San José State University Theatre, Radio, Film, TV, Animation/Illustration ADVANCED SCRIPTWRITING TA 129 (#27132) Spring, 2011

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1 San José State University Theatre, Radio, Film, TV, Animation/Illustration ADVANCED SCRIPTWRITING TA 129 (#27132) Spring, 2011 Instructor: Dr. David Kahn Office Location: HGH 110 Telephone: (408) Office Hours: Class Days/Time: T/Th 4:30-6 PM Classroom: HGH 217 Prerequisites: T/Th 3:00-4:15 PM Students must have completed TA 128 or RTVF 175 or another upper-division creative writing class and consent of instructor. Online Syllabus, Schedule, Resources sjsu.edu/people/david.kahn/courses/ta129/ Course Description The course operates primarily as an exploratory writing workshop during which participants develop and complete their own script writing project for stage, screen or other media. The first few weeks will consist of a series of exercises designed to stimulate effective and imaginative dramatic writing. Students will pitch project proposals and prepare contracts specifying treatment, format, and length of the final project. Much of the remaining course time will be devoted to reading of and response to project writing. Course Goals and Student Learning Objectives Tell meaningful stories through performance; understand how to plan, perform, produce, write and direct for stage and screen; relate performance to production. Become literate in the language of stage and narrative screen performance; know how to analyze a script. Required Texts/Readings Ball, Backwards and Forwards (ISBN: ) Rebeck, Free Fire Zone (ISBN: ) Additional readings, screenings, theatre performances Advanced Scriptwriting, TA 129 Spring, 2011 Page 1 of 5

2 Recommended Texts Aristotle, Poetics Dunn and Pike, Playwright's Companion Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade Field, Screenplay Hunter, Screenwriting 434 Kahn and Breed, Scriptwork Obst, Hello, He Lied Prigge, Created by: Inside the Minds of TV's Top Show Creators McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art Segar, Making a Good Script Great Snyder, Save the Cat! Sweet, The Dramatists Toolkit Strunk and White, Elements of Style Trottier, The Screenwriter's Bible Wolff, Top Secrets: Screenwriting Student Responsibilities Participation at class meetings. Engaged participation in activities, discussion and scene reading. Reading and writing exercises both in and out of class. These exercises are read and discussed in class. Writing done outside of class must be printed according to the formats presented in class. Pitch project proposals. Write project contract. Read and respond to draft material. Produce final draft according to contract. Competence and care in writing and completion of other course assignments. Timely completion of all assignments. (Late work will not be accepted and can not be made up.) Evaluation Items Class participation 30% Project pitches and contracts 10% Draft materials for reading and response 30% Completed project per contract 30% Dropping and Adding Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. Information on add/drops are available at info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/soc-fall/rec- 324.html. Information about late drop is available at sjsu.edu/sac/advising/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for adding and dropping class. Advanced Scriptwriting, TA 129 Spring, 2011 Page 2 of 5

3 TA/RTVF 129 Advanced Scriptwriting, Spring 2011 Course Schedule (rev. 1/26/11) subject to change - noticed on class website Wk Date Topics / Assignment Due Jan 27 Feb 1 Feb 3 Feb 8 Feb 10 Feb 15 Feb 17 Course Introduction - Review Syllabus, course objectives, script formats Encouraged: Buried Child - Studio Theatre HGH 103 (Jan. 27, 28, 29 at 7 pm) The Dresser - SJ Rep. (Jan 27-Feb 20) Assignment 1: Bring in a written down joke to share The Physics of Dramatic Action Assignment 2: Research the background of a scriptwriter from the list and turn in a one-page written report. Assignment 3: Read Backwards and Forwards, bring book to class. Assignment 4: Write a "disposable" scene that has a dramatic action (3-4 pages). Bring in enough copies so that the scene can be read aloud in class. Workshop conflict scenes Assignment 5: Sample Project Scene 5 Feb 22 Encouraged: Car Plays (Feb 25-27) Feb 24 Workshop project scenes Mar 1 Mar 3 Mar 8 Mar 10 Mar 15 Mar 17 Mar 22 Mar 24 The nature of pitching projects Assignment 6: Bring in a list of five scripts in the same genre and medium as your own. Workshop project scenes Assignment 7: Pitch Assignment 8: (Mar. 11 Attend Cinequest - "Day of the Writer" events) Encouraged: Intimate Apparel University Theatre (March 11, 12, 16, 17, at 7 pm) Structure, beat-sheets, boards, step outlines Discuss Pitches; Assignments 9 & 10: Step Outline for Project; Contract for Project 10 SPRING BREAK Advanced Scriptwriting, TA 129 Spring, 2011 Page 3 of 5

4 Wk Date Topics / Assignment Due Apr 5 Apr 7 Apr 12 Apr 14 Apr 19 Apr 21 Apr 26 Apr 28 May 3 May 5 May 10 May 12 Review Step Outlines Conferences ARR Conferences ARR Assignment: Read Free Fire Zone Rewrites 17 May 17 Assignment: Project due Professional considerations May 24 2:45-5 pm Final: The good read. University Policies Academic Integrity Students should know that the University s Academic Integrity Policy is availabe at sa.sjsu.edu/download/judicial_affairs/academic_integrity_policy_s07-2.pdf. Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University and the University s integrity policy, require you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The website for Student Conduct and Ethical Development is available at sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html. Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise specified. If you would like to include in your assignment any material you have submitted, or plan to submit for another class, please note that SJSU s Academic Policy F06-1 requires approval of instructors. Advanced Scriptwriting, TA 129 Spring, 2011 Page 4 of 5

5 Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the DRC (Disability Resource Center) to establish a record of their disability. Online Resources Celtx Free all-in-one media preproduction software. Use for scriptwriting format celtx.com/ Writers Guild of America Official site of the Writers Guild of America, west. The WGAw is the union representing writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable and new media industries wga.org/ The Dramatists Guild The professional association of playwrights, composers and lyricists dramatistsguild.com/ US Copyright Information copyright.gov/ Variety variety.com IndieWire indiewire.com Movie Bytes Screenwriting contests and markets moviebytes.com/ The Playwriting Seminars vcu.edu/arts/playwriting/ Theatre Bay Area publishes TBA magazine, operates Tix Bay Area (the half-price ticket booth at Union Square) Playwrights Foundation playwrightsfoundation.org Theatre Communications Group The national organization for the notfor-profit American theatre. TCG publishes the monthly American Theatre magazine. tcg.org/ Playground The Bay Area s leading playwright incubator playground-sf.org/ The Hollywood Creative Directory Up-to-date, comprehensive info on executives in the film and television industry hcdonline.com/ Cinequest cinequest.org SimplyScripts Read scripts online simplyscripts.com/ Scriptcrawler Search for scripts scriptcrawler.net/ Deemers Screenwriters and Playwrights pcez.com/~cdeemer/swtitle.htm Advanced Scriptwriting, TA 129 Spring, 2011 Page 5 of 5