Scriptwriting Class

K here.

M and I finally signed up for a true, bona-fied scriptwriting class, and, I have to say I'm disappointed with the way it's been going so far.

There's nothing wrong with our instructor. She's nice, liberal minded as long as it doesn't involve violence towards animals or Full Metal Jacket references, young and hasn't become jaded--yet.

The unfortunate thing about it, though, is that this is an introductory course in screenwriting being taught by a film grad student who has a lot of things going on--namely her responsibilities as a producer for another film.

We've been in class for three days. The classes run for 2 hours, but for all three days, we have been let go early. Last Thursday was the third class--we were let go with 45 minutes left over. I suspect this is because she's busy with her other responsibility. I'd estimate that for the 8 hours we're supposed to have of classtime each week, we only get 5 or 6. That means we're losing at least 2 hours a week. This class is 10 weeks long. By the end of the course, we'll have lost at least 20 hours of classtime which could be used for improving upon our craft in a workshop setting. There's nothing better than getting feedback from your peers. That 20 hours could provide a lot.

My other gripe is that she's a first time instructor. That in itself is not a reason to have a gripe, it's just that she seems a little unsure as to how to structure her class. We've watched excerpts from movies, but done little with actually getting down and reading a screenplay. Sure, we read a simple excerpt from "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", but it was only a page and a half of mostly dialogue.

We haven't even worked on creating a story, yet she wants us to write a "interior" monlogue for class on Thursday. That, of course, won't be a problem, but I'll be interested to see how the others will format their screenplays. (She told students they needed to buy a Final Draft, which, for college students not majoring in film, isn't work the price or the hassle). Most students have this idea of formatting it based on indents she provided for Microsoft Word. I'm not kidding. I have the mind to tell everyone on Thursday they can download already formulated Microsoft Templates for $45, or they can download freeware like Celtx.

The students haven't truly been tested on whether or not they know what a "slugline" is, or whether or not they know how to use INT./EXT., or whether they now they should not put "INT. HIS BEDROOM 8:00 PM THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE PROM -- NIGHT" or not. She hasn't even asked us the very first question you should ask kids in a screenwriting class: "What's a screenplay?"

In class on Tuesday we did a really neat exercise that is supposed to help writers find motiviations for their characters. I'll have a scan up of mine probably tomorrow, but the point is this--she knows of exercises that will help writers, but I don't think she's using them. Either she doesn't have the time to prepare, or she's nervous. Either way, we're missing out.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, whichever way you choose to look at it) M and I are just too advanced for the class. This isn't intended as some sort of weird stroke of our egos, it's just a fact. She started the class by saying "If you come out knowing more about writing screenplays than you did before, that's a bonus" I almost shat myself right there. I don't want to "know" more about writing screenplays, I want to make a screenplay--a really, really good one. It's almost as if she doesn't have high hopes for the class, so she shoots from the hip and hopes it hits something.

The other kids in the class seem a bit slow. Well, that's the nicest way I can put it without getting all ad-hominem...y. They don't seem to be interested in anything our instructor has to say. I just don't think they realize how hard it is to write a screenplay, or how passionate many of us are about the craft...And they'll probably never learn from this class, because, even thoug we're supposed to create a 20-30 page short, she said we can produce 5 seperate 6 pagers that we're supposed to be working on.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

But, enough of the complaining. I'm glad to be able to take this screenwriting class, if nothing for the fact that it's in a workshop setting, and we get to hear other people's opinions. It will be nice to see if my work is as good as M says it is--and vice versa. It will also be interesting to hear other voices read the work, how they interpret the words, how the scenes map out when it's played in real time.

For that, I am glad.

A Screenwriter's Guide to the Galaxy

K here.

You may have noticed the links positioned quite nicely in the sidebar to your left. These links lead you, the hopeful screenwriter or filmmaker, to some great blogs and forums on screenwriting, filmmaking and procrastination networking with other filmmakers/screenwriters.

We here at CWMM present you with:

A Screenwriter's Guide to the Galaxy:
Navigating the Links on the Lefthand Sidebar

THE WRITERS

Carolyn Haywood
Regular poster on the American Zoetrope Vertiual Studios hosted by Francis Ford Coppola. Her website includes samples from her award-winning screenplays, which could be a helpful resource. It has been to us!

Christopher Lockhard
No-longer updated blog by executive story editor and creative consultant, that answers e-mail questions about screenwriting. He also hosts the website twoadverbs.com, which focuses on giving advice to screenwriters.

Jane Espenson
Former writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and has written episodes for Angel, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Ellen, The O.C., and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (among others). Her website focuses on the ins and outs of writing spec scripts for televison...and what she ate for lunch.

Jeremy Slater
Amazingly hilarious blog featuring a writer navigating through agents, spec writing and trips to industry studios. Link to an even funnier blog: How To Write Screenplays. Badly.

John August
Blog from the writer of such films as Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie's Angels, and Go. Answers questions from readers on every aspect of screenwriting.

Lorelei Armstrong
Award-winning screenwriter and novelist who gives no-nonsense advice about screenwriting, and how to navigate through The Business.

Ted Rossio and Terry Elliot
The Grandaddy of all screenwriting blogs, and written by the geniuses who brought us Aladdin, The Legend of Zorro and the POTC Triology, Wordplay takes you to an entirely new level in understanding screenwriting and improving upon your craft. The site features 60 columns on screenwriting, a forum and essays from industry professionals. Highly recommended for all screenwriters.

The Unknown Screenwriter
In-depth blog second only to Wordplay, which gives writers the opportunity to study screenwriting without having to pay tens of thousands of dollars at USC having to go to film school.

WHO'S OUT THERE?

American Zoetrope
A "Virtual Studio" founded by Francis Ford Coppola. It operates on a peer-review system, allowing users to upload their screenplays, stories, music, pictures and more, and receive feedback from fellow users, with the occasional industry professional dropping in on the main boards to offer advice and feedback. Has four "buildings": Writing, Arts and Design, Music and Sound, and Other (Acting and Directing). The Screenwriting buildings is active, with several private offices hosted from a range of individuals, some industry profressionals.

Cinnematical
Cinnematical gives information on recent sales and upcoming movies, as well as reviews of recently released films. Check here often to see whether or not you should spend 4 months writing that spec script...

KarmaCritic
Website/blogsite created by frustrated "On The Lot" community members. Open to filmmakers, screenwriters, and anyone else involved in making a professional or semi-professional film. Also has a screenplay competion, SUBLIM, which opened on 07/07/07. How's that for good luck?

The Artful Writer
No-holds barred blog hosted by Craig Mazin (Scary Movie 3) and Ted Elliot (Pirates of the Carribean Trilogy). It features an active forum, which hosts the informative "Ask a Pro" question and answer sesssion. (Previous professionals included Ted Elliot, John Turman, Craig Mazin, Tim Talbott and others). Good resource for those wanting information about screenwriting from an industry pro's perspective.

Query Letters We Love
Started by the late Manager Guy, this website pokes fun at some odd query letters the host has received over the years. Interesting read, and may give you an idea what not to put in your query letters...

The Movie Blog
"The Official Home of Correct Movie Opinons". Enough said.

TriggerStreet
Large-scale site in the vein of Zoetrope, which focuses on peer-reviews as a means to improve filmmaking and screenwriting as a whole. It has a message board, blogging section and will soon add Plays, Short Stories and Books to its lineup.

LEARN HOW TO...

Michael Hauge's Screenplay Mastery
Site by writer Michael Hauge, with articles on screenplay structure, pitching and telling a story. Great for those who need a better grasp of screenplay structure.

Proper Screenplay Format
How to properly format a screenplay from the Academy of Arts and Sciences' Nicholl Fellowship Program. PLEASE READ THIS NOW.

FESTIVALS

American Black Film Festival

Deadline has passed for submit to the festival, but the festival itself will be held in October. Geared toward films focusing on African American and/or urban independent films.

The Sundance Institute
Institute created by the spectacular Robert Redford,which focuses on independent film. It has several contests and programs aimed at the indepedent filmmaker, cummilating in The Sundance Festival, held every January, in Utah.

Tribeca Film Festival
Annual Film Festival held in September, Tropfest@Tribeca holds an annual short film competion. This year's theme: "Slice".

Telluride Film Festival
Held August 31-September 3 in Telluride, Colorado, this festival accepts only the best shorts and films to be showcased during the it's run. The deadline for this year has passed, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't still be working!

Human Rights Watch International Fim Festival
"Each year, the festival's programming committee screens more than 500 films and videos to create a program that represents a range of countries and issues. Once a film is nominated for a place in the program, staff of the relevant division of Human Rights Watch also view the work to confirm its accuracy in the portrayal of human rights concerns. Though the festival rules out films that contain unacceptable inaccuracies of fact, we do not bar any films on the basis of a particular point of view." Check it out.

Los Angeles Film Festival
Presented by The Lost Angeles Times, this festival offers some of the best of independent film, accepting films from high school students as well.

SouthXSouthwest
Has several components but the Film Festival is probably what you're looking for. Located in Austin, this highly respected festival has several competions geared toward the up and coming filmmaker.

Ohio Independent Film Festival
Held in November in Cleveland, Ohio, this film festival, run exclusively by women(!), also has a screenplay competion.

This list is subject to change--and probably will, as we navigate the web finding the Best of the Best.

Good luck!