UCLA Extension Writers Program Public Syllabus Note to students: this public syllabus is designed to give you a glimpse into this course and instructor. If you have further questions about our courses or curriculum, please contact the Writers Program at (310) 825-9415 or via email at writers@uclaextension.edu. We are happy to answer any questions and to help you find the best class to achieve your writing goals. WRITING THE FIRST SCREENPLAY I (Online) Course: FilmTV X 440A Instructor: Ernie Contreras SYLLABUS Course Description: The first in a four-part sequence designed to take you through the full process of writing a feature film screenplay, this course grounds you in the key craft elements of story premise, structure, scene development, character, theme, genre, and dialogue and shows you how they work together to grip an audience's emotions. You learn how to create and evaluate story ideas; explore how characters' inner wants and immediate goals shape and drive a screenplay's action; see what constitutes compelling plots and subplots; and learn how to construct a scene. Throughout the course, you complete a series of exercises which serve as the basis for your script outline, a prose description of your screenplay. The ability to write an effective outline is a critical skill for the professional screenwriter, serves as the basis for most pitches and is required for admission into Writing the First Screenplay II. Course Objective: To learn how to write effective, compelling scenes and to create a four-to-five page outline which clearly delineates your script's beginning, middle, and end. Course Breakdown: Students are expected to arrive in class with an original story proposal and a firm commitment to see the story through. From story idea we will develop the premise, essentially what the story is about. From premise we move on to outline. In addition to writing, each week we will review the fundamentals of structure, character, theme and dialogue through lectures and script breakdowns. Course Requirements:
2 Students are required to read all weekly topics posted in the Course Documents area, complete the assignments listed in the Assignments area and respond to the work of at least three - preferably more - other students in the Discussion Board forum. Be prepared to write and rewrite. That s what writers do. An outline is a blueprint for a screenplay; a roadmap that takes us from beginning to middle to end. The outline is a fundamental tool and one the industry will expect you to know. Required books: The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri and Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger. They are available at most bookstores and online. Required film viewing/reading: View or read (or both) the films listed in the Assignment area for that week. If film-viewing access is a problem reading the script will give you all the information you need to complete the assignment. Weekly scripts formatted in PDF are located in the Course Documents area and at the screenplay websites accessed through the External Links area. Films to review: The Fugitive, American Beauty, Good Will Hunting, Witness, Unforgiven, Chinatown, Ghost, The Verdict, and Broadcast News. Online Environment Online participation is not in real time so you may log on at any time. Each week begins on Wednesday so Tuesday is the last day of the week. Weekly assignments are due by Sunday 8pm PST. Instructor comments will follow Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (longer on occasion.) Assignments are work-shopped in the discussion board area, allowing for direct feedback from the instructor and fellow classmates. In the workshop environment you are required to respond to your classmate's work and the are required to respond in return. Responses should be clearly thought-out and when possible, followed up with solutions to areas cited. Avoid generalizing; feedback is best when specific. It is essential that the boards be a non-threatening environment. Understand the meaning of 'positive criticism' and use it in support of your fellow writers. Personal attacks or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. This open exchange of ideas is an essential component of the class and will figure into your grade. Read through the "Workshop Guidelines" page posted at the end of this syllabus, as well as the "Netiquette Rules" folder in the Course Information area. Grades: Letter grade or Pass/Fail: If you are taking this course for a grade or pass/fail: grades are based on class participation and turning in your assignments on time. I feel the nature of screenwriting is too subjective to judge on critical standards. Each week is worth 10%. Post your work and comments by Sunday 8pm of each week.
3 Non-Classroom Reference: For general and administrative questions, including questions pertaining to refunds, contact Screenwriting Program Representative, Chae Ko at cko@uclaextension.edu. For technical and instructional questions involving Blackboard, contact Extension Course Manager, Wayne Wong at coursemanager@uclaextension.edu. Phone (310) 206-4563 or tollfree (866) 269-7289 (U.S. only) Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:30pm (PST.) Instructor Office Hours: I will be available in real time on Mondays, 7pm-8pm PST via email. I am also available for any questions or inquiries at any time at the same email address. I will respond to emails within 48 hours, most times sooner. Note: This syllabus is subject to change by instructor according to the needs and shifting dynamics of the class. Procedures: Each week: -Read lectures and complete assignments reading, writing and/or film viewing. -Post by Sunday to allow for comments. -Post comments about work submitted by at least two other students preferably more - to allow for an even distribution of feedback to all. SCHEDULE: Week 1 1. Introduction: A. Instructor/Student backgrounds Post before first class. B. Post brief overview of the story you intend to expand in class. C. Review syllabus (located in the Course Information area) 2. Online lecture: THE PREMISE A. What is a Premise? B. Character-conflict-conclusion C. Finding the Premise in your story idea. D. Believing in your Premise and committing to it. E. Proving your Premise.
4 A. Read Week 1 Lecture in Course Documents and the Forward, Preface and Chapter 1, Premise, in Egri s The Art of Dramatic Writing. B. Read/Watch The Fugitive. C. Identify Premise of The Fugitive and post in Discussion Board. D. Begin formulating the Premise of your story and post. E. Post your comments on 2 or more other student premises. Week 2 1. Review posted premises. 2. Online lecture: CHARACTER A. Motivation: why we do what we do. B. Three dimensions - environment/physiology/psychology C. Main character aka Hero aka Protagonist. D. Need vs. desire. E. Antagonist aka the Bad Guy. F. Unity of opposites. G. Main Character s transformational arc. A. Read Week 2 Lecture and pages 32-86 in Egri s The Art of Dramatic Writing. B. Read/Watch American Beauty. C. Identify Main Character s need/desire in American Beauty, post. D. Write character sketch of your Main Character and post. E. Post comments on 2 or more other student character sketches. Week 3 1. Review posted Character sketches. 2. Online lecture: CHARACTER CONTINUED. A. Action is Character. B. Introducing your Main Character. C. Growing your Main Character. D. More on transformational arc. E. Fulfilling need/desire. F. Supporting Characters. F. Orchestration of characters. A. Read Week 3 Lecture and Egri s The Art of Dramatic Writing pgs 86-125. B. Read/Watch Good Will Hunting. C. Identify Main Character and his transformational arc. Post.
5 D. Write transformational arc for your Main Character and post. E. Post comments on 2 or more other student transformation arcs. Week 4 1. Review posted Transformational Arcs. 2. Online lecture: STORY STRUCTURE A. Three Act structure template -- set-up, development, resolve. B. Turning points. C. Know your ending. D. Point of attack. E. Inciting incident. F. Rising Conflict. G. Subplots. H. Mid Point/Low point. I. Climax to Resolve. A. Read Week 4 Lecture and The Art of Dramatic Writing pages 125-171. B. Read pages 18-59 in Linda Seger s Making a Good Script Great. C. Read/watch Witness. C. Identify 3 Acts/turning points in Witness and post. D. Sketch 3 Acts/Turning Points of your story and post. E. Post comments on 2 or more other student 3Acts. Week 5 1. Review posted 3 Act/Turning points. 2. Online lecture: SCENE STRUCTURE A. Cause and Effect. B. Scene Breakdown beginning/middle/end. C. Show don t tell. D. Enter late leave early. E. Scene sequences. F. Montage/Flashbacks/Foreshadowing. Assignment: A. Read Week 5 Lecture and The Art of Dramatic Writing pgs 172-191. B. Read Making a Good Script Great pgs 74-100. C. Read/watch Unforgiven. D. Breakdown a scene in Unforgiven and post.
6 E. Write a scene from your story and post. F. Post comments on minimum of 2 other student scene breakdowns. Week 6 1. Review posted scene breakdowns. 2. Online lecture: WRITING ACT ONE A. Where to start Arresting image. B. Central question. C. Introduce Main Character Need/Desire. D. Backstory of Main Character/Story. E. Inciting incident. G. Supporting characters. H. First Turning Point I. New engine into 2 nd Act. J. Example A. Read Week 6 Lecture and Re-Read Making a Good Script Great pgs 18-38. B. Read Chinatown Beat Outline, beats 1-7 in External Links area. C. Read/watch Chinatown. D. Identify Act One beats in Chinatown and post. E. Write the 1 st Act beats of your story and post. F. Post comments on 2 or more other student 1 st Acts. Week 7 1. Review posted 1 st Acts. 2. Online lecture: WRITING ACT TWO A. Developing Character/Story/The long haul. B. Graduating conflict/obstacles. C. Surprise/reversals/twists. D. Subplots/Supporting characters. E. Mid point/low point. F. 2 nd Turning Point. G. Propelling Main Character into Act 3. A. Read Week 7 Lecture and Making a Good Script Great pages 60-73. B. Read/watch Ghost. C. Identify 1 st and 2 nd turning points and the major beats of act two in Ghost and post.
7 D. Beat out 2 nd Act of your story and post. Include 2 nd turning point. E. Post comments on 2 or more other student 2 nd Acts. Week 8 1. Review posted 2 nd Acts. 2. Online lecture: WRITING ACT THREE A. Resolve race to finish. B. Main Character s final battle. C. Completion of Main Character s transformational arc. D. Completion of Thematic arc. E. Proving of Premise. F. Send the audience home with something to think about. A. Read/watch The Verdict. B. Identify 1 st turning point, Midpoint, Lowpoint, 2 nd tuning point and Climax in The Verdict. C. Beat out Act 3 of your story and post. D. Post comments on 2 or more other student 3 Act beats. Week 9 1. Review posted Beat Outlines. 2. Online lecture: DIALOGUE and EXPOSITION A. Dialogue must reveal character or information (that can t be shown). B. Subtext what you really mean. C. Exposition. D. Good/bad dialogue. E. Get inside your characters speak through them. F. Flashbacks. G. Script formatting. A. Read/watch Broadcast News. B. Pay special attention to James L. Brooks sublime dialogue. No written assignment for this exercise. C. Put together Acts 1,2 and 3 of your Beat Outline. Include all important beats and number from beat 1, on. Within the outline make note of your inciting incident, 1 st turning point, Midpoint, Low-point (if used), 2 nd turning point and Climax. Remember, one or two sentences are enough to convey the point of the beat/scene.
8 D. Post comments on 2 or more other student beat outlines. Week 10 1. Review posted Beat Outlines. 2. Online lecture: THE BUSINESS OF SCREENWRITING A. Trust your material. B. WGA register your script/how to get in. (wga.org) C. Representation. D. Pitching. E. Rewriting. F. Writing resources classes/books/web. G. Networking major element to success. Assignment: A. Take a break. B. Re-read your outline. C. If your story still grabs you, START WRITING YOUR SCREENPLAY! Film Script Websites: Access to hundreds of produced screenplays. www.dailyscript.com www.joblo.com www.scriptcrawler.net www.weeklyscript.com Explore the endless websites and blogs about Scriptwriting and Hollywood. Think about: Write. You won t get better if you don t. Persevere. Don t give up if writing is your need/desire. Rejection. Learn to process it through your system. Sweet Spot. Find a time day or night where writing clicks and be consistent. Network. In person and online. Become a part of the film community. Also Familiarize yourself with the screenplay gurus: McKee/Truby/Field as well as Joseph Campbell s Hero With a Thousand Faces, Aristotle s Poetics and William Goldman s Adventures in the Screentrade. Formatting Program that does it all: FINAL DRAFT. Watch, read and attend anything and everything you can about screenwriting and film to solidify a knowledge base, then store it all away and let your genius take over.
9 Good Luck! Workshop Guidelines Try to focus on the technical aspects of the work and not on your evaluation of the writer. You will read the exercises of others, exposing yourself to an array of responses and strategies. You will comment on the writing of your classmates and receive from them comments on your own writing. You will also receive feedback from me, typically giving suggestions for using the technique at hand more effectively. Good feedback can be short or long, so I won't impose an arbitrary length on yours. Of course, it should avoid personal attacks, insults, or harassment of any kind. Your stance should be that of a careful and interested reader. You're making suggestions or observations the writer can take into the next draft or into other pieces. In my feedback, I will always assume your work is a draft in progress. I will gear my comments toward improvements you can make in future drafts, even though you may not actually choose to rewrite that particular piece. Whenever possible, when identifying flaws, search for some means by which to rectify the problem. If you were the author of this piece, how would you choose to deal with this problem? Feedback is most helpful if it makes specific points. It's least helpful when it deals in generalizations. For example: Example 1 "Your piece is great." "I really didn't like this. It just didn't work for me." These are weak and uninformative feedback, because they leave the writer nothing specific to work on. Overall judgments like this are usually not helpful in revision (especially if they're negative). Example 2 "I like the way you used point of view." "Seems like the point of view changes throughout the piece." These are better, because they help the writer focus on a specific aspect of the piece. Example 3 "I couldn't figure out whose point of view we're seeing in Paragraph 4." "I liked the way you shifted from the dog's point of view to your brother's in
10 Paragraph 3. That helped me understand the conflict between them how the dog thought the brother was stealing its food, but the brother thought he was just saving the dog from a bad case of indigestion." These are useful comments. They let the writer know whether a specific aspect of the piece is working (at least for one reader), giving her some idea where she might best spend her revision time. Notice that useful feedback doesn't necessarily have to offer suggestions. It can merely observe, leaving the writer to work out solutions for herself. In addition, your feedback can build on the responses of others.
11 UCLA Extension Policies: Underage Students As UCLA's principal provider of continuing education, the majority of UCLA Extension courses are designed for the post-baccalaureate professional-level student. Enrollment is therefore normally reserved for adult students 18 years of age and older. The Writers Program may consent to enroll younger students based on special academic competence and approval of the instructor. Minors who enroll in a Writers Program course without first receiving permission from both the department and the instructor are subject to withdrawal. To request approval, please contact the Writers Program at 310/825-9415. Academic Honesty Policy Academic dishonesty covers behavior in cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication of information. These behaviors are not tolerated. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the UCLA Extension Student Conduct Code and the official statements regarding cheating and plagiarism at: https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/studentconduct.aspx Services for Students with Disabilities In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, UCLA Extension provides appropriate accommodations and support services to qualified applicants and students with disabilities. These include, but are not limited to, auxiliary aids/services, such as note takers, audiotaping of courses, sign language interpreters, and assistive-listening devices for hearing-impaired individuals, extended time for and proctoring of exams, and registration assistance. Accommodations and types of support services vary and are specifically designed to meet the disability-related needs of each stude3nt based on current, verifiable medical documentation. Arrangements for auxiliary aids/services are available only through UCLA Extension Disabled Student Services at (310) 825-4581 (voice/tty) or by email at access@uclaextension.edu. Please request such arrangements with at least five working days advance notice. All assistance is handled in confidence. Accommodations must be preapproved. Requests for retroactive accommodation will not be accepted.