| Time & Place
SPRING 2000 - Annenberg 13E- T/TH 10:40-12:30P.M. AH222 Instructor Allan Barber Office: Annenberg 13E Phone: 215-204-8399 E-mail: abarber527@aol.com Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs.: 12:30-1:30 P.M., Wed.: 10:30- 11:30 Pre-Requisites: FMA 201 and 101 (or RTF equivalents) and/or permission of the instructor. Required Texts Lajos Egri, The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives, Touchstone-Simon & Schuster, 1960 ($10.95). Syd Field, The Screenwriters Workbook, Dell 1984 ($10.95).
Recommended Texts/Reserve Reading-Blitman Reading Room K. Callan - The Script is Finished, Now What do I do? Hillis R. Cole, Jr. and Judith H. Haag, The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats: Part I- Screenplays, CMC Publishing, 1991. Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush, Alternative Scriptwriting (2nd edition), Focal Press, 1995. (used for FMA 201)
Phyllis Rauch Klotman, ed. Screenplays of the African American Experience
Paul Lucey, Story Sense: Writing Story and Script for Feature Film and Television, McGraw- Hill, 1996. Alan Rosenthal- Writing Docudrama: Dramatizing Reality for Film & TV Alan Rosenthal-Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films & Videos
Course Objectives FMA 320 is an advanced creative screenwriting workshop concentrating on the principles and techniques of writing dramatic (and comic) scripts for electronic media and film. It is product oriented and writing intensive. The course involves both creative and critical writing, critical analysis and evaluation (written and verbal), and is designed to build skills and sensitivity in the writing of images and sounds for motion pictures and TV. In addition, as an expression of the philosophy that creative work represents a combination of the personal and the social, the course will examine the role of research in creative media writing. Students will be encouraged to identify and develop the stories they are ready and eager to tell, and explore both conventional paradigms and alternative forms. Emphasis will be placed on developing material and writing scripts with future production in mind. One course goal will be for all students in the course to have a short script they can present for possible production in the senior project course. Workshop Environment (Responsibilities & Comments) It is my assumption that all of you are taking this course primarily because you have an urge to develop a creative script idea or are keen on revising material already in process, and are committed to doing whatever it will take to bring your ideas to fruition this semester. From my perspective this will require: submitting assignments when due, being in class on time; being an active, constructive and critical reader. This will be labor intensive work on your part (the creative sweat, giving your reactions and perspective). You should have learned in your earlier writing courses that a large part of the craft (and creative work) of writing is refining, revising and re-writing. It is the essential part of the workshop environment and how we will be working this semester. Your participation in our small group reading and class discussions should have a 2-fold effect: you will be helping others develop their material as you observe the strengths and problems which affect the impact their work has on you, and these insights should help you make breakthroughs with your own projects. (If this is not enough reward, you should keep in mind that you will be graded on your active participation.) If you cannot sincerely make these commitments, drop this course now. Late assignments and missing our class sessions (or being a passive attendee which is almost as bad a thing) will have an extremely negative effect on the process of this workshop. Consequently, the penalties for late assignments, tardiness or class absences are high: a late assignment will be considered equal to an unexcused absence, 3 absences (excused or unexcused) will result in your grade being lowered 1 letter grade. Students with a pattern of absences and late submissions will be asked to withdraw from the course. You may have anxieties, doubts and reservations about what you have written. This is natural,but no excuse for holding back your work and not meeting our weekly deadlines. Part of being "creative" is being productive. If there are extenuating circumstances affecting your productivity, be realistic and rational, and confer with me. E-MAIL & COMPUTERS: All students should have computer accounts & e-mail addresses. Some assignments will be submitted by e-mail. Access to a computer will be essential. |
