A short post following our penultimate session. It’s also the final post for this semester.

Everything I have to say you’ve already heard in the past 13 weeks. There’s still a lot to learn, but the best way to do it is to start writing and learn from your own mistakes.  It’s easy to give up and start writing a new story. What separates real writers from wannabe writers is that real writers cultivate patience and perseverance. There is such thing as luck, but most of it is hard work. As the great actor and acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavsky once said “Art is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” The quote is also attributed to Thomas Edison; but I don’t think he used the word “art”.

Since we’re on the subject of art, I want to elaborate a little on what I said in class regarding film as art.  What’s art and what’s entertainment is very subjective, of course.  I once read a column in The Huffington Post (the name of the writer escapes me) that said this:  ” Entertainment is for the folks who, when they get home from work, need to lie down and get their minds off of things. Art is for the folks who, at the end of the day, want to get their eyes and mind more fully engaged and stimulated. Almost the reverse is also a defining distinction. For a quick jolt of adrenaline, you can’t beat Six Flags or a well made action flick. By contrast, good art demands that you slow down and be patient.

“Since the time of Duchamp artists have been fond of calling upon their viewers to participate in completing their work. The greater the degree of genuine investment by both artist and viewer of heart and mind, the purer the aesthetic experience for both. So the distinction exists on a continuum with no absolutes, but is a rough equation of the fundamental intent or desire to achieve art by both artist and audience. What is absolute is that choosing art rather than entertainment is really about preferring substance to artifice.”

There’s nothing wrong with entertainment. I believe great films are always entertaining. What you consider entertainment at this stage in your life may not be true at a later stage, when you learn more, see more, and experience more. But you must be willing to learn new things and keep your eyes open. My rule of thumb is:  If a movie is considered a classic, say Ozu’s “Tokyo Story”, and is revered by many film scholars, I want to know why. So I see the film, then I read all the criticism and scholarly essays I can find on it, and I see the film again. If I still find the film boring, pretentious, or merely vulgar, I don’t care what the critics say. A lot of the times, however, I find interesting, often beautiful things, in the films that I have dismissed as boring or slow upon viewing them for  for the first time. An art film requires work and patience. But the rewards are far greater than what you get from a simple, accessible and entertaining movie that Hollywood churns out by the dozen every year.

Food would be a good analogy. As human beings we are biologically predisposed to liking fried and fatty foods because they give us energy and protein. But every nutritionist will tell you that fried and fatty foods are bad for your health. So we have to cultivate a taste for something that our taste buds may not respond to favorably right away. If you’re consistent and patient with you your new diet, you’ll begin to enjoy the taste, especially when you know that it’s good for you.

Here’s a simple, straightforward opinion about art vs. entertainment.

http://www.angelfire.com/movies/oc/tirades/artent.html

See you Monday,

ak

As you know, as step outline is the last brick on the yellow brick road of dramatic story construction before you begin the actual writing.  IMHO  the step outline  is the most difficult part of screenwriting.  But once you have a road map, writing scenes is a lot of fun.

It takes at least a couple of screenplays before one learns how to properly outline her story. You don’t want to explain too much, because too much explanation at this stage not only takes away the fun from writing the scene, but it may ruin it. Once you put it down on paper, it feels like it’s done and you need to write something else. Avoid doing that. One or two sentences should suffice. You just need to know what happens in the scene.

“As Joe leaves his apartment, he’s accosted by Ruth, who accused him of being a moral louse. She plunges a dagger into his heart and saunters away cheerfully. “

Many of you struggled with the right format for the step outline (see the previous post for examples and explanation). But I’m happy to say that those who actually finished theirs on time, did a pretty good job.

Now onto “McCabe & Mrs. Miller”. It’s a difficult film to watch because it requires you to work with it. The dialogue is hard to hear in some of the scenes (intentionally, to create a sense of realism), the symbolism is complex,  and the genre (anti-western) goes against the grain of how we expect Western heroes to behave. However, if you watch this film again, and again, and again, you will start to appreciate its beauty and power. I think it’s one of the greatest films ever made. And one of the things that make it great is the fact that its power lies underneath the simplistic veneer of a run-of-the-mill Western. Here’s a good review I found online: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/mccabe-and-mrs-miller/216. There are many books written about the film. Here’s a book I recommend: Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller: Reframing the American West, by Robert T. Self.

 An early draft of “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” to the SCREENPLAYS page. Do not follow its outdated format (Robert Altman, the director who co-wrote the screenplay, wrote it for himself to direct, so there are a lot of camera direction, etc.).

And finally, your assignment: Read “Thelma and Louise” . Those of you who haven’t read “Take This Waltz” be sure to read it (you will be tested). We’ll be doing exercises based on the scenes from that screenplay. Both screenplays are available on the SCREENPLAYS page on this site.

See you Monday.

ak

We watched “A Prophet” in class. Can you identify the basic dramatic steps in the film (what Truby calls The Seven Steps without which a narrative story cannot work)?

Note that although Malik’s desire starts low (he merely wants to survive), it grows throughout the film into something far greater than mere survival. Malik works the system to fit his own needs and becomes a leader. The prison can be seen as a microcosm of the society. The filmmakers are not asking us to root for Malik but to simply understand his need in the environment he’s in and empathize with his plight.  Here’s a SHORT REVIEW I found online from New York Magazine. I think it simply and clearly explains the theme of the film. (The writer Frank O’Connor said, “A theme is something that is worth something to everybody.”)

Now on to your assignment — the STEP OUTLINE. Most of you have taken Screenwriting I at BC, so you know how to write a step outline. Just in case you don’t, here’s a little explanation by way of Dan Bronzite of MovieOutline.com:

Step Or Scene?

Movie Outline uses “Steps” instead of “Scenes” which may confuse some screenwriters who are used to using scenes in relation to film timing and screenplay layout, but the difference is actually quite simple to understand.

A “Step” in Movie Outline really means an “Event” in the progression of your story, and this means that each step can consist of more than one “Scene”. A Montage sequence is one good example or:

Joe leaves his apartment, gets in his car, drives to the bank.

Although in a screenplay this totals three scenes, in a step-outline it is only one step since the nature of creating a step-outline dictates that you focus on the main story event and do not get into too much detail. Unless something big happens to Joe while he is getting into his car, the scene can be described within the overall event. What then happens when Joe enters the bank is another step.. and so on.

Another example could be a car chase. In a screenplay, each location that the cars involved in the chase pass through is technically a scene, but since we’re dealing with the same story event, the entire chase and collection of scenes is referred to as a step.

Or supposed your screenplay has your Hero bravely dashing into a burning building to save a child while other fire-fighters frantically do their best to put out the blaze. Technically, each room your Hero searches in constitutes a scene, and every time we cut back to the other fire-fighters, they are separate scenes too, but when planning your story, it is much easier to think of this as one single event and as such, a single step.

Here’s another example of a  step-outline. Remember that EVERY STEP IS A SCENE, BUT EVERY SCENE IS NOT A STEP (see the above chapter for more explanation; if in doubt, email me).

Your Step Outline is due on May 2nd. Be sure to email it to me and bring a HARD COPY to class. You’ll form pairs and comment on one another’s outline.
INCLUDE A LOG LINE FOR YOUR STORY at the top of the page to help your reader remember your class pitch.   Writing a log line at this stage is a great way to reevaluate the theme of your story.

READ Take This Waltz (link on SCREENPLAYS page).

Several of you asked me for more writing exercises. The below exercises are not assignments. I recommend that you do them to hone your craft; but you don’t need to turn them in.
Here’s one from  Screenwriters Toolkit:
” What changes in your scenes when you reduce or expand them? Screenwriting books almost unanimously call for an economy of words — choosing your words wisely and using less to say more. Practice this. Your Task: Come up with a scene from a movie and write 3 versions of the same scene. Write the first one using a 1/2 page; the second one with 1 1/2 pages; and the third one using 3 pages.” (Take the opening scene from The Social Network. Cut some of the dialogue you think is not pertinent. Does it make the scene better or worse?)

Here’s one of my favorites. Choose a scene from your story or from a film that you like. Rewrite that scene without dialogue. See if you can describe the tension and essence of the scene through description only. If you think you can, you don’t need dialogue. Remember that film is a dramatic and visual medium. It’s not theater.

Here’s another: Your main character is in her car, driving in a pouring rain in the middle of a rush hour. Her front tire blows. She doesn’t have AAA Road Service or any other road service. There’s no cell phone reception. Will she try to change the tire? Try to get help from other motorists? You get to know your characters by putting them in difficult situation and see how they deal with problems.

Enjoy your time off.

ak

I just realized that I had two Week 7 entries in our syllabus; so in reality, today was Week 10 (yep, time flew that fast). There are 14 weeks per semester at CUNY. Our last class is Week 14.

Good class today. By doing scales the musician keeps her fingers swift. By doing writing exercises, the screenwriter keeps her mind alert and open to possibilities. Don’t think of the assignments as a waste of time. The great cellist Pablo Casals practiced every day, even into his 90s. When asked why he needs to work on simple scales when he was one of the world’s greatest cello players. His reply: “Because there’s always room for improvement.”

Here’s Another Good Exercise to get your creative juices flowing. By the way, these exercises are excellent warm-ups for your real writing. You can use them as warm-ups or warm-downs (after you’ve written).  That way you won’t get any mental injuries.

Here’s a good post by writer John August (Big Fish, The Nines, Go) on dialogue writing.

Your Assignment:
SEQUENCE OUTLINE DUE IN MY EMAIL BOX NO LATER THAN 9:30AM ON MONDAY, APRIL 11th.

Read Ch. 10 (Truby)
Read “SPARTAN” on SCREENPLAYS page. (This is an assignment; everyone should have read the screenplay by next Monday and be ready to discuss it.)

See you next week.

ak

In class today we discussed the Myth Structure and Sequence Outline.  In the writer-friendly book The Writer’s Journey, Christopher Vogler outlines 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey.  But your story doesn’t have to hit them all. See if they fit your story organically, but don’t force those steps onto your character. Remember, none of that is written in stone.  However, the basic steps, which are also discussed by Truby and Field, should be present in your screenplay; steps such as Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Crossing the First Threshold, etc.

I think the best and the most practical way to look at the Sequence Outline is to arrange it into EIGHT SEQUENCES. The eight-sequence approach was developed by Frank Daniel when he was the head of the Graduate Screenwriting Program at USC.  What it does, essentially, is it breaks down the entire story  into 15-minute parts (15 x 8=120 minutes).

ACT I consists of two sequences, ACT II of four, and ACT III of two. Eight sequences all together. Below is a good article on the sequence approach by Kathryn McCullough, a story analyst and editor. Her website is  (http://www.scriptnannies.com).

Explanation: SEQUENCES: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A SCRIPT
by
Kathryn McCullough

As mentioned in last month’s essay, a screenplay story is generally composed of eight sequences: two sequences in the first act, four in the second act, and two in the third. If you study several films and screenplays, you will find that the dramatic beats of the sequences generally unfold as follows:

In the first sequence of the script, we are shown the main character in a situation in which a problem already exists. For instance, a lovestruck man is afraid to talk to the girl of his dreams; a woman with low self-esteem is trapped in an abusive marriage; a troubled cop takes risks on the job that put his career in jeopardy. There is drama from the start, because there is already a difficulty of some kind, even if it is subtle.

In the second sequence, something happens. This is “the inciting incident,” “the point of attack” or “the disturbing moment” mentioned in screenwriting books and seminars. If not for this development, the protagonist’s life would continue unchanged; the situation would remain the same. This unexpected event jolts the character and forces him or her to act, or at least to react. At the end of this sequence (the end of the first act), we know what the protagonist wants as a result of the jolt, and what the forces are against him or her. The story has begun.

In the third sequence, the character takes action to achieve his or her goal, but it becomes clear that this will not be so easy, either due to new obstacles and/or to the character’s dawning understanding of just how great the opposing forces are. By the end of this sequence, the character’s actions have actually made the situation worse, but they have also made it impossible for the protagonist to go back to the way things were originally. Generally, this sequence deals more with the social aspects of the story (the career, the crime) than with the personal (the romance or key relationship).

In the fourth sequence, the protagonist comes up with a new plan to deal with his problem, which may even include abandoning the goal. However, forces set in motion by the main character’s earlier actions culminate in a complication of some kind that not only forces the character to commit completely to the goal, but also raises the story to a new level. This sequence also usually develops the personal subplot of the story. Throughout both the third and fourth sequences, the character’s journey is bringing about personal growth.

In the fifth sequence, the protagonist reacts to the complication. Due to the growth mentioned above, the character is now capable of dealing with the situation in a way he or she would not have been able to at the beginning of the story. The fifth sequence often contains a personal reversal of some kind. The protagonist now realizes that he’s in love, or she discovers that her best friend has betrayed her. In a story with a happy ending, the outcome of this sequence is hopeful. If the script will end unhappily, that resolution is foreshadowed here.

The sixth sequence twists the fifth around, bringing all the subplots together in a way that sends the main character crashing to a low point (if a happy ending), or to a deceptive high (if a sad ending). The social story reverses: the criminal seems to have gotten away; the protagonist loses his job; the guy loses the girl. The ending of the second act is a false ending. Either all seems lost, or all obstacles seem to have been overcome — until the next sequence.

The seventh sequence, which begins the third act, starts with a twist: a new hope, if a tragic ending, or a new obstacle if a happy ending. This is the moment when the character has a realization. Up to now, circumstances have been changing the protagonist, but the protagonist hasn’t really changed. Acceptance of his or her new life and circumstances now sinks in, and he or she acts accordingly.

This action by the protagonist leads to the eighth sequence, which is the true ending. It opposes the false ending. The guy gets the girl; the cop nabs the killer.

Not every story will match this outline to the letter, but if you study individual films closely, you will find that most tend to follow this pattern.

These definitions are easier to understand with examples. Below is the link to Kathy’s analysis of Rushmore, starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray.  http://www.scriptnannies.com/script/12_03.html

Remember that all 12 steps in the Hero’s Journey and 22 Building Blocks in Truby are not sequences — they are dramatic elements / blocks and often several can comprise one sequence. That’s why breaking your story down into eight-step sequences is an effective way of seeing where your story is going.

You can identify parts of the sequences, such as Plot Point I, or Revelation I, or Ordeal, etc. There’s no right or wrong way of doing this assignment, as long as you move your story toward the climax/battle and know the important major turning points that you need to hit on the way there.

Also remember that you can’t have TOO MANY plot points, otherwise you won’t have time for quiet moments. Too many plot points will give you nothing but turning points and reveals. It might be an exciting video game, but not a story.

Your Assignments:

Read Field (Ch. 12)

Read The Social Network (in SCREENPLAYS folder; let me know if you can’t open it).

Start working on your Sequence Outline (we’ll talk more about it in our next class).

ak

A short post this week. We discussed the art and craft of writing a brief synopsis BEFORE you begin working on the outline. It’s an important process because it forces you to hit only the necessary plot points/reveals that move the story forward. Trying to present your story in clear and well-written sentences will help you understand the journey of your main character toward the climax/battle with the opponent. More important, writing a synopsis at this stage will help you to illuminate all the dark corners of your story, so you can see what works and what doesn’t work.

Note that you SHOULD NOT have sentences like “I don’t know what to do here” or “Still thinking about it”, etc. You should have a complete synopsis even if you’re not sure if that’s the direction you want to go in. Don’t be married to you ideas. But when you’re working on your synopsis, at least pretend that you are.

You should go over the synopses samples I included in the previous post and the post before that. Here’s the synopsis I read to you in class. It was written before my writing partner and I started the actual writing. Most of it made it to the finished screenplay. But not all. And a lot has been changed during pre-production and production. Some of it for the worse.
Harmony_WorkingSynopsis

Reflect on Annie Hall. What worked for you, what didn’t. We’ll talk more about the film in class on Monday. If you haven’t  read the
article on Joseph Campbell and the myth structure by C. Vogler, from last week’s post, do so.

Your Assignment:

Read Ch. 9 (Truby)

Finish your synopsis. Remember that it cannot be long than two pages, double-spaced. But don’t make it half a page either. That’s more of an extended logline than a synopsis.

Email it to me no later than 9:30 am, Monday, March 28^th.

See you next week.

ak

So… we’re done with the pitches. I thought we had interesting, creative, and all-in-all productive sessions. Those of you who pitched today have some wiggle room regarding making major changes in your stories. Please email me with your thoughts and ideas. The rest of you — you are locked into the stories you pitched and modified through the past four weeks. As I stressed at the beginning of the semester, once we start working on the synopses, I don’t want you to change your story.

Please understand that it’s perfectly normal to be working on something and then deciding that it’s not for you. It happens to all writers who work on spec scripts.

Don’t worry about it. Your goal in this class is not to outline a masterpiece (I have no doubt that you will do that some day soon) but to carry your idea from inception/conception to the structural birth (the step outline that carries all the building blocks of the dramatic architecture of your story). It’s the hardest, most frustrating process; but it’s also the most creative process. Woody Allen once said that writing is pacing around the room for two months, followed by two weeks of typing. ”Pacing around the room” is organizing and structuring your theme, ideas, character, and plot.

Constructing and modifying your story before you begin writing scenes is where most beginning writers fail.  They either get bored, frustrated, or simply lose their minds. Go the distance and see where it takes you.

Once you know the process, the approach and territory will be familiar to you and you will know what to expect; although I must confess that the process never gets easier. More about it later in the semester.

We briefly talked about the structure of House of Games. We’ll analyze the film sequences  and go over the major plot points and reveals in class,  on March 28th.

At the end of the class we started an exercise that involved finding at least FOUR TURNING POINTS in the middle of your story (your Second Act). Alas, we ran out of time.  Please continue  working on it. It’s impossible to write an effective, brief synopsis without knowing the important plot points/reveals in your story.

Now on to your ASSIGNMENTS:

1) THE SYNOPSIS, due March 28th.

Please keep in mind that it SHOULD NOT be longer than 2 pages,
double-spaced.

To write a good synopsis you should know most (if not all) of the turning points/plot points/reveals in your story. The purpose of a brief synopsis is to simply and cleanly present the overall structure, characters and hook of your story. It’s a great way for you to see what’s inside your head at this point, and whether you are ready to go to the next step, which is the Sequence Outline.

Here’s a sample of the SYNOPSIS I wrote for a film that was originally titled “The Virtuoso”, but was released as “Out of the Cold”, starring Keith Carradine. (We’ll talk more about this synopsis in class, and I’ll bring another one of mine for you to read.)

2. Read Hero’s Journey, by Christopher Vogler. Be prepared to discuss the various stages of the journey.

3. Read Field (Ch.10 and 11)

4. Be prepare to present (verbally) and discuss the turning points in your Second Act.

See you in class.

ak

You need to know most of the story’s turning points in order to write an effective synopsis, which will be your next writing assignment (Due March 28). We’ll talk more about turning points and synopsis writing in our next class. Meanwhile, here’s something on the structure of the synopsis (courtesy of www.screenplayhelp.com)

“A synopsis is a condensed version of the screenplay plot. It includes the main action, any major characters and what they do that affects that action. Subplots are noted insofar as they are integral to the main plot. A synopsis is written in present tense, with the exception of flashbacks and back-story, which can, if appropriate, be written in the past tense. Character’s names are written in CAPS the first time they appear, then title case after that.”

Keep in mind that your key plot points should be part of your synopsis. Your Muse may provide all the necessary turning points for your story while you’re asleep. But it’s highly unlikely. Therefore, you should spend time getting to know your characters in order to understand how they will behave in a given situation. By now you should also know the complete journey of your main character, be on a friendly basis with the central antagonist, and have a good idea of how the story ends… even if you don’t yet know all the details of the journey.

Here’s a SAMPLE of a feature film synopsis from <a href=”http://www.hollywoodscriptexpress.com/coverage-sample.pdf. Don’t pay attention of the silliness of the story. Concentrate on the mechanics of the writing instead. Notice that only the elements that move the story forward are featured in the synopsis.

Here’s another SAMPLE SYNOPSIS from http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/how-to-sell-your-screenplay/writing-a-synopsis-for-your-screenplay

Your Assignment:

Read Truby (Ch.8) and Field (Ch. 9).

Keep working on your story.

See you Monday.

ak

Another good class. Although some of the pitches were a little half-baked, I know how hard it is to come up with a solid pitch, so I’m forgiving. But don’t push it. Try your best to form a powerful pitch. Pretend that you need bail money. If you don’t sell your pitch, you’ll go to jail and wait for a trial… which may never come.  How’s that for a stimulus?

A lot of you have asked me if they can change their premise. The answer is YES. And now is a good time to do it. But you don’t get to pitch your idea twice. If you know your pitch and have already formed your logline, email it to me. If you don’t want to write what you pitched (or haven’t yet pitched) and are struggling with the new logline, email me your premise and the designing principle. Note that once we start writing the synopsis, you’re locked into to your story. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll have to carry it through. It will be a great experience either way. Trust me on this. Been there, done that.

Bring your 1/2 page ANTAGONIST BIO to class on Monday. Know your antagonist and his/her desire. Your main character changes through conflict. The antagonist provides conflict. If there’s no antagonist, your main character’s arc is superficial. I’ll keep repeating that.  In order for information to morph into understanding , it  often (though not always) needs to be hammered into our brains. 

A good pitch combines the arc of your protagonist and  introduces the central conflict.

“An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl sets out on a dangerous journey to hunt down her drug-dealing father while fighting the local hillbillies and desperately trying to keep her family intact.”

It’s a logline  for Winter’s Bone. We have the protagonist, her desire, the opposition. You don’t have to reveal how the story is resolved in the logline (you should know it, though) but you need to give us at least a partial arc of the character and her journey.

Be prepared to answer questions. We need to get through seven pitches next week, so please KNOW YOUR STORY.  It’s true that best ideas form in the subconscious and a lot of writers take naps in the hope of tapping into “the other side” (The Coen Brothers are famous nappers). But even if you tapped into some great ideas, you need to fish them out. You do that by sitting at your desk and working on your story. Some writers call it “laying pipe”. It’s hard work.  Do take naps, though.  

Your Assignment for Monday, March 7th.

Read AVATAR screenplay (on the Screenplays page)

Read Truby (Ch. 7)

Work on your pitch.

I leave you with this quote  from Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter of The Social Network:

“I love writing but hate starting. The page is awfully white and it says, ‘You may have fooled some of the people some of the time but those days are over, giftless. I’m not your agent and I’m not your mommy, I’m a white piece of paper, you wanna dance with me? and I really, really don’t. I’ll go peaceable-like.”

Email me if you have any questions.

ak

Good class today. I was hoping to go over more pitches and spend less time on each, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way it’s planned, so we’ll go with flow. If we’ll need to spend an extra class on discussing your pitches, then that’s what we’ll do.

Working on your stories and having everyone pitch in with his/her ideas is far more important than reading theory or watching films. You can do that on your own.  Getting feedback, however, is only possible in class… for now, unless (or until) you set up support groups outside of class, which I strongly encourage you to do, by the way. As I’ve told my students from previous semesters, most of the writing jobs I’ve been able to get over the years and all of my screenplays that I was lucky enough to see produced, was largely due to being in touch with my former classmates and the people I have worked with, some of whom were in the right place at the right time. Cultivate and value the acquaintanceships and friendships you form in college.  They will surprise you when you least expect it.

Okay. Back to your pitches. I enjoyed all four we heard today. If you have any ideas or questions about them, don’t hesitate to email me.  Remember that you have to be clear on who your main character is (the main character is the HERO—even if he ends up being the Devil – who carries the theme). Knowing where your want to see your hero at the end of the film is important. That will help you formulate your theme or your designing principle, which is the essence of the story. Knowing who your opponent is and what his values are is of crucial importance. Remember that your hero is only as interesting as his opponent.

So…

YOUR TAKE-HOME EXERCISE

is to write  HALF-A-PAGE about your hero’s opponent. Your first draft of this exercise can be as many pages as you want (200-1,000; the more you get to know him, the better you’ll be able to use him against your hero, which will, in turn, make your hero more interesting. The great film director Sam Peckinpah said that he tried to throw as many stones at his protagonist as he could, to see which way he turns. By stones he meant attacks by opponent.)

What does your opponent/antagonist look like? What does his room look like? Is he a control freak or a generous and irresponsible bonehead?  Where does he come from? What does he do when sun goes down? What’s his stand on monarchy or bestiality? Whatever. You come up with the questions. But try to get inside his head.  Try to make him multidimensional. Even if you have several points of opposition in your story, try to find the main opponent and work with him.

Most of the information about him you pour forth will never make it into the screenplay. Nor should it! This exercise is strictly for you to develop your antagonist.  At the beginning of your semester I told you to do the same with your protagonist. I’m sure all you have done that. Now you will have dossiers on both of your key characters (remember that if you’re writing a love story as your main story, the lovers are both protagonist and antagonist, so try to do a bio of both). Please print the page out and BRING IT TO CLASS. After your pitch I’ll ask you to read the antagonist’s bio. Those of you who pitched today, please bring yours as well.

REMINDER: EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE HIS/HER LOGLINE READY FOR MONDAY AND BE PREPARED TO PITCH IT. I will ask a student to pull the names out of a hat. It’s going to be that fair.

I guess that’s it for now. See you Monday.

ak