THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
School of Communication
ADVANCED WRITING FOR FILM - SPRING 2008
(COMM 561)
Professor Claudia Myers
Telephone: (202) 885-2152
Email: myers@american.edu
Office Hours MGC 320
Thursdays 2-5pm; Fridays 10am-1pm
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this course is to offer you the opportunity to spend one semester on a single
project of substance. It's an opportunity to explore dramatic structure, scene development,
characterization and film genre more fully than in your previous writing classes at American.
Please note you should come to the first class prepared to PITCH your feature film idea. This is a
clear, concise, one or two-sentence answer to the question “What is your film about?”
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the semester, I expect you to have completed a first draft of a feature length
screenplay. This translates into about 90 to 120 pages.
Throughout the semester, I expect you to participate in class critiques of each other's work, assist
in scene reading and, to the extent possible, keep up-to-date on what your classmates are writing.
GRADING
You will be graded on how well you are able to master the following concepts in your writing:
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screenplay structure
visual story-telling
character development
uniqueness/originality of story
effective dialogue
readability: the pleasure of the text
GRADING FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
My expectations of graduate students are as follows:
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Class participation (10%)
Screenplay analysis paper, no less than five pages, of a script in a similar vein to the story
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you have chosen to write (10%)
Script Outline (30%)
Screenplay Act I (10%)
Completed screenplay (40%)
Work not completed by the end of the semester will be graded on its own merits. I do not like to
give incompletes.
GRADING FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
My expectations of undergraduate students are as follows:
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Class participation (10%)
Script Outline (30%)
Screenplay Act I (20%)
Completed screenplay (40%)
Work not completed by the end of the semester will be graded on its own merits. I do not like to
give incompletes.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Seger, Linda. Making a Good Script Great, 2nd edition (November 1994) Samuel French
Trade; ISBN: 0573699216
King, Viki. How to Write A Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie
Method, New York, 1988, Harper Collins. ISBN 0062730665
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
Trottier, David, The Screenwriter’s Bible Silman-James Press, 4th edition ISBN:
024080726x
Field, Syd Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Delta, ISBN: 0385339038
Goldman, William. Adventures in the Screen Trade, New York,
1984, Warner Books.
McKee, Robert, Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting,
Harper Entertainment, 1997 (First Edition) ISBN-10: 0060391685
Seger, Linda.. Making a Good Writer Great: a Creativity Workbooks for Screenwriters
2nd edition (September 15, 1999) Silman-James Press; ISBN: 1879505495
Seger, Linda. Creating Unforgettable Characters, New York, 1990, Henry Holt and
Company. ISBN 0805011714
Vogler, Christopher, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Michael Wiese
Productions, 2007 (Third Edition)
RECOMMENDED SCRIPTS
Chinatown, (1974) Towne, Robert (Provided on-line)
Witness, (1985) Kelley, William & Wallace, Irving & Pamela Wallace (Provided on-line)
The Verdict (1982) Mamet, David (Provided on-line)
FILMOGRAPHY
During this course we will refer to a number of films with which you should be familiar:
Cape Fear (1962)
Chinatown
The Graduate
The Godfather
Harold and Maude
Jerry Maguire
Juno
Kramer vs. Kramer
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Rain Man
Rocky
Silence of the Lambs
Some Like it Hot
Thelma & Louise
Tootsie
The Verdict
Witness
You will be expected to familiarize your self with these films. To the extent possible, you should
also plan to read scripts appropriate to the genre you are writing in. These are available in the
SOC Media Center or Reading Room and you may find some of them on-line.
SCHEDULE
Class 1: 1/16/08 What is Your Movie About?
Discuss:
• Review basic elements of dramatic story structure
• Mapping the Three Act Structure
• Pitching, Loglines and Synopses
• Individual Script Ideas (come to class prepared to PITCH them)
Write:
• Logline for your film. Due class #2
• 1-2 page synopsis for your film (post to Blackboard). Due class #2
• Character bio for your protagonist and antagonist. Due class #2
Read:
• KING pp. 14-49; pp 146-149
• SEGER pp. 3-39
Watch: Witness
Find: a sensory aid or image for inspiration wall and bring it in to the next class.
Class 2: 1/23/08 Shaping your Movie: Story, Structure and Plot Points
Discuss:
• Witness
• Loglines, synopses, character bios
Select:
• Three students who will workshop their work next class.
Write:
• Act I beat sheet. Due class #3.
• 9-point outline using Vicki King’s “Clothesline” method. Due class #3
Read:
• SEGER pp. 39-59,180-198
Watch: The Verdict
Class 3: 9/30/08 Character Arcs and Introductory Scenes
Discuss:
• Introductory scenes in Verdict, Witness
• Character arcs in Verdict, Witness
• Development of Act II
• Act I beat sheet
Select:
• Three students who will workshop their work next class.
Write:
• Act II (part 1) beat sheet. Complete Act II beat sheet. Due class #5
• Character arc for your protagonist. Due class #5
• Graduate students only: Write a 10-12 page script analysis – looking at structure,
character development, subplots, themes, imagery, tone and use of dialogue. Due
Class # 5
Read:
• SEGER, pp. 60-73
Watch
• A film similar to yours and outline its principal beats
Class 4: 2/06/08 Act Two: Developing Conflict and Raising the Stakes
Discuss:
• Understanding rising action
• The story midpoint in Cuckoo’s Nest, Tootsie, Witness, Verdict
• Plot Point 2
• Act II (part 1) beat sheets
Select:
• Three students who will workshop their work next class.
Read:
• SEGER, pp. 149-179
Write:
• Act II (part 2) beat sheet; complete Act II beat sheet due class #5
Watch: Jerry Maguire
Class 5: 2/13/08 Act Three: The Race to the Finish
Discuss:
• Act II turning point in Witness, Verdict, Jerry Maguire
• Resolving your story
• Act II (part 2) beat sheet
Submit:
• Analytical paper for graduate students only
Select:
• Three students who will workshop their work next class.
Write:
• Act III beat sheet. Due class #6
Read
• SEGER pp. 180-198, 200-212
Watch: Chinatown
Class 6: 2/20/08 Assessing Story, Structure and Character
Discuss:
• Assessing stories for focus and clarity
• Satisfaction and identification
• Set ups, pay-offs and tying up loose ends
• Act III beat sheet
Submit:
• Complete Beat Sheet
Select:
• FOUR students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write:
• First ten pages of screenplay
• Revised character arc for protagonist
• Complete Act I due class #8
Read:
• SEGER, pp. 74-114
• KING, pp. 59-69
Class 7: 2/27/08 The First Ten Pages
Discuss:
• Setting up the who/what/where/when of your story
• First ten pages of student scripts
Select:
• Four students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write:
• Next 15-20 pages of screenplay
• Complete Act I due class #8
Watch: Tootsie
Class 8: 3/6/08 First Act Flow, Exposition, and Turning Points
Discuss:
• Act I catalysts and turning points
• Characters’ goals/needs
• Active vs. passive protagonists
• Script pages 20-30, focus on Act I turning point scenes (Plot Point 1)
Submit:
• First Act of your screenplay
Select:
• Four students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write:
• Begin Act II: script pages 30-45
Read:
• SEGER, pp. 165-179
• KING, 70-74
Watch: Thelma & Louise
SPRING BREAK
Class 9: 3/20/08 Subplots and Complications
Discuss:
• The function of subplots (mechanics and meaning)
• Script pages 30-45
Select:
• Four students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write:
• Script pages 45-60 (to midpoint)
• Act II pages 30-60 will be due class #10 [this is not a graded assignment]
Watch: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Class 10: 3/27/08 The Midpoint
Discuss:
• Different approaches to the story midpoint
• Script pages 45-60, focus on midpoint scenes
Submit
• Script Pages 30-60
Select:
• Four students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write:
• Script pages 60-75
Read:
• KING, pp. 75-76
Watch: Kramer vs. Kramer
Class 11: 4/3/08 Building to a Crisis
Discuss:
• Staying on track (theme and controlling idea)
• Script pages 60-75
Select:
• Four students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write:
• Script pages 75-90 (i.e., complete your Act II)
Read:
• KING, pp. 77-78
Watch: Some Like it Hot
Class 12: 4/10/08 Breaking into Act Three
Discuss
• Tracking your subplot
• Script pages 75-90, focus on Plot Point 2 scenes
Select:
• Four students who will workshop their pages next class.
Write
• Script pages 90-105 (if possible get to the end)
Read
• KING, pp. 78-80
Watch: The Godfather
Class 13: 4/17/08 Act Three: Resolving the Central Conflict
Discuss:
• Memorable endings and final images
• Endings and Beginnings
• Finding the meaning of your story
• Script pages, focus on Act III climax
Write:
• Script pages to end
• Submission deadline for complete first draft is next class
***I will accept NO LATE SCREENPLAY SUBMISSIONS
Read:
• KING, pp. 114-129
Class 14: 4/24/08 Concluding Workshop
Discuss:
• The business of screenwriting
• Navigating the industry
Submit:
• COMPLETE DRAFT OF SCREENPLAY