D.C. ON FILM
Course Syllabus – Spring 2016
Instructor: Stu Krieger
skrieger@ucr.edu
Time: Wednesdays 6:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.
Phone: TBD
Location: TBD
Office Location: TBD
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:00 p.m.-5:30 by appointment
All emails regarding class issues will be answered within 24 hours
Instructor Bio:
Stu Krieger is a professor of screen and television writing in the UC Riverside
Department of Theatre, Film & Digital Production. He co-wrote the Emmy award winning
mini-series A Year in the Life and been nominated for Humanitas Prize for the Disney
Channel original movie, Going to the Mat.
Among his more than 25 produced credits, Stu wrote the animated classic The
Land Before Time for producers Steven Spielberg & George Lucas and ten original
movies for the Disney Channel, including Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and its two
sequels, Tru Confessions, Smart House, Phantom of the Megaplex, and Cow Belles. He
has been a story editor and writer on Spielberg’s Amazing Stories and the supervising
producer on the ABC Television series Jack’s Place. He served as the head writer and
story editor of the animated preschool series Toot & Puddle on Nickelodeon in 20082009.
Stu also teaches the Producing the Screenplay course at the Peter Stark MFA
Producing Program at USC. His first full-length play, Chasing Smoke, debuted in a
staged reading at Garry Marshall’s Falcon Theatre in Burbank in July 2014.
Course Description
Each class will include a film screening followed by a discussion of that film covering the
elements of cinematic storytelling it employed. There is much to explore about the craft
of screenwriting and how we as writers can effectively use the screenplay form to
express our intentions on the page.
Discussions will cover the films’ plots, structure, character development, genre
and theme of the movie with the goal of providing students with insight into the essential
elements of creating successful and enduring cinema.
Students will be assigned a number of short papers that promote critical thinking
and analysis of the concepts being covered in the discussions. Students will also create
a pitch for their own original story with some connection to Washington, D.C. They will
present these pitches to be critiqued in class. They will write a three-page prose version
of their story, using the elements covered in class, as part of their final project.
Texts:
Screenplay: Writing the Picture by Robin U. Russin & William Missouri Downs
Four Screenplays with Essays by William Goldman
Course Goals & Assignments:
During the ten-week course, students will learn basic rules of screenwriting, storytelling,
structure and screenplay terminology. They will create a pitch for an original film idea,
along with a more fleshed out version of their story and essays that illuminate the
characters, themes and sociological issues examined in the films we screen in class.
Various guests that have a career connection to the screenings will appear throughout
the quarter, subject to availability.
Grading
30% on attendance and participation in class discussions
30% on the timely submission of all assignments
40% on the final project: the pitch, story and character essays for the original film idea
the students create.
“Quality” in creative work is extremely subjective; therefore, the final grade will not be
based on the professor’s affinity for the project but on whether or not the material reflects
a firm grasp on the storytelling concepts covered during the ten-week quarter.
Late and missed weekly assignments and repeated absences from class will result in a
marked reduction of the student’s overall grade.
Course Materials and Accessibility
The Professor reserves the right to make changes to the course schedule and screening
choices based on the availability of selected guests throughout the term.
The syllabus, descriptions of the course assignments and other announcements
about the course will be posted on Blackboard.
Plagarism
Plagiarism is defined as passing off the words or ideas of someone else as your
own. It is a serious infraction that could result in expulsion from UCR. You are
encouraged to do research for your paper, including Internet research, but all sources
used in your paper must be properly documented. An Internet search will be done on
every paper to detect any plagiarism.
Students are further encouraged to familiarize themselves with the University’s Policies
and Regulations, available in the Course Catalogue.
Policy on Weather Emergencies:
In the event of a weather emergency, UCDC follows the federal government’s decisions
about delays and closures.
Policy on Academic Misconduct:
UCDC has a zero-tolerance policy for cheating, plagiarism, and any other form of
dishonesty. Students should refer to their home campus Student Code of Conduct for
the regulations that apply to them. The burden is on each student to know what
behaviors constitute cheating and plagiarism. Ignorance of these behaviors is not an
adequate defense.
Policy on Classroom Conduct:
Students must treat each other with dignity and respect. All conversations regarding
course material must be constructive and not personal, with comments reserved for the
material not a critique of others’ opinions.
Cell phones must be set to silent and in the case of an emergency call, students must
leave the classroom in order to take that call.
Laptops and other electronic devices must be used only for accessing notes and
materials for this class. Any infractions of the above policy will result in one warning;
further infractions will result in a reduction of that student’s grade.
Statement on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence
http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SHSV
The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a
community where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can
work and learn together in an atmosphere free of harassment, exploitation, or
intimidation. Every member of the community should be aware that the University
prohibits sexual harassment and sexual violence, and that such behavior violates both
law and University policy. The University will respond promptly and effectively to reports
of sexual harassment and sexual violence and will take appropriate action to prevent, to
correct, and when necessary, to discipline behavior that violates this policy on Sexual
Harrassment and Sexual Violence.
Students who wish to speak confidentially about an incident of sexual misconduct should
contact UCDC’s Counseling Services at UCDCCounseling@gmail.com. To report
sexual misconduct or to ask questions about UCDC policies and procedures regarding
sexual misconduct, please contact the UCDC Title IX administrator, Josh Brimmeier
(202-974-6214 or josh.brimmeier@ucdc.edu.) Because the University of California is
legally obligated to investigate reports of sexual misconduct, the confidentiality of
reported misconduct cannot be guaranteed.
Statement on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
In compliance with the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Public Law 93112) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336), University of
California policy prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of disability in its programs,
services and activities.
If you require accommodation for class, please let me know at our first meeting (if not
before) so the necessary arrangements can be made.
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Weekly Plan:
Week 1: We will screen and discuss “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Following the
screening, students will be asked to write the plot of “Mr. Smith” in three sentences. The
emphasis of the session will be on storytelling. We will play improvisational writing
games designed to help students understand the elements of a good story.
Week 2: We will screen and discuss “Dr. Strangelove,” focusing on character and story
arc. During the workshop portion, we will play the Story Elements game and then
students will present a very rough short verbal pitch for the screenplay concept they will
be developing during this quarter.
Week 3: We will screen and discuss “First Monday in October.” A former Supreme
Court clerk will be our guest. We will discuss the seven basic plots that all stories fall
into and students will be assigned a paper to analyze the first three films we watched,
writing about which story type they believe each of these films to be and why they have
made this choice.
Week 4: We will screen and discuss “Wag the Dog.” In the post-screening discussion,
we will cover the concepts of loglines and taglines and students will be assigned the task
of creating a tagline and a logline for their own original ideas that they will bring to class
the following week.
Week 5: We will screen and discuss “The American President.” We will cover character
development. For the next class, students will fill out two Proust Questionnaires in the
first-person voices of two characters from the five films we have watched so far.
Week 6: We will screen and watch “Primary Colors.” We’ll discuss the responsibility
filmmakers have in bringing fictionalized versions of real people to the screen. A
Washington based journalist will be our guest.
Week 7: We will screen and discuss “Lincoln.” Students will be assigned to write a pitch
for a story on another U.S. President, defending their choice with facts on why this
person would make a dynamic subject for a biopic, citing elements of dramatic
storytelling covered in class.
Week 8: We will screen and discuss “Charlie Wilson’s War.” Half of the students will
deliver their pitches for their original pieces.
Week 9: We will screen and discuss “Thirteen Days.” The remaining students will
deliver their pitches.
Week 10: Students will submit a hardcopy of their final projects. In class, we will watch
and discuss “All the President’s Men.” Our final guest will be a Washington Post political
reporter.
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