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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF CINEMATIC ARTS
CTWR 206B
SECTION 19156D
WRITING THE SCREENPLAY
SPRING 2009
Instructor: Tom Benedek
Tuesdays 4 p.m. – 6:50 p.m.
Classroom Location: SCA 342
Office Hours: By Appointment -- Tuesdays 2 PM – 3PM or as available.
NOTE: Please email instructor to set an appointment by the Friday afternoon before
Tuesday’s class.
email: Benedek@usc.edu
phone: 310 9188132
COURSE GOALS:
In CTWR 206B, each student will complete the first draft of feature length motion
picture screenplay. During the Fall semester, in 206A, we have focused on the
development of a detailed beat sheet/story outline and the writing of the first act. During
Spring semester in 206B, students will extend their outline and first act into a finished
script.
Students will adjust their beat sheets, based on feedback of their completed first act, and
they will write second and third acts. We will dedicate class time to readings and group
discussion of students’ ongoing writing project work
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Through classroom discussion of student writing and study of assigned screenplays, films
and textbook readings, students will strengthen their familiarity with the structural
elements of the feature length motion picture screenplay with well-developed plot,
characters, setting. Students will become familiar with the general guiding elements of
dramatic structure and character development in a variety of styles of storytelling.
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TEXTBOOKS:
THE TOOLS OF SCREENWRITING: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO THE CRAFT AND
ELEMENTS OF A SCREENPLAY by David Howard and Edward Mabley; St.
Martins/Griffin; New York; 1993.
MAKING A GOOD SCRIPT GREAT by Linda Seger;
Samuel French; Hollywood; 1994.
SUBMISSIONS OF WRITING FOR CLASS DISCUSSION
Writing assignments must be emailed IN PDF FORMAT to the instructor no later than
Sunday evening prior to scheduled Tuesday class.
GRADES:
Please see the attached Definition of Grades and Marks.
Your course grade will breakdown as follows:
First Draft Screenplay
Weekly Assignments
Class Participation
30%
40%
30%
.
First Draft Screenplay in hard copy AND electronic form(PDF) due by 1pm, May 1,
2009.
GENERAL RULES & GUIDELINES
Due dates are non-negotiable. Assignments that are due on a given date must be
submitted on that date.
Class attendance is mandatory. If you have more than two unexcused absences, it will
result in a reduction of one grade from your final course evaluation. The only way an
absence can be excused is with medical documentation.
Adaptations of other written material are not allowed unless authorized by the
instructor. All written material submitted for this class must be your original work.
Proofread your assignments. Spelling and grammatical errors will influence grades.
Use a good dictionary, thesaurus and do not rely on a computer spell-checker program.
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Reading the required student writing, textbook assignments and in-class handouts is
a course requirement.
Viewing/reading assigned films and screenplays is a course requirement.
Students are expected to participate in class discussions when student writing, films,
scripts, treatments, handouts are being analyzed/evaluated.
Students with Disabilities:
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to
register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of
verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure this
letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301
and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The telephone number for
DSP is (213) 740-00776. Should you have any questions, you may contact your Writing
Advisor in the Writing Division office.
Academic Integrity:
The School of Cinema-Television expects the highest standards of academic excellence
and ethical performance from USC students. It is particularly important that you are
aware of and avoid plagiarism, cheating on exams, submitting a paper to more than one
instructor, or submitting a paper authored by anyone other than yourself. Violations of
this policy will result in a failing grade and be reported to the Office of Student Judicial
Affairs. If you have any doubts or questions about these policies, consult “SCAMPUS”
and/or confer with the instructor.
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CLASS 1
SEMESTER OVERVIEW
DISCUSSION OF SECOND ACT FUNDAMENTALS
DISCUSSION OF WRITING PROCESS
WORKSHOP SECOND ACT OUTLINES
Assignment::
1)Read first act of Sean’s, Jack’s, Ben’s, and Max’s screenplays.
2)Write 1-2 page assessment for each using provided rubric.
CLASS 2
WORKSHOP FIRST ACTS
WORKSHOP SECOND ACT OUTLINES
Assignment::
1)Read first act of Trevor’s, Amy’s, Hannah’s, and Justin’s screenplays.
2)Write 1-2 page assessment for each using provided rubric.
CLASS 3
WORKSHOP FIRST ACTS
WORKSHOP SECOND ACT OUTLINES
Assignment:
1) Begin writing second act
2) View assigned film.
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CLASS 4
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 5
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 6
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 7
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
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2) View assigned film.
CLASS 8
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 9
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Second Act in hard copy AND electronic form(PDF) due by 1PM, March 13. 2009.
CLASS 10
FUNDAMENTALS OF THIRD ACT STRUCTURE
WORKSHOP THIRD ACT OUTLINES
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1)Read second act of Trevor’s, Amy’s, Hannah’s, and Justin’s screenplays.
2)Write 1-2 page assessment for each using provided rubric.
3) Write script pages
CLASS 11
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1)Read second act of Max’s, Sean’s, Jack’s, and Ben’s screenplays.
2)Write 1-2 page assessment for each using provided rubric.
3) Write script pages
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CLASS 12
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 13
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 14
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
FUNDAMENTALS OF MARKETING PRACTICES FOR SCREENWRITING
SERVICES
PITCH WORKSHOP
PRESENTATION OF NEW WRITING PROJECTS
Assignment:
1) Write script pages
2) View assigned film.
CLASS 15
WORKSHOP SCRIPT PAGES
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FUNDAMENTALS OF MARKETING PRACTICES FOR SCREENWRITING
SERVICES
PITCH WORKSHOP
PRESENTATION OF NEW WRITING PROJECTS
Final First Draft is due Final Screenplay Outline and Act I in hard copy AND
electronic form(PDF) due by 1PM, MAY 1, 2009.
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SCREENPLAY EVALUATION TEMPLATE
A)
PREMISE OF STORY
QUALITY OF STRUCTURE
PLOT DEVELOPMENT
ACT I
ACT II
ACT III
SUB-PLOTS
RESOLUTION
B)
THEMATIC DEVELOPMENT
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
CHARACTER DETAIL
ACTION DETAIL
GENERAL VISUAL DETAIL
DIALOGUE
TONE OF WRITING
C)
WRITER’S INTENTION
QUALITY OF WRITING
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SPELLING, GRAMMAR, FORMAT
D)
POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVEMENT IN REWRITE
AREAS OF FOCUS FOR REWRITE
AREAS OF FOCUS FOR WRITER’S GENERAL SCREENWRITING CRAFT
DEVELOPMENT
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