Santa Clara University
COMM 130 – Global Screenwriting, Winter 2011
Instructor: J.P. Lacrampe
Office: A&S 206
Phone: (408) 551-6044
Cell: (815) 715-1630
Email: jl6@stmarys-ca.edu
Webpage: http://jlacrampe.blogspot.com/
Class Meeting: Mondays & Wednesdays 5:30 PM – 7:15 PM
Classroom: Mayer 231
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Global Screenwriting, by Ken Dancyger, Focal Press.
SUGGESTED READINGS:
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee.
Screenplay, by Syd Field.
The Screenwriter’s Workbook, by Syd Field.
Crafting Short Screenplays that Connect, Claudia Johnson.
Other Helpful Resources:
Websites with free script archives:
http://www.screenplays-online.de/
Screenplay Formating Software:
Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter.
Note: There is no requirement to purchase these programs.
INTRODUCTION & GOALS OF THE COURSE
Throughout human history, cultures have been defined and transformed by narratives. The stories we tell, hear, and see influence and mediate what we believe in, value, and know—from The Odyssey to The Bible to Star Wars. The ability to tell meaningful stories allows cultures and their values to subsist and evolve. For the past century film has been one of the most impactful and prevalent forms of storytelling, and the goal of this course is to introduce you to the craft and art of screenwriting.
During our lifetime we’ve witnessed unprecedented changes in media technology, broadening the production of, and our access to, stories. Nowhere is this change more evident than in film and television. How has the globalization of film -- the unimpeded International flow of talent and ideas -- altered movies, Hollywood, and the conventions of screenwriting? Have our notions of story and dramaturgy changed? What new forms, mythologies, and genres has this global society created, and what ramifications does this have for aspiring screenwriters?
The purpose of this course is to guide you through the process of creating a screenplay in this new global setting: nourishing an idea, building characters, developing the structural elements needed for visual storytelling and writing the final script. You’ll learn about the continuing evolution of dramaturgy and dramatic paradigms, and about all aspects of the screenwriting process: from pitch to treatment to script. Please be advised: Screenwriting is a craft. Yes, great screenplays and stories require vision, inventiveness and imagination, but they require work and reworking.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
Comm 130 is structured as a workshop/seminar hybrid. Mondays we will investigate the elements of successful screenwriting: how to develop compelling premises, interesting characters, strong dialogue and resonant plots. We will discuss and analyze professional screenplays, dramatic paradigms, narrative structures, proper formatting, and effective strategies for the process of writing and rewriting. We’ll watch clips and short films that exemplify good screenwriting. And we will examine the world of global screenwriting, and its effects on contemporary storytelling. How is globalization altering cinema?
Weekly writing assignments will be due every Wednesday, and you will meet with your individual writing groups. A significant portion of class time will be devoted to peer critiques. Please note: the feedback you give your fellow classmates is instrumental, not only in improving their writing but also your own. It is as important as the material you write yourself. Peer critiques should be constructive, in-depth, and respectful.
Attendance and preparation for class are expected and integral to the success of the class. Missing class or chronic tardiness will lower your course grade.
GRADING
Here’s the grade breakdown for assignments:
1. Narrative Synopsis/Character Bios 15%
2. Screenplay Critiques 15%
3. Rough Draft 25%
4. Final Script 35%
5. Class Participation/Attendance/Critiques 10%
NOTE: You must complete ALL projects and assignments to pass this course. If you do not you will fail the course. Incompletes will only rarely be given.
Each project will be graded on a 100-point scale with the following breakdown:
| A+ = 99 – 100 | B+ = 88 – 89 | C+ = 78 – 79 | D+ = 68 – 69 | |
| A = 92 – 98 | B = 82 – 87 | C = 72 – 77 | D = 62 – 67 | F = < 60 |
| A– = 90 – 91 | B– = 80 – 81 | C– = 70 – 71 | D– = 60 – 61 | |
Learning Objectives and Assessment
This course meets the Advanced Writing core requirements designed to further your critical thinking and written communication. The learning goals for Advanced Writing are the same specified for the CTW sequence:
· Critical Thinking. Students experience writing and other critical thinking processes as a way to learn. By understanding writing as a reflexive process students become intentional learners who develop self-awareness about the reasons for study and “adapt to new environments, integrate knowledge from different sources, and continue learning throughout their lives” (Greater Expectations xi).
· Complexity. Critical thinking and writing requires awareness of historical, cultural, and social contexts and further requires sensitivity to cultural difference.
· Communication. Critical thinking and writing requires students to contextualize their own ideas and the ideas of others by emphasizing rhetorical analysis, logical reasoning, and information literacy.
The Advanced Writing student learning objectives for this course are as follows:
Goals: Critical Thinking, Complexity, Communication
Objectives: After completing this course, students will:
1.1 Read and write with a critical point of view that displays depth of thought and is mindful of the rhetorical situation of a specific discipline.
1.2 Write essays that contain well-supported, arguable theses and that demonstrate personal engagement and clear purpose.
1.3 Independently and deliberately locate, select, and appropriately use and cite evidence that is ample, credible, and smoothly integrated into an intellectually honest argument appropriate for a specific discipline.
1.4 Consciously understand their writing processes as modes of learning, and intentionally manipulate those processes in response to diverse learning tasks.
This course also meets several of the Communication Department’s learning objectives:
1.1 Students are able to recognize and define key variables and concepts in communication processes.
2.1 Demonstrate ability to work in groups.
2.2 Demonstrate appropriate skills in speaking, writing, video, computer-mediated, or relational communication.
3.1 Discern the social impact of communication on diverse, local, and global communities.
3.2 Learn social consequences of communication in active engagement with others.
5.1 Synthesize and evaluate communication research, methods, and theories
5.2 Demonstrate ability to conduct independent or directed research.
6.1 Students produce messages that are grounded in communication research and theory.
6.2 Students assess audiences and adapt messages appropriately.
The goals of the course are that each student at the end of the course is able to:
1. Complete an original short screenplay in proper screenplay format.
2. Understand visual storytelling and how the global society affects it.
3. Develop the ability to create and articulate a story idea in a narrative synopsis.
4. Develop the ability to critique another writer’s screenplay.
5. Differentiate between the Hollywood, Independent and National Story Models.
Summary
Here is a summary of what you will learn in this course, how it fulfills the above learning objectives for the Core Advanced Writing requirement (AW) and the Communication Department (CD), and how we will both know that you learned this material (assessment).
| Course Objectives | Comm Dept (CD) and Core (AW) Objectives | Assessment |
| 1. Understand how the global society is altering storytelling. | AW 1.3, 1.4 CD 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2 | Screening/script analysis |
| 2. Develop the ability to create and articulate a story idea in a narrative synopsis. | AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.4 AW 1.1, 1.3 CD 5.2 AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.4 | Synopsis/treatment Character bios Script outline |
| 3. Develop the ability to critique another writer’s screenplay. | AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 CD 1.1, 2.2 | Screenplay/Peer critiques |
| 4. Differentiate between the Hollywood, Independent and National Story Models. | AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 CD 1.1, 2.2, 5.1 | Screenplay critiques |
| 5. Complete an original short screenplay in proper screenplay format. | AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 CD 2.1, 2.2, 6.1, 6.2 | Screenplay |
Accommodations for Disabilities
To request academic accommodations for a disability, students must contact Disabilities Resources in Benson Center, (408) 554-4111. Students must register with Disabilities Resources and provide appropriate documentation to that office prior to receiving accommodations.
Academic Honesty
The University is committed to academic excellence and integrity. Students are expected to do their own work and to cite any sources they use. A student who is guilty of a dishonest act in an examination, paper, or other work required for a course, or who assists others in such an act, may, at the discretion of the instructor, receive a grade of “F” for the course. In addition, a student found guilty of a dishonest act may be subject to sanctions, up to and including dismissal from the University, as a result of the student judicial process as described in the Student Handbook. A student who violates copyright laws, including those covering the copying of software programs, or who knowingly alters official academic records from this or any other institution is subject to similar disciplinary action.
COURSE SCHEDULE: COMM 130 - GLOBAL SCREENWRITING
WEEK 1 - FINDING AN IDEA: The Premise
JAN. 3 Monday Class Overview; Textbook review; writing group
formation; synopses examples. Discuss: What is story? What is a screenplay?
View: Bottle Rocket and Truman.
Assignment #1: Synopsis (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.4)
Read: Cooper/Dancyger: pp. 1-36; Dancyger: Ch. 1
JAN. 5 Wednesday Discovery, Decision, Conflict & Connection
View: City Lights; Chinatown; Sideways.
Review Synopses in writing groups.
Read: Dancyger: Chapters 2-5.
WEEK 2 - STORY STRUCTURE & GENRE
JAN. 10 Monday Character, Structure, Genre & Tone.
View: The Godfather; Star Wars; Dr. Strangelove.
Assignment #2: Rewrite Synopses (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.4).
Read: Dancyger: Chapters 6&7.
JAN. 12 Wednesday The Hollywood Model vs. The Independent Model
View: Saving Private Ryan; In the Company of Men.
Review revised synopses in writing groups.
Read: Cooper/Dancyger: Chapters 4-6.
Assignment #3: Character Bios (AW 1.1, 1.3).
WEEK 3 - Discovering YOUR CHARACTERS
JAN. 17 Monday Martin Luther King Day: No Class.
JAN. 19 Wednesday Finding the story via your Main Character and
Supplementary Characters.
The Screenplay Format - handout
View: Full Metal Jacket; Faces; Taxi Driver.
Review Character Bios in writing groups.
Read: Cooper/Dancyger: Chapters 8-10
WEEK 4 - DRAMATURGY: THE ART OF STORYTELLING
JAN. 24 Monday Structuring the Drama of your Story
View: The Shawshank Redemption; American Beauty
Assignment #4: Dramatic outline of your screenplay (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.4)
Read: Cooper/Dancyger: Ch. 13-16
JAN. 26 Wednesday Melodrama, Docudrama Hyperdrama & Experimental
Narrative
View: Man Bites Dog; Reservoir Dogs.
Review Dramatic Outlines in writing groups.
Read: Dancyger: Chapters 10&1l; Cooper/Dancyger: Ch.12
WEEK 5 - THE WRITERΚΌS POV IN CHARACTER AND ACTION
JAN. 31 Monday Tone, Voice & Writing Dialogue
View: Do the Right Thing; No Country for Old Men; The Ice Storm.
Assignment #5: Write Act 1 (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
Read: Cooper/Dancyger: Chapter 7.
FEB. 2 Wednesday Giving/Receiving Constructive Feedback
Review first draft of Act 1 in writing groups.
Read: Dancyger: Chapters 8-9
WEEK 6 - Global STORYTELLING
FEB. 7 Monday The National and New Models.
Analyzing a script: Slow Dancin’ Down the Aisles of the
QuickCheck. (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
View: In the Name of the Father; The Bicycle Thief; The Pianist.
Assignment #6: Re-write Act 1 (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
FEB. 9 Wednesday Conflict and Climax in Story.
Review second draft of Act 1 in writing groups.
Read: Dancyger: Chapters 12&13.
WEEK 7 - Form & Content
FEB. 14 Monday The search for new forms; the struggle of style & content.
Analyzing a script: Cool Breeze and Buzz. (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
Shakespeare in Love; Momento; The Royal Tenenbaums.
Assignment #7: Write Act 2 (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
FEB. 18 Wednesday
Review Act 2 in writing groups.
Assignment #8, write act 3 (the Rough Draft).
(AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
Read: Dancyger: Ch. 14&15
WEEK 8 - The Medium is the Message and Metagenre
FEB. 21 Monday President’s Day: No Class
The Player; Good Will Hunting;
FEB. 23 Wednesday The Medium is the Message and Metagenre.
View: The Matrix; The Truman Show; Run, Lola, Run; The Celebration.
The Influence of TV and other Technologies.
Review Act 3 in writing groups.
Read: Dancyger: Chapters 16&17.
WEEK 9 - INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS
FEB. 28 Monday Individual Meetings to discuss Rough Drafts
MAR. 2 Wednesday Individual Meetings to discuss Rough Drafts
WEEK 10 - THE FUTURE OF SHORT FILMS
MAR. 7 Monday National Stereotypes and the Global Tale.
Analyzing a script: Lena’s Spaghetti.
(AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
View: Elizabeth; All About my Mother; American Psycho.
Assignment #9: Re-write Rough Draft (AW 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)
Read: Cooper/Dancyger: Chapter 17.
MAR. 11 Wednesday New Directions for the Short Film.
View: Hotel Chevalier; Selections from Sundance.
Final notes from writing groups re: Rough Draft.
FINAL EXAM WEEK
MAR. 16 Wednesday Final script due in my office by 3:30 p.m.
