2021 Scriptwriting:All Media Schedule

Schedule subject to change: Check back often.

Tues Feb 2
Zoom policies, Introductions, Syllabus, Ublearns, Other Resources

HW: Assignment 1: Write self portrait 250 words. Due Feb 4

Part 1: Creating/generating material

Thurs Feb 4

“How I work.” Semester Plan. Share self-portrait. Generating ideas – is it a fiction/non-fiction, game, short film, web-based, poetic etc. etc.

HW

  • Write: Assignment 2: write or script every day for 10 days on beans or electrons – make a contract with yourself – (each day a different affect/emotion/stance to be evoked in reader/player). Due Feb 16
  • Write: Assignment 3: script concept: start generating ideas for your script. Due Feb 25
  • Read: Sarrasine by Honore de Balzac (text from Project Gutenberg), 30 page short story
  • Read: Roland Barthes, S/Z extract on UB learns, focus on p10 – 30 and make notes of the interpretive codes. ~30 pages. NB The short story is at the end of the extract.
  • Watch/Listen/Read: to Lin-Manuel Miranda – My shot

Tues Feb 9 Words
Discussion: How words make meaning authors’ intentions, audience interpretation for a particular (human) cognition. Reference, connotation, signifying strings. Prosody, rhythm, accent, voice, permission to speak.

HW: Write: Assigment 3: script concept: continue generating ideas for your script.

Thurs Feb 11
Workshop: focus on word-smithing: description, evocation, mood. Description of room to evoke [random emotion]. Ref Three Kings.
Share script ideas. Discussion on ways to grow script concept.

HW:

Tues Feb 16 Traditional Form

Discussion: 3 acts, beginning middle and end, how form constructs meaning. What is structure?

HW:

  • Write: Assigment 3: continue script concept, notes, drawings, preliminary scenes etc. start 1-2 page description
  • Play: Start playing Karen by Blast Theory – mobile phone or tablet ($1)

Thur Feb 18
Workshop: take one of your script ideas and sketch out a beginning, middle and end aka 3 acts.

HW:

Tues Feb 23 – Breaking the form – Brecht

Discussion of Brechtian writing techniques, and as implemented in Venus.
Discuss Elevator Pitch – start writing it.

HW: Write: Finish Assigment 3: script concept: elevator pitch, one page description, notes, drawings and diagrams, preliminary scenes

Thurs Feb 25 –Script Concept Due (elevator pitch, one page description, other material)

  • Workshop: Brechtian writing exercise.
  • Taking and giving criticism,
  • Share Elevator Pitch.
  • Discuss Treatment/Spec. scroll down to “first stage of organizing” for links about film and game treatment/spec

HW:

Tues Mar 2  Breaking the form – Games
Discuss games and game structures. What is structure?

HW:

  • Write: Continue 2-5 page Treatment or Spec
  • Buy or otherwise acquire ~50 index cards for Thursday’s exercise

Thurs Mar 4 Non-linear writing exercise. Continue Treatment or Spec

HW: Write: Continue 2-5 page Treatment or Spec.

Tues Mar 9 – Treatment or Spec Due

Submit Treatment/Spec. Share Treatment/Spec.

Part 2: Assembling/structuring material

Thur Mar 11

  • Discuss First Draft, 10-15 mins reading or playing time
  • Plan First Draft
  • Useful structures given your own project.
  • Useful organization strategies.

HW:

Tues Mar 16: Breaking the form – non-fiction

Discussion Sita, fiction/nonfiction, animation, formal choices. Gathering Cloud, e-essay, formal choices. Appropriation, Voice.

HW: Write: Assignment 5: continue first draft

Thurs Mar 18 workshop TBA

HW:

Tues Mar 23 Random and Computational
Discuss Random and Computational strategies – some additional artists/projects below

HW: Assignment 5: continue first draft, make a twitter account, get text editor

Thurs Mar 25 workshop
Generative poetry – cheapsbots or  how to make your own Taroko Gorge remix

HW:

Tues Mar 30
Discuss Ozara and Katessa, Her Story, Dialog, Monolog, Natural and Stylized (Brechtian?), Unreliable Narrator, Fragments, Assembly and Re-assembly etc.

HW: Write: Assignment 5: continue first draft

Thurs April 1 workshop
Write in the voice of an unreliable narrator, either a character from your work in progress. Write same scene with natural and stylized speech.

Discuss and Schedule Inspiration Material Presentation: PechaKucha Style

HW: Write: finish Assignment 5: first draft

Tues  Apr 6 – First Draft DUE

Read/Present First Draft – peer groups  (~30 mins per person)

Part 3: Editing/restructuring material

Thurs April 8

Editing: Investment, Fictionalizing and What’s the Point?

HW: Write: Assignment 6: start second draft, DUE see schedule for individual due date.

Tues April 13 – Inspirational Material 1 –Famous, Jesse, Michael C, Xuwen, Jack G, Olu, Joan, Tori, Ed, Naomi

HW: Write: Assignment 6: second draft

Thur April 15 – workshop, dialog and sub text

HW: Write: Assignment 6: second draft

Tues Apr 20 – Inspirational Material 2 –Yao, Kyler, Aliyah, Mark W, Michael D, Tim G, Jack K, Rose, Margaret, Tim Z

HW: Write: Assignment 6: second draft

Thur Apr 22  – workshop TBA

HW: Write: Assignment 6: second draft

Tues Apr 27 Script Readings & Presentations/Critiques
Yao, Naomi, Jack G, Jesse, Michael

Thurs Apr 29 Script Readings & Presentations/Critiques
Kyler, Xuwen, Mark W, Aliyah, Margaret

Tues May 4 Script Readings & Presentations/Critiques
Olu, Tori, Ed, Timothy Z, Jack K

Thurs May 6 Script Readings & Presentations/Critiques
Michael D, Rose, Joan, Tim G, Famous

FINAL SCRIPT DUE: FRIDAY MAY 14

Andrew Stanton: Ted Talk “The clues to a great story”
Shekhar Kapur: Ted Talk “We are the stories we tell ourselves”

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