TAKE THE EXAM

Your Exam is in FOUR parts:

1) Vocabulary
2) Write a Sample Screenplay with LOCATION, ACTION, CHARACTER AND DIALOGUE
3) Write a two sample dialogues: a) Showing Relationship and b) Moving the Story Forward
4) Label the parts of a Plotline. (HINT: IT'S THE SAME FOR THE NOVEL)

Go to My TeacherWEB site and download the EXAM from the HANDOUTS BUTTON:

Script Frenzy - VOCABULARY EXAM

http://teacherweb.com/MP/LanguageArts/MrsWheeler/

SCRIPT FRENZY'S AFFIDAVIT & WORD COUNT GOALS

SIGN YOUR AFFIDAVIT.

I WANT THREE SIGNATURES ---

YOURS, YOUR PARENT'S, AND A FRIEND TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE TO YOUR GOAL !!!!

(The Affidavit and Word Count Goal Sheets are on page 53 and 54 of your Workbook)

TURN IN YOUR BRAINSTORMING HANDOUTS !!!!

You now have all your BRAINSTORMING handouts completed.
1. Character/Casting Your Character
2. Creating Conflict
3. Outlining Your Plot (This is the roller coaster sheet, and a typed description page)
4. LOGLINE (your beginning, middle, and end) in one sentence
5. Hollywood Format
6. Writing Good Dialogue
7. Formatting Your Script
8. Lights, Camera, Action

YOU MAY NOT HAVE "EVERYTHING" FIGURED OUT YET -- AND YOU MAY CREATE YOUR SCRIPT, YOUR CHANGE YOUR MIND WHILE SCRIPT FRENZY WRITING --- BUT, THESE HANDOUTS WILL COME IN HANDY LATER, WHEN IDEAS START TO RUN LOW.

TURN IN YOUR PORTFOLIO FOR A GRADE WITH ALL YOUR HANDOUTS!!!

ANOTHER REVIEW OF: Script Writing 101

A SCRIPTWRITING TERM EACH DAY

STUDY and PRINT THE LIST OF VOCAB FOR SCRIPT WRITING. KEEP A COPY OF THIS IN YOUR PORTFOLIOS!!!

YOU WILL HAVE A VOCAB TEST OVER ALL THE TERMS !!!!

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Beat Sheet

An abbreviated description of the main events in a screenplay. This outline includes basic things like your script’s genre and more complex elements like your character arc, plot, and subplots.
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Pen

To write, especially a script. So when someone asks you what you are doing this April, you can tell them you will be “penning a brilliant script!”
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Conflict

This is the heart of drama of your script; your protagonist wants something badly, but antagonists and other obstacles prevent him or her from getting it. For awhile, anyway.
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Scene

A continuous block of storytelling either set in a single location or following a particular character. The end of a scene is typically marked by a change in location, style, or time.
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The Business

AKA: The Biz, The Industry

This refers to show business in general, but more specifically, Hollywood moviemaking and television business.
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Slug Line

A header appearing in a script before each scene stating the location and time in which the following action will occur.
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Character Arc

A curved line that traces the development, growth, and transformation of a character over the course of a script. Scriptwriters follow this arc to ensure that they have exciting characters!
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Majors

In Hollywood, this is what people in the “Industry” call the Major Hollywood movie producer/distributor studios, which currently are MGM/UA, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Universal, and Disney.
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Logline

A one-sentence, "25 words or less" description of a screenplay. People will probably ask you for a short summary of your script when you tell them you're writing one or that you've already written one. When they do, you need to be able to state the main concept of your story in one short sentence.
*
Scene Cards

A method used by some writers to outline their script by describing each scene on an index card, then arranging and rearranging them to work out the story structure. This is something that is really helpful if you are stuck during April, or when revising your script after the Frenzy is over.
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Cast Page

A page that typically follows the Title Page of a play, listing the characters with a very brief description of each.
*
Courier: 12 point

This is the main font used in the film and television industry. Warning: it is rumored that Hollywood executives will throw scripts away without reading one word if it is not in this font.
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Voice Over

AKA: V.O.

When written in your script after a character name like so—Boris the Unicorn (V.O.)—it indicates that their next bit of dialogue will be heard off-stage or off-camera, meaning the speaker will not be shown.
*
Short Subject

AKA: Short

According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), a short is a movie that is shorter than 45 minutes (meaning it will have around a 45-page script). Other sources argue that a short can be as long as 60 minutes (around 60 pages), and many short-film festivals only accept 15 minute films (around 15 pages).
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Television Movie

AKA: TV Movie, Movie of the Week (MOW), Telepic, Made-For-TV Movie, Telefilm, Telemovie

A feature-length movie intended to be premiered on television.
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Bomb

A movie which is a financial disaster! But if you live in the United Kingdom, “bombing” is a good thing. When used with the word "down" (e.g. "went down a bomb"),the term means “a great success.”
*
Mini-Series

A short television series with a set number of episodes which tells a complete story. All the episodes are usually filmed at the same time.
*
Storyboard

A sequence of pictures created by a production illustrator to communicate the general appearance of the scenes in a movie before any shooting takes place.
*
Spaghetti Western

A western filmed in Italy, many times with American leading actors. This term arose following the appearance of Clint Eastwood in a number of Westerns produced by Italian studios in the 1960's.
*
Cameo

A small part—sometimes as small as one line—played by a famous actor who would ordinarily not take such a small part. (Also referred to as Stunt Casting.)
*
Pilot

A TV series episode which is produced to “test out” a proposed series. Pilots establish the characters and settings of the series. After seeing a pilot of the proposed series, networks will then determine whether making additional episodes is a smart decision.
*
Sword and Sandal

A term used in Hollywood for a genre of film that is usually set in Greek or Roman times. These films are known for their heavy costuming and large production design budgets. These were very popular in the late 1950s and early ’60s. Ben-Hur (1959) and Spartacus (1960) are the most well-known of this genre.
*
Flashback

A scene that breaks the chronological direction of a film, TV show, or stage play by showing events that happened in the past.
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Teleplay

The official term for a script written to be produced for television whose length is 42-48 minutes long (42–60 pages) for a standard one hour TV show. It can also refer to a 30-minute situation comedy. Note: It is also acceptable to call a teleplay a TV script if you feel funny saying teleplay.
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Telewriter

AKA: TV Writer

A writer who either writes for an existing television show or creates a new teleplay such as a pilot for an undeveloped television series.
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Off Screen

AKA: O.S., Off Stage

Dialogue or sounds heard while the camera is on another subject or, in a stage play, out of the view of the audience.
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Prequel

A movie that presents the characters and/or events that happened before the setting of a previously filmed movie.
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Subplot

This is also called a "B Story" in television. The subplot is used in various ways, weaving in and out of the main action to add excitement and characters to a film, TV show, or stage play. Having various plots is also helpful in creating a central theme to a story.
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Close-Up

AKA: C.U.

A direction used in a script to tightly frame an object or person, usually someone’s face, for a dramatic effect. This technique can pull the audience into a character’s emotion or focus on something a character sees.
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Spec Script

In film, spec scripts are scripts written on speculation; that is, written without an assignment in hopes of selling it as a project “ready to go.” They are also used by both novice and established writers to show off their talent and get work.
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Writers Guild of America

AKA: WGA

A union formed to protect and represent writers who write television shows, movies, news programs, documentaries, animation, CD-ROMs, and content for new media.
*
Genre

The category a story or script falls into, such as a thriller, romantic comedy, action, drama, etc. See our Genre of the Day column to find out more about each genre!
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Blockbuster

A movie which is a huge financial success, making $100 million or more. This is the opposite of a “Bomb,” and is what your screenplay will hopefully become once it’s picked up by one of the “Majors.”
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Score

The musical component of a movie's soundtrack, written specifically for that film by a composer.
*
Showrunner

Commonly working on a television series, showrunners are the people who create the plot twists for a given storyline. They keep track of the past storylines for a given character or characters, and they work with the writers to bring those new plot elements to life.
*
Walla

AKA: Rhubarb

Background conversation. Historically, when a script called for "crowd unrest" or "murmuring", film makers found that it worked best if the extras mumbled the word "rhubarb" over and over. Oftentimes, actors just mimic talking when a scene is shot and the sound is added later in the post-production process called Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR).
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Cliffhanger

A moment of high drama that is frequently used at the end of a film or TV show with the phrase “To be continued . . .” written at the bottom of the screen. The name originally came from the old practice of leaving a hero or heroine actually hanging onto the edge of a cliff in serial films.
*
Situation Comedy

AKA: Sitcom

A comedy in which humor is derived from people being placed in uncomfortable, embarrassing, or unfamiliar situations. Sitcoms usually run between 20-23 minutes (30 minutes minus the commercials), and their formatted scripts run from 45-50 pages in length.
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Blocking

The process where the director works with the actors on set to stage the action. When they are ready, they show the action to the crew so everyone can prepare for the shot.
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Sequel

A movie that presents the continuation of characters and/or events of a previously filmed movie.
*
Film Noir

This describes a genre of film which usually features dark, corrupt, brooding characters along with detectives, plus the seedy side of the big city. This genre was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s and is known for its use of extreme contrasts in lighting.
*
Brads

Brass fasteners are used to bind a script printed on three-hole paper. Acco #5 solid brass brads are generally accepted in the scriptwriting business. Warning: It is considered “amateur” to put brads in all three holes of the three-hole paper. Professionals do not put a brad in the center hole.
*
Sketch

This form is most used in comedies like Saturday Night Live; it is a short scene (usually less than 15 minutes long) written to be part of a sketch-based TV series. This should not be confused with a “skit.” Most comedy writers take offense to that term, and claim a “skit” is what the “football team does at a pep-rally in high school.”
*
Ticking Clock

Something that builds drama in a script in which an event looming in the near future requires that the conflict reach a speedy resolution (hence, the ticking clock). These are things like disarming a bomb that is about to go off or getting out of the underground tomb before the door closes forever. Back to the Future (1985) uses this device not only as a metaphor in the story but quite literally as a “setpiece” in the film.
*
Flash Forward

A scene that breaks the chronological direction of a film, TV show, or stage play by showing events that will happen in the future.
*
One-Act Play

Technically, this is a play that has only one act, but in more common usage, it is a play that runs no longer than one hour. It is common for a theater to produce three half-hour long one-acts in the same evening, sometimes from one writer or perhaps as an evening featuring multiple writers.
*
Heat

AKA: Buzz
Positive gossip about a project on the Hollywood grapevine.
*
Roll

This is a term used for superimposed titles or text intended to move vertically on screen. For example, the text at the beginning of Star Wars movies.
*
Setpiece

This term is often used to describe any important dramatic or comedic highpoint in a film or story, particularly those that provide some kind of dramatic payoff, resolution, or transition. It is often used to describe any scenes that are so important in a film that they cannot be edited out or skipped without seriously damaging the finished product.
*
Button

A TV-writing term referring to a witty line that "tops off" a scene. A button is often funny, but it can also be mysterious and suspenseful. It gives you a feeling that the scene is done, and we're ready to move on to the next.
*
Montage

Most commonly, a montage is a rapid series of images or scenes that imply the passage of time. Usually, thematic music is the only sound in these scenes; there is little to no dialogue in a typical montage.
*
Ten-Minute Play

A complete play, with a beginning, middle, and end, designed to play in ten minutes. These are usually, plus or minus, ten pages long. These are usually considered a one-act play.
*
Alan Smithee

AKA: Allen Smithee, Alan Smythee, Adam Smithee

A very common fictional name taken by a writer or director who doesn't want their real name credited on a film after they feel they lost creative control.
*
Sword and Sorcery

A term used in Hollywood for a genre of film that is usually set in days of old with magic as well as sword fighting! The Lord of the Rings movies are great examples of this genre.
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Deux ex machina

Pronounced: Day-oos ecks mah-kee-nah
In Latin, this literally means “God in the machine.” In classical drama, it was an actor playing God who was lowered from above the stage to resolve the action of a play. Now it refers to any character or event that miraculously “saves the day” at the end of a script. A classic example is the T-Rex “showing up miraculously” at the end of Jurassic Park (1993).
*
Oscars

AKA: Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards

Most people are familiar with the Oscars, but they may not know that the term "Oscar" was coined by an anonymous person who remarked that the statue looked like their Uncle Oscar.
*
Treatment

A description of a movie written in prose form (not formatted) that ranges anywhere from 15-60 pages. It should be a blow-by-blow summary of the story that includes all of the important details of each scene, action, and character told in present tense.
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Tag

A short scene at the end of a script that usually provides something upbeat to the ending. These are most commonly used in television sitcoms between the final commercial break and the credits.
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Pitch

A meeting in which a script writer will try to interest another party (an agent, an “Industry” bigwig etc.) in their script. To do this, the script writer must present the story of their script in such an exciting way that the buying party finds it interesting enough to purchase.
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Abby Singer

The second-to-last shot of the day. Said to be named after Abby Singer, who would often shout "last shot of the day" only to have the director ask for more takes.
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Dénouement

Pronounced Dey-Noo-Mohn!

This is a really big and impressive word for the concluding scenes of a movie where the story ends and the characters' status after the climax is shown. Are they married, dead, in love?
*
Guerrilla Producer

Someone who produces a film on a small (shoestring) budget. You can totally become a Guerrilla Producer after Script Frenzy and produce your script as a video. All you’ll need are some good friends and a video camera, and you’ll be all set!

OVERVIEW AND EXPECTATIONS

NOW THAT YOU HAVE COME THIS FAR.... LET'S FOCUS AGAIN.



Advanced Fiction Writing
Novel Writing/Script Writing

Overview
Advanced Fiction Writing is the next step for students who have taken AP English or AP Literature, further building on their writing skills developed in those courses. The emphasis in this course will be on revision and on developing style and structure. It will focus on writing the novel and the novella, or script, but would be useful for all students who want to further improve and develop the fluency, clarity, creativity, and vividness of their writing. Students will also research a variety of publishers, and be expected to publish their own novels/scripts. Students will be expected to write at length, to read the selections of professional writers provided and to discuss and analyze the writing of their fellow students through discussion and individual novel/script-blogs.

Class Expectations

I expect this to be a class of scholars interested in the study of language. Scholarly is defined as, “characteristics suited to learned persons.” I expect of all of us to behave as learned persons, to probe into issues, and to approach ideas with a thirst for knowledge.

I will do my best to provide a challenge and an atmosphere in order that you become the scholar that you wish to be. You are all already successful students! You realize that success and the reward of hard work is not merely seen in the form of a letter grade, but the in the growth that you make from the class.

Qualities for Success

In order to achieve this goal the course will be fast paced and require extensive reading and writing. Be prepared for 1-2 hours of reading and writing homework a night.


Required Background

To successfully complete this course, you must have prerequisite skills from Advanced Placement English or Literature.

THE STANDARDS AND GOALS OF YOUR CLASS.

WE HAVE FINISHED THE SECTION ON HOW TO WRITE VARIOUS SCRIPTS.

NOW, LET'S WRITE!!!


Standard 1: Students engage in the reading process.

Standard 2: Students engage in the writing process.

Standard 3: Students engage in the speaking and listening processes.

Standard 4: Students read, understand, and appreciate literature.

Standard 5: Students understand language as a system.


Objectives

• Build on writing skills including clarity, fluency, vividness and accuracy.
• Develop skills necessary to write longer works.
• Learn the basics of conceptualization of a novel or novella.
• Sharpen critical thinking and critical reading skills.
• Practice the skills needed to self-edit, as well as the ability to critique and edit the writing of others.
• Recognize the personal qualities needed to be an effective writer.
• Acquire the intellectual and practical training needed to pursue a writing career.
• Enhance language skills as part of a well-rounded education.
• Polish effective communication skills.

Bootcamp - Week Four

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/hsweekfourbootcamp

Read this.
Do the Handouts.
Turn it in.

PASTE THESE URLS FOR THE HANDOUTS.

FORMATTING YOUR SCRIPT.
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_formatting_hs.pdf

ALSO, YOU MUST DOWNLOAD AND PRINT ALL THREE
SCRIPT FORMATS AND KEEP THEM IN YOUR PORTFOLIOS.

REMEMBER, THIS IS A PORTFOLIO - WORKSHOP CLASS. THAT PORTFOLIO IS 40% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE !!!! KEEP IT LOOKING NICE AND IN ORDER !!!!

Bootcamp - Week Three

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/hsweekthreebootcamp

Read this link.

Do the Handouts.

Turn them in and yes, everything is graded!


PASTE THESE URL'S FOR THE HANDOUTS.

CREATING REALLY GOOD DIALOGUE AND LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION !!!!
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_dialogue_hs.pdf

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_action_hs.pdf

Bootcamp - Week Two

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/hsweektwobootcamp


Review Week Two.

Do the Handouts.

Turn everything in completed.

You will be graded !!!!!


NOW PASTE THESE URL'S FOR THE HANDOUT. CREATING CONFLICT.
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_conflict_ms.pdf

OUTLINING YOUR PLOT.
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_plot_hs.pdf

HOLLYWOOD FORMULA.
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_hollywood_hs.pdf

Bootcamp - Week One

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/hsweekonebootcamp

There are handouts from your Workbook that we will start on in Week One.

Please read the site above... and complete the handouts.

Turn these in... everything is graded!



NOW CUT AND PASTE THIS URL FOR THE HANDOUT !!!!
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_chars_hs_0.pdf

How to FORMAT

SCREENPLAY - (MOVIE OR FILM)
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/howtoformatascreenplay

STAGEPLAY - (PLAY)
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/howtoformatastageplay

T.V.
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/tvformatting


COMIC BOOK
http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/comics

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Type a SAMPLE (short scene - maybe from your novel, or you imagination) of each style of script writing. It should be a minimum of two pages typed.

You may use CELTX !!! (you can find the link in the blog post under SOFTWARE for FREEEEEEEE)
http://www.celtx.com/

Or, do the formatting on your own. You can also take the same scene and write it in the four different styles.

Script Writing 101

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/views/scriptworthy

Please print this page of vocabulary.

There will be a vocabulary test over all the definitions. Some of them make sense to you already, some will be new.

Good Luck!

I'll publish the test in a later post. Make sure you don't miss it!

Page Count Goal

Set your Page Count Goal

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/files/scriptfrenzy-ywp/sf_ywp_09_page_count_calc.pdf

Cut and paste this URL.

Being Positive and Thankful !!

11. Choosing the Right Script for You - COMIC BOOK SCRIPT

Scripts for Comic Books and Graphic Novels

You may or may not know this, but you don’t have to be a talented artist to write comic books and graphic novels. Many begin with a script that looks similar to those written for movies, plays, and TV shows; many of these scripts are not written by the artist who ends up drawing them. Even if you are an artist, the first step in creating a comic book is writing out the script.

The cool thing about writing a comic book or graphic novel, compared to other types of scripts, is that you have a lot control over the final product. Usually, you will either be drawing the comic yourself or working with one other person (the artist) to create the final look and feel of it. Not only do you get to decide on the characters, settings, story, and dialogue, you get to decide what goes in each and every panel. That’s like a screenwriter getting to decide what goes in each and every shot of a movie, which is hardly ever the case.

A great thing about comic books in particular is that they’re pretty easy to produce. They're typically really short, compared to graphic novels. That means that if you or someone you know is a good artist, you can draw the comic book after April and make copies for all your friends and family, or have it printed through a print-on-demand publisher. If you're feeling brave, you can take your new comic to your local independent book store to see if they will carry it. Many independent bookstores carry self-published comics and “zines” by local writers and authors!

But writing comic books and graphic novels isn’t as easy as it may seem. Many people are under the impression that comics are silly books written just for kids, but that is not true at all. Especially when it comes to graphic novels. Graphic novels are similar to comic books in that they tell a story through illustrated panels, but they tend to be lengthier and contain more complex story lines similar to those of novels. Like all writers, comic-book and graphic-novel writers have to think about character, plot, setting, and dialogue. You also have to think about all the elements of a story visually, frame-by-frame. You have to be the writer and the director, and you have to know both the story you want to tell and how it is going to look on the page. That means that you have to write a pretty descriptive scene for each panel in the book, which takes a lot of time and patience.

To read more about writing comics and graphic novels, check out Intro to Writing Comic Book Scripts (sections 1-4) in our Writer’s Resources section.

10. Choosing the Right Script for You - TV SCRIPTS

TV Scripts

If you put a stage play and a screenplay in a blender, and you put it on high speed, you’ll get a TV Script. Some television shows are very similar to movies (these are also called one-camera TV shows), in that they jump through space and time, through multiple scene locations, and have special effects. Others are more like stage plays (these are called three-camera TV shows), in that they are filmed in very few locations, usually in front of a studio audience.

The great thing about writing for television is that there are so many choices. You can write an hour-long drama, sci-fi, or mystery show. You can write a 30-minute sit-com or cartoon. You can even write a script for a new episode of your favorite existing TV show. And television plots are usually a lot less involved than those of most movies, plays, and comic books. Though your characters are usually going after something that they want in each episode—whether it is solving a crime, or getting a date—it is usually not life-changing! As a matter a fact, you don’t want your characters to change very much at all. The reason people keep watching a certain show is because they love the characters just the way they are. You might want your protagonist's ultimate goal to be more life-changing than getting a date—like saving the world from evil vampires—but if he or she does this in the first episode then you’ll have nothing to write about in the next.

Writing for the small screen does have its challenges. Television shows have a lot of dialogue, and this is especially true for three-camera shows that are shot in very few locations without a lot of props or special effects. Without suspense, action, and fancy effects, you’ll have to move the story forward and keep your audience's attention using dialogue. That means that not only will you have to write a lot of dialogue, you’ll have to write a lot of really witty and quick dialogue to keep people watching.

But don’t be discouraged. If you're like a lot of people, you already know a lot about television from watching it. And if you choose to write a TV script, you’ll have the perfect excuse to watch even more television: for research purposes!

To read more about writing a TV script, check out Intro to Writing for Television in our Writer’s Resources section.

9. Choosing the Right Script for You - PLAYWRITING

Stage Plays

This brings us to the stage play. The stage play is wonderful because you can write it, grab a few friends, and perform it. You can even get in touch with the drama department at your school or a local independent theater to see if they might want to produce part or all of your newly written play. It doesn't take too much work to share your story with an audience, and it can easily be performed over and over by different groups of actors, and given a whole new life each time.

Though you need to have a well-developed picture of your scenes in mind when writing a stage play, you don't need to give us as much background description of the sets and scenery as you do in screenplays. Playwrights typically leave it up to the director and set designers to imagine what the stage should look like.

The stage play, though, comes with some limits that most screenplays and some TV scripts don't have. Getting that football game we mentioned earlier into a stage play would be tough to pull off. Plus, with every new scene, you have to give your characters time for a costume change and the stagehands time for a set change before the next scene starts. Because it can get expensive to build complicated sets, many stage plays take place with very little background decoration and very few scene changes. Sometimes an entire play is set in a couple rooms, much like a television sitcom. As with television, when there are very few visuals and only a handful of characters, the dialogue really has to be strong to carry the story.

On the other hand, because stage plays have less bells and whistles, writing them can be easier. Having fewer scenes, props, and effects means you will write less description. Plus, there will be less settings and scenes to keep track of!

To read more about writing a stage play, check out Intro to Playwriting in our Writer’s Resources section.

8. Choosing the Right Script for You - SCREENPLAYS

YOU WILL BE PRACTICING

ALL FOUR TYPES OF SCRIPTS.

THE FIRST ONE IS:

***THE SCREENPLAY***

READ THE FOLLOWING LESSON ABOUT SCREENPLAYS.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE HOW TO FORMAT ONE.

NOW, WRITE A SHORT SCREENPLAY.

REMEMBER TO USE THE HANDOUTS

YOU COMPLETED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CLASS !!!

ARE YOU BASING YOUR SCREENPLAY OFF OF YOUR NOVEL???

THAT IS A GREAT IDEA !

NOW, TURN IN THIS ASSIGNMENT FOR A GRADE

IN SCREENPLAY WRITING !!!

****************************************************************************************

Screenplays

The screenplay is wonderful because you can do all kinds of fantastic things in movies that are very hard to do on the stage. You can cover great distances in a second. You can jump through time and space. You can create a scene that takes place in a stadium with 10,000 roaring fans or on a battlefield with 2,000 soldiers. The sky's the limit.

However, there are some unique challenges to the screenplay. In a screenplay, because you have so many options, things can get overwhelming. You'll likely have a ton of scenes, which can mean a lot of settings, scene changes, and characters to keep track of.

Plus, like stage plays and graphic novels, you'll have to develop a plot that involves your protagonist going up against various challenges in order reach his or her goals. By the end of the journey, your character has to change, whether or not he or she gets exactly what he or she wanted. Coming up with a good plot with a character arc is necessary if you want the audience to walk away feeling satisfied.

The biggest challenge for screenplays comes up when you start thinking about bringing your script to life. Producing a screenplay requires you or someone you know to track down a camera and computer editing software. Movie making is not easy, and getting your script from your computer to Hollywood isn't easy either.

If you love movies, don't let this scare you off! Writing a movie, even if it never gets made, is still a great creative adventure. Besides, as you've no doubt seen on recent visits to YouTube, anyone with a video camera can make a movie and put it out there for the world to see (and post sarcastic comments about).

FORMATTING A SCREEN PLAY ---- http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/howtoformatascreenplay

To read more about writing a screenplay, check out Intro to Screenwriting in our Writer’s Resources section.

7. ICONS

6. YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENTS

1. Good Script, Bad Script
2. Casting Your Characters
3. Character Questionaire
4. Creating Conflict
5. Outlining Your Script

MAKE SURE YOU DO THE READING WITH THESE HANDOUT SECTIONS !!!!

Complete the Handouts,
turn them in for a grade,
and once they are returned,
keep them in your SCRIPT WRITING PORTFOLIOS.

Developing Characters

Most people think that an exciting and well-developed plot is what makes a script good, but even the most intriguing plot won’t hold someone’s attention if the action is performed by flat, unoriginal characters. A great script is made up of compelling and complex characters. The characters are important because the audience will connect with them more than any other element of your script. You might have great setting or a genius plot twist, but in the end, it's your characters that audience members are going to love, hate, feel sorry for, cheer for, and want to throw things at.

So, the question remains: how do you go about creating compelling characters? The easiest and most interesting way to bring great characters into being is by "visualizing" them. Visualization is the process of creating a clear, strong picture of something in your mind. This means getting a strong idea of how your characters think, feel, speak, move, dress, and look. You should ask yourself how they spend their free time, what their biggest hopes and fears are, what their favorite books and movies are—basically, what makes them compelling and unique.

Creating Conflict

Ok, so you know who your characters are. Excellent. Now it is time to figure out what your characters are going to do. Most scripts are ultimately about the same thing—the journey a protagonist goes on to get what he or she wants and how they change along the way. Whether his or her goal is to get the girl or save the world, the journey is never easy, and your character will encounter many setbacks during their quest. Though they’re painful for your protagonist, these obstacles an conflicts are what will make your script exciting to read.

Outlining Your Plot

Now that your story has conflict and a catchy logline, you probably have an idea of what is going to happen in your script this April. You may know what kind of journey your protagonist will undertake, and you know what will stand in his or her way. Now it's time to take the next step and map out how everything is going to happen.

Writing an entire script from beginning to end may seem pretty daunting, but once you have a plan, it is not as hard as you think. Trust us. As you probably know, most stories break down into the same six sections that make up a plot.

5. Print out Your Workbook

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/overview

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS SITE AND DOWNLOAD YOUR

WORKBOOK.

You will add this workbook to your PORTFOLIO for the class.

Your PORTFOLIO is an UNIT/EXAM grade.

Keep it in order and completely filled out!!!

4. FAQ'S ABOUT SCRIPT FRENZY WRITING

http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/helpfaq

PLEASE REVIEW THE FAQS.

THEN, YOU CAN ASK "THREE THEN ME."



Please Breath Now. In and Out. Do it again.

Okay.

Now Smile.

3. SCRIPT WRITING FREE SOFTWARE

http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/software

PLEASE LOOK AT THE ABOVE SCRIPT WRITING SOFTWARE THAT IS FOR FRREEEEEEEEE!

(a script line from Bedtime Stories) --- FRRREEEEEEEEEE

Ok, seriously now....

If you would like you may use one of these free softwares for writing your script.

You will need to look it over seriously, download it, whatever you need, and make sure you have no problems using this software.

If you decide NOT to use the software -- that is okay too.

2. Sign Up !!

http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/register

Click on the above link and sign up for our month long SCRIPT FRENZY !!!

If you are in my class, and are in grades K through 12, you will register as a YOUNG WRITER.

If you are in my class, and you have graduated from High School... the you will sign up as a GROUP Leader.

Sign up today and mark your GOALS!!!

Print or send your confirmation page to my email on my TEACHERWEB @
http://teacherweb.com/MP/LanguageArts/MrsWheeler/

1. Ms. Wheeler's Class

This blog is a class for those students taking my Script Writing Class.

http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org/whatisscriptfrenzy

We will be entering an International Contest for this class called

SCRIPT FRENZY....

Click on the site above and read WHAT IS SCRIPT FRENZY!!!!