Writing for the Screen II

Semester and Year	SP 2011
Course Number	ARTS-UG1573
Section	001
Instructor	Selma Thompson
Days	Thu
Time	6:20 PM - 9:00 PM
Units	4.0
Level	U
Foundation Requirement

Description

"Writing For The Screen II" provides a structured workshop environment in which students who have already completed a first draft of a feature-length screenplay can assess their work and take their writing to the next level by completing a second draft and a polish. Can the script be edited to improve pace and structure? Can the story be made more active and visual? Can more be done with character choices and setting? Are there ideas, themes, and/or jokes to further explore? Are there issues of story logic or continuity yet to be worked out? Is the story presented professionally, creatively using screenplay format to engage the reader? What elements make the script commercially viable and how might it be pitched? Writing a second draft is a creative adventure, a chance to see how far you can take your initial idea as your story grows richer and your characters start to come alive on the page. Texts will include Russin and Downs, Writing the Picture; Mamet, Bambi vs. Godzilla: The Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business; Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade; Lowenstein, My First Movie: 20 Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film; and the screenplays for Chinatown and Ordinary People.

Course Type

Arts Workshops (ARTS-UG)