ENGLISH CLR: Introduction to Screenwriting: Workshop

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Follow the fun.

If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.

-Jordan Peele

Just know that everyone’s writing is terrible. Until it’s not. No one’s stuff is right immediately. You gotta work it. Refine it. Shape it. Spend time with it. It’s a relationship. Between you and what comes from you. Not easy. Gonna be terrible before it’s not. And that’s okay.                                                               

-Ava DuVernay

Welcome.

The short film, with its relatively lower costs of production and expanded distribution opportunities, has become one of the most disruptive, innovative modes of storytelling--and is often an emerging filmmaker's first step into a career. This course will introduce students to the basics of short form screenwriting, including narrative theory/structure, character design, and dialogue/voice. In the first quarter of the semester, we will hone dramatic techniques through several craft exercise assignments and in-class writing. In the following weeks, students will write two short screenplays. Throughout the semester, we will be workshopping and doing table reads of student work, discussing screenplays and craft texts, and screening a wide array of short films. The emphasis will be on discovering a sense of personal voice and completing two short screenplays (under 20 pages).

Grade Breakdown

Attendance & Participation: 40%

The workshop nature of this class requires everyone’s active participation and cooperation.

• One excused absence is allowed. 
• Participation includes contribution to class discussion and thoughtful critiques of your classmates’ work. 
• In the second round of submissions, you may be required to write your critique in the form of a letter. 
• Each student will also be expected to read one produced feature screenplay of their choice and write a short analysis of the writer’s craft decisions. 
• A workshop requires us to build rapport and be present with each other. Laptops and other electronics should only be used during class exercises. 
• In an effort to further cultivate our class community, each student will be expected to make “an offering” for the class. This is a time to share activities/interests beyond our course and can include leading a stretching exercise, sharing new music or artwork, or reading a poem that’s meaningful to you. Let’s have fun with this.

 

Exercises: 20%

• We will do several writing exercises in the first few weeks of class. Everyone is expected to share at least one of these exercises with the class.

Workshop Submissions: 40%

• You will have the opportunity to submit 2 short film scripts, Script 1 (under 10 pages) and Script 2 (under 20 pages). 
• You receive full credit for workshop submissions by turning them in on time. Your first submission (Script 1) is due the day of your Group’s workshop. Your second submission (Script 2) is due the week before your Group’s workshop.

 

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism is grounds for failing the class. All work must be your own. We will do group exercises in class, but you may not co-write any of your assignments. 

 

ChatGPT/Generative AI

Do not use ChatGPT or other generative AI programs to write your work for you. As the great science fiction writer Ted Chiang said in the New Yorker, “Your first draft isn’t an unoriginal idea expressed clearly; it’s an original idea expressed poorly, and it is accompanied by your amorphous dissatisfaction, your awareness of the distance between what it says and what you want it to say. That’s what directs you during rewriting, and that’s one of the things lacking when you start with text generated by an A.I.” Also, if you want to be a professional writer and/or respect the labor of professional writers, show your solidarity with the WGA by taking a stand against the encroachment of AI.

 

Accessibility

Students needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented disability must present their Faculty Letter from the Accessible Education Office (AEO) and speak with the professor by the end of the second week of the term. Failure to do so may result in the Course Head's inability to respond in a timely manner. All discussions will remain confidential, although Faculty are invited to contact AEO to discuss appropriate implementation.

 

Content Advisory

While we are often challenged by each other’s work, please contact me if you find a particular script triggering and have difficulty engaging with it. If your script contains sensitive material, you are encouraged to provide a content advisory to your classmates, particularly if we are doing a cold read of your script in class.

Materials

All materials will be available online, for free, either as links or uploaded to Canvas. Short films will either be screened in class or assigned for homework. Aside from reading our classmate’s work, each student will be expected to read a feature script and there will be a few short craft readings, made available on Canvas.

 

Additional Resources

Free Short Film Platforms: You’re encouraged to seek out short films, in addition to the ones we’ll be watching for class. Check out these free sites: Short of the Week, New World Cinema (requires Harvard Key Login), and Kanopy (you can access through Harvard, though accessing through your local library may give you a better selection). 

Ten Percent Happier: A mindfulness app freely available to anyone with a Harvard email.

Harvard Counseling and Mental Health Services: Workshops and Groups; Patient Portal; Urgent Care Consultation, (617) 495-5711. 

 

Course Schedule

Sept. 3	Introduction to Dramatic Traditions & Principles We will discuss the main principles of dramatic writing, the unique characteristics of the short form, and the screenplay format.    Watch in Class “STOP”, Reinaldo Marcus Green “Thunder Road", Jim Cummings “Laps”, Charlotte Wells (CW: sexual assault)   Suggested Reading: “Tradition and the Individual Talent”, Suzan Lori-Parks “On Screenwriting and Language”, Arthur Miller   Exercise “I don’t know why I remember…” write a 1-page scene recounting a memory. Try not to analyze it. Focus on imagery.
Sept. 10	Designing Character Screenwriting is essentially writing for performance. How do we design characters who an actor will want to play--and who audience will want to invest their time in?   Watch for Class “Boneshaker", Nuotama Bodomo “Pioneer", David Lowery “Tau Seru”, Rodd Rathjen   Suggested Reading: “An Actor Prepares”, Chapter 3, Konstantin Stanislavski   Exercise Character Vignette: write a scene of a real person, based solely on your actual observations. If possible, choose a stranger.
Sept. 17	Structure, Conflict & Plot We will examine the traditional three-act structure, looking for opportunities to replicate the model and/or subvert it.   Watch for Class “How to Lose Weight in Four Easy Steps”, Ben Berman “Hair Love”, Matthew Cherry “Two Cars, One Night”, Taika Watiti   Suggested Reading: For more on kishotenketsu, “Ocean Vuong: The 10 Books I Needed to Write My Novel”, LitHub     Exercise Write a beat/scene outline for your first script submission.
Sept. 24	Setting, Scene Work & Description After creating overall dramatic tension through plot, we will focus on structure at a scene-level.   Watch for Class “7:35 in the Morning”, Nacho Vigalando “Purl”, Kristin Lester “In Full Bloom”, Maegan Houang   Suggested Reading: “On Directing Film”, Chapter 1, David Mamet “Ontology of the Photographic Image”, Andre Bazin Assignment Script 1: Write a short film, under 10 pages. Students are encouraged to include only 1-2 locations and 1-2 characters.
Oct. 1	Script 1 - Workshop Group A   Watch for Class “UNIVITELLIN”, Terrence Nance
Oct. 8	Script 1 - Workshop Group B   Watch for Class “Wasp”, Andrea Arnold
Oct. 15	Script 1 - Workshop Group C   Watch for Class “A Long Walk”, Chinonye Chukwu
Oct. 22	Script 1 - Workshop Group D *Group A’s Script 2 Submission is due. This can be up to 20 pages. Watch for Class “Afronauts”, Nuotama Bodomo
Oct. 29	Script 2 - Workshop Group A   Watch for Class “Fauve”, Jeremy Comte
Nov. 5	Script 2 - Workshop Group B   Watch for Class “Ani”, Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu
Nov. 12	Script 2 - Workshop Group C   Watch for Class “Ikhwene”, Maryam Joobeur
Nov. 19	Script 2 - Workshop Group D *Revision Submissions Due (from 2 volunteers)* Watch for Class “Kiss of the Rabbit God”, Andrew Thomas Huang
Nov. 26	Revision Workshop