3/25-27/14 – Wrap Argo + Innocente

Tuesday 3/25/14

HW3.5:  Read http://www.vulture.com/2012/12/toughest-scene-i-wrote-chris-terrio-on-argo.html

Respond in 5 sentences. Thoughts? Ideas? How does this alter your thinking about writing dialogue?

Aim: Understanding how true stories become films

Daily Spark: What is one thing you learned about the REAL story of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, or the Argo Story?  How is that similar or different from what actually happened?

-Finish watching

-Look at screenplay

 

Thursday, 3/27/14

Aim: Innocente

 

3/17-21/14 – Peer review of pieces

Monday, 3/17/14

Aim: Understanding characters and their surroundings

Daily Spark: Describe an interaction/situation between you and someone else. Describe it from the other person’s point of view. Include description of place and write in the other person’s voice.

Finish 7 Turning points

 

Wednesday, 3/19/14

Aim: Peer support

Last week, you wrote a scene where two characters meet each other and should have your seven turning points.

As you read:

1. Who is the main character? What is his/her goal? What is his/her obstacle?
2. Describe the main characters’ characteristics
3. What is the theme, as far as you can tell? How do you know this?
4. Do each of the main turning points seem to change the direction of the plot or invest the character/audience deeper into the plot? If yes, how so, if no, what needs to change?
5. Is this a film you think would draw an audience’s interest? Why or why not? 

After you read and answer the questions thoroughly above, get back with your partner and discuss your input. If there is time, we will do an additional switch

 

3/13/14 – Character outline

Thursday, 3/13/14

HW3.4 : Start a random character file in the idea-logue you are keeping for this class. When you encounter interesting people, write down some things about them. This way, you always have characters to draw on.  By next weeek, you should have 5-7 written.

Aim: Understanding characters and their surroundings

Daily Spark: What was one thing you noticed about character, theme or camera  from Citizen Kane?

Last week, you wrote two descriptive pieces about a place and a person who stood out in that place.

Today, you will take those two characters  and write a scene where they meet each other.
One character will serve as the protagonist, one as the antagonist.

Put the two in a situation where they might encounter one another (Subway, train, department store, grocery store, beach…) and an obstacle (or one of them will be the obstacle). Write a summary of the scene and then write the scene, in screenplay format, that unfolds from this chance meeting, be creative and think of how you think each character would act, what they would say and do in the situation you have provided.

Once you are finished with tis, you are to create an outline with the seven turning points for a film based off of the scene they wrote. The scene they wrote Friday should be one of the scenes in the film.

Here are the 7 turning points, as a reminder:

Plot Point outline:

Number One. The Back Story haunts the central character.

Number Two. The Catalyst gets the character moving. It’s part of the story’s setup.

Number Three. The Big Event changes the character’s life.

Number Four. The Midpoint is the point of no return or a moment of deep motivation.

Number Five. The Crisis is the low point, or an event that forces the key decision that leads to your story’s end.

Number Six. The Climax or Showdown is the final face-off between your central character and the opposition.

Number Seven. The Realization occurs when your character and/or the audience sees that the character has changed or has realized something.

 

2/25-27 Wrap up first outline

Tuesday, 2/25/14

HW3.3: Write a 3 paragraph pitch of your story for Thursday

Aim: Assisting  our peers with Plot Outlines

Daily Spark: What is one place (outside of your home) that you went over vacation?  (They can be as simple as the grocery store or if you went away, somewhere specific you were) Describe the environment there as well as one person you encountered there that you found interesting or memorable in some way.

Hold onto that description.

Announcements:

1. SAI extended Deadline:

EXTENDED DEADLINE for ONLINE application for High School Instrumental Music (Band), Orchestra (Strings), Film and Vocal Music Students
for
The 2014 Summer Arts Institute!

The 2014 Summer Arts Institute (SAI), a FREE summer arts program for middle and high school students, will take place at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens from July 7 through August 1, 2014.
Admission is by application and audition.

We are extending the application deadline for students entering grades 10, 11 and 12 for Instrumental Music (Band), Orchestra (Strings), Film and Vocal Music.

SAI is designed for students at an intermediate or advanced level of study in their discipline. In order to apply for SAI, students must be currently enrolled in a New York City Department of Education public school or planning to enroll in a New York City Department of Education public school for the 2014-15 school year. Public school enrollment will be verified to determine eligibility.

Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted via online application only by Wednesday, March 5 at 6:00 p.m.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23, 2013 at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.

SAI program information and the student application is attached to this message.  Click here<http://www.cvent.com/d/14qq03> for the online application.

2:

extended the submissions deadline for Our City, My Story, until Friday, February 28, 2014! Please encourage and support your students and colleagues under 19 in applying to this incredible opportunity!

Submission Deadline: February 28, 2014

Our City, My Story is an annual celebration of excellence in New York City produced films by young adults, under the age of 19 during the Tribeca Film Festival. Our City, My Story aims to highlight and bring attention to the tremendous work that our city’s young filmmakers are producing.

How to Enter:

 

·         Complete the Online Submissions Application.

 

·         Submit a signed “Agreement & Release” via email to ocmsapply@tribecafilminstitute.org. – Download PDF

 

Eligibility:

·         Entrants must fully comply with these Rules and Regulations, including deadlines and entry material requirements and selected film requirements.

·         Non-English language works must have English subtitles at the time of submission.

·         Films must be less than 15 minutes in length.

·         Filmmakers must be younger than 19 years of age and residing within the five boroughs of New York City.

·         Films awarded one of the three monetary prizes in the narrative, documentary and experimental category must show written proof that the film has been done in conjunction or under the auspices of a host program organization, and submitted along with this application.

·         Youth filmmakers must play the major creative role on the production of the submitted works— as directors, writers, and/or editors. Preference will be given to films that are overwhelmingly youth made, and any works reflecting more than 15% of creative control by filmmakers over the age of 19 will be ineligible for submission.

·         Organizations submitting youth produced works may be requested by Tribeca Film Institute staff to undergo an interview at the site of their operations.

 

Today, you will rotate your 7 turning point outline with a neighbor. You are to give feedback. You will write your feedback down and share out afterwards.

As you read:

1. Who is the main character? What is his/her goal? What is his/her obstacle?
2. What is the theme, as far as you can tell? How do you know this?
3. Do each of the main turning points seem to change the direction of the plot or invest the character/audience deeper into the plot? If yes, how so, if no, what needs to change?
4. Is this a film you’d be interested in seeing? Why or why not?

After you read and answer the questions thoroughly above, get back with your partner and discuss your input. If there is time, we will do an additional switch

Thursday, 2/27/14

HW3.4 : Start a random character file in the idea-logue you are keeping for this class. When you encounter interesting people, write down some things about them. This way, you always have characters to draw on.  By next weeek, you should have 5-7 written.

Aim: Understanding characters and their surroundings

Daily Spark: As Monday, think of another location and person (from your vacation or since)

Describe the environment there as well as one person you encountered there that you found interesting or memorable in some way.

Now, take these two characters. One is your protagonist, one is your antagonist. Put them in a situation where they might encounter one another (Subway, train, department store, grocery store, beach…) and an obstacle (or one of them will be the obstacle).  Write the scene, in screenplay format that unfolds from this chance meeting.

2/10-14/13 – Herman’s House and Theme outline

Monday, 2/10/14

HW: outline of screenplay based on news story

Aim: Understanding the context of Herman’s House

Daily Spark: What comes to mind when you think of the concept of “home”? What does home mean to you?

What is solitary confinement?

Pace out 6 x 9

What elements from your original idea of home would you be able to hold onto in this size space?

Do you think it’s ethical to keep a person in these conditions?

INDIVIDUALS: people impacted by incarceration

INSTITUTIONS: organizations and other entities that are connected to prisons

IDEAS: concepts that are associated with individuals and institutions impacted by incarceration

How many ppl do you think are in prison today?

200,000

2.3 million

4.9 million

6.9 million

1/4 vs 5%

Wednesday, 2/12/14

Aim: Discussing Herman’s House

Friday, 2/14/14

Aim: creating outlines for short stories

Daily Spark: What would you say is the theme of Herman’s House? Why do you say this?

Review 7 Turning points

Number One. The Back Story haunts the central character.

Number Two. The Catalyst gets the character moving. It’s part of the story’s setup.

Number Three. The Big Event changes the character’s life.

Number Four. The Midpoint is the point of no return or a moment of deep motivation.

Number Five. The Crisis is the low point, or an event that forces the key decision that leads to your story’s end.

Number Six. The Climax or Showdown is the final face-off between your central character and the opposition.

Number Seven. The Realization occurs when your character and/or the audience sees that the character has changed or has realized something.

Write 7 turning points

Done? Swap with a neighbor and get feedback – are they strong tps? Do they all connect to theme?

Done? Create pitch

2/4-6/14 – Writing with Theme In Mind

Tuesday, Feb 4th, 2014

HW3.1 – Read a newspaper and find an article about someone/something that is interesting and connects to your theme. (Bring in the article – even better if there is a photo with the article)

Aim: Understanding how to tell a strong story through focus on theme and imagery

Daily Spark:  What is a film with the theme “United we stand, divided we fall”? How do you know that this is the theme (explain why this is the theme)

NOW:

Look at the following photo:

 

Select one of these 4 characters  and describe him/her: Name, age, personality, what he/she does for a living (or if he/she is in school, what his/her favorite subject is and why), what his/her living situation is etc

Share out

Now: Choose one (or layer more) of these “What If” situations and write a short story based on your believed outcome (knowing your character)

1. What if it’s 6 pm and they’ve been playing for days?
2. What if the ball is hit and falls down the sewer drain?
3. What if someone else comes, takes the ball (or the bat) and runs away?
4. What if every pitch (or hit) causes the earth to shake?
5. Write your own what if here…

Share out

Based on what you have written, what might the theme be of your story?

Everyone will share out their loglines and themes.

Now, based on your theme, think of an opening image for your story.

If you start with an image of a person, who is it and what is he or she doing?

If you start with a place, where is it and how does an audience discover it? (ex – many movies that take place in a city have a birds eye flyover shot of the city before dollying in/cutting to somewhere concrete)

If you start with an image of something, what is it and what does it suggest? (ex – an image of a smoking gun laying on the sidewalk pulls an audience in and suggests a conflict we have yet to discover)

If your story centers around a few major events (plot), beginning the movie in the middle of one of them might be a good idea (called In medias res – in the middle of things) -The more active, the better with this technique. Throwing your audience into an action sequence is a great way to grab their attention (ex – the film Rookie starts with a baseball game in a rundown field decades before. That field later becomes an important baseball diamond for the entire town)

Write your opening image.

 

Thursday, 2/6/14

HW 3.2: Create the outline for your screenplay (7 turning points)

Aim: Developing stories based on a theme

Daily Spark: Summarize the article you found and explain how it connects to the theme of your fairy tale.

Using your fairy tale logline, or, if you are struggling with a logline based on your fairy tale, create a logline from your news article, remembering THEME, answer the following questions:

What exactly do I know about the account? Record as many details as you have including where it takes place and during what period of time. How did it start and end? Who was directly involved and/or affected? What is your sense of the story- is it tragic, finny, foreboding, awe-inspiring, intimate or epic?

How reliable is my source? If you are writing from an article, is there a point of view? If so, who’s is it? If it is a fairy tale, who’s point of view is the story told through? If there is only one side to your story, imagine another…

What don’t I know? Even with research, your story may have holes. What can you dream up fill those gaps? Unanswered questions can be the heart of drama. They create mystery and they demand the writer invent some answers

What interests me most/least? What interests you most will keep you writing. Often the most interesting pieces of the story are those you know least about or those that elicit strong emotion – fear, confusion, anger, awe etc/ THIS is your ANGLE – it is what will make your story unique

What interests you least will help you edit your script. Taking on an entire event is difficult and doing so often weakens the effect of any one storyline.  For example, a screenplay written about a famous person will not include every thing from their birth to death, but will instead focus on one time period, one relationship or one major event in the person’s life (think of The King’s Speech  – we do not watch from birth to death, only the build up to giving the speech)

 

Answer all of these questions and write the outline for your script for Monday.

1/21-23/14 – Review, Writing and Midterm

Tuesday, 1/21/14

Aim: Writing Log lines and treatments for your converted fairy tale

Daily Spark: What is one way that you can connect the message of your fairy Tale to everyday life?

Today, we are going to write log lines and treatments for our fairy tales – with a twist –

Make your fairytale happen in real life – same basic concept or message, but realistic instead of magical.

Review what a logline and treatment is

Write!

1/14-16/14 – Thinking about theme

Tuesday, 1/14/14

Aim: Understanding Theme through Harold and Maude

Daily Spark: What are some of the topics touched on in Harold and Maude? What words come to mind when we think of the film?

Compile a list

What is the theme of Harold and Maude? How do you know?

What is theme?

The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic; an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art literature or film.

Are there any scenes in the film that do not elaborate on the theme?

Now, look at your screenplay – what is your theme? Does every scene touch upon the theme?

With a partner, read your fables. What are the themes? What films can you think of that have the same theme?

 

Thursday, 1/16/14

Aim: Understanding Theme in screenplays

Daily Spark: What is the theme in your screenplay (the one you handed in to me)?

Share

In pairs, share your fables with one another – come up with the theme.

Individually, fill out the three act structure worksheet for your fable. Do each of the main turning points connect back to the theme?

Share out

Questions on midterm

1/6-10/14 – Finish Harold and Maude – Character study

Monday, 1/6/14

HW: Read the next 15-30 pages of Harold and Maude http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/Harold-and-Maude.htm

Aim:  Studying Character driven films through Harold and Maude

Daily Spark: What is one change you’ve seen in Harold so far?

As we watch, look for the second turning point. Continue to take note of what we learn about each character and how we learn it.

Discuss-

Questions to consider:

1. What about Maude allowed Harold to change?

2. Is Harold’s change permanent?

3. Why does the film end the way it does?

4. What is the theme?

(What the film says about a topic)

Wednesday, 1/8/13 

Aim: Using Harold and Maude to think about character development

Daily Spark: We’ve said that every scene must move the plot forward. What does this mean to you?

Every scene should be, in some way, set up by the previous scene, and should move the story forward for both the plot and the development of the characters. This will in turn set up the next scene, until your screenplay reaches its climax. It’s a cause and effect relationship as you draw your audience in until they become hooked. You should be reviewing as you write.

Ask yourself:

1. What is the payoff of a particular scene?
2. Do I need this scene in my screenplay?
3. What is the purpose of this scene?
4. Does it reveals something new about the character and/or the plot? Does the audience want to know what will happen next?
5. What happens in your scene that makes the audience want to keep watching?

If the answer to any of these questions is “I don’t know” or “NO,” remove the scene.

They pay off could be a revelation, a decision by one of your characters, or even a cliffhanger. Dramatic tension keeps the viewer involved. Plot twists are what keep things interesting; try to keep the audience somewhat off balance, because that’s what will keep them engaged. Your story shouldn’t just start, trundle along, and end exactly the way your audience expects it to.

The end of the each should have a finish that leaves things open to be resolved in the next scene, building towards the climax.

Let’s see an example:

Harold and Maude at the Amusement Park

Script

What’s different? Why were these things edited out, do you think?

Now it’s your turn – create a scene that ADDS to the story – or begins the sequal…

Using your knowledge of the characters Harold, his mother, and Maude…

Write a scene…

1. Scene after the ending scene

2. The following day

3. The following year

4. 5 years from the end

5. 10 years from now

Do this on loose leaf, trying as best as you can to create standardized screenplay format.

 

Friday, 1/10/14

Aim: Understanding moving the plot forward and theme through Harold and Maude

HW: Bring in a fable/fairy tale that you like or know well. Re-read it before you bring it in.

Daily Spark:  Did Harold and Maude have to end the way it did? Why or why not?

Share out scripts – one from every time period:

Using your knowledge of the characters Harold, his mother, and Maude…

Write a scene…

1. Scene after the ending scene

2. The following day

3. The following year

4. 5 years from the end

5. 10 years from now

 

Do these work? Not?

What is the theme of Harold and Maude? How do you know?

What is theme?

 

The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic; an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art literature or film.

What words come to mind when we think of the film Harold and Maude?

 

What does the film say about this?

 

 

1/2/13 – Understanding Aim: Studying Character driven films through Harold and Maude

Thursday, 1/2/13

Aim:  Studying Character driven films through Harold and Maude

Daily Spark: Write a short backstory for one of the three main characters.

As we watch, look for the second turning point. Continue to take note of what we learn about each character and how we learn it