cases, you will be required to remain present during class time, and return after the screening. Although the materials viewed and discussed deal with various interpretations of Art, there are certain areas or contexts which are not permissible in this class. Materials or discussions which are sexually explicit, gratuitously violent or vulgar, or otherwise devalue or denigrate any gender, race, culture, religion, lifestyle, sexual orientation, or are of a hateful nature to any group are not permitted in this class. Disclaimer Circumstances may arise which require modification of the above guidelines and the following schedule of assignments for this course, as deemed necessary by the instructor. The instructor reserves the right to make necessary changes in compliance with COC academic policies. The student will be notified of all such changes, either in writing and/or verbally. Important Notes Attendance is crucial. There will be in-class writing exercises and oral presentations. In addition mutual feedback is an important component of learning in this class. Please turn off cell phones Do not surf the internet while I am speaking Turn off all computer monitors during movies. Do not leave class early ALL TAKE HOME WORK MUST BE TYPED AND PRINTED UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. NOTE: Please check your each day before class. If there are any last minute changes in our schedule they will be sent out via e- mail no later than 4:00 PM.

7 MEA 108 FINAL PROJECT - GRADING RUBRIC Characters Characters are well developed and 3 dimensional. The reader can feel their passion as well as identify with them. Main characters are well developed. Secondary characters lack some depth Characters are poorly developed but devoid of clichés Characters are poorly developed. Many cliché characters abound. Plot Points Excellent use of plots points. Six distinctive plot points in the first pages. Script moves at a quick pace. Inciting incident comes within the first 10 pages and is effective. Page count is 28+ pages. All six plot points can be found in the first act, but scene pacing is either too slow or too quick At least 2 plot points missing in the first act creating a pacing problem for the story Less than 3 plot points in the first act. Dialogue Format/typos Originality Dialogue is sharp and on task. Characters speak in a real manner without forced or cliché statements. No long speeches. Dialogue is solid and keeps the story flowing. No superfluous dialogue. Screenplay finals will be graded using the above rubric rubric points = 30 grade points rubric points = 26 grade points 6-10 rubric points = 23 grade point Under 6 rubric points = 12 grade points Dialogue is satisfactory, but involves too much exposition Dialogue us stiff. Characters speak in unnatural terms. No obvious formatting errors. No typos. A few formatting errors and no typos. Errors can be the kind that tends to be inconsistent from screenplay to screenplay. Some typos and several formatting errors. Numerous formatting errors. Several distracting typos. Storyline and approach are unique original and devoid of clichés. Storyline is mostly original with little use of cliché s. Storyline uses overly familiar themes. Based too heavily on previous material. Several cliché s evident. Lack of a discernable storyline. Rehash of tired short film material. Incomplete work.

8 FALL 2014 CLASS SCHEDULE Week #1 8/25 FEATURE FILM No Class 9/1 Week #2 9/8 FEATURE FILM Week #3 9/15 FEATURE FILM Week #4 9/22 FEATURE FILM Week #5: 9/29 FEATURE FILM Week #6 10/6 FEATURE FILM Week #7 10/13 MID TERM EXAM PREP TV: ONE-HOUR DRAMA Week #8 10/20 MID TERM EXAM TV: ONE-HOUR DRAMA Week #9 10/27 TV: SIT COM WRITING Week #10 11/3 TV: SIT COM WRITING Week #11 11/10 ADVERTISING/RADIO Week #12 11/17 SHORT FILMS Week #13 11/24 INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING Week #14 12/1 SCREENING/FINAL EXAM PREP Week #15 12/8 FINAL EXAM/FINAL PROJECT DUE This schedule may change due schedule issues as well as availability of materials.

9 INFORMATION/SYLLABUS CONTRACT -- RETURN TO RON MITA NAME: CELL PHONE: HOME PHONE: MAJOR HERE AT COC: WRITE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF YOUR FUTURE GOALS: 3 FAVORITE MOVIES: 3 HATED MOVIES: 2 MOVIES I VE RECENTLY I VE SEEN (IN THE THEATERS): MY GUILTY PLEASURE MOVIE (one that I love but don t want to admit) 5 REASONS WHY A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE WOULD BE INTERESTING WHAT SONG (past or present) WOULD BE THE THEME SONG TO THE MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE? SYLLABUS CONTRACT: I have read and understand the format of this course and the policies described in the syllabus. I acknowledge that failure to comply with the terms of the syllabus may effect my success in this class. SIGNATURE: DATE: PRINT NAME: