Olympic College Film School
Winter 2023 Syllabus (Hyflex)
FILM 245 Screenwriting I
Dates: Jan. 03 - March 13
There is no required textbook for this class.
“The beauty of a great artist, like a great athlete, is the ability to make something amazingly
difficult and complex look easy.”
— Hal Ackerman, former co-head of the UCLA Screenwriting Program
Instructor: Aaron Drane
Email: adrane@olympic.edu
Course Description
This course provides students at an introductory level the opportunity to practice the art and
craft of screenwriting. Emphasis is placed on empowering students to think creatively while
building an understanding of basic story structure and character development. This class, more
importantly, is about discovering your unique writer’s voice and style— or your “secret sauce.”
Our class is organized as both a lecture and in-class Workshop, whereby students can feel
enthusiastically inspired to tell their story in a nurturing Writers Room and receive feedback.
Course Specifics
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory (either in person or via Zoom). Any student who misses more than
three consecutive Zoom classes without notifying the instructor may be dropped from the
course. Please make sure webcams and microphones are working and are powered on during
class.
To satisfy course requirements, students may choose one of the following:
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Writing the first 10 pages of a feature-length screenplay.
Writing the first 10 pages of a 60-minute TV episodic show.
Writing a short film screenplay (two drafts) (minimum 10 pages)
Eating and Drinking
Students are encouraged to eat before coming to class, after class, or during breaks. However,
if you absolutely must, food and non-alcoholic beverages may be consumed in class so long as
they do not disrupt me, our class, or pose risk to school-owned laptops and equipment.
Course Outcomes and Assessment Methods
During the quarter, the following learning outcomes will be assessed via written, oral and
performance-based methods:
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Identify and discuss the fundamentals of Aristotle's “Poetics” as they apply to dramatic
story structure.
Describe and apply core fundamentals of narrative structure in writing visually for the
screen.
Identify and discuss creative story ideas at an introductory level as they apply to
screenwriting.
Identify and apply effective models for introductory-level plot and character design as
applied to screenwriting.
Describe and apply preparation and/or pre-writing strategies for screenwriting.
Describe and apply introductory-level dialogue crafting and development and use of
subtext.
Identify and discuss fundamental approaches to crafting plot, story beats, and characters
as applied to narrative structure in screenwriting.
Describe and apply fundamentals of three-act structure and dramatic turning points in
writing a short and/or TV/feature-length screenplay.
Apply basic, introductory-level screenwriting format.
Grading Criteria
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Attendance 10%
Logline & Character Sketch 10%
Pitch 10%
4 Short Discussion Board Questions 10%
Beat Sheet I 10%
Beat Sheet II 10%
Step Outline 10%
First Scene (minimum 3 typed pages) 10%
Self-Assessment 5%
FINAL— First 10 pages of your screenplay 15%
EXTRA CREDIT
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Read a Screenplay 5%
Movie Poster 5%
Our Lesson Plan
Week 1: FADE IN: What If. . .
Mon: Welcome!
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Course Overview
My Approach to Teaching Screenwriting
Loglines, Character Sketches, and Movie Poster— oh my!
Developing Your Movie Pitch
3 Stages of Writing a Screenplay
The Screenwriter’s Oath: If You Dare!
Wed: The Hero’s Journey: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. . . “
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12 Stages of the Hero's Journey: Sketching Your Potential Story
Hero’s Journey Movie Walk-Thru (“Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker”)
*Discussion Post #1: Say Hello and Post A Favorite Movie Clip on Canvas DUE Wednesday
(1/4/23) before 11:59pm PST.
*Loglines & Character Sketches due Sunday (1/8/23) 11:59PM to Canvas.
Week 2: A STORY WALKS ON TWO LEGS
Mon: Begin Student Pitches
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Have fun sharing your story.
Wed: Sketching Out Your Potential Story Using The Hero’s Journey
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Visualizing Your Three-Act Structure
Character Archetypes (time allowing)
*Pitch DUE in class (1/9/23) before 11:59PM PST (Note: You do not need to upload anything for
this assignment. The Pitch is delivered in class (or via Zoom) graded during class based on the
Rubric).
Week 3: FORMAT NUTS & BOLTS
Mon: Dr. Martin Luther King Day — No Class
Wed: Basic Screenplay Format (Made Easy)
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In-class/Zoom Exercise: Writing Your First Scene
*First 3-page Scene DUE Sunday (1/22/23) in PDF uploaded to Canvas.
Week 4: PLOTTING YOUR STORY: DOING THE HEAVY-LIFTING
Mon: The Beat Sheet: Story "Gotta-Haves"
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Difference between Beat Sheet I & Beat Sheet II (Examples)
Wed: The Beat Sheet: Story "Gotta-Haves" (cont'd)
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Star Wars Plot Point Walk-Thru
*Discussion Assignment #2 DUE Tuesday, (1/25/23) before 11:59PM PST on Canvas.
*Beat Sheet Part I DUE Sunday (1/29/23) before 11:59PM PST uploaded to Canvas.
Week 5: CHARACTER FUELS PLOT: THE TRIFECTA OF
CHARACTERIZATION
Mon: The Plot Curve Diagram
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Visualizing Your Story’s Design
Watching Your Mind’s-Eye Movie
Wed: Character Arc: Plotting The Range of Change
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Developing Tri-Dimensional Characters
The Character Worksheet
Workshop: Identifying Your Character’s Flaws
*Beat Sheet Part II DUE Sunday (2/5/23) before 11:59PM PST uploaded to Canvas.
Week 6: THE INCITING INCIDENT & THE OBLIGATORY SCENE
Mon: The Four-Corner Opposition Diagram
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Developing The Character Arc In Relation To Beat Sheet
The Page 45 & Page 75: Strategies for Character Range of Change
Wed: Workshop: Identifying the Inciting Incident & Obligatory Scene
*Discussion Assignment #3 DUE Tuesday (2/8/23) before 11:59PM PST.
*Extra Credit Posters DUE to Canvas in jpg. before Sunday (2/12/23) 11:59 PM.
Week 7: WRITING ON STEROIDS: REVEALS & TWISTS
Mon: Writing Toward Reveals
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Major, Moderate, Minor Types of Reveals
Stacking Reveals
Character vs. Plot Reveals
Choice Expectation vs. Outcome
Peril & Jeopardy— My Oh My!
Wed: Types of Reveals
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Workshop: Identifying Your Story Reveals
Unexpected Choices vs. Unexpected Outcomes
* Step Outline DUE to Canvas in PDF before Sunday (2/19/23) 11:59 PM.
Week 8: DIALOGUE: WORKING WITH SUBTEXT
Mon: The Three Tracks of Dialogue Development
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A Character Speaks from the Inside Out Method
Wed: Subtext: What Lies Beneath
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The Three Tracks of Dialogue Development
*Discussion Post #4 DUE Tuesday (2/22/23).
Week 9: COMPONENTS OF A SCENE
Mon:
The Anatomy of a Scene
Wed: Scene Anatomy- How to Break Down A Scene
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Scene Workshop (Time Allowing)
*Turn in updated screenplays for Table Readings to Canvas (Optional & Not Graded).
*Extra Credit: Read a Screenplay DUE before Monday (2/26/23).
Week 10: WRITING SCENES THAT KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!
Mon:
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Deconstructing a Scene
Beats and Values
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What’s at Stake and Why Do We Care?
Wed:
Table Reads of Student Screenplays
*Self-Assessment DUE Sunday (3/5/23) at 11:59PM PST uploaded to Canvas in PDF.
Week 11: CELEBRATING YOUR GREAT WORKS!
Mon: Table Reads of Student Screenplays
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Wrap Party! Show Your Favorite Movie Clips & Trailers
*FINAL— First 10 Pages of Screenplay DUE Tuesday, 3/14/23 to Canvas before 11:59pm PST.
CONGRATULATIONS ON WRITING YOUR FIRST SCREENPLAY—
(APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!!)
Note: Extra Credit assignments must be accomplished in order. This means the Read a
Screenplay must be turned in before the Movie Poster to receive both points.
Grading Policy
Average
Grade
Averag
e
Grade
Averag
e
Grade
95-100%
4.0
81-82%
2.8
69-70%
1.6
94-95%
3.9
80-81%
2.7
68-69%
1.5
93-94%
3.8
79-80%
2.6
67-68%
1.4
92-93%
3.7
78-79%
2.5
66-67%
1.3
90-92%
3.6
77-78%
2.4
65-66%
1.2
88-90%
3.5
76-77%
2.3
64-65%
1.1
87-88%
3.4
75-76%
2.2
63-64%
1.0
86-87%
3.3
74-75%
2.1
62-63%
0.9
85-86%
3.2
73-74%
2.0
61-62%
0.8
84-85%
3.1
72-73%
1.9
60-61%
0.7
83-84%
3.0
71-72%
1.8
<60%
0.0
82-83%
2.9
70-71%
1.7
Warning & Official Disclaimer
This course includes the in-depth analysis of a variety of screenplays and scenes that deal with
controversial topics. During the study of these dramas you may be exposed to racism, adultery,
violence, polygamy, death, rape, other religions, immoral or nefarious characters, communist or
socialist ideologies, eastern philosophical thought, “adult” language, homosexuality or numerous
other diverse aspects of life that are reflected in the world’s great dramas.
Late/Make-Up Work
Assignments cannot be made up unless arrangements have been made. If an assignment is
submitted late, the following grading chart will be used:
1-4 days
late
5-8 days
late
9-14 days
late
15 days late or
more
90% max
80% max
70% max
Zero grade.
Late/Make-up Work Example: If submitted one day late (within the first week), the highest score
possible is a 90.
No textbook required for this class.
Students are required to bring a three-ring notebook to every online class. This notebook
should contain seventy-five pages of lined notebook paper and must be dedicated to this class
only. By the end of the quarter, this notebook will ultimately serve as your textbook.
Final Exam
The final exam for this class will be the first 10 pages of your screenplay demonstrating your
knowledge and practical application of format, plot and characterization. Your writing must be
proofed and error-free using industry standard format.
Movie Poster Design (Extra Credit)
This is an extra credit assignment. The best practice for this assignment is to use Adobe
Photoshop to digitally assemble a graphic for your poster. (Note: Proficiency with using Adobe
Photoshop or any other graphic design software is not a prerequisite for this class.) Your choice
of visuals and how you display them depends on how you see your movie coming to life in
poster form.
Criteria & Layout: Your poster must adhere to the following format:
Digital file format:
300 DPI (resolution)
File Size
1920 pixels in height
1080 pixels in width
Tagline: A typed caption (no longer than one sentence) that sums up the idea.
Images: All posters must use imagery to convey the movie idea.
Billing Block: The credits at the bottom of the poster. List only the Director; Written By (You!);
Produced by, and the three main actors starring in your movie.
Coming Soon: These words must be contained somewhere on your poster.
Discussion Assignment Posts
Posting in-depth, well-developed and reflective responses for three discussion topics and then
responding to at least TWO student posts is an integral part of learning the course materials and
concepts. I will post a discussion question three times during the quarter for student responses.
Student In-class Workshops
Starting about week three, we will conduct in-class feedback of student work in the form of
Workshop. Participation is optional. Everyone is encouraged to Workshop their screenplays for
peer and instructor feedback, as it results in improving the work. I also provide the majority of
my feedback on student work during the online workshops.
Student Table Readings
During the final week of class, we will conduct Table Readings of student screenplays. This is
when we celebrate your work by reading aloud scenes from student screenplays. Table
Readings are an incredible opportunity to hear your words read aloud with the goal of enriching
your understanding of what works and what doesn’t work in your screenplay.
Beat Sheet I & II
Please see Canvas for more details.
Releases
Everyone must sign a Release Form the first day of class. Film is a visual medium, so you're
probably going to appear in a Behind the Scenes video, or on camera at least once during the
academic year. You are also required to have anyone who appears in your film sign(s) a
release. You will find a PDF of the release form in Canvas.
Film Faculty Credit
You must include the following credit and the OC Film School logo on all OC Student Films:
Special Thanks to our OC Film School Faculty
Timothy Hagan
Aaron Drane
Amy Hesketh
Department Policy on Ownership of Student Films
Students retain ownership of student films created at Olympic College while enrolled and using
Olympic College equipment and resources. However, Olympic College has unlimited exhibition
rights to Olympic College student films including but not limited to theatrical screenings, DVD or
Blu-Ray disc generation, physical distribution, online distribution and exhibition, Vimeo and
YouTube streaming rights. If students intend on submitting their college productions to film
festivals, they must submit a detailed festival plan to the Digital Filmmaking department within
sixty days of project completion. If a festival plan is submitted, the department will refrain from
exhibiting the student film on our webpage and YouTube until the festival premiere.
Furthermore, the DF faculty reserves the right to develop a festival plan for any student film
produced at OC. If a festival plan is developed for a student film, the student must refrain from
premiering the film in a public forum until the festival plan has been executed.
Other Student Information
Student Email
Please check your OC email account daily. OC automatically provides email accounts when
students register and pay their tuition and fees. A student email account is assigned the same
day of payment for tuition and fees. Your login name will be “username” where “username” is
your first and last name together with no spaces. This is the same account used to log into
computers in the computer labs. For example, a person whose name is John Smith would enter:
johnsmith
The first time you log in, your password will be the first letter of your last name capitalized + a
hyphen + last 4 digits of your Student ID. For example, if John’s Smith student ID was
860-12-3456 his password would be S-3456. Passwords can be reset once you get in. If you
have questions or problems, you can contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@oc.ctc.edu or call
360-475-7600. For more information on how to access your student email account go to:
http://www.olympic.edu/Students/StudentEmail/
Nondiscrimination
Olympic College seeks to maintain learning and working environments that are safe and
respectful of the dignity of all members of the campus community. Discrimination on the bases
of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
pregnancy, veteran status and all other illegal bases will not be tolerated. For more, please see
Olympic College’s full Nondiscrimination Policy.
Authorized Absences for Reasons of Faith or Conscience
Under the Student Absences for Reasons of Faith or Conscience Policy (300-03), linked to the
Olympic College Policy Manual webpage, students who expect to be absent during certain days
of this course due to the observance of holidays for reasons of faith or conscience or for
organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or
religious organization, should request such absence via the online Reasonable Accommodation:
Reasons of Faith/Conscience form, linked to the Policy.
The request should be made within the first two weeks of the first day of this course, or as soon
as reasonably possible, if the requested absence(s) falls within the first two weeks of the
course. So that eligible absences under this Policy will not adversely affect your grades, I will
work with you to provide a reasonable accommodation, such as rescheduling examinations,
coursework, and/or other activities that are required for this course. Complaints regarding this
policy and process can be addressed via the Grievance Procedures, also linked to the Policy
Manual webpage. For more information, contact the Dean of Student Development at
360-475-7528 or DeanStudDev@olympic.edu.
Sexual Misconduct (and Other Discrimination and Harassment)
Sexual and gender-based harassment, sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, and
stalking are prohibited forms of sexual misconduct. If you experience or witness sexual
misconduct, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator, Cheryl Nuñez at
360-475-7125 or cnunez@olympic.edu). All other forms of discrimination and harassment
should be reported to the EEO Coordinator, Lee Felder at 360-475-7300 or HRS@olympic.edu.
You can also report sexual misconduct and other discrimination and harassment online
(anonymously, if desired) through OC, Report It! located in the footer of the College website. For
confidential support, you can schedule an appointment with one of the Counseling Faculty in
HSS (Bldg 4), Room 203; at 360-475-7540; or at CounselFac@olympic.edu.
Disability and Pregnancy-Related Adjustments and Accommodations
Any student who requests an accommodation based on the impact of a disability or a medically
necessary absence due to pregnancy or childbirth should contact Access Services at
360-475-7540 or AccessServices@olympic.edu. for information or an appointment. Video
conferencing is available.
Withdrawal Policy
If you stop attending class for any reason, it is very important that you stop by the Registration
desk in the College Services building to process your withdrawal. The same holds true for
processing an Incomplete (“I”). The instructor is not responsible for completing documents and
paperwork on your behalf. If you fail to process your withdrawal you will receive a grade of “F”
in the course which lowers your GPA.
ADA Statement
If you believe you qualify for course adaptations or special accommodations under the
Americans With Disabilities Act, it is your responsibility to contact the Disability Support Services
Coordinator and provide the appropriate documentation. If you have already documented a
disability or other condition through the Disability Support Office, which would qualify you for
special accommodations, or if you have emergency medical information or special needs that I
should know about, please notify me during the first week of class. If you use an alternative
medium of communicating, let me know during the first week so that appropriate
accommodations can be arranged.
Studentship & Professionalism
For the majority of you, the following policies are simply good common sense. However, I feel it
is worthwhile to stipulate our principle policies at the beginning of each quarter. The
responsibility and personal integrity of each student to apply and practice these policies to a
degree of professionalism in class and throughout their academic career is termed Studentship.
This means:
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Students are expected to be in my class on time wearing a mask.
Prepared, take notes.
Complete all reading coursework prior to class.
Participate in class discussions and group exercises.
Submit written screenplay assignments on time.
Complete assignments and request help whenever needed.
If students require additional knowledge on a particular topic, please seek out the necessary
information on the web. If you are unable to consult the Oracle (internet), then ask your
professor for advice. But it starts with you being proactive.
Grade Appeal Process
(copied from the Olympic College website)
Please visit this link for more information:
https://www.olympic.edu/current-students/policies-processes/grade-appeal-process
Purpose
Students are responsible for maintaining standards of academic progress and following
procedures established and made known by their college instructors. The purpose of the grade
appeal is to protect each student against prejudiced, arbitrary or capricious academic
evaluation.
Appeal Expectations & Conditions
A grade appeal only applies to the final course grade. The assignment of a grade is the right
and responsibility of the instructor. It is the right and responsibility of the student to appeal a
grade he/she deems arbitrary or capricious. In a grade appeal, the Instruction Division Dean will
meet only with the student or instructor, and no other advocate may be present. The student is
responsible for knowing and initiating the grade appeal procedure.
Process
A student must first review his or her grade with the instructor who assigned the grade. The
burden of proof shall rest with the student to demonstrate arbitrary or capricious assignment of
the final course grade.
If a student wishes to further pursue the formal grade appeal, it must be done in writing to the
instructor's Dean, with a copy to the instructor, within the first three instructional weeks of the
subsequent quarter, including Summer Session. Because many faculty are not on campus
during Summer Session, some Spring Quarter grade appeals may not be resolved until Fall
Quarter. The student should have documentation such as graded assignments and test results
to support the written grade appeal. Within two weeks of receiving a written grade appeal, the
Dean will review the documentation presented by the student, discuss the matter with the
instructor and the student, and provide a written response to the student, with a copy to the
instructor.
The student may appeal the Dean’s written response by delivering a written justification for
further review to the Dean within ten days of the date the Dean’s decision was mailed. The
Dean will then appoint a review team of three faculty members from related disciplines who will
review documentation and provide a written recommendation to the Dean. The Dean will submit
the faculty review team's recommendation to the student and instructor within 15 instructional
days. The recommendation of the faculty review team is the last step in the process.
The evaluation of the extent of course mastery is exclusively within the province of the instructor
for a particular course, and only that instructor may initiate adjustments or grade changes.