SCI-FI/HORROR (08765) Professor Maya Perez

Fall 2020 RTF: 369 ADVANCED SCREENWRITING: SCI-FI/HORROR (08765) Professor Maya Perez

Fridays 9am - 12pm on Zoom

Email: [email protected] Office hours: by appointment

Recommended Texts: SCRIPTS! SCRIPTS! SCRIPTS! Screenplay and Four Screenplays by Syd Field On Writing by Stephen King Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft edited by Barbara Morgan & Maya Perez The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler

Recommended Podcasts & Blogs: “Scriptnotes” “Austin Film Festival’s On Story” gointothestory.blcklst.com

Required Reading: Will be emailed to you or posted on Canvas Course Page. Additional scripts are available online. If you are unable to find an unassigned script, let me know and I will try to track it down for you.

Software: Final Draft, Fade In, or Highland are required for this course. Contact me for the current Final Draft student discount code, if you need it. Fade In offers student discounts on their site, and Highland is free for students.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This advanced screenwriting workshop will focus on horror and science fiction writing—two exciting genres that have provided opportunities for countless new writers in the film industry. Each student will write a feature-length narrative horror and/or science fiction screenplay and provide weekly notes on their classmates’ work. In addition, we’ll make a semester-long study of the current trends in each genre, reading and analyzing some of the biggest hits of recent years.

In this course, students will continue their exploration of the basic dramatic principles of the form—story, character, and structure. Class meetings will be divided into lecture/discussion and workshop/critique sessions.

Writing requirements: By the end of the semester, each student will have a complete treatment, outline, and first draft of an original feature-length screenplay. Students will also each write a thorough scene-by-scene analysis of a script of their choosing – tracing the characters, their wants, what’s at stake for them, and the forces standing in their way. The purpose of this analysis is to underscore the guideposts of structure.

Reading Requirements: The craft of screenwriting is learned through the critical examination of screenplays and films. Students are expected to critically read the assigned scripts. We will analyze these scripts together in class. Students are also expected to read their classmates’ script pages and write constructive feedback.

Office Hours: Students are strongly encouraged to contact me to schedule virtual office hours. I am available to discuss story issues, if you’re struggling to meet deadlines, or any class- or industry-related questions you might have.

Mechanics: Writing assignments are to be posted on Canvas by midnight on Tuesday to be discussed on Friday. Script pages must include a title page with a title (even if it’s just a placeholder) and your name. Please post your script pages as a PDF and title the document with your name and the assignment, e.g.: MPerezOutline.pdf

Students must adhere to this deadline in order to give their peers plenty of time to read the script pages before class. Each assignment should be treated as a submission to a producer and thus should look professional—properly formatted and free of spelling and

1 grammatical errors. Sloppy work gives the impression that you don’t care about your readers or your script.

Notes on your classmates’ script pages should be emailed to the respective classmate and me by midnight on Friday of the respective class.

Class Participation: Active participation from each student is required. In this exclusively online workshop students are expected to come to class having thoroughly read all the work to be discussed and prepared for meaningful discussion in addition to the written feedback which they are providing their peers with on each set of pages. The workshop is only as good as the efforts put forth by its participants. At the end of the semester, students will be grading each other on the quality of their participation. The grade you receive from your classmates will modify the participation portion of your grade.

Attendance: We’ll be moving very quickly in this class and covering a lot of ground in just a few weeks. Attendance and participation are crucial to your learning and goal of completing a feature script by semester’s end. After one absence, you will be penalized 10 points per unexcused absence. I do not require doctor’s notes or documentation—you are adults, here by choice, and I trust you—but I do expect communication. Unless it’s an emergency and you’re unable to, please let me know in advance if you will be missing class, so I know not to wait for you to begin. If absent or late, you are responsible for what was covered in class, including assignments and feedback on your classmates’ scripts.

All students are expected to have their laptop/computer camera on during the virtual class. Staring at blank squares hinders this class from being a space for creative interaction. Please turn off notifications and cell phones during class. Students should be appropriately dressed for class (no pajamas) and sitting up in a chair (not in bed) in a well-lit area.

Class Recordings: Class recordings are reserved only for students in this class for educational purposes and are protected under FERPA. The recordings should not be shared outside the class in any form. Violation of this restriction by a student could lead to Student Misconduct proceedings.

2 Grading: In evaluating your work, I try to assess what’s been learned and how hard a student has worked. Have you demonstrated an understanding of the dramatic concepts discussed in class, and is that understanding reflected in your work? Your final grade will reflect the quality and sincerity of your efforts in this class.

There will be no tests or final exam. +/- letter grades will be assigned. Grades will be determined on a 100 point scale:

Prep work (log lines, outline, etc.): 30

Model film scene-by-scene analysis (including class presentation): 10

Pages: 30

Class Participation (including peer review): 30

Summary: The creative process can be exciting but also challenging, even more so during this unprecedented time. I’ll do everything I can to help guide you and make this class as meaningful a learning experience as I can. Please know that I am aware that the adversities you face vary greatly and have very real implications in your lives. Please contact me if you’re having concerns or problems that you want to discuss.

3 COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change):

All classes will be conducted through Zoom. All coursework will be transmitted online. Students are expected to have cameras on for virtual class, should be appropriately dressed for class (no pajamas), and sitting up in a chair (not in bed) in a well-lit area. If living accommodations make this difficult, please contact me directly to let me know.

“I often feel like horror and genre, in general, can be a really great container for ideas that are harder to actually make movies about.”

- Karyn Kusama, director THE INVITATION, JENNIFER’S BODY

08/28 DISCUSS: Orientation, goals for the class. What scares you? What story do you want to write? Why? What’s your connection to it? Defining the genres, identifying key elements. Using the genre as a vehicle for confronting our fears and social commentary. Loglines. ASSIGNMENT: Read logline article, write a logline, list movies in same wheelhouse/influences READ: THE BABADOOK by Jennifer Kent

09/04 DISCUSS: Loglines. THE BABADOOK structure. Scene-by-scene analysis and class loglines. Scene-by-scene breakdown of your model film. What is your beginning, middle, end? What are your big scenes? Who are your characters and what do they want? How will they change and/or the world around them be changed? Writing exercise: Character bios. ASSIGNMENT: Scene-by-scene breakdown of your model film, revise logline READ: Script of model film

09/11 DISCUSS: Breakdown presentations. Treatments. Should be 2-3 pages and include your main characters, their wants, and obstacles; major story/plot points, beginning, middle, and end (first act, second act, third act), including inciting, act breaks, turning points, resolution. Include your revised selected logline and a title. Your second act should be the longest section. Do you have the right protagonist? Antagonist? What’s your story really about? ASSIGNMENT: Read treatments article and write a treatment READ: A QUIET PLACE by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods

09/18 DISCUSS: A QUIET PLACE guest speakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods. Discuss class’ treatments. What ground are you covering in the first act? What questions does your first act ask? Are they answered in your third act? What is the best/worst thing that could happen to your character/s? Does it happen? Outlines. What happens in each scene? What purpose do these

4 scenes serve? Must they occur in this order? Do the stakes increase, does the pace quicken or slow with each subsequent scene? ASSIGNMENT: Write an outline that includes: slug lines, act breaks, the goal of each scene. What is the scene’s beginning, middle, end? READ: GET OUT by Jordan Peele

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should." - Dr. Ian Malcolm, JURASSIC PARK

09/25 DISCUSS: GET OUT. Class outlines. How can they be stronger? Does each scene serve a purpose? Escalate tension? Move the story forward? Can scenes be combined? ASSIGNMENT: Revise your outline READ: THE WITCH by Robert Eggers

10/2 DISCUSS: THE WITCH. Class pages. Next up: Inciting incident. Opening your story, grabbing the attention of your reader, setting the tone, introducing characters, establishing stakes (even if the character doesn’t know them yet). Again, what is the goal of each scene? What purpose do they serve? What does each character want in each scene? Does that change at the end of the scene? Where does your scene take place? What purpose does that serve? What is the conflict in the scene? How can it be heightened? ASSIGNMENT: Write through inciting incident (approx 15 pages) READ: JENNIFER’S BODY by Diablo Cody (if you have access, please also watch HALLOWEEN, both 1978 and 2018)

10/9 DISCUSS: JENNIFER’S BODY. Class pages. Act one break. Discuss what changes, character’s goal, why, what’s their plan? Action lines, dialogue. ASSIGNMENT: write through first act break READ: EX MACHINA

10/16 DISCUSS: EX MACHINA. Class pages. Next up: False Victory or First Defeat (Page 45 approx.) Writing exercise: Write one of your fav movie scenes in three different ways. Write one of your scenes in three different ways. ASSIGNMENT: Write through page 45 READ: IT FOLLOWS

10/23 DISCUSS: IT FOLLOWS. Class pages. Next up: Midpoint. What changes at the midpoint? Is there a story pivot? A POV pivot?

5 ASSIGNMENT: Write through the midpoint READ: ARRIVAL

10/30 DISCUSS: ARRIVAL w/ guest speaker Eric Heisserer. Class pages. Next up: Page 75 plot turn. What changes in the second half of the second act? How has your story path/wants/goals changed as a result of the midpoint? Writing exercise: Write the scene after midpoint for a classmates’ script. ASSIGNMENT: write through page 75 READ: MINORITY REPORT

11/6 DISCUSS: MINORITY REPORT. Class pages. Next up: Lowpoint. What’s the low point? Is this reflected from connected with act one? Writing exercise: Write one of your scenes with no dialogue. ASSIGNMENT: Write through the low point READ: MINORITY REPORT (if you didn’t finish)

11/13 DISCUSS: MINORITY REPORT. Check-in - how’s everyone doing? Class pages. Next up: Climax. The big, final confrontation between your protagonist/s and your villain. ASSIGNMENT: Write through the climax

11/20 DISCUSS: MINORITY REPORT guest speaker Scott Frank. Class pages. Next up: Resolution. This is it! Does your third act answer the questions set up in your first act and built through your second act? Did your protagonist defeat the monster? At what cost? ASSIGNMENT: Finish up!

11/27 THANKSGIVING BREAK

12/4 DISCUSS: Guest speaker Scott Frank alt date. Class pages. Rewriting. Last class!

12/11 Final draft of your script due by midnight.

The University of Texas Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and

6 responsibility. Each member of the University is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process. Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or another assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor. By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic dishonesty damages both the student’s learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career. Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial Services website at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs

About Services for Students with Disabilities: The University of Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

Important Safety Information:

If you have concerns about the safety or behavior of fellow students, TAs or Professors, call BCAL (the Behavior Concerns Advice Line): 512-232-5050. Your call can be anonymous. If something doesn’t feel right – it probably isn’t. Trust your instincts and share your concerns.

Title IX Reporting

Title IX is a federal law that protects against sex and gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual misconduct, dating/domestic violence, and stalking at federally funded educational institutions. UT Austin is committed to fostering a learning and working environment free from discrimination in all its forms. When sexual misconduct occurs in our community, the university can:

1. Intervene to prevent harmful behavior from continuing or escalating.

7 2. Provide support and remedies to students and employees who have experienced harm or have become involved in a Title IX investigation. 3. Investigate and discipline violations of the university’s relevant policies.

Faculty members and certain staff members are considered “Responsible Employees” or “Mandatory Reporters,” which means that they are required to report violations of Title IX to the Title IX Coordinator. I am a Responsible Employee and must report any Title IX related incidents that are disclosed in writing, discussion, or one-on-one. Before talking with me, or with any faculty or staff member about a Title IX related incident, be sure to ask whether they are a responsible employee. If you want to speak with someone for support or remedies without making an official report to the university, email [email protected] For more information about reporting options and resources, visit titleix.utexas.edu or contact the Title IX Office at [email protected].

Moody Writing Support Program: The Moody College Writing Support Program offers one-on-one assistance without charge to undergraduates seeking to improve their professional writing in all fields of communication. We have student specialists in Journalism, RTF, CSD, CMS, Communication & Leadership, and PR & Advertising.

The Moody Writing Support Program will be offering virtual writing coaching sessions to students starting next week. You can book an appointment through their website (https://sites.utexas.edu/moodywriting/), and your writing coach will reach out to make arrangements for a virtual coaching session.

University Writing Center: The University Writing Center

, located in the FAC 211, offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills. There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis. Phone: (512)471-6222.

Religious Holidays: Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. If you miss a work assignment or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. It is the policy of the University of Texas at Austin

8 that you must notify each of your instructors at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates you will be absent to observe a religious holy day.

University Electronic Mail Notification Policy: In this course, email will be used as a means of communication with students. You will be responsible for checking your email regularly for classwork and announcements.)

Writing Flag: This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. You should, therefore, expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work. Writing Flag classes meet the Core Communications objectives of Critical Thinking, Communication, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Counseling and Mental Health Services: Taking care of your general well-being is an important step in being a successful student. If stress, test anxiety, racing thoughts, feeling unmotivated or anything else is getting in your way, there are options available for support. For immediate support:

- Visit/Call the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC): M-F 8-5p | SSB, 5th floor | 512-471-3515 | cmhc.utexas.edu

- CMHC Crisis Line: 24/7 | 512.471.2255 | cmhc.utexas.edu/24hourcounseling.html CARE Counselor in the Moody College of Communication is: Abby Simpson, LCSW |CMA 4.134 | 512-471-7642 (Please leave a message if she is unavailable)

FREE Services at CMHC:

9 - Brief assessments and referral services

- Mental health & wellness articles - cmhc.utexas.edu/commonconcerns.html

- MindBody Lab - cmhc.utexas.edu/mindbodylab.html

- Classes, workshops, & groups - cmhc.utexas.edu/groups.html

COVID Guidance: Due to COVID-19 and its attendant challenges, we have a number of special requests relating to the Fall 2020 semester. Our best protection against spreading COVID-19 on campus are masks (defined as cloth face coverings) and staying home if you are showing symptoms. Therefore, for the benefit of everyone, this means that all students are required to follow these important rules.

● Every student must wear a cloth face-covering properly in all campus buildings at all times.

● Students are encouraged to participate in documented daily symptom screening. This means that each class day in which on-campus activities occur, students must upload certification from the symptom tracking app and confirm that they completed their symptom screening for that day to Canvas. Students should not upload the results of that screening, just the certificate that they completed it. If the symptom tracking app recommends that the student isolates rather than coming to class, then students must not return to class until cleared by a medical professional.

● Information regarding safety protocols with and without symptoms can be found here.

If a student is not wearing a cloth face-covering properly in any UT building, that student must leave the building. If the student refuses to wear a cloth face covering, the class will be dismissed for the remainder of the period, and the student will be subject to disciplinary action as set forth in the university’s Institutional Rules/General Conduct 11-404(a)(3). Students who have a condition that precludes the wearing of a cloth face covering must follow the procedures for obtaining an accommodation working with Services for Students with Disabilities

Sharing of Course Materials is Prohibited: No materials used in this class, including, but not limited to, lecture hand-outs, videos, assessments (quizzes, exams, papers,

10 projects, homework assignments), in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets, may be shared online or with anyone outside of the class unless you have my explicit, written permission. Unauthorized sharing of materials promotes cheating. It is a violation of the University’s Student Honor Code and an act of academic dishonesty. I am well aware of the sites used for sharing materials, and any materials found online that are associated with you, or any suspected unauthorized sharing of materials, will be reported to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students. These reports can result in sanctions, including failure in the course.

COVID Caveats: To help keep everyone at UT and in our community safe, it is critical that students report COVID-19 symptoms and testing, regardless of test results, to University Health Services, and faculty and staff report to the HealthPoint Occupational Health Program (OHP) as soon as possible. Please see this link

to understand what needs to be reported. In addition, to help understand what to do if a fellow student in the class (or the instructor or TA) tests positive for COVID, see this University Health Services link