Communication 493E
SEMINAR - SCREENWRITING
Fall 2009

Prof. Marty Norden
409 Machmer Hall, 545-0598, 545-1311
norden(at)comm.umass.edu
http://people.umass.edu/norden/493Esyll.html

"Human beings are storytelling animals. We domesticate our world by narrative, by myths . . . We are hungry for a story that will dramatize some meaning we can hold to. The need for a myth that begins 'Once upon a time,' and ends with 'The hero finally triumphed after many trials and returned home,' still sleeps in our substance." --Sam Keen

"A film script is almost all structure. It's the bones of a story coherently laid out." --David Freeman

"Screenwriting is a craft. It's carpentry. I don't mean that denigratingly; that's really what it is. Except in the case of Ingmar Bergman, it's not an art." --William Goldman

"A screenplay is the first draft of a motion picture." --Richard Blumenberg

"If you figure out how to make pictures without writers, let me know." --Irving Thalberg

"Without writers, we'd have nothing. They're the foundation of the movie business." --Amy Pascal

"Hollywood has treated writers like bean-field workers for years." --Harlan Ellison

In this seminar we will examine the art (William Goldman's opinion noted above to the contrary), craft, and business of screenwriting from theoretical and practical perspectives. The following are among the topics we will cover:

  • The state of the screenwriting craft and how it got that way
  • Standard screenplay formats and structures
  • Adaptation issues
  • Creation and development of premise, plot, character, and action
  • Scene writing
  • The screenwriter's place in the collaborative process of filmmaking
  • Review of marketing strategies and career possibilities
With regard to this last bulleted item, we might consider the words of Jerry Bruckheimer, one of Hollywood's most successful producers. During an Aug. 2009 interview, he was asked, "Does an unknown writer have any chance of getting a script read by a studio or put into production?" His reply: "Of course. Every writer in Hollywood started by writing a screenplay and getting recognition. If the movie didn't get made, it at least got noticed by somebody -- a producer or an agent. If someone is prolific and keeps working at it, they're going to do it. You've just got to keep writing. I'm sure we could show you instances of very famous screenwriters whose first screenplay wasn't very good. They just kept at it."

The main focus of our seminar will be on scriptwriting for storytelling movies and NOT on such topics as writing for documentaries, TV commercials, and corporate/industrial films. We will, however, have a brief opportunity to examine the screenwriting process for narrative television programming.

I plan to use excerpts from relevant films and screenwriter interviews to supplement the lectures, readings, and discussions. In addition, there are numerous resources on the web that you may find helpful. If you go to the bottom of my home page, you will find a section called "Marty's Links-o-Rama." (Sorry about the title. If you can come up with something better, let me know!) This section contains links to several directory web sites that I have developed over the past few years. They will lead you to internet resources on screenwriting, the movie/TV industry, general writing and research, and more. I strongly urge you to take advantage of these web sites.

REQUIRED TEXT (available at Amherst Books, 8 Main St., downtown Amherst):

  • Armer, Alan. Writing the Screenplay: TV and Film, 2nd ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 2002.
REQUIREMENTS:
#1) Your first assignment is a screenplay adaptation (6-7 pages) based on one or more scenes from a short story, novel, novella, or epic poem of your choice. Please do NOT use a theatrical play as your source material. In addition to your script, please submit a brief analytical paper (2 pages, maximum) that contains the following discussions about your adaptation: (A) what you changed and why, and (B) what you kept the same and why. The screenplay adaptation and analytical paper are due on Tues., Sep. 29 and together will be worth about 15 per cent of your final grade.

#2) A "character profile" is the second requirement. Essentially, you will be creating an original fictional character, using a three-page form that I will distribute in class as your guide. If you wish, you may use this character in one of the remaining projects -- in fact, I recommend it, since it would be an efficient use of your time. Though the character profile will not count as a percentage of your final grade, I will take the mark I give it ("+" for very good, a check mark for average, or "-" for sub-par) into consideration when I determine your final grade. The profile is due on Thur., Oct. 8.

#3) An original script of 6-7 pages is required. It may be a script for a complete short film or a series of scenes from a "make-believe" larger film. A 500-word "treatment" must accompany your script, in which you summarize your script in prose form. The script and the treatment are due on Thur., Oct. 22 and together will be worth about 15 per cent of your final grade.

#4) A narrative script of approx. 25 pages is the next requirement. It may be for a complete 25-minute film/TV program or part of a longer production. A 500-word treatment must accompany your script. The script and the treatment are due on Thur., Nov. 19 and together will be worth about 30 per cent of your final grade.

#5) A second 25-page script is the final project. It may be continuous from Assignment #4 (for example, it may be the second half of a 50-page script) or it may follow an entirely new concept. It along with a 500-word treatment will be due during Finals Week (a specific time and date will be announced later) and will be worth about 30 per cent of your final grade. I will call on you to give an oral "progress report" on this project during one of the last two class periods of the semester.

I will base the remaining 10 per cent of your final grade on items related to your role as a "good citizen" in this seminar (e.g., informed participation, general attitude, degree of helpfulness extended to your fellow writers in this seminar).

Regular attendance is a must. You will be allowed a maximum of TWO unexcused absences during the semester. Your final grade will drop by one notch (e.g., from a B to a B-, from an A- to a B+) for each additional unexcused absence. Absences stemming from major medical problems, jury duty, family emergencies, observance of religious holidays, military / public-safety obligations, etc., should be discussed with me in advance whenever possible and may require documentation. Please read UMass-Amherst's policy on class absence for more information about excused absences.

ALL PROJECTS MUST BE WORD-PROCESSED, following the formats discussed in class. This includes Assignment #1's analytical paper and the treatments for Assignments #3, 4, and 5. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE CHARACTER PROFILE, which may be either handwritten or typed. I simply will not accept material written in longhand, with the one exception noted above.

All projects are due at the beginning of class on the due dates. I will accept late projects but for reduced credit and only if you have made arrangements with me in advance.

Do not e-mail me your scripts under any circumstances. Submit hard copies only, please.

I would advise you to make and keep a copy of each project (whether a photocopy, print-out, or computer file) until you receive the original back from me.

Please be forewarned that I have a near-pathological aversion to handing out "incompletes." I will give such non-grades only under the most extreme of circumstances (such as illness or your own death) and even then grudgingly. Otherwise, any missing work will be averaged into the final grade.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE (subject to change, of course):

Sep. 8 & 10	   Intro to seminar; Brief history of screenwriting

Sep. 15 & 17	   Adaptation issues; Visual thinking
	 	   Reading: Armer, Ch. 12

Sep. 22 & 24	   Formats
		   Readings: Armer, Ch. 3, 10

Sep. 29 & Oct. 1   Character work; Story ideas      ADAPTATION DUE SEP. 29
 		   Readings: Armer, Ch. 4, 5

Oct. 6 & 8	   Story ideas; Treatments       CHAR. PROFILE DUE OCT. 8
		   Readings: Armer, Ch. 1, 2, 9, 11

	******* NOTE: MONDAY SCHEDULE ON TUES., OCT. 13 *******

Oct. 15  	   Dialogue writing
		   Readings: Armer, Ch. 6, 7

Oct. 20 & 22       Dialogue writing; Pro advice      1ST ORIG. SCRIPT DUE OCT. 22
		   Reading: Armer, Ch. 8

Oct. 27 & 29	   Script readings

Nov. 3 & 5         Script readings
	
Nov. 10 & 12       Script readings; TV script formats and structures

Nov. 17 & 19	   TV work, con'd; Pitch session   2ND ORIG. SCRIPT DUE NOV. 19

Nov. 24            Two script readings

        ******* NOTE: HOLIDAY ON THUR., NOV. 26 *******

Dec. 1 & 3         Career issues
		   Reading: Armer, Ch. 13
	
Dec. 8 & 10 	   Oral reports

3RD ORIG. SCRIPT DUE DURING FINALS WEEK (SPECIFIC DATE AND TIME T.B.A.)
A STATEMENT ABOUT COPYRIGHT:
Many of the materials created for this course are the intellectual property of the instructor. This includes, but is not limited to, the syllabus, lectures, and course notes. Except to the extent not protected by copyright law, any use, distribution or sale of such materials requires the permission of the instructor. Please be aware that it is a violation of university policy to reproduce, for distribution or sale, class lectures or class notes, unless copyright has been explicitly waived by the faculty member.

Copyright (c) 2009 Martin F. Norden

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