Film Writing Project

Today, during period 1, please work on your original film script. See below for some advice in working on this. Otherwise, use your graphic organizers we have already completed (or were supposed to have completed) to write and plan your original film script.

Use the handouts and organizers presented today if you need them to help you. During 2nd period, we will screen some films from the 1930's.

Screenwriting Tips

1. Most of writing a screenplay (about 65%) is done in planning and prewriting.
2. Writing a screenplay is a succession of breakdowns: moving from the general to the specific.
3. Don't write a script for a movie you yourself wouldn't go see.
4. Remember the goal of every writer is to get an "emotional" response from your audience. Scripts that are too bland or boring or cliche, only anger an audience (and don't usually get made in the first place).

Writers think in different ways:

1. Inductively: from specific to the universal
2. Deductively: from the universal to the specific
3. Logically: How one thing causes another thing to happen
4. Non-logically: Absurdity or mere coincidence
5. Creatively: discovering hidden connections or relationships between two unrelated things (i.e. metaphorically)

It's okay to think in any of these ways. No one way is the right way. You, of course, can also combine these ways of thinking too. Be creative!

HOMEWORK: Please continue to write your scripts, particularly if you did not write much this morning. We will be doing 1/2 writing-1/2 viewing classes for a few days, unless the class isn't really using their time...which has been happening lately. Please read the article on Walt Disney & Snow White for next class.