Monday, August 29, 2011
Final Pitch
Working local directors will come on campus for a pitch-fest. They’ll be considering your play as a real option for a future production. Your pitch should be as professional, carefully honed, and impressive as possible.
Final Script
You need to complete one full length stage play, (or) one feature-length screenplay, (or) one television pilot (along with a series “bible”), (or) some equivalent package of dramatic writing as agreed upon between you and the teacher at the outset of the semester. You will turn in this assignment through google docs.
Reading
You are required to read several plays by one playwright / screenwriter or within a genre that is similar to the work that you’re completing in the class. You’ll share what you read with the class in an oral report.
You will also be asked to do some reading in the first weeks of class -- this reading will count toward your grade in the PARTICIPATION portion of the course.
You will also be asked to do some reading in the first weeks of class -- this reading will count toward your grade in the PARTICIPATION portion of the course.
Final Script Proposal
You will develop a proposal about your final project. This proposal must be approved by the professor on the date due. While your final play may develop in ways you cannot expect, you should work hard to follow through on the proposal that you complete early in the semester.
Your proposal, like your three proposals, should include a title, a teaser and a long paragraph that describes the world of the story, the key characters, the main actions that drive the story forward, the climax and the resolution. Your proposal should also communicate the TONE of your story, the genre of it and even suggest some comparison plays or movies that have some things in common with your script. You can even COMBINE two stories or movies in order to communicate the unique way that your story straddles genre, tone or story type.
By the time you turn this proposal in, you should have a very clear, coherent vision for your play, screenplay or script.
Your proposal, like your three proposals, should include a title, a teaser and a long paragraph that describes the world of the story, the key characters, the main actions that drive the story forward, the climax and the resolution. Your proposal should also communicate the TONE of your story, the genre of it and even suggest some comparison plays or movies that have some things in common with your script. You can even COMBINE two stories or movies in order to communicate the unique way that your story straddles genre, tone or story type.
By the time you turn this proposal in, you should have a very clear, coherent vision for your play, screenplay or script.
Course Participation
You are expected to attend one play and one movie screening with your classmates. You will also be expected to read the scripts for both of these dramatic pieces. You are expected to attend all workshops of other writers, come prepared and give helpful feedback to one another. You will also be a “lead respondent” in at least one workshop. Your performance as a lead respondent will be weighted more heavily than your weekly workshop responses. You should read more about writers workshops on the course blog.
Course Participation points will be gained five ways:
1.) by performing your lead respondent duties with excellence.
2.) by giving regular good feedback (written and oral) to writers in the workshop.
3.) by engaging in course discussions of readings.
4.) by attending class regularly.
5.) by attending special writer-events throughout the semester.
Course Participation points will be gained five ways:
1.) by performing your lead respondent duties with excellence.
2.) by giving regular good feedback (written and oral) to writers in the workshop.
3.) by engaging in course discussions of readings.
4.) by attending class regularly.
5.) by attending special writer-events throughout the semester.
Short Play / Screenplay
You will write a ten minute play or a short screenplay. If you're writing a stage play, you must have more than one character in this story.
You may write about anything that you wish.
You may adapt someone else’s work for this assignment.
You will use your Weekly Eight to complete this assignment.
If you're writing a screenplay for your final project, you should write a screenplay for this assignment. If you're writing a stage play? Write a stage play for this assignment.
The scripts written for this assignment OFTEN go on to be produced as Open Frame films and as short plays in our biannual Short Play Fest (through Introduction to Theatre class). You may want to write the script in such a way that would make such a production more likely. You're not at all obliged to -- but there's nothing like SEEING your work produced to inspire more creativity.
You may write about anything that you wish.
You may adapt someone else’s work for this assignment.
You will use your Weekly Eight to complete this assignment.
If you're writing a screenplay for your final project, you should write a screenplay for this assignment. If you're writing a stage play? Write a stage play for this assignment.
The scripts written for this assignment OFTEN go on to be produced as Open Frame films and as short plays in our biannual Short Play Fest (through Introduction to Theatre class). You may want to write the script in such a way that would make such a production more likely. You're not at all obliged to -- but there's nothing like SEEING your work produced to inspire more creativity.
Three Proposals
I believe that discovering WHAT story you will write will be one of the most difficult things that you will have to accomplish this semester. And unfortunately, you need to discover it RIGHT AWAY.
A few of you have come into the class with a clear sense of what you would like to write so this part of the semester may seem easier. I would ask you to still engage with these first assignments with as much vigor as your classmates.
Sometimes it is wise to save our very favorite ideas for our SECOND script, meaning we should build skills this semester on a different story. I do want you to include the idea you hope to write in your three proposals, but I do not want you to finally settle on it until you’ve had a bit of feedback and worked to come up with several more ideas. You will use your Weekly Eight for this assigment.
Your three proposals should include (for each) a title, a teaser and a long paragraph that describes the world of the story, the key characters, the main actions that drive the story forward, the climax and the resolution. Your proposal should also communicate the TONE of your story, the genre of it and even suggest some comparison plays or movies that have some things in common with your script. You can even COMBINE two stories or movies in order to communicate the unique way that your story straddles genre, tone or story type.
A few of you have come into the class with a clear sense of what you would like to write so this part of the semester may seem easier. I would ask you to still engage with these first assignments with as much vigor as your classmates.
Sometimes it is wise to save our very favorite ideas for our SECOND script, meaning we should build skills this semester on a different story. I do want you to include the idea you hope to write in your three proposals, but I do not want you to finally settle on it until you’ve had a bit of feedback and worked to come up with several more ideas. You will use your Weekly Eight for this assigment.
Your three proposals should include (for each) a title, a teaser and a long paragraph that describes the world of the story, the key characters, the main actions that drive the story forward, the climax and the resolution. Your proposal should also communicate the TONE of your story, the genre of it and even suggest some comparison plays or movies that have some things in common with your script. You can even COMBINE two stories or movies in order to communicate the unique way that your story straddles genre, tone or story type.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
